Understanding the Steric Height Long Term Variability at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-Series Study (BATS) Site with a Neutral Density Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goncalves Neto, A.; Johnson, R. J.; Bates, N. R.

2016-02-01

Rising sea level is one of the main concerns for human life in a scenario with global atmosphere and ocean warming, which is of particular concern for oceanic islands. Bermuda, located in the center of the Sargasso Sea, provides an ideal location to investigate sea level rise since it has a long term tide gauge (1933-present) and is in close proximity to deep ocean time-series sites, namely, Hydrostation `S' (1954-present) and the Bermuda Atlantic Time-Series Study site (1988-present). In this study, we use the monthly CTD deep casts at BATS to compute the contribution of steric height (SH) to the local sea surface height (SSH) for the past 24 years. To determine the relative contribution from the various water masses we first define 8 layers (Surface Layer, Upper Thermocline, Subtropical Mode-Water, Lower Thermocline, Antarctic Intermediate Water, Labrador Sea Water, Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water, Denmark Strait Overflow Water) based on neutral density criteria for which SH is computed. Additionally, we calculate the thermosteric and halosteric components for each of the defined neutral density layers. Surprisingly, the results show that, despite a 3.3mm/yr sea level rise observed at the Bermuda tide gauge, the steric contribution to the SSH at BATS has decreased at a rate of -1.1mm/yr during the same period. The thermal component is found to account for the negative trend in the steric height (-4.4mm/yr), whereas the halosteric component (3.3mm/yr) partially compensates the thermal signal and can be explained by an overall cooling and freshening at the BATS site. Although the surface layer and the upper thermocline waters are warming, all the subtropical and polar water masses, which represent most of the local water column, are cooling and therefore drive the overall SH contribution to the local SSH. Hence, it suggests that the mass contribution to the local SSH plays an important role in the sea level rise, for which we investigate with GRACE data.

Seasonal and Interannual Variability of the Brazil - Malvinas Front: an Altimetry Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saraceno, M.; Valla, D.; Pelegrí, J. L.; Piola, A. R.

2016-02-01

The Brazil and Malvinas Confluence in the Southwestern Atlantic is one of the most energetic regions of the world ocean. Using recent measurements of sub-surface velocity currents, collected along 2348 nautical miles with a vessel mounted acoustic Doppler profiler onboard R/V BIO Hespérides, we validate geostrophic velocities derived from gridded fields of sea surface height (SSH). A remarkable correspondence between in-situ surface hydrographic data collected from the vessel and satellite sea surface temperature (SST), color and altimetry data allows selecting a specific SSH contour to track the position of the Brazil-Malvinas front. We then use 22 years of SSH data distributed by AVISO to show that the Brazil-Malvinas front shows a NS orientation in winter and a NE-SW orientation in summer, in good agreement with results based on the analysis of SST gradients. Furthermore, a clear southward migration of the front during the 22 year period is observed. The migration is associated with the southward shift of the South Atlantic high-pressure system that is in turn related to large climate changes in the southern portion of the South American continent. The seasonal variability in the orientation of the front is related to the Brazil and Malvinas encountering currents.

Trends in Arctic Ocean bottom pressure, sea surface height and freshwater content using GRACE and the ice-ocean model PIOMAS from 2008-2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peralta-Ferriz, Cecilia; Morison, James; Zhang, Jinlun; Bonin, Jennifer

2014-05-01

The variability of ocean bottom pressure (OBP) in the Arctic is dominated by the variations in sea surface height (SSH) from daily to monthly timescales. Conversely, OBP variability is dominated by the changes in the steric pressure (StP) at inter-annual timescales, particularly off the continental shelves. The combination of GRACE-derived ocean bottom pressure and ICESat altimetry-derived sea surface height variations in the Arctic Ocean have provided new means of identifying inter-annual trends in StP (StP = OBP-SSH) and associated freshwater content (FWC) of the Arctic region (Morison et al., 2012). Morison et al. (2012) showed that from 2004 to 2008, the FWC increased in the Beaufort Gyre and decreased in the Siberian and Central Arctic, resulting in a relatively small net basin-averaged FWC change. In this work, we investigate the inter-annual trends from 2008 to 2012 in OBP from GRACE, SSH from the state-of-the-art pan-Arctic ocean model PIOMAS -validated with tide and pressure gauges in the Arctic-, and compute the trends in StP and FWC from 2008-2012. We compare these results with the previous trends from 2005-2008 described in Morison et al. (2012). Our initial findings suggest increased salinity in the entire Arctic basin (relative to the climatological seasonal variation) from 2008-2012, compared to the preceding four years (2005-2008). We also find that the trends in OBP, SSH and StP from 2008-2012 present a different behavior during the spring-summer and fall-winter, unlike 2005-2008, in which the trends were generally consistent through all months of the year. It seems since 2009, when the Beaufort Gyre relaxed and the export of freshwater from the Canada Basin into the Canadian Archipelago and Fram Strait, via the Lincoln Sea, was anomalously large (de Steur et al., 2013), the Arctic Ocean has entered a new circulation regime. The causes of such changes in the inter-annual trends of OBP, SSH and StP -hence FWC-, associated with the changes in the shape and strength of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and the wind patterns, as well as with the changes in sea ice conditions will be explored. References: Morison, J., R. Kwok, C. Peralta-Ferriz, M. Alkire, I. Rigor, R. Andersen, and M. Steele, Changing Arctic Ocean Freshwater Pathways Measured With ICESat and GRACE, Nature, 481, 66-70, DOI: 10.1038/nature10705, 2012. de Steur, L., et al. (2013), Hydrographic changes in the Lincoln Sea in the Arctic Ocean with focus on an upper ocean freshwater anomaly between 2007 and 2010, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 118, 4699-4715, doi:10.1002/jgrc.20341.

Mapping the nonstationary internal tide with satellite altimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaron, Edward D.

2017-01-01

Temporal variability of the internal tide has been inferred from the 23 year long combined records of the TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, and Jason-2 satellite altimeters by combining harmonic analysis with an analysis of along-track wavenumber spectra of sea-surface height (SSH). Conventional harmonic analysis is first applied to estimate and remove the stationary components of the tide at each point along the reference ground tracks. The wavenumber spectrum of the residual SSH is then computed, and the variance in a neighborhood around the wavenumber of the mode-1 baroclinic M2 tide is interpreted as the sum of noise, broadband nontidal processes, and the nonstationary tide. At many sites a bump in the spectrum associated with the internal tide is noted, and an empirical model for the noise and nontidal processes is used to estimate the nonstationary semidiurnal tidal variance. The results indicate a spatially inhomogeneous pattern of tidal variability. Nonstationary tides are larger than stationary tides throughout much of the equatorial Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Mapping coastal sea level at high resolution with radar interferometry: the SWOT Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, L. L.; Chao, Y.; Laignel, B.; Turki, I., Sr.

2017-12-01

The spatial resolution of the present constellation of radar altimeters in mapping two-dimensional sea surface height (SSH) variability is approaching 100 km (in wavelength). At scales shorter than 100 km, the eddies and fronts are responsible for the stirring and mixing of the ocean, especially important in the various coastal processes. A mission currently in development will make high-resolution measurement of the height of water over the ocean as well as on land. It is called Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT), which is a joint mission of US NASA and French CNES, with contributions from Canada and UK. SWOT will carry a pair of interferometry radars and make 2-dimensional SSH measurements over a swath of 120 km with a nadir gap of 20 km in a 21-day repeat orbit. The synthetic aperture radar of SWOT will make SSH measurement at extremely high resolution of 10-70 m. SWOT will also carry a nadir looking conventional altimeter and make 1-dimensional SSH measurements along the nadir gap. The temporal sampling varies from 2 repeats per 21 days at the equator to more than 4 repeats at mid latitudes and more than 6 at high latitudes. This new mission will allow a continuum of fine-scale observations from the open ocean to the coasts, estuaries and rivers, allowing us to investigate a number of scientific and technical questions in the coastal and estuarine domain to assess the coastal impacts of regional sea level change, such as the interaction of sea level with river flow, estuary inundation, storm surge, coastal wetlands, salt water intrusion, etc. As examples, we will illustrate the potential impact of SWOT to the studies of the San Francisco Bay Delta, and the Seine River estuary, etc. Preliminary results suggest that the SWOT Mission will provide fundamental data to map the spatial variability of water surface elevations under different hydrodynamic conditions and at different scales (local, regional and global) to improve our knowledge of the complex physical processes in the coastal and estuarine systems in response to global sea level changes.

The seasonal march of the equatorial Pacific upper-ocean and its El Niño variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasparin, Florent; Roemmich, Dean

2017-08-01

Based on two modern data sets, the climatological seasonal march of the upper-ocean is examined in the equatorial Pacific for the period 2004-2014, because of its large contribution to the total variance, its relationship to El Niño, and its unique equatorial wave phenomena. Argo provides a broadscale view of the equatorial Pacific upper-ocean based on subsurface temperature and salinity measurements for the period 2004-2015, and satellite altimetry provides synoptic observations of the sea surface height (SSH) for the period 1993-2015. Using either 11-year (1993-2003/2004-2014) time-series for averaging, the seasonal Rossby waves stands out clearly and eastward intraseasonal Kelvin wave propagation is strong enough in individual years to leave residuals in the 11-year averages, particularly but not exclusively, during El Niño onset years. The agreement of altimetric SSH minus Argo steric height (SH) residuals with GRACE ocean mass estimates confirms the scale-matching of in situ variability with that of satellite observations. Surface layer and subsurface thermohaline variations are both important in determining SH and SSH basin-wide patterns. The SH/SSH October-November maximum in the central-eastern Pacific is primarily due to a downward deflection of the thermocline (∼20 m), causing a warm subsurface anomaly (>1 °C), in response to the phasing of downwelling intraseasonal Kelvin and seasonal Rossby waves. Compared with the climatology, the stronger October-November maximum in the 2004-2014 El Niño composites is due to higher intraseasonal oscillations and interannual variability. Associated with these equatorial wave patterns along the thermocline, the western warm/fresh pool waters move zonally at interannual timescales through zonal wind stress and pressure gradient fluctuations, and cause substantial fresh (up to 0.6 psu) and warm (∼1 °C higher than the climatology) anomalies in the western-central Pacific surface-layer during the El Niño onset year, and of the opposite sign during the termination year. These El Niño-related patterns are then analyzed focusing on the case of the onset of the strong 2015/2016 episode, and are seen to be around two times larger than that in the 2004-2014 El Niño composites. The present work exploits the capabilities of Argo and altimetry to update and improve the description of the physical state of the equatorial Pacific upper-ocean, and provides a benchmark for assessing the accuracy of models in representing equatorial Pacific variability.

Free and Forced Rossby Waves in the Western South China Sea Inferred from Jason-1 Satellite Altimetry Data

PubMed Central

Wu, Xiangyu; Xie, Qiang; He, Zhigang; Wang, Dongxiao

2008-01-01

Data from a subsurface mooring deployed in the western South China Sea shows clear intra-seasonal oscillations (ISO) at the period of 40∼70 days. Analysis of remotely-sensed sea surface height (SSH) anomalies in the same area indicates that these ISO signals propagate both eastward and westward. Time-longitude diagrams of ISO signals in SSH anomalies and wind-stress curl indicate that the eastward propagating SSH anomalies is forced by wind-stress curl. This is also confirmed by lag correlation between SSH anomalies and the wind-stress-curl index (wind stress curl averaged over 109.5°E -115°E and 12°N -13.5°N). Lag correlation of SSH anomaly suggests that the westward propagating signals are free Rossby waves. PMID:27879897

Altimeter‐derived seasonal circulation on the southwest Atlantic shelf: 27°–43°S

PubMed Central

James, Corinne; Combes, Vincent; Matano, Ricardo P.; Piola, Alberto R.; Palma, Elbio D.; Saraceno, Martin; Guerrero, Raul A.; Fenco, Harold; Ruiz‐Etcheverry, Laura A.

2015-01-01

Abstract Altimeter sea surface height (SSH) fields are analyzed to define and discuss the seasonal circulation over the wide continental shelf in the SW Atlantic Ocean (27°–43°S) during 2001–2012. Seasonal variability is low south of the Rio de la Plata (RdlP), where winds and currents remain equatorward for most of the year. Winds and currents in the central and northern parts of our domain are also equatorward during autumn and winter but reverse to become poleward during spring and summer. Transports of shelf water to the deep ocean are strongest during summer offshore and to the southeast of the RdlP. Details of the flow are discussed using mean monthly seasonal cycles of winds, heights, and currents, along with analyses of Empirical Orthogonal Functions. Principle Estimator Patterns bring out the patterns of wind forcing and ocean response. The largest part of the seasonal variability in SSH signals is due to changes in the wind forcing (described above) and changes in the strong boundary currents that flow along the eastern boundary of the shelf. The rest of the variability contains a smaller component due to heating and expansion of the water column, concentrated in the southern part of the region next to the coast. Our results compare well to previous studies using in situ data and to results from realistic numerical models of the regional circulation. PMID:27656332

Acute Effects of Static Stretching of Hamstring on Performance and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Risk During Stop-Jump and Cutting Tasks in Female Athletes.

PubMed

Ruan, Mianfang; Zhang, Qiang; Wu, Xie

2017-05-01

Ruan, M, Zhang, Q, and Wu, X. Acute effects of static stretching of hamstring on performance and anterior cruciate ligament injury risk during stop-jump and cutting tasks in female athletes. J Strength Cond Res 31(5): 1241-1250, 2017-There is limited research investigating antagonist stretch. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of static stretching of hamstrings (SSH) on performance and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk during stop-jump and 180° cutting tasks. Twelve female college athletes (age 20.8 ± 0.7 years; height 1.61 ± 0.05 m; mass 54.25 ± 4.22 kg) participated in this study. Subjects performed stop-jump and 180° cutting tasks under 2 conditions: after warm-up with 4 × 30 seconds SSH or after warm-up without SSH. Three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data as well as electromyography of biceps femoris, rectus femoris, vastus medialis, and gastrocnemius medialis were collected during testing. Static stretching of hamstrings significantly enhanced jump height by 5.1% (p = 0.009) but did not change the takeoff speed of cutting. No significant changes in peak knee adduction moment or peak anterior tibia shear force were observed with SSH regardless of the task. The peak lateral tibia shear force during cutting was significantly (p = 0.036) reduced with SSH. The co-contraction of hamstring and quadriceps during the preactivation (stop-jump: p = 0.04; cutting: p = 0.05) and downward phases (stop-jump: p = 0.04; cutting: p = 0.05) was significantly reduced after SSH regardless of the task. The results suggest that SSH enhanced the performance of stop-jump because of decreased co-contraction of hamstring and quadriceps but did not change the performance of cutting. In addition, SSH did not increase ACL injury risk during stop-jump and cutting tasks and even reduced medial-lateral knee loading during cutting.

Acute Effects of Static Stretching of Hamstring on Performance and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Risk During Stop-Jump and Cutting Tasks in Female Athletes

PubMed Central

Ruan, Mianfang; Zhang, Qiang

2017-01-01

Abstract Ruan, M, Zhang, Q, and Wu, X. Acute effects of static stretching of hamstring on performance and anterior cruciate ligament injury risk during stop-jump and cutting tasks in female athletes. J Strength Cond Res 31(5): 1241–1250, 2017—There is limited research investigating antagonist stretch. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of static stretching of hamstrings (SSH) on performance and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk during stop-jump and 180° cutting tasks. Twelve female college athletes (age 20.8 ± 0.7 years; height 1.61 ± 0.05 m; mass 54.25 ± 4.22 kg) participated in this study. Subjects performed stop-jump and 180° cutting tasks under 2 conditions: after warm-up with 4 × 30 seconds SSH or after warm-up without SSH. Three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data as well as electromyography of biceps femoris, rectus femoris, vastus medialis, and gastrocnemius medialis were collected during testing. Static stretching of hamstrings significantly enhanced jump height by 5.1% (p = 0.009) but did not change the takeoff speed of cutting. No significant changes in peak knee adduction moment or peak anterior tibia shear force were observed with SSH regardless of the task. The peak lateral tibia shear force during cutting was significantly (p = 0.036) reduced with SSH. The co-contraction of hamstring and quadriceps during the preactivation (stop-jump: p = 0.04; cutting: p = 0.05) and downward phases (stop-jump: p = 0.04; cutting: p = 0.05) was significantly reduced after SSH regardless of the task. The results suggest that SSH enhanced the performance of stop-jump because of decreased co-contraction of hamstring and quadriceps but did not change the performance of cutting. In addition, SSH did not increase ACL injury risk during stop-jump and cutting tasks and even reduced medial-lateral knee loading during cutting. PMID:28118311

Simulation and assimilation of satellite altimeter data at the oceanic mesoscale

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Demay, P.; Robinson, A. R.

1984-01-01

An improved "objective analysis' technique is used along with an altimeter signal statistical model, an altimeter noise statistical model, an orbital model, and synoptic surface current maps in the POLYMODE-SDE area, to evaluate the performance of various observational strategies in catching the mesoscale variability at mid-latitudes. In particular, simulated repetitive nominal orbits of ERS-1, TOPEX, and SPOT/POSEIDON are examined. Results show the critical importance of existence of a subcycle, scanning in either direction. Moreover, long repeat cycles ( 20 days) and short cross-track distances ( 300 km) seem preferable, since they match mesoscale statistics. Another goal of the study is to prepare and discuss sea-surface height (SSH) assimilation in quasigeostrophic models. Restored SSH maps are shown to meet that purpose, if an efficient extrapolation method or deep in-situ data (floats) are used on the vertical to start and update the model.

Identifying Environmental Risk Factors of Cholera in a Coastal Area with Geospatial Technologies

PubMed Central

Xu, Min; Cao, Chunxiang; Wang, Duochun; Kan, Biao

2014-01-01

Satellites contribute significantly to environmental quality and public health. Environmental factors are important indicators for the prediction of disease outbreaks. This study reveals the environmental factors associated with cholera in Zhejiang, a coastal province of China, using both Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic information System (GIS). The analysis validated the correlation between the indirect satellite measurements of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH) and ocean chlorophyll concentration (OCC) and the local cholera magnitude based on a ten-year monthly data from the year 1999 to 2008. Cholera magnitude has been strongly affected by the concurrent variables of SST and SSH, while OCC has a one-month time lag effect. A cholera prediction model has been established based on the sea environmental factors. The results of hot spot analysis showed the local cholera magnitude in counties significantly associated with the estuaries and rivers. PMID:25551518

Identifying environmental risk factors of cholera in a coastal area with geospatial technologies.

PubMed

Xu, Min; Cao, Chunxiang; Wang, Duochun; Kan, Biao

2014-12-29

Satellites contribute significantly to environmental quality and public health. Environmental factors are important indicators for the prediction of disease outbreaks. This study reveals the environmental factors associated with cholera in Zhejiang, a coastal province of China, using both Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic information System (GIS). The analysis validated the correlation between the indirect satellite measurements of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH) and ocean chlorophyll concentration (OCC) and the local cholera magnitude based on a ten-year monthly data from the year 1999 to 2008. Cholera magnitude has been strongly affected by the concurrent variables of SST and SSH, while OCC has a one-month time lag effect. A cholera prediction model has been established based on the sea environmental factors. The results of hot spot analysis showed the local cholera magnitude in counties significantly associated with the estuaries and rivers.

Neural Network Technique for Global Ocean Color (Chl-a) Estimates Bridging Multiple Satellite Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garraffo, Z. D.; Nadiga, S.; Krasnopolsky, V.; Mehra, A.; Bayler, E. J.; Kim, H. C.; Behringer, D.

2016-02-01

A Neural Network (NN) technique is used to produce consistent global ocean color estimates, bridging multiple satellite ocean color missions by linking ocean color variability - primarily driven by biological processes - with the physical processes of the upper ocean. Satellite-derived surface variables - sea-surface temperature (SST) and sea-surface height (SSH) fields - are used as signatures of upper-ocean dynamics. The NN technique employs adaptive weights that are tuned by applying statistical learning (training) algorithms to past data sets, providing robustness with respect to random noise, accuracy, fast emulations, and fault-tolerance. This study employs Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) chlorophyll-a data for 1998-2010 in conjunction with satellite SSH and SST fields. After interpolating all data sets to the same two-degree latitude-longitude grid, the annual mean was removed and monthly anomalies extracted . The NN technique wass trained for even years of that period and tested for errors and bias for the odd years. The NN output are assessed for: (i) bias, (ii) variability, (iii) root-mean-square error (RMSE), and (iv) cross-correlation. A Jacobian is evaluated to estimate the impact of each input (SSH, SST) on the NN chlorophyll-a estimates. The differences between an ensemble of NNs vs a single NN are examined. After the NN is trained for the SeaWiFS period, the NN is then applied and validated for 2005-2015, a period covered by other satellite missions — the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS AQUA) and the Visible Imaging Infrared Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).

On the Direct Assimilation of Along-track Sea Surface Height Observations into a Free-surface Ocean Model Using a Weak Constraints Four Dimensional Variational (4dvar) Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ngodock, H.; Carrier, M.; Smith, S. R.; Souopgui, I.; Martin, P.; Jacobs, G. A.

2016-02-01

The representer method is adopted for solving a weak constraints 4dvar problem for the assimilation of ocean observations including along-track SSH, using a free surface ocean model. Direct 4dvar assimilation of SSH observations along the satellite tracks requires that the adjoint model be integrated with Dirac impulses on the right hand side of the adjoint equations for the surface elevation equation. The solution of this adjoint model will inevitably include surface gravity waves, and it constitutes the forcing for the tangent linear model (TLM) according to the representer method. This yields an analysis that is contaminated by gravity waves. A method for avoiding the generation of the surface gravity waves in the analysis is proposed in this study; it consists of removing the adjoint of the free surface from the right hand side (rhs) of the free surface mode in the TLM. The information from the SSH observations will still propagate to all other variables via the adjoint of the balance relationship between the barotropic and baroclinic modes, resulting in the correction to the surface elevation. Two assimilation experiments are carried out in the Gulf of Mexico: one with adjoint forcing included on the rhs of the TLM free surface equation, and the other without. Both analyses are evaluated against the assimilated SSH observations, SSH maps from Aviso and independent surface drifters, showing that the analysis that did not include adjoint forcing in the free surface is more accurate. This study shows that when a weak constraint 4dvar approach is considered for the assimilation of along-track SSH observations using a free surface model, with the aim of correcting the mesoscale circulation, an independent model error should not be assigned to the free surface.

Can We Infer Ocean Dynamics from Altimeter Wavenumber Spectra?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richman, James; Shriver, Jay; Arbic, Brian

2012-01-01

The wavenumber spectra of sea surface height (SSH) and kinetic energy (KE) have been used to infer the dynamics of the ocean. When quasi-geostrophic dynamics (QG) or surface quasi-geostrophic (SQG) turbulence dominate and an inertial subrange exists, a steep SSH wavenumber spectrum is expected with k-5 for QG turbulence and a flatter k-11/3 for SQG turbulence. However, inspection of the spectral slopes in the mesoscale band of 70 to 250 km shows that the altimeter wavenumber slopes typically are much flatter than the QG or SQG predictions over most of the ocean. Comparison of the altimeter wavenumber spectra with the spectra estimated from the output of an eddy resolving global ocean circulation model (the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model, HYCOM, at 1/25 resolution), which is forced by high frequency winds and includes the astronomical forcing of the sun and the moon, suggests that the flatter slopes of the altimeter may arise from three possible sources, the presence of internal waves, the lack of an inertial subrange in the 70 to 250 km band and noise or submesoscales at small scales. When the wavenumber spectra of SSH and KE are estimated near the internal tide generating regions, the resulting spectra are much flatter than the expectations of QG or SQG theory. If the height and velocity variability are separated into low frequency (periods greater than 2 days) and high frequency (periods less than a day), then a different pattern emerges with a relatively flat wavenumber spectrum at high frequency and a steeper wavenumber spectrum at low frequency. The stationary internal tides can be removed from the altimeter spectrum, which steepens the spectral slopes in the energetic internal wave regions. Away from generating regions where the internal waves

Estimating the Ocean Flow Field from Combined Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Surface Height Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stammer, Detlef; Lindstrom, Eric (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This project was part of a previous grant at MIT that was moved over to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) together with the principal investigator. The final report provided here is concerned only with the work performed at SIO since January 2000. The primary focus of this project was the study of the three-dimensional, absolute and time-evolving general circulation of the global ocean from a combined analysis of remotely sensed fields of sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height (SSH). The synthesis of those two fields was performed with other relevant physical data, and appropriate dynamical ocean models with emphasis on constraining ocean general circulation models by a combination of both SST and SSH data. The central goal of the project was to improve our understanding and modeling of the relationship between the SST and its variability to internal ocean dynamics, and the overlying atmosphere, and to explore the relative roles of air-sea fluxes and internal ocean dynamics in establishing anomalies in SST on annual and longer time scales. An understanding of those problems will feed into the general discussion on how SST anomalies vary with time and the extend to which they interact with the atmosphere.

A balanced Kalman filter ocean data assimilation system with application to the South Australian Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yi; Toumi, Ralf

2017-08-01

In this paper, an Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) based regional ocean data assimilation system has been developed and applied to the South Australian Sea. This system consists of the data assimilation algorithm provided by the NCAR Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART) and the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS). We describe the first implementation of the physical balance operator (temperature-salinity, hydrostatic and geostrophic balance) to DART, to reduce the spurious waves which may be introduced during the data assimilation process. The effect of the balance operator is validated in both an idealised shallow water model and the ROMS model real case study. In the shallow water model, the geostrophic balance operator eliminates spurious ageostrophic waves and produces a better sea surface height (SSH) and velocity analysis and forecast. Its impact increases as the sea surface height and wind stress increase. In the real case, satellite-observed sea surface temperature (SST) and SSH are assimilated in the South Australian Sea with 50 ensembles using the Ensemble Adjustment Kalman Filter (EAKF). Assimilating SSH and SST enhances the estimation of SSH and SST in the entire domain, respectively. Assimilation with the balance operator produces a more realistic simulation of surface currents and subsurface temperature profile. The best improvement is obtained when only SSH is assimilated with the balance operator. A case study with a storm suggests that the benefit of the balance operator is of particular importance under high wind stress conditions. Implementing the balance operator could be a general benefit to ocean data assimilation systems.

Waveform identification and retracking analyses of Jason-2 altimeter satellite data for improving sea surface height estimation in Southern Java Island Waters and Java Sea, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nababan, Bisman; Hakim, Muhammad R.; Panjaitan, James P.

2018-05-01

Indonesian waters containing many small islands and shallow waters leads to a less accurate of sea surface height (SSH) estimation from satellite altimetry. Little efforts are also given for the validation of SSH estimation from the satellite in Indonesian waters. The purpose of this research was to identify and retrack waveforms of Jason-2 altimeter satellite data in southern Java island waters and Java Sea using several retrackers and performed improvement percentage analyses for new SSH estimation. The study used data of the Sensor Geophysical Data Record type D (SGDR-D) of Jason-2 satellite altimeter of the year 2010 in the southern Java island waters and 2012-2014 in Java Sea. Waveform retracking analyses were conducted using several retrackers (Offset Center of Gravity, Ice, Threshold, and Improved Threshold) and examined using a world reference undulation geoid of EGM08 and Oceanic retracker. Result showed that shape and pattern of waveforms were varied in all passes, seasons, and locations specifically along the coastal regions. In general, non-Brownish and complex waveforms were identified along coastal region specifically within the distance of 0-10 km from the shoreline. In contrary, generally Brownish waveforms were found in offshore. However, Brownish waveform can also be found within coastal region and non-Brownish waveforms within offshore region. The results were also showed that the four retrackers produced a better SSH estimation in coastal region. However, there was no dominant retracker to improve the accuracy of the SSH estimate.

Estimation of Interbasin Transport Using Ocean Bottom Pressure: Theory and Model for Asian Marginal Seas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Song, Y. Tony

2006-01-01

The Asian Marginal Seas are interconnected by a number of narrow straits, such as the Makassar Strait connecting the Pacific Ocean with the Indian Ocean, the Luzon Strait connecting the South China Sea with the Pacific Ocean, and the Korea/Tsushima Strait connecting the East China Sea with the Japan/East Sea. Here we propose a method, the combination of the "geostrophic control" formula of Garrett and Toulany (1982) and the "hydraulic control" theory of Whitehead et al. (1974), allowing the use of satellite-observed sea-surface-height (SSH) and ocean-bottom-pressure (OBP) data for estimating interbasin transport. The new method also allows separating the interbasin transport into surface and bottom fluxes that play an important role in maintaining the mass balance of the regional oceans. Comparison with model results demonstrates that the combined method can estimate the seasonal variability of the strait transports and is significantly better than the method of using SSH or OBP alone.

Response of the North Atlantic dynamic sea level and circulation to Greenland meltwater and climate change in an eddy-permitting ocean model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saenko, Oleg A.; Yang, Duo; Myers, Paul G.

2017-10-01

The response of the North Atlantic dynamic sea surface height (SSH) and ocean circulation to Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) meltwater fluxes is investigated using a high-resolution model. The model is forced with either present-day-like or projected warmer climate conditions. In general, the impact of meltwater on the North Atlantic SSH and ocean circulation depends on the surface climate. In the two major regions of deep water formation, the Labrador Sea and the Nordic Seas, the basin-mean SSH increases with the increase of the GrIS meltwater flux. This SSH increase correlates with the decline of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). However, while in the Labrador Sea the warming forcing and GrIS meltwater input lead to sea level rise, in the Nordic Seas these two forcings have an opposite influence on the convective mixing and basin-mean SSH (relative to the global mean). The warming leads to less sea-ice cover in the Nordic Seas, which favours stronger surface heat loss and deep mixing, lowering the SSH and generally increasing the transport of the East Greenland Current. In the Labrador Sea, the increased SSH and weaker deep convection are reflected in the decreased transport of the Labrador Current (LC), which closes the subpolar gyre in the west. Among the two major components of the LC transport, the thermohaline and bottom transports, the former is less sensitive to the GrIS meltwater fluxes under the warmer climate. The SSH difference across the LC, which is a component of the bottom velocity, correlates with the long-term mean AMOC rate.

Broadening our View of the MOC using Satellite Altimetry and Two Moored Arrays in the Atlantic: MOVE 16N and RAPID 26N

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duchez, A.; Frajka-Williams, E.; Lankhorst, M. J.; Koelling, J.; Send, U.

2016-02-01

The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC) carries heat northwards in the top 1000m of the Atlantic, with a deep, cold return flow below. Climate simulations predict a slowing of the AMOC in the coming years, while present day observations from boundary arrays demonstrate substantial variability on weekly- to interannual timescales. Using simultaneous observations from the MOVE 16N and RAPID 26N arrays in the Atlantic, we investigate transport and property variability. On long timescales, the tendencies in deep densities are similar between the two latitudes (towards lighter water in the west), resulting in a change in the thermal wind balance across the Atlantic. This tendency is punctuated by a more abrupt change in late 2009 at 26N and 7 months later at 16N. In situ arrays such as RAPID 26N and MOVE 16N provide detailed depth structure of transport variability, but are necessarily limited to individual latitudes. Using satellite altimetry, we show that the sea surface height (SSH) anomalies in the western half of the Atlantic covary with in situ transport estimates on interannual timescales. We use satellite altimetry to extend estimates of depth-integrated ocean transports back in time to 1993, then investigate how the spatial pattern of SSH variability broadens our view of Atlantic MOC structure beyond individual latitudes. This analysis investigates two decade+ long time series of ocean transports, and complements the findings with satellite observations.

A Japanese New Altimetry Mission, COMPIRA - Towards High Temporal and Spatial Sampling of Sea Surface Height Measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, N.; Uematsu, A.; Yajima, Y.; Isoguchi, O.

2014-12-01

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is working on a conceptual study of altimeter mission named Coastal and Ocean measurement Mission with Precise and Innovative Radar Altimeter (COMPIRA), which will carry a wide-swath altimeter named Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Height Imaging Oceanic Sensor with Advanced Interferometry (SHIOSAI). Capturing meso/submeso-scale phenomena is one of important objectives of the COMPIRA mission, as well as operational oceanography and fishery. For operational oceanography including coastal forecast, swath of SHIOSAI is selected to be 80 km in left and right sides to maximize temporal and spatial sampling of the sea surface height. Orbit specifications are also designed to be better sampling especially for mid-latitude region. That is, a spatial grid sampling is 5 km and an observation times per revisit period (about 10 days) is 2 to 3 times. In order to meet both sampling frequency and spatial coverage requirements as much as possible, orbit inclination was set relatively low, 51 degrees. Although this sampling frequency is, of course, not enough high to capture time evolution of coastal phenomena, an assimilation process would compensate its time evolution if 2D SSH fields was observed at least once within decal time scale of phenomena. JAXA has launched a framework called "Coastal forecast core team" to aim at developing coastal forecast system through pre-launch activities toward COMPIRA. Assimilation segment as well as satellite and in situ data provision will play an important role on these activities. As a first step, we evaluated effects of ocean current forecast improvement with COMPIRA-simulated wide-swath and high sampling sea surface heights (SSH) data. Simulated SSH data are generated from regional ocean numerical models and the COMPIRA orbit and error specifications. Then, identical twin experiments are conducted to investigate the effect of wide-swath SSH measurements on coastal forecast in the Tohoku Pacific coast region. The experiment shows that simulated sea surface current using COMPIRA data as an input data for assimilation well represents vortical feature, which cannot be reproduced by conventional nadir altimeters.

Environmental factor analysis of cholera in China using remote sensing and geographical information systems.

PubMed

Xu, M; Cao, C X; Wang, D C; Kan, B; Xu, Y F; Ni, X L; Zhu, Z C

2016-04-01

Cholera is one of a number of infectious diseases that appears to be influenced by climate, geography and other natural environments. This study analysed the environmental factors of the spatial distribution of cholera in China. It shows that temperature, precipitation, elevation, and distance to the coastline have significant impact on the distribution of cholera. It also reveals the oceanic environmental factors associated with cholera in Zhejiang, which is a coastal province of China, using both remote sensing (RS) and geographical information systems (GIS). The analysis has validated the correlation between indirect satellite measurements of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH) and ocean chlorophyll concentration (OCC) and the local number of cholera cases based on 8-year monthly data from 2001 to 2008. The results show the number of cholera cases has been strongly affected by the variables of SST, SSH and OCC. Utilizing this information, a cholera prediction model has been established based on the oceanic and climatic environmental factors. The model indicates that RS and GIS have great potential for designing an early warning system for cholera.

Mesoscale dynamics in the Lofoten Basin - a sub-Arctic "hot spot" of oceanic variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volkov, D. L.; Belonenko, T. V.; Foux, V. R.

2012-12-01

A sub-Arctic "hot spot" of intense mesoscale variability is observed in the Lofoten Basin (LB) - a topographic depression with a maximum depth of about 3250 m, located in the Norwegian Sea. The standard deviation of sea surface height (SSH), measured with satellite altimetry, reaches nearly 15 cm in the center of the basin (Figure 1a). Using a space-time lagged correlation analysis of altimetry data, we discover a cyclonic propagation of the mesoscale SSH anomalies around the center of the LB with time-averaged phase speeds of 2-4 km/day, strongly linked to bottom topography (Figure 1c). The fact that surface drifter trajectories do not exhibit cyclonic circulation in the LB (Figure 1b) suggests that, at least in the upper ocean, satellite altimetry observes only the propagation of form without the corresponding transfer of mass. Linearly propagating wavelike disturbances that do not trap fluid inside are related to planetary or Rossby waves. Variations in topography may lead to the concentration of wave energy in certain regions or wave trapping. The dispersion analysis suggests that the observed wavelike cyclonic propagation of SSH anomalies in the LB is the manifestation of baroclinic topographic Rossby waves, that we term "the basin waves" in order to distinguish them from the other types of topographic waves, such as shelf or trench waves. We identify two modes of basin waves in the LB: a di-pole mode and a quadri-pole mode. The wavelength of each mode is about 500 km. The frequency of these modes is not constant and the phase speed varies from about 2 to 8 km/day. We show that the cyclonically rotating basin waves are responsible for the observed amplification of SSH variability in the LB. Because the baroclinic basin waves in the LB are probably associated with large vertical displacements of the thermocline and due to possible wave breaking events, they can play an important role in the mixing of the inflowing Atlantic Water with ambient water masses.(a) Standard deviation of SSH (cm) in the Nordic seas. Bottom topography is shown by 1000, 2000, and 3000 m isobaths. Abbreviations: GB - Greenland Basin, LB - Lofoten Basin, NB - Norwegian Basin, NwAC - Norwegian Atlantic Current, VP - Vøring Plateau. The study region is bounded by the blue rectangle. (b) Trajectories of 100 surface drifters (blue curves) that were present in the study region from September 1996 to August 2010 and their geostrophic velocity vectors (red arrows) averaged over 1°×0.25° (longitude × latitude) bins. (c) MDT_CNES_CLS09 mean dynamic topography (color, cm) and the velocities of eddy propagation (arrows). Two ellipsoidal contours, along which the dispersion relation was analyzed, are shown.

Seasonal variability of the Red Sea, from satellite gravity, radar altimetry, and in situ observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahr, John; Smeed, David A.; Leuliette, Eric; Swenson, Sean

2014-08-01

Seasonal variations of sea surface height (SSH) and mass within the Red Sea are caused mostly by exchange of heat with the atmosphere and by flow through the strait opening into the Gulf of Aden to the south. That flow involves a net mass transfer into the Red Sea during fall and out during spring, though in summer there is an influx of cool water at intermediate depths. Thus, summer water in the south is warmer near the surface due to higher air temperatures, but cooler at intermediate depths. Summer water in the north experiences warming by air-sea exchange only. The temperature affects water density, which impacts SSH but has no effect on mass. We study this seasonal cycle by combining GRACE mass estimates, altimeter SSH measurements, and steric contributions derived from the World Ocean Atlas temperature climatology. Among our conclusions are: mass contributions are much larger than steric contributions; the mass is largest in winter, consistent with winds pushing water into the Red Sea in fall and out during spring; the steric signal is largest in summer, consistent with surface warming; and the cool, intermediate-depth water flowing into the Red Sea in spring has little impact on the steric signal, because contributions from the lowered temperature are offset by effects of decreased salinity. The results suggest that the combined use of altimeter and GRACE measurements can provide a useful alternative to in situ data for monitoring the steric signal.

Mean Dynamic Topography of the Arctic Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrell, Sinead Louise; Mcadoo, David C.; Laxon, Seymour W.; Zwally, H. Jay; Yi, Donghui; Ridout, Andy; Giles, Katherine

2012-01-01

ICESat and Envisat altimetry data provide measurements of the instantaneous sea surface height (SSH) across the Arctic Ocean, using lead and open water elevation within the sea ice pack. First, these data were used to derive two independent mean sea surface (MSS) models by stacking and averaging along-track SSH profiles gathered between 2003 and 2009. The ICESat and Envisat MSS data were combined to construct the high-resolution ICEn MSS. Second, we estimate the 5.5-year mean dynamic topography (MDT) of the Arctic Ocean by differencing the ICEn MSS with the new GOCO02S geoid model, derived from GRACE and GOCE gravity. Using these satellite-only data we map the major features of Arctic Ocean dynamical height that are consistent with in situ observations, including the topographical highs and lows of the Beaufort and Greenland Gyres, respectively. Smaller-scale MDT structures remain largely unresolved due to uncertainties in the geoid at short wavelengths.

A Record-High Ocean Bottom Pressure in the South Pacific Observed by GRACE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boening, Carmen; Lee, Tong; Zlotnicki, Victor

2011-01-01

In late 2009 to early 2010, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite pair observed a record increase in ocean bottom pressure (OBP) over a large mid-latitude region of the South East Pacific. Its magnitude is substantially larger than other oceanic events in the Southern Hemisphere found in the entire GRACE data records (2003-2010) on multi-month time scales. The OBP data help to understand the nature of a similar signal in sea surface height (SSH) anomaly observed by altimetry: the SSH increase is mainly due to mass convergence. Analysis of the barotropic vorticity equation using scatterometer data, atmospheric reanalysis product, and GRACE and altimeter an atmospheric reanalysis product observations suggests that the observed OBP/SSH signal was primarily caused by wind stress curl associated with a strong and persistent anticyclone in late 2009 in combination with effects of planetary vorticity gradient, bottom topography, and friction

A comparison of sea surface salinity in the equatorial Pacific Ocean during the 1997-1998, 2012-2013, and 2014-2015 ENSO events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corbett, Caroline M.; Subrahmanyam, Bulusu; Giese, Benjamin S.

2017-11-01

Sea surface salinity (SSS) variability during the 1997-1998 El Niño event and the failed 2012-2013 and 2014-2015 El Niño events is explored using a combination of observations and ocean reanalyses. Previously, studies have mainly focused on the sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height (SSH) variability. This analysis utilizes salinity data from Argo and the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) reanalysis to examine the SSS variability. Advective processes and evaporation minus precipitation (E-P) variability is understood to influence SSS variability. Using surface wind, surface current, evaporation, and precipitation data, we analyze the causes for the observed SSS variability during each event. Barrier layer thickness and upper level salt content are also examined in connection to subsurface salinity variability. Both advective processes and E-P variability are important during the generation and onset of a successful El Niño, while a lack of one or both of these processes leads to a failed ENSO event.

Mapping distribution of Rastrelliger kanagurta in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Malaysia using maximum entropy modeling approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusop, Syazwani Mohd; Mustapha, Muzzneena Ahmad

2018-04-01

The coupling of fishing locations for R. kanagurta obtained from SEAFDEC and multi-sensor satellite imageries of oceanographic variables; sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH) and chl-a concentration (chl-a) were utilized to evaluate the performance of maximum entropy (MaxEnt) models for R. kanagurta fishing ground for prediction. Besides, this study was conducted to identify the relative percentage contribution of each environmental variable considered in order to describe the effects of the oceanographic factors on the species distribution in the study area. The potential fishing grounds during intermonsoon periods; April and October 2008-2009 were simulated separately and covered the near-coast of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor. The oceanographic conditions differed between regions by the inherent seasonal variability. The seasonal and spatial extents of potential fishing grounds were largely explained by chl-a concentration (0.21-0.99 mg/m3 in April and 0.28-1.00 mg/m3 in October), SSH (77.37-85.90 cm in April and 107.60-108.97 cm in October) and SST (30.43-33.70 °C in April and 30.48-30.97 °C in October). The constructed models were applicable and therefore they were suitable for predicting the potential fishing zones of R. kanagurta in EEZ. The results from this study revealed MaxEnt's potential for predicting the spatial distribution of R. kanagurta and highlighted the use of multispectral satellite images for describing the seasonal potential fishing grounds.

The Kuroshio Extension low-frequency variability analyzed with altimeter data through an ad hoc composite index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierini, Stefano; Gentile, Vittorio; de Ruggiero, Paola; Pietranera, Luca

2017-04-01

The Kuroshio Extension (KE) low-frequency variability (LFV) is analyzed with the satellite altimeter data distributed by AVISO from January 1993 to November 2015 through a new ad hoc composite index [1] that links the mean latitudinal position L of the KE jet and an integrated wavelet amplitude A measuring the high-frequency variability (HFV) of the KE path. This approach allows one to follow the KE evolution as an orbit in the (L,A) plane, as typically done in dynamical systems theory. Three intervals, I1 (1993-1998), I2 (1998-2006) and I3 (2006-November 2015) are separately analyzed also with sea surface height (SSH) maps. In I1 and I3, L and A are mostly anti-correlated and a recharging phase (characterized by a weak convoluted jet experiencing a rapid increase of the HFV) begins when negative SSH anomalies, remotely generated by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, reach the KE region. On the other hand, in I2 the KE evolution is described by a hysteresis loop: this starts with a weak jet state followed by a recharging phase leading, in turn, to a persistent two-meander state, to its progressive and rapid erosion and, eventually, to the reestablishment of a weak jet state. This loop is found to correspond quite closely to the highly nonlinear intrinsic relaxation oscillation obtained in numerical process studies [1,2]. This supports the hypothesis that the KE LFV may have been controlled, during I2, by an intrinsic oceanic mode of variability. [1] Pierini S., 2015. J. Climate, 28, 5873-5881. [2] Pierini S., 2006. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 36, 1605-1625.

Three modes of interdecadal trends in sea surface temperature and sea surface height

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gnanadesikan, A.; Pradal, M.

2013-12-01

It might be thought that sea surface height and sea surface temperature would be tightly related. We show that this is not necessarily the case on a global scale. We analysed this relationship in a suite of coupled climate models run under 1860 forcing conditions. The models are low-resolution variants of the GFDL Earth System Model, reported in Galbraith et al. (J. Clim. 2011). 1. Correlated changes in global sea surface height and global sea surface temperature. This mode corresponds to opening and closing of convective chimneys in the Southern Ocean. As the Southern Ocean destratifies, sea ice formation is suppressed during the winter and more heat is taken up during the summer. This mode of variability is highly correlated with changes in the top of the atmosphere radiative budget and weakly correlated with changes in the deep ocean circulation. 2. Uncorrelated changes in global sea surface height and global sea surface temperature. This mode of variability is associated with interdecadal variabliity in tropical winds. Changes in the advective flux of heat to the surface ocean play a critical role in driving these changes, which also result in significant local changes in sea level. Changes sea ice over the Southern Ocean still result in changes in solar absorption, but these are now largely cancelled by changes in outgoing longwave radiation. 3. Anticorrelated changes in global sea surface height and global sea surface temperatures. By varying the lateral diffusion coefficient in the ocean model, we are able to enhance and suppress convection in the Southern and Northern Pacific Oceans. Increasing the lateral diffusion coefficients shifts the balance sources of deep water away from the warm salty deep water of the North Atlantic and towards cold fresh deep water from the other two regions. As a result, even though the planet as a whole warms, the deep ocean cools and sea level falls, with changes of order 30 cm over 500 years. The increase in solar absorption in polar regions is more than compensated by an increase in outgoing longwave radiation. Relationship between global SSH trend over a decade and (A) local SSH change over a decade (m/m). (B) Global SST change over a decade (m/K) (C) Portion of decadal SST change correlated with net radiation at the top of the atmosphere (m/K) (D) Portion of decadal SST change not correlated with net radiation at the top of the atmosphere.

Determination of Mean Dynamic Topography (MDT) to Bridge Geoid and Mean Sea Surface Height (SSH) with a New Elliptic Equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, P. C.

2016-12-01

Mean dynamic topography (MDT, η) bridges the geoid and the mean sea surface (from satellite altimetry) and constrains large scale surface geostrophic circulations. It can be estimated from either satellite or underwater ocean temperature (T) and salinity (S) data. Satellite altimeter measures sea surface height (SSH) with high precision and unique resolution above a reference ellipsoid (not geoid). Two Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites launched in 2002, provide data to compute the marine geoid [called the GRACE Gravity Model (GGM)] (see website: http://www.csr.utexas.edu/grace/). The MDT is the difference of altimetry-derived mean SSH and the mean marine geoid (using GGM or pre-GRACE gravity model such as EGM96). A major difficulty arises that the spatial variations in mean SSH and marine geoid are approximately two orders of magnitude larger than the spatial variations in η.The second approach (using T, Sdata) is based on geostrophic balance, which is at the minimum energy state in the linear Boussinesq primitive equations with conservation of potential vorticity. In this paper, a new elliptic equation, -[∂x(gh/f2)∂xη+∂y(gh/f2)∂yη]+η = (g/f2)(∂C/∂x-∂B/∂y)is derived to determine MDT with H the water depth, g the gravitational acceleration, and coefficients (B, C) depend on 3D mean temperature (T) and salinity (S) data. Numerical approach transforms the elliptic equation into a set of well-posed linear algebraic equations of η at grid points. The solution for the North Atlantic Ocean (100oW-6oW, 7oN-72oN) on 1oX1ogrids with the coefficients (B, C) calculated from the three-dimensional (T, S) data of the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) World Ocean Atlas 2013 version 2 (http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/OC5/woa13/woa13data.html) and H from the NOAA ETOPO5 (https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/fliers/93mgg01.html), compares well with the difference (also considered as the MDT) between the time-averaged SSH and the geoid from the NASA/JPL (http://gracetellus.jpl.nasa.gov/data/dot/). Further application of this elliptic equation method on the high-precision altimetry measurements of SSH such as the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) is also presented.

From population connectivity to the art of striping Russian dolls: the lessons from Pocillopora corals.

PubMed

Gélin, Pauline; Fauvelot, Cécile; Bigot, Lionel; Baly, Joseph; Magalon, Hélène

2018-01-01

Here, we examined the genetic variability in the coral genus Pocillopora , in particular within the Primary Species Hypothesis PSH09, identified by Gélin, Postaire, Fauvelot and Magalon (2017) using species delimitation methods [also named Pocillopora eydouxi/meandrina complex sensu , Schmidt-Roach, Miller, Lundgren, & Andreakis (2014)] and which was found to split into three secondary species hypotheses (SSH09a, SSH09b, and SSH09c) according to assignment tests using multi-locus genotypes (13 microsatellites). From a large sampling (2,507 colonies) achieved in three marine provinces [Western Indian Ocean (WIO), Tropical Southwestern Pacific (TSP), and Southeast Polynesia (SEP)], genetic structuring analysis conducted with two clustering analyses (structure and DAPC) using 13 microsatellites revealed that SSH09a was restricted to the WIO while SSH09b and SSH09c were almost exclusively in the TSP and SEP. More surprisingly, each SSH split into two to three genetically differentiated clusters, found in sympatry at the reef scale, leading to a pattern of nested hierarchical levels (PSH > SSH > cluster), each level hiding highly differentiated genetic groups. Thus, rather than structured populations within a single species, these three SSHs, and even the eight clusters, likely represent distinct genetic lineages engaged in a speciation process or real species. The issue is now to understand which hierarchical level (SSH, cluster, or even below) corresponds to the species one. Several hypotheses are discussed on the processes leading to this pattern of mixed clusters in sympatry, evoking formation of reproductive barriers, either by allopatric speciation or habitat selection.

Sea surface height and dynamic topography of the ice-covered oceans from CryoSat-2: 2011-2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwok, Ron; Morison, James

2016-01-01

We examine 4 years (2011-2014) of sea surface heights (SSH) from CryoSat-2 (CS-2) over the ice-covered Arctic and Southern Oceans. Results are from a procedure that identifies and determines the heights of sea surface returns. Along 25 km segments of satellite ground tracks, variability in the retrieved SSHs is between ˜2 and 3 cm (standard deviation) in the Arctic and is slightly higher (˜3 cm) in the summer and the Southern Ocean. Average sea surface tilts (along these 25 km segments) are 0.01 ± 3.8 cm/10 km in the Arctic, and slightly lower (0.01 ± 2.0 cm/10 km) in the Southern Ocean. Intra-seasonal variability of CS-2 dynamic ocean topography (DOT) in the ice-covered Arctic is nearly twice as high as that of the Southern Ocean. In the Arctic, we find a correlation of 0.92 between 3 years of DOT and dynamic heights (DH) from hydrographic stations. Further, correlation of 4 years of area-averaged CS-2 DOT near the North Pole with time-variable ocean-bottom pressure from a pressure gauge and from GRACE, yields coefficients of 0.83 and 0.77, with corresponding differences of <3 cm (RMS). These comparisons contrast the length scale of baroclinic and barotropic features and reveal the smaller amplitude barotropic signals in the Arctic Ocean. Broadly, the mean DOT from CS-2 for both poles compares well with those from the ICESat campaigns and the DOT2008A and DTU13MDT fields. Short length scale topographic variations, due to oceanographic signals and geoid residuals, are especially prominent in the Arctic Basin but less so in the Southern Ocean.

On the Flow of Atlantic Water Towards the Arctic Ocean; a Synergy Between Altimetry and Hydrography.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chafik, L.; Nilsson, J.; Skagseth, O.; Lundberg, P.

2015-12-01

The Arctic climate is strongly influenced by the inflow of warm Atlantic water conveyed by the Norwegian Atlantic Slope Current (NwASC); the main heat conveyor into the Arctic Ocean. Based on sea surface height (SSH) data from altimetry, we develop a dynamical measure of the NwASC transport to diagnose its spatio-temporal variability. This supports a dynamical division of the NwASC into two flow regimes; the Svinøy Branch (SvB) in the Norwegian Sea, and the Fram Strait Branch (FSB) west of Spitsbergen. The SvB transport is well correlated with the SSH and atmospheric variability within the Nordic Seas, factors that also affect the inflow to the Barents Sea. In contrast, the FSB is regulated by regional atmospheric patterns around Svalbard and northern Barents Sea. We further relate anomalous flow events to temperature fluctuations of Atlantic water. A warm anomaly is found to propagate northwards, with a tendency to amplify enroute, after events of strong flow in the Norwegian Sea. A roughly 12-months delayed temperature signal is identified in the FSB. This suggests that hydrographic anomalies both upstream from the North Atlantic, and locally generated in the Norwegian Sea, are important for the oceanic heat and salt transport that eventually enters into the Arctic. We believe that the combination of the flow from altimetry and temperature fluctuations in the Nordic Seas can be used to qualitatively predict warm anomalies towards the Arctic Ocean, which could be a valuable addition to the forecast skill of the statistical Arctic sea-ice models.

Eddy heat flux across the Antarctic Circumpolar Current estimated from sea surface height standard deviation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foppert, Annie; Donohue, Kathleen A.; Watts, D. Randolph; Tracey, Karen L.

2017-08-01

Eddy heat flux (EHF) is a predominant mechanism for heat transport across the zonally unbounded mean flow of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). Observations of dynamically relevant, divergent, 4 year mean EHF in Drake Passage from the cDrake project, as well as previous studies of atmospheric and oceanic storm tracks, motivates the use of sea surface height (SSH) standard deviation, H*, as a proxy for depth-integrated, downgradient, time-mean EHF (>[EHF>¯>]) in the ACC. Statistics from the Southern Ocean State Estimate corroborate this choice and validate throughout the ACC the spatial agreement between H* and >[EHF>¯>] seen locally in Drake Passage. Eight regions of elevated >[EHF>¯>] are identified from nearly 23.5 years of satellite altimetry data. Elevated cross-front exchange usually does not span the full latitudinal width of the ACC in each region, implying a hand-off of heat between ACC fronts and frontal zones as they encounter the different >[EHF>¯>] hot spots along their circumpolar path. Integrated along circumpolar streamlines, defined by mean SSH contours, there is a convergence of ∮>[EHF>¯>] in the ACC: 1.06 PW enters from the north and 0.02 PW exits to the south. Temporal trends in low-frequency [EHF] are calculated in a running-mean sense using H* from overlapping 4 year subsets of SSH. Significant increases in downgradient [EHF] magnitude have occurred since 1993 at Kerguelen Plateau, Southeast Indian Ridge, and the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence, whereas the other five >[EHF>¯>] hot spots have insignificant trends of varying sign.

Investigating the influence of sea level oscillations in the Danish Straits on the Baltic Sea dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tikhonova, Natalia; Gusev, Anatoly; Diansky, Nikolay; Zakharchuk, Evgeny

2016-04-01

In this research, we study the influence of dynamic processes in the Danish Straits on the sea surface height (SSH) oscillations in the Baltic Sea. For this purpose, we use the model of marine and oceanic circulation INMOM (Institute of Numerical Mathematics Ocean Model). The simulations were carried out for the period 2009-2010, and the coastal station data were used for verification of SSH modelling quality. Comparison of the simulated data with the ones measured in the coastal points showed us that the model does not describe SSH variability in different areas of the Baltic Sea well enough, so in the following simulation series the in situ SSH data of the coastal measurements were assimilated at the open boundary in the Danish Straits. The results of the new simulation showed us that this approach significantly increases the SSH simulation quality in all areas of the sea, where the comparison was made. In particular, the correlation coefficients between the simulated and measured SSH data increased from 0.21-0.73 to 0.81-0.90. On the basis of these results, it has been suggested that the Baltic Sea SSH variability is largely determined by the influence of the dynamic processes in the Danish Straits, which can be represented as a superposition of oscillations of different space-time scales. These oscillations can either be generated in the straits themselves, or propagate from the North Sea. For verification of this hypothesis and assessment of the oscillation propagation distance in the Baltic Sea, the following experiment was performed. At the open boundary in the Danish Straits, the six harmonics were set with the following parameters: the periods are 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, 13.5, 40.5, and 121.5 days, and the amplitude for all the harmonics is 50 cm. The results showed us that the prescribed harmonic oscillations at the open boundary propagate into all areas of the sea without changing the frequency, but with decreasing amplitude. The decrease in amplitude is not related to the distance between the measurement point and open boundary. For example, in the Gulfs of Finland and Riga, the 36hr harmonic has an amplitude substantially higher than in the open sea, and in the Stockholm area, this harmonic is at the noise level. The 40dy and 121dy harmonics have slightly lower amplitudes than the original prescribed signal, but they are almost unchanged while propagating further into the sea, and in all the investigated locations have almost identical peaks of spectral density. The 3dy and 6dy harmonics significantly lost their amplitude in all parts of the sea, and spectral density peaks are at the noise level. The simulation results showed us that the Danish straits do not filter 121dy and 40dy oscillations, and their amplitude does not decrease much. The 13dy, 6dy and 3dy oscillations significantly lose in amplitude and have no significant peaks of the spectral density. The 1.5dy harmonic propagates to the Gulfs of Finland and Riga, and increases in amplitude due to resonance at the natural frequency of the basin. It is suggested that, while Danish straits do not filter or transform frequency characteristics of oscillations propagated from the North Sea, but the Baltic Sea configuration may affect the magnitude and propagation extent of these oscillations. Thus, the fluctuations in the North Sea and the Danish Straits can significantly contribute to the Baltic Sea dynamics in the low-frequency range of the spectrum, and the periods of natural oscillations of the basin. The research was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grant № 16-05-00534) and Saint-Petersburg State University (grant №18.37.140.2014)

Nuclear Matrix Proteins in Disparity of Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

using G3PDH 3’ primer and PCR primer 1 followed by two rounds of hybridization. In the first hybridization, the RsaI-digested driver cDNA was mixed...determined using β-actin to confirm the reduced relative abundance of the housekeeping gene after SSH. The SSH nested PCR products were cloned using pCR®2.1...variability of DNA concentration. Additionally, negative and positive controls ( housekeeping genes) from the Ambion™ ArrayControls™ Set were included

Internal gravity wave contributions to global sea surface variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savage, A.; Arbic, B. K.; Richman, J. G.; Shriver, J. F.; Buijsman, M. C.; Zamudio, L.; Wallcraft, A. J.; Sharma, H.

2016-02-01

High-resolution (1/12th and 1/25th degree) 41-layer simulations of the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM), forced by both atmospheric fields and the astronomical tidal potential, are used to construct global maps of sea-surface height (SSH). The HYCOM output has been separated into steric, non-steric, and total sea-surface height and the maps display variance in subtidal, tidal, and supertidal bands. Two of the global maps are of particular interest in planning for the upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) wide-swath satellite altimeter mission; (1) a map of the nonstationary tidal signal (estimated after removing the stationary tidal signal via harmonic analysis), and (2) a map of the steric supertidal contributions, which are dominated by the internal gravity wave continuum. Both of these maps display signals of order 1 cm2, the target accuracy for the SWOT mission. Therefore, both non-stationary internal tides and non-tidal internal gravity waves are likely to be important sources of "noise" that must be accurately removed before examination of lower-frequency phenomena can take place.

The Global Mode-1 S2 Internal Tide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Zhongxiang

2017-11-01

The global mode-1 S2 internal tide is observed using sea surface height (SSH) measurements from four satellite altimeters: TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, Jason-2, and Geosat Follow-On. Plane wave analysis is employed to extract three mode-1 S2 internal tidal waves in any given 250 km by 250 km window, which are temporally coherent over a 20 year period from 1992 to 2012. Depth-integrated energy and flux of the S2 internal tide are calculated from the SSH amplitude and a conversion function built from climatological hydrographic profiles in the World Ocean Atlas 2013. The results show that the S2 and M2 internal tides have similar spatial patterns. Both S2 and M2 internal tides originate at major topographic features and propagate over long distances. The S2 internal tidal beams are generally shorter, likely because the relatively weaker S2 internal tide is easily overwhelmed by nontidal noise. The northbound S2 and M2 internal tides from the Hawaiian Ridge are observed to travel over 3500 km across the Northeast Pacific. The globally integrated energy of the mode-1 S2 internal tide is 7.8 PJ (1 PJ = 1015 J), about 20% that of M2 (36.4 PJ). The histogram of S2 to M2 SSH ratios peaks at 0.4, consistent with the square root of their energy ratio. In terms of SSH, S2 is greater than M2 in ≈10% of the global ocean and ≥50% of M2 in about half of the global ocean.

Fit to predict? Eco-informatics for predicting the catchability of a pelagic fish in near real time.

PubMed

Scales, Kylie L; Hazen, Elliott L; Maxwell, Sara M; Dewar, Heidi; Kohin, Suzanne; Jacox, Michael G; Edwards, Christopher A; Briscoe, Dana K; Crowder, Larry B; Lewison, Rebecca L; Bograd, Steven J

2017-12-01

The ocean is a dynamic environment inhabited by a diverse array of highly migratory species, many of which are under direct exploitation in targeted fisheries. The timescales of variability in the marine realm coupled with the extreme mobility of ocean-wandering species such as tuna and billfish complicates fisheries management. Developing eco-informatics solutions that allow for near real-time prediction of the distributions of highly mobile marine species is an important step towards the maturation of dynamic ocean management and ecological forecasting. Using 25 yr (1990-2014) of NOAA fisheries' observer data from the California drift gillnet fishery, we model relative probability of occurrence (presence-absence) and catchability (total catch per gillnet set) of broadbill swordfish Xiphias gladius in the California Current System. Using freely available environmental data sets and open source software, we explore the physical drivers of regional swordfish distribution. Comparing models built upon remotely sensed data sets with those built upon a data-assimilative configuration of the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS), we explore trade-offs in model construction, and address how physical data can affect predictive performance and operational capacity. Swordfish catchability was found to be highest in deeper waters (>1,500 m) with surface temperatures in the 14-20°C range, isothermal layer depth (ILD) of 20-40 m, positive sea surface height (SSH) anomalies, and during the new moon (<20% lunar illumination). We observed a greater influence of mesoscale variability (SSH, wind speed, isothermal layer depth, eddy kinetic energy) in driving swordfish catchability (total catch) than was evident in predicting the relative probability of presence (presence-absence), confirming the utility of generating spatiotemporally dynamic predictions. Data-assimilative ROMS circumvent the limitations of satellite remote sensing in providing physical data fields for species distribution models (e.g., cloud cover, variable resolution, subsurface data), and facilitate broad-scale prediction of dynamic species distributions in near real time. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

Do Assimilated Drifter Velocities Improve Lagrangian Predictability in an Operational Ocean Model?

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-01

extended Kalman filter . Molcard et al. (2005) used a statistical method to cor- relate model and drifter velocities. Taillandier et al. (2006) describe the... temperature and salinity observations. Trajectory angular differ- ences are also reduced. 1. Introduction The importance of Lagrangian forecasts was seen... Temperature , salinity, and sea surface height (SSH, measured along-track by satellite altimeters) observa- tions are typically assimilated in

Wind Forcing of the Pacific Ocean Using Scatterometer Wind Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, Kathryn A.

1999-01-01

The long-term objective of this research was an understanding of the wind-forced ocean circulation, particularly for the Pacific Ocean. To determine the ocean's response to the winds, we first needed to generate accurate maps of wind stress. For the ocean's response to wind stress we examined the sea surface height (SSH) both from altimeters and from numerical models for the Pacific Ocean.

The Effect of Ocean Currents on Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stammer, Detlef; Leeuwenburgh, Olwijn

2000-01-01

We investigate regional and global-scale correlations between observed anomalies in sea surface temperature and height. A strong agreement between the two fields is found over a broad range of latitudes for different ocean basins. Both time-longitude plots and wavenumber-frequency spectra suggest an advective forcing of SST anomalies by a first-mode baroclinic wave field on spatial scales down to 400 km and time scales as short as 1 month. Even though the magnitude of the mean background temperature gradient is determining for the effectiveness of the forcing, there is no obvious seasonality that can be detected in the amplitudes of SST anomalies. Instead, individual wave signatures in the SST can in some cases be followed over periods of two years. The phase relationship between SST and SSH anomalies is dependent upon frequency and wavenumber and displays a clear decrease of the phase lag toward higher latitudes where the two fields come into phase at low frequencies. Estimates of the damping coefficient are larger than generally obtained for a purely atmospheric feedback. From a global frequency spectrum a damping time scale of 2-3 month was found. Regionally results are very variable and range from 1 month near strong currents to 10 month at low latitudes and in the sub-polar North Atlantic. Strong agreement is found between the first global EOF modes of 10 day averaged and spatially smoothed SST and SSH grids. The accompanying time series display low frequency oscillations in both fields.

Spin-Down of the North Atlantic Subpolar Circulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hakkinen, S.; Rhines, P. B.

2004-01-01

Dramatic changes have occurred in the mid-to-high-latitude North Atlantic Ocean as evidenced by TOPEX/Poseidon observations of sea surface height (SSH) in the subpolar gyre and the Gulf Stream. Analysis of altimeter data shows that subpolar SSH has increased during the 1990s and the geostrophic velocity derived from altimeter data shows a decline in the gyre circulation. Direct current-meter observations in the boundary current of the Labrador Sea support the trend in the 199Os, and, together with hydrographic data show that in the mid-late 1990s the trend extends deep in the water column. We find that buoyancy forcing over the northern North Atlantic has a dynamic effect consistent with the altimeter data and hydrographic observations: a weak thermohaline forcing and the subsequent decay of the domed structure of the subpolar isopycnals would give rise to the observed anticyclonic circulation trend.

Tracking the Polar Front south of New Zealand using penguin dive data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sokolov, Serguei; Rintoul, Stephen R.; Wienecke, Barbara

2006-04-01

Nearly 36,000 vertical temperature profiles collected by 15 king penguins are used to map oceanographic fronts south of New Zealand. There is good correspondence between Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) front locations derived from temperatures sampled in the upper 150 m along the penguin tracks and front positions inferred using maps of sea surface height (SSH). Mesoscale features detected in the SSH maps from this eddy-rich region are also reproduced in the individual temperature sections based on dive data. The foraging strategy of Macquarie Island king penguins appears to be influenced strongly by oceanographic structure: almost all the penguin dives are confined to the region close to and between the northern and southern branches of the Polar Front. Surface chlorophyll distributions also reflect the influence of the ACC fronts, with the northern branch of the Polar Front marking a boundary between low surface chlorophyll to the north and elevated values to the south.

Deep Ocean Warming Assessed from Altimeters, GRACE, 3 In-situ Measurements, and a Non-Boussinesq OGCM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Song, Y. Tony; Colberg, Frank

2011-01-01

Observational surveys have shown significant oceanic bottom water warming, but they are too spatially and temporally sporadic to quantify the deep ocean contribution to the present-day sea level rise (SLR). In this study, altimetry sea surface height (SSH), Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) ocean mass, and in situ upper ocean (0-700 m) steric height have been assessed for their seasonal variability and trend maps. It is shown that neither the global mean nor the regional trends of altimetry SLR can be explained by the upper ocean steric height plus the GRACE ocean mass. A non-Boussinesq ocean general circulation model (OGCM), allowing the sea level to rise as a direct response to the heat added into the ocean, is then used to diagnose the deep ocean steric height. Constrained by sea surface temperature data and the top of atmosphere (TOA) radiation measurements, the model reproduces the observed upper ocean heat content well. Combining the modeled deep ocean steric height with observational upper ocean data gives the full depth steric height. Adding a GRACE-estimated mass trend, the data-model combination explains not only the altimetry global mean SLR but also its regional trends fairly well. The deep ocean warming is mostly prevalent in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and along the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, suggesting a strong relation to the oceanic circulation and dynamics. Its comparison with available bottom water measurements shows reasonably good agreement, indicating that deep ocean warming below 700 m might have contributed 1.1 mm/yr to the global mean SLR or one-third of the altimeter-observed rate of 3.11 +/- 0.6 mm/yr over 1993-2008.

Using a dynamical advection to reconstruct a part of the SSH evolution in the context of SWOT, application to the Mediterranean Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogé, Marine; Morrow, Rosemary; Ubelmann, Clément; Dibarboure, Gérald

2017-08-01

The main oceanographic objective of the future SWOT mission is to better characterize the ocean mesoscale and sub-mesoscale circulation, by observing a finer range of ocean topography dynamics down to 20 km wavelength. Despite the very high spatial resolution of the future satellite, it will not capture the time evolution of the shorter mesoscale signals, such as the formation and evolution of small eddies. SWOT will have an exact repeat cycle of 21 days, with near repeats around 5-10 days, depending on the latitude. Here, we investigate a technique to reconstruct the missing 2D SSH signal in the time between two satellite revisits. We use the dynamical interpolation (DI) technique developed by Ubelmann et al. (2015). Based on potential vorticity (hereafter PV) conservation using a one and a half layer quasi-geostrophic model, it features an active advection of the SSH field. This model has been tested in energetic open ocean regions such as the Gulf Stream and the Californian Current, and has given promising results. Here, we test this model in the Western Mediterranean Sea, a lower energy region with complex small scale physics, and compare the SSH reconstruction with the high-resolution Symphonie model. We investigate an extension of the simple dynamical model including a separated mean circulation. We find that the DI gives a 16-18% improvement in the reconstruction of the surface height and eddy kinetic energy fields, compared with a simple linear interpolation, and a 37% improvement in the Northern Current subregion. Reconstruction errors are higher during winter and autumn but statistically, the improvement from the DI is also better for these seasons.

New Perspectives on Southern Ocean Frontal Variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapman, Christopher

2017-04-01

The frontal structure of the Southern Ocean is investigated using a the Wavelet/Higher Order Statistics Enhancement (WHOSE) frontal detection method, introduced in Chapman (2014). This methodology is applied to 21 years of daily gridded sea-surface height (SSH) data to obtain daily maps of the locations of the fronts. By forming frontal occurrence frequency maps and then approximating these occurrence-maps by a superposition of simple functions, the time-mean locations of the fronts, as well as a measure of their capacity to meander, are obtained and related to the frontal locations found by previous studies. The spatial and temporal variability of the frontal structure is then considered. The number of fronts is found to be highly variable throughout the Southern Ocean, increasing (`splitting') downstream of large bathymetric features and decreasing (`merging') in regions where the fronts are tightly controlled by the underlying topography. In contrast, frontal meandering remains relatively constant. Contrary to many previous studies, little no southward migration of the fronts over the 1993-2014 time period is found, and there is only weak sensitivity to atmospheric forcing related to SAM or ENSO. Finally, the implications of splitting and merging for the flux of tracers will be discussed.

Upper Ocean Meso-Submesoscale Eddy Variability in the Northwestern Pacific from Repeat ADCP Measurements and 1/48-deg MITgcm Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, B.; Nakano, T.; Chen, S.; Wang, J.; Fu, L. L.; Klein, P.

2016-12-01

With the use of Ka-band radar interferometry, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite will improve the measured sea surface height (SSH) resolution down to the spectral wavelength of 15km, allowing us to investigate for the first time the upper oceancirculation variability at the submesoscale range on the global scale. By analyzing repeat shipboardAcoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) measurements along 137°E, as well as the 1/48-deg MITgcm simulation output, in the northwest Pacific, we demonstrate that the observed/modeled upper ocean velocities are comprised of balanced geostrophic motions and unbalanced ageostrophic wave motions. The length scale, Lc, that separates the dominance between these two types of motions is found to depend sensitively on the energy level of local mesoscale eddy variability. In the eddy-abundant western boundary current region of Kuroshio, Lc can be shorter than 15km, whereas Lc exceeds 200km along the path of relatively stable North Equatorial Current. Judicious separation between the balanced and unbalanced surface ocean signals will both be a challenge and opportunity for the SWOT mission.

Transport variability of the Brazil Current from observations and a data assimilation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmid, Claudia; Majumder, Sudip

2018-06-01

The Brazil Current transports from observations and the Hybrid Coordinate Model (HYCOM) model are analyzed to improve our understanding of the current's structure and variability. A time series of the observed transport is derived from a three-dimensional field of the velocity in the South Atlantic covering the years 1993 to 2015 (hereinafter called Argo & SSH). The mean transports of the Brazil Current increases from 3.8 ± 2.2 Sv (1 Sv is 106 m3 s-1) at 25° S to 13.9 ± 2.6 Sv at 32° S, which corresponds to a mean slope of 1.4 ± 0.4 Sv per degree. Transport estimates derived from HYCOM fields are somewhat higher (5.2 ± 2.7 and 18.7 ± 7.1 Sv at 25 and 32° S, respectively) than those from Argo & SSH, but these differences are small when compared with the standard deviations. Overall, the observed latitude dependence of the transport of the Brazil Current is in agreement with the wind-driven circulation in the super gyre of the subtropical South Atlantic. A mean annual cycle with highest (lowest) transports in austral summer (winter) is found to exist at selected latitudes (24, 35, and 38° S). The significance of this signal shrinks with increasing latitude (both in Argo & SSH and HYCOM), mainly due to mesoscale and interannual variability. Both Argo & SSH, as well as HYCOM, reveal interannual variability at 24 and 35° S that results in relatively large power at periods of 2 years or more in wavelet spectra. It is found that the interannual variability at 24° S is correlated with the South Atlantic Subtropical Dipole Mode (SASD), the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), and the Niño 3.4 index. Similarly, correlations between SAM and the Brazil Current transport are also found at 35° S. Further investigation of the variability reveals that the first and second mode of a coupled empirical orthogonal function of the meridional transport and the sea level pressure explain 36 and 15 % of the covariance, respectively. Overall, the results indicate that SAM, SASD, and El Niño-Southern Oscillation have an influence on the transport of the Brazil Current.

Predictability of Subsurface Temperature and the AMOC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Y.; Schubert, S. D.

2013-12-01

GEOS 5 coupled model is extensively used for experimental decadal climate prediction. Understanding the limits of decadal ocean predictability is critical for making progress in these efforts. Using this model, we study the subsurface temperature initial value predictability, the variability of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and its impacts on the global climate. Our approach is to utilize the idealized data assimilation technology developed at the GMAO. The technique 'replay' allows us to assess, for example, the impact of the surface wind stresses and/or precipitation on the ocean in a very well controlled environment. By running the coupled model in replay mode we can in fact constrain the model using any existing reanalysis data set. We replay the model constraining (nudging) it to the MERRA reanalysis in various fields from 1948-2012. The fields, u,v,T,q,ps, are adjusted towards the 6-hourly analyzed fields in atmosphere. The simulated AMOC variability is studied with a 400-year-long segment of replay integration. The 84 cases of 10-year hindcasts are initialized from 4 different replay cycles. Here, the variability and predictability are examined further by a measure to quantify how much the subsurface temperature and AMOC variability has been influenced by atmospheric forcing and by ocean internal variability. The simulated impact of the AMOC on the multi-decadal variability of the SST, sea surface height (SSH) and sea ice extent is also studied.

Ocean Bottom Pressure Variation Associated with the Large Meander of the Kuroshio South of Japan in 2004-2005

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagano, A.; Hasegawa, T.; Matsumoto, H.; Ariyoshi, K.

2016-02-01

The Kuroshio, the western boundary current of the North Pacific subtropical gyre, takes a stable meandering path off the southern coast of Japan, called the large meander (LM), on interannual to decadal timescales. The LM of the Kuroshio formed in July 2004 associated with the intensified anticyclonic recirculation gyre south of the Kuroshio, and gradually decayed in the latter half of 2005. The variations of the Kuroshio and the southern recirculating currents may be related to deep currents, which are expected to be associated with bottom pressure (BP) variation. In order to examine the variation of BP associated with the variations of the sea surface currents, we analyzed data of eleven pressure sensors equipped to inverted echo sounders deployed from July 2004 to October 2006. An abrupt enhancement of BP is found on the continental slope off Shikoku, lagging a few months behind an elevation of sea surface height (SSH) due to the onshore shift of the recirculation gyre associated with the LM formation. Subsequently, BP beneath the recirculation gyre dwindles, leading the gradual depression of SSH due to the decay of the LM. The relationship between BP and SSH may suggest that the occurrence and decay of the LM depend on the extension of the recirculation gyre current down to the ocean bottom.

Comparison of Measurements from Pressure-recording Inverted Echo Sounders and Satellite Altimetry in the North Equatorial Current Region of the Western Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeon, Chanhyung; Park, Jae-Hun; Kim, Dong Guk; Kim, Eung; Jeon, Dongchull

2018-04-01

An array of 5 pressure-recording inverted echo sounders (PIESs) was deployed along the Jason-2 214 ground track in the North Equatorial Current (NEC) region of the western Pacific Ocean for about 2 years from June 2012. Round-trip acoustic travel time from the bottom to the sea surface and bottom pressure measurements from PIES were converted to sea level anomaly (SLA). AVISO along-track mono-mission SLA (Mono-SLA), reference mapped SLA (Ref-MSLA), and up-to-date mapped SLA (Upd-MSLA) products were used for comparison with PIESderived SLA (η tot). Comparisons of η tot with Mono-SLA revealed that hump artifact errors significantly contaminate the Mono-SLA. Differences of η tot from both Ref-MSLA and Upd-MSLA decreased as the hump errors were reduced in mapped SLA products. Comparisons of Mono-SLA measurements at crossover points of ground tracks near the observation sites revealed large differences though the time differences of their measurements were only 1.53 and 4.58 days. Comparisons between Mono-SLA and mapped SLA suggested that mapped SLA smooths out the hump artifact errors by taking values between the two discrepant Mono-SLA measurements at the crossover points. Consequently, mapped SLA showed better agreement with η tot at our observation sites. AVISO mapped sea surface height (SSH) products are the preferable dataset for studying SSH variability in the NEC region of the western Pacific, though some portions of hump artifact errors seem to still remain in them.

Decadal variations of Pacific North Equatorial Current bifurcation from multiple ocean products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhai, Fangguo; Wang, Qingye; Wang, Fujun; Hu, Dunxin

2014-02-01

In this study, we examine the decadal variations of the Pacific North Equatorial Current (NEC) bifurcation latitude (NBL) averaged over upper 100 m and underlying dynamics over the past six decades using 11 ocean products, including seven kinds of ocean reanalyzes based on ocean data assimilation systems, two kinds of numerical simulations without assimilating observations and two kinds of objective analyzes based on in situ observations only. During the period of 1954-2007, the multiproduct mean of decadal NBL anomalies shows maxima around 1965/1966, 1980/1981, 1995/1996, and 2003/2004, and minima around 1958, 1971/1972, 1986/1987, and 2000/2001, respectively. The NBL decadal variations are related to the first Empirical Orthogonal Function mode of decadal anomalies of sea surface height (SSH) in the northwestern tropical Pacific Ocean, which shows spatially coherent variation over the whole region and explains most of the total variance. Further regression and composite analyzes indicate that northerly/southerly NBL corresponds to negative/positive SSH anomalies and cyclonic/anticyclonic gyre anomalies in the northwestern tropical Pacific Ocean. These decadal circulation variations and thus the decadal NBL variations are governed mostly by the first two vertical modes and attribute the most to the first baroclinic mode. The NBL decadal variation is highly positively correlated with the tropical Pacific decadal variability (TPDV) around the zero time lag. With a lead of about half the decadal cycle the NBL displays closer but negative relationship to TPDV in four ocean products, possibly manifesting the dynamical role of the circulation in the northwestern tropical Pacific in the phase-shifting of TPDV.

Detection of Rossby Waves in Multi-Parameters in Multi-Mission Satellite Observations and HYCOM Simulations in the Indian Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Subrahmanyam, Bulusu; Heffner, David M.; Cromwell, David; Shriver, Jay F.

2009-01-01

Rossby waves are difficult to detect with in situ methods. However, as we show in this paper, they can be clearly identified in multi-parameters in multi-mission satellite observations of sea surface height (SSH), sea surface temperature (SST) and ocean color observations of chlorophyll-a (chl-a), as well as 1/12-deg global HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) simulations of SSH, SST and sea surface salinity (SSS) in the Indian Ocean. While the surface structure of Rossby waves can be elucidated from comparisons of the signal in different sea surface parameters, models are needed to gain direct information about how these waves affect the ocean at depth. The first three baroclinic modes of the Rossby waves are inferred from the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and two-dimensional Radon Transform (2D RT). At many latitudes the first and second baroclinic mode Rossby wave phase speeds from satellite observations and model parameters are identified.

Blue and Fin Whale Habitat Modeling from Long-Term Year-Round Passive Acoustic Data from the Southern California Bight

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-30

be used for habitat modeling include sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), chlorophyll a concentration, and primary production...1 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Blue and Fin Whale Habitat Modeling from Long-Term Year...predictive, year-round habitat models of the presence of calling blue and fin whales in the Southern California Bight, to facilitate Navy’s operational

Is social sciences and humanities (SSH) premedical education marginalized in the medical school admission process? A review and contextualization of the literature.

PubMed

Hall, Justin N; Woods, Nicole; Hanson, Mark D

2014-07-01

To investigate the performance outcomes of medical students with social sciences and humanities (SSH) premedical education during and beyond medical school by reviewing the literature, and to contextualize this review within today's admission milieu. From May to July 2012, the lead author searched the PubMed, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases, and reference lists of relevant articles, for research that compared premedical SSH education with premedical sciences education and its influence on performance during and/or after medical school. The authors extracted representative themes and relevant empirical findings. They contextualized their findings within today's admission milieu. A total of 1,548 citations were identified with 20 papers included in the review. SSH premedical education is predominately an American experience. For medical students with SSH background, equivalent academic, clinical, and research performance compared with medical students with a premedical science background is reported, yet different patterns of competencies exist. Post-medical-school equivalent or improved clinical performance is associated with an SSH background. Medical students with SSH backgrounds were more likely to select primary care or psychiatry careers. SSH major/course concentration, not SSH course counts, is important for admission decision making. The impact of today's admission milieu decreases the value of an SSH premedical education. Medical students with SSH premedical education perform on par with peers yet may possess different patterns of competencies, research, and career interests. However, SSH premedical education likely will not attain a significant role in medical school admission processes.

Environmental studies of the Arabian Sea using remote sensing and GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saxena, Ashlesha; Menezes, Andrew

2006-12-01

The Arabian Sea, situated in the western part of the northern Indian Ocean is a tropical basin. It is bounded on the east by the Indian peninsula, on the north by Baluchistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan and on the west by the landmass of Arabia and Africa. The environmental factors that influence this tropical basin are the seasonally changing winds from the northeast during winter (November-February) and southwest during summer (June to September). Accordingly, the waters of the basin will experience seasonal variations. The study aims at understanding the seasonal and inter-annual variation of the Arabian Sea using satellite-derived data. The spatial domain selected for the present study is 40 degrees E and 78 degrees E longitude and equator to 30 degrees N. The remote sensing data with respect to sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface wind, sea surface height (SSH), and chlorophyll pigment concentration during January 2002 to December 2005 were used to understand the spatio-temporal variability of the Arabian Sea. The monthly mean SST data was obtained from Modis aqua, winds from Quikscat and chlorophyll pigment concentration from SeaWiFS. The SSH anomaly data was obtained from the merged product - Topex/Poseidon ERS 1/2 satellite which is 7-day snapshot. The spatial resolution of these data is 0.3 degrees latitude x 0.3 degrees longitude. Geographical information system (GIS) was used for processing and analysing the above parameters to determine the variability and detection of oceanic processes that are responsible for such variability.The study showed a very strong inverse correlation between SST and chlorophyll concentrations. Arabian Sea undergoes cooling during summer due to upwelling and advection, and in winter due to surface cooling under reduced solar heating. Upwelling along the coasts of Somalia, Arabia, and the west coast of India brings cold and nutrient rich sub-surface waters to the surface, which supports the observed high chlorophyll concentrations. During winter the convective mixing in the northern Arabian Sea supports high chlorophyll pigment concentrations. Due to strong solar heating, SST was warmest in spring (April), which supported least chlorophyll concentration.llite

Right- and left-loop short shRNAs have distinct and unusual mechanisms of gene silencing

PubMed Central

Dallas, Anne; Ilves, Heini; Ge, Qing; Kumar, Pavan; Shorenstein, Joshua; Kazakov, Sergei A.; Cuellar, Trinna L.; McManus, Michael T.; Behlke, Mark A.; Johnston, Brian H.

2012-01-01

Small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) having duplex lengths of 25–29 bp are normally processed by Dicer into short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) before incorporation into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). However, shRNAs of ≤19 bp [short shRNAs (sshRNAs)] are too short for Dicer to excise their loops, raising questions about their mechanism of action. sshRNAs are designated as L-type or R-type according to whether the loop is positioned 3′ or 5′ to the guide sequence, respectively. Using nucleotide modifications that inhibit RNA cleavage, we show that R- but not L-sshRNAs require loop cleavage for optimum activity. Passenger-arm slicing was found to be important for optimal functioning of L-sshRNAs but much less important for R-sshRNAs that have a cleavable loop. R-sshRNAs could be immunoprecipitated by antibodies to Argonaute-1 (Ago1); complexes with Ago1 contained both intact and loop-cleaved sshRNAs. In contrast, L-sshRNAs were immunoprecipitated with either Ago1 or Ago2 and were predominantly sliced in the passenger arm of the hairpin. However, ‘pre-sliced’ L-sshRNAs were inactive. We conclude that active L-sshRNAs depend on slicing of the passenger arm to facilitate opening of the duplex, whereas R-sshRNAs primarily act via loop cleavage to generate a 5′-phosphate at the 5′-end of the guide strand. PMID:22810205

A Study of the Southern Ocean: Mean State, Eddy Genesis & Demise, and Energy Pathways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zajaczkovski, Uriel

The Southern Ocean (SO), due to its deep penetrating jets and eddies, is well-suited for studies that combine surface and sub-surface data. This thesis explores the use of Argo profiles and sea surface height ( SSH) altimeter data from a statistical point of view. A linear regression analysis of SSH and hydrographic data reveals that the altimeter can explain, on average, about 35% of the variance contained in the hydrographic fields and more than 95% if estimated locally. Correlation maxima are found at mid-depth, where dynamics are dominated by geostrophy. Near the surface, diabatic processes are significant, and the variance explained by the altimeter is lower. Since SSH variability is associated with eddies, the regression of SSH with temperature (T) and salinity (S) shows the relative importance of S vs T in controlling density anomalies. The AAIW salinity minimum separates two distinct regions; above the minimum density changes are dominated by T, while below the minimum S dominates over T. The regression analysis provides a method to remove eddy variability, effectively reducing the variance of the hydrographic fields. We use satellite altimetry and output from an assimilating numerical model to show that the SO has two distinct eddy motion regimes. North and south of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), eddies propagate westward with a mean meridional drift directed poleward for cyclonic eddies (CEs) and equatorward for anticyclonic eddies (AEs). Eddies formed within the boundaries of the ACC have an effective eastward propagation with respect to the mean deep ACC flow, and the mean meridional drift is reversed, with warm-core AEs propagating poleward and cold-core CEs propagating equatorward. This circulation pattern drives downgradient eddy heat transport, which could potentially transport a significant fraction (24 to 60 x 1013 W) of the net poleward ACC eddy heat flux. We show that the generation of relatively large amplitude eddies is not a ubiquitous feature of the SO but rather a phenomenon that is constrained to five isolated, well-defined "hotspots". These hotspots are located downstream of major topographic features, with their boundaries closely following f/H contours. Eddies generated in these locations show no evidence of a bias in polarity and decay within the boundaries of the generation area. Eddies tend to disperse along f/H contours rather than following lines of latitude. We found enhanced values of both buoyancy (BP) and shear production (SP) inside the hotspots, with BP one order of magnitude larger than SP. This is consistent with baroclinic instability being the main mechanism of eddy generation. The mean potential density field estimated from Argo floats shows that inside the hotspots, isopycnal slopes are steep, indicating availability of potential energy. The hotspots identified in this thesis overlap with previously identified regions of standing meanders. We provide evidence that hotspot locations can be explained by the combined effect of topography, standing meanders that enhance baroclinic instability, and availability of potential energy to generate eddies via baroclinic instabilities.

Preferential Targeting of a Signal Recognition Particle-dependent Precursor to the Ssh1p Translocon in Yeast♦

PubMed Central

Spiller, Michael P.; Stirling, Colin J.

2011-01-01

Protein translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane occurs via a “translocon” channel formed by the Sec61p complex. In yeast, two channels exist: the canonical Sec61p channel and a homolog called Ssh1p. Here, we used trapped translocation intermediates to demonstrate that a specific signal recognition particle-dependent substrate, Sec71p, is targeted exclusively to Ssh1p. Strikingly, we found that, in the absence of Ssh1p, precursor could be successfully redirected to canonical Sec61p, demonstrating that the normal targeting reaction must involve preferential sorting to Ssh1p. Our data therefore demonstrate that Ssh1p is the primary translocon for Sec71p and reveal a novel sorting mechanism at the level of the endoplasmic reticulum membrane enabling precursors to be directed to distinct translocons. Interestingly, the Ssh1p-dependent translocation of Sec71p was found to be dependent upon Sec63p, demonstrating a previously unappreciated functional interaction between Sec63p and the Ssh1p translocon. PMID:21454595

A Real-time 1/16° Global Ocean Nowcast/Forecast System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shriver, J. F.; Rhodes, R. C.; Hurlburt, H. E.; Wallcraft, A. J.; Metzger, E. J.; Smedstad, O. M.; Kara, A. B.

2001-05-01

A 1/16° eddy-resolving global ocean prediction system that uses the NRL Layered Ocean Model (NLOM) has been transitioned to the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVO), Stennis Space Center, MS. The system gives a real time view of the ocean down to the 50-100 mile scale of ocean eddies and the meandering of ocean currents and fronts, a view with unprecedented resolution and clarity, and demonstrated forecast skill for a month or more for many ocean features. It has been running in real time at NAVO since 19 Oct 2000 with assimilation of real-time altimeter sea surface height (SSH) data (currently ERS-2, GFO and TOPEX/POSEIDON) and sea surface temperature (SST). The model is updated daily and 4-day forecasts are made daily. 30-day forecasts are made once a week. Nowcasts and forecasts using this model are viewable on the web, including SSH, SST and 30-day forecast verification statistics for many zoom regions. The NRL web address is http://www7320.nrlssc.navy.mil/global_nlom/index.html. The NAVO web address is: http://www.navo.navy.mil. Click on "Operational Products", then "Product Search Form", then "Product Type View", then select "Model Navy Layered Ocean Model" and a region and click on "Submit Query". This system is used at NAVO for ocean front and eddy analyses and predictions and to provide accurate sea surface height for use in computing synthetic temperature and salinity profiles, among other applications.

Tumor necrosis factor-α, kidney function, and hypertension.

PubMed

Mehaffey, Eamonn; Majid, Dewan S A

2017-10-01

Hypertension is considered to be a low-grade inflammatory condition characterized by the presence of various proinflammatory cytokines. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a constituent of the proinflammatory cytokines that is associated with salt-sensitive hypertension (SSH) and related renal injury. Elevated angiotensin II (ANG II) and other factors such as oxidative stress conditions promote TNF-α formation. Many recent studies have provided evidence that TNF-α exerts a direct renal action by regulating hemodynamic and excretory function in the kidney. The cytokine incites a strong natriuretic response and plays a part in regulation of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system. The exact mechanistic role of TNF-α in the development of SSH is as yet poorly understood. While TNF-α antagonism has been shown to attenuate hypertensive responses in many hypertensive animal models, contrasting findings demonstrate that the direct systemic administration of TNF-α usually induces hypotensive as well as natriuretic responses, indicating a counterregulatory role of TNF-α in SSH. Differential activities of two cell surface receptors of TNF-α (receptor type 1 and type 2) may explain the contradictory functions of TNF-α in the setting of hypertension. This short review will evaluate ongoing research studies that investigate the action of TNF-α within the kidney and its role as an influential pathophysiological variable in the development of SSH and renal injury. This information may help to develop specific TNF-α receptor targeting as an effective treatment strategy in this clinical condition. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Variations in freshwater pathways from the Arctic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zeliang; Hamilton, James; Su, Jie

2017-06-01

Understanding the mechanisms that drive exchanges between the Arctic Ocean and adjacent oceans is critical to building our knowledge of how the Arctic is reacting to a warming climate, and how potential changes in Arctic Ocean freshwater export may impact the AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation). Here, freshwater pathways from the Arctic Ocean to the North Atlantic are investigated using a 1 degree global model. An EOF analysis of modeled sea surface height (SSH) demonstrates that while the second mode accounts for only 15% of the variability, the associated geostrophic currents are strongly correlated with freshwater exports through CAA (Canadian Arctic Archipelago; r = 0.75), Nares Strait (r = 0.77) and Fram Strait (r = -0.60). Separation of sea level into contributing parts allows us to show that the EOF1 is primarily a barotropic mode reflecting variability in bottom pressure equivalent sea level, while the EOF2 mode reflects changes in steric height in the Arctic Basin. This second mode is linked to momentum wind driven surface current, and dominates the Arctic Ocean freshwater exports. Both the Arctic Oscillation and Arctic Dipole atmospheric indices are shown to be linked to Arctic Ocean freshwater exports, with the forcing associated with the Arctic Dipole reflecting the out-of-phase relationship between transports through the CAA and those through Fram Strait. Finally, observed freshwater transport variation through the CAA is found to be strongly correlated with tide gauge data from the Beaufort Sea coast (r = 0.81), and with the EOF2 mode of GRACE bottom pressure data (r = 0.85) on inter-annual timescales.

1/32° real-time global ocean prediction and value-added over 1/16° resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shriver, J. F.; Hurlburt, H. E.; Smedstad, O. M.; Wallcraft, A. J.; Rhodes, R. C.

2007-03-01

A 1/32° global ocean nowcast/forecast system has been developed by the Naval Research Laboratory at the Stennis Space Center. It started running at the Naval Oceanographic Office in near real-time on 1 Nov. 2003 and has been running daily in real-time since 1 Mar. 2005. It became an operational system on 6 March 2006, replacing the existing 1/16° system which ceased operation on 12 March 2006. Both systems use the NRL Layered Ocean Model (NLOM) with assimilation of sea surface height from satellite altimeters and sea surface temperature from multi-channel satellite infrared radiometers. Real-time and archived results are available online at http://www.ocean.nrlssc.navy.mil/global_nlom. The 1/32° system has improvements over the earlier system that can be grouped into two categories: (1) better resolution and representation of dynamical processes and (2) design modifications. The design modifications are the result of accrued knowledge since the development of the earlier 1/16° system. The improved horizontal resolution of the 1/32° system has significant dynamical benefits which increase the ability of the model to accurately nowcast and skillfully forecast. At the finer resolution, current pathways and their transports become more accurate, the sea surface height (SSH) variability increases and becomes more realistic and even the global ocean circulation experiences some changes (including inter-basin exchange). These improvements make the 1/32° system a better dynamical interpolator of assimilated satellite altimeter track data, using a one-day model forecast as the first guess. The result is quantitatively more accurate nowcasts, as is illustrated by several model-data comparisons. Based on comparisons with ocean color imagery in the northwestern Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman, the 1/32° system has even demonstrated the ability to map small eddies, 25-75 km in diameter, with 70% reliability and a median eddy center location error of 22.5 km, a surprising and unanticipated result from assimilation of altimeter track data. For all of the eddies (50% small eddies), the reliability was 80% and the median eddy center location error was 29 km. The 1/32° system also exhibits improved forecast skill in relation to the 1/16° system. This is due to ( a) a more accurate initial condition for the forecast and ( b) better resolution and representation of critical dynamical processes (such as upper ocean - topographic coupling via mesoscale flow instabilities) which allow the model to more accurately evolve these features in time while running in forecast mode (forecast atmospheric forcing for the first 5 days, then gradually reverting toward climatology for the remainder of the 30-day forecast period). At 1/32° resolution, forecast SSH generally compares better with unassimilated observations and the anomaly correlation of the forecast SSH exceeds that from persistence by a larger amount than found in the 1/16° system.

NASA RapidScat Observes El Nino Blowing in the Winds

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-01-21

While El Niño events have a significant impact on the entire Earth System, they are most easily visible in measurements of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH) and ocean winds near the surface. In fact, the precursor and the main driver of El Niño events is manifested in the weakening of the normally westward blowing trade winds, or even their complete reversal to blow from west to east, in the Western and Central tropical Pacific. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20365

Instrumented SSH

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

Campbell, Scott; Campbell, Scott

NERSC recently undertook a project to access and analyze Secure Shell (SSH) related data. This includes authentication data such as user names and key fingerprints, interactive session data such as keystrokes and responses, and information about noninteractive sessions such as commands executed and files transferred. Historically, this data has been inaccessible with traditional network monitoring techniques, but with a modification to the SSH daemon, this data can be passed directly to intrusion detection systems for analysis. The instrumented version of SSH is now running on all NERSC production systems. This paper describes the project, details about how SSH was instrumented,more » and the initial results of putting this in production.« less

Proposal and Implementation of SSH Client System Using Ajax

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosuda, Yusuke; Sasaki, Ryoichi

Technology called Ajax gives web applications the functionality and operability of desktop applications. In this study, we propose and implement a Secure Shell (SSH) client system using Ajax, independent of the OS or Java execution environment. In this system, SSH packets are generated on a web browser by using JavaScript and a web server works as a proxy in communication with an SSH server to realize end-to-end SSH communication. We implemented a prototype program and confirmed by experiment that it runs on several web browsers and mobile phones. This system has enabled secure SSH communication from a PC at an Internet cafe or any mobile phone. By measuring the processing performance, we verified satisfactory performance for emergency use, although the speed was unsatisfactory in some cases with mobile phone. The system proposed in this study will be effective in various fields of E-Business.

Direct SSH Gateway Access to Peregrine | High Performance Computing |

Science.gov Websites

can access peregrine-ssh.nrel.gov, you must have: An active NREL HPC user account (see User Accounts ) An OTP Token (see One Time Password Tokens) Logging into peregrine-ssh.nrel.gov With your HPC account

Climate and cholera in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: the role of environmental factors and implications for epidemic preparedness.

PubMed

Mendelsohn, Joshua; Dawson, Terry

2008-03-01

A cholera epidemic that took place in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (2000-2001) was employed to investigate the impact of climatic and environmental drivers on cholera dynamics. Precipitation (PRE), sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll-a (CHL-a) data acquired from publicly available satellite and ground measurements were analysed together with disease incidence in an effort to assess the environmental contribution to the outbreak. SST (r(2)=0.749, lag=0 months) and PRE (r(2)=0.744, lag=2 months) showed strong associations with incidence. CHL-a showed a moderately strong (r(2)=0.656, lag=6 months) association with incidence while sea surface height (SSH) demonstrated a weak relationship with incidence (r(2)=0.326, lag=5 months). Our analysis tentatively supports a coastal transmission hypothesis, heavily influenced by localized PRE extremes. The role of SSH is likely attenuated by local coastal topography. Future work should clarify the mechanism linking coastal cholera reservoirs and the regional climate system to outbreaks in this region. Finally, we discuss benefits of further research in this area using extended remotely sensed and epidemiological datasets towards the development of early-warning systems and enhanced epidemic preparedness.

Minimal-length Synthetic shRNAs Formulated with Lipid Nanoparticles are Potent Inhibitors of Hepatitis C Virus IRES-linked Gene Expression in Mice

PubMed Central

Dallas, Anne; Ilves, Heini; Shorenstein, Joshua; Judge, Adam; Spitler, Ryan; Contag, Christopher; Wong, Suet Ping; Harbottle, Richard P; MacLachlan, Ian; Johnston, Brian H

2013-01-01

We previously identified short synthetic shRNAs (sshRNAs) that target a conserved hepatitis C virus (HCV) sequence within the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of HCV and potently inhibit HCV IRES-linked gene expression. To assess in vivo liver delivery and activity, the HCV-directed sshRNA SG220 was formulated into lipid nanoparticles (LNP) and injected i.v. into mice whose livers supported stable HCV IRES-luciferase expression from a liver-specific promoter. After a single injection, RNase protection assays for the sshRNA and 3H labeling of a lipid component of the nanoparticles showed efficient liver uptake of both components and long-lasting survival of a significant fraction of the sshRNA in the liver. In vivo imaging showed a dose-dependent inhibition of luciferase expression (>90% 1 day after injection of 2.5 mg/kg sshRNA) with t1/2 for recovery of about 3 weeks. These results demonstrate the ability of moderate levels of i.v.-injected, LNP-formulated sshRNAs to be taken up by liver hepatocytes at a level sufficient to substantially suppress gene expression. Suppression is rapid and durable, suggesting that sshRNAs may have promise as therapeutic agents for liver indications. PMID:24045712

Attenuation of CCl4-Induced Oxidative Stress and Hepatonephrotoxicity by Saudi Sidr Honey in Rats.

PubMed

Al-Yahya, Mohammed; Mothana, Ramzi; Al-Said, Mansour; Al-Dosari, Mohammed; Al-Musayeib, Nawal; Al-Sohaibani, Mohammed; Parvez, Mohammad Khalid; Rafatullah, Syed

2013-01-01

The present study was undertaken to investigate the possible protective effect of Saudi Sidr honey (SSH) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced oxidative stress and liver and kidney damage in rat. Moreover, the antioxidant activity and the phenolic and flavonoidal contents were determined. The hepatorenal protective activity of the SSH was determined by assessing biochemical, hematological, and histological parameters. Serum transaminases, ALP, GGT, creatinine, bilirubin urea, uric acid, and MDA level in liver and kidney tissues were significantly elevated, and the antioxidant status of nonprotein sulfhydryls, albumin, and total protein levels in liver and kidney were declined significantly in CCl4 alone treated animals. Pretreatment with SSH and silymarin prior to the administration of CCl4 significantly prevented the increase of the serum levels of enzyme markers and reduced oxidative stress. SSH also exhibited a significant lipid-lowering effect and caused an HDL-C enhanced level in serum. The histopathological evaluation of the liver and kidney also revealed that honey protected incidence of both liver and kidney lesions. Moreover, SSH showed a strong antioxidant activity in DPPH and β -carotene-linoleic acid assays. SSH was found to contain phenolic compounds. Additionally, the SSH supplementation restored the hepatocytes viability against 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein (DCF) toxicity in ex vivo test.

Attenuation of CCl4-Induced Oxidative Stress and Hepatonephrotoxicity by Saudi Sidr Honey in Rats

PubMed Central

Al-Yahya, Mohammed; Mothana, Ramzi; Al-Said, Mansour; Al-Dosari, Mohammed; Al-Musayeib, Nawal; Al-Sohaibani, Mohammed; Parvez, Mohammad Khalid; Rafatullah, Syed

2013-01-01

The present study was undertaken to investigate the possible protective effect of Saudi Sidr honey (SSH) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced oxidative stress and liver and kidney damage in rat. Moreover, the antioxidant activity and the phenolic and flavonoidal contents were determined. The hepatorenal protective activity of the SSH was determined by assessing biochemical, hematological, and histological parameters. Serum transaminases, ALP, GGT, creatinine, bilirubin urea, uric acid, and MDA level in liver and kidney tissues were significantly elevated, and the antioxidant status of nonprotein sulfhydryls, albumin, and total protein levels in liver and kidney were declined significantly in CCl4 alone treated animals. Pretreatment with SSH and silymarin prior to the administration of CCl4 significantly prevented the increase of the serum levels of enzyme markers and reduced oxidative stress. SSH also exhibited a significant lipid-lowering effect and caused an HDL-C enhanced level in serum. The histopathological evaluation of the liver and kidney also revealed that honey protected incidence of both liver and kidney lesions. Moreover, SSH showed a strong antioxidant activity in DPPH and β-carotene-linoleic acid assays. SSH was found to contain phenolic compounds. Additionally, the SSH supplementation restored the hepatocytes viability against 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein (DCF) toxicity in ex vivo test. PMID:23533498

Heavy-tailed distribution of the SSH Brute-force attack duration in a multi-user environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jae-Kook; Kim, Sung-Jun; Park, Chan Yeol; Hong, Taeyoung; Chae, Huiseung

2016-07-01

Quite a number of cyber-attacks to be place against supercomputers that provide highperformance computing (HPC) services to public researcher. Particularly, although the secure shell protocol (SSH) brute-force attack is one of the traditional attack methods, it is still being used. Because stealth attacks that feign regular access may occur, they are even harder to detect. In this paper, we introduce methods to detect SSH brute-force attacks by analyzing the server's unsuccessful access logs and the firewall's drop events in a multi-user environment. Then, we analyze the durations of the SSH brute-force attacks that are detected by applying these methods. The results of an analysis of about 10 thousands attack source IP addresses show that the behaviors of abnormal users using SSH brute-force attacks are based on human dynamic characteristics of a typical heavy-tailed distribution.

Direct Access to Peregrine for External Users | High-Performance Computing

Science.gov Websites

| NREL Direct Access to Peregrine for External Users Direct Access to Peregrine for External : ssh yourHPCuserid@peregrine-ssh.nrel.gov For more information, please read this page. About direct ssh allow access to VPNs. Our current jump-node (hpcsh.nrel.gov) does not provide direct-to-peregrine access

Mapping the evidence of prevention and intervention studies for suicidal and self-harming behaviors in young people.

PubMed

De Silva, Stefanie; Parker, Alexandra; Purcell, Rosemary; Callahan, Patrick; Liu, Ping; Hetrick, Sarah

2013-01-01

Suicide and self-harm (SSH) in young people is a major cause of disability-adjusted life years. Effective interventions are of critical importance to reducing the mortality and morbidity associated with SSH. To investigate the extent and nature of research on interventions to prevent and treat SSH in young people using evidence mapping. A systematic search for SSH intervention studies was conducted (participant mean age between 6-25 years). The studies were restricted to high-quality evidence in the form of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and controlled trials. Thirty-eight controlled studies and six systematic reviews met the study inclusion criteria. The majority (n = 32) involved psychological interventions. Few studies (n = 9) involved treating young people with recognized mental disorders or substance abuse (n = 1) which also addressed SSH. The map was restricted to RCTs, CCTs, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, and thus might have neglected important information from other study designs. The effectiveness of interventions within the trials was not evaluated. The evidence base for SSH interventions in young people is not well established, which hampers best-practice efforts in this area. Promising interventions that need further research include school-based prevention programs with a skills training component, individual CBT interventions, interpersonal psychotherapy, and attachment-based family therapy. Gaps in the research exist in evaluations of interventions for SSH in young people with identifiable psychopathology, particularly substance use disorder, and research that classifies participants on the basis of their suicidal intent.

Spectra of Baroclinic Inertia-Gravity Wave Turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glazman, Roman E.

1996-01-01

Baroclinic inertia-gravity (IG) waves form a persistent background of thermocline depth and sea surface height oscillations. They also contribute to the kinetic energy of horizontal motions in the subsurface layer. Measured by the ratio of water particle velocity to wave phase speed, the wave nonlinearity may be rather high. Given a continuous supply of energy from external sources, nonlinear wave-wave interactions among IG waves would result in inertial cascades of energy, momentum, and wave action. Based on a recently developed theory of wave turbulence in scale-dependent systems, these cascades are investigated and IG wave spectra are derived for an arbitrary degree of wave nonlinearity. Comparisons with satellite-altimetry-based spectra of surface height variations and with energy spectra of horizontal velocity fluctuations show good agreement. The well-known spectral peak at the inertial frequency is thus explained as a result of the inverse cascade. Finally, we discuss a possibility of inferring the internal Rossby radius of deformation and other dynamical properties of the upper thermocline from the spectra of SSH (sea surface height) variations based on altimeter measurements.

Long-Term Monitoring of Regional Sea Surface Height Variability Using High-Resolution Satellite Altimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rice, A. E.; Crout, R. L.

2017-12-01

Shallow water altimetry is an emerging field that in recent years has rapidly gained attention for both the numerous applications it can offer to the oceanographic community (e.g. assessment of climate change impacts to the coastal zone; quantification of sea state etc.) and, depending on the altimeter used, for the wealth of available historical data that can be employed for climatological studies. In this study we focus on the long-term analysis of regional sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) variability over the mid and outer shelf (≥ 16 km from the coast) for 18 selected coastal altimeter tracks located on the east coast of the US and Asia for a period of eight years (294 passes from July 2008 to July 2016) using Jason-2 20 Hz altimeter data from the L2 AVISO-PISTACH experimental products. After implementing geophysical corrections to the raw altimeter range, signal noise in the individual SSH passes was reduced by applying a median filter followed by a 60-point (18 km) low-pass filter as in Birol and Delebeque (2014). Since individual altimeter passes did not cease to collect data at the same distance from the coastline, a nearest-point-to-land (NPTL) was determined for each track for statistical analysis of the data. NPTL time series and SSHA envelopes, computed by subtracting mean SSHAs from individual passes, were used for the analysis. A comparison of wind and water level gauge data to a US east coast track reveals correlation between SSHA and winds and a relationship to subtidal water level frequencies. Time series of NPTL for all tracks show intra-annual and inter and intra-seasonal variability, with higher and lower water levels linked to seasons. Lastly, envelope plots display higher SSHA variability over the mid shelf than the outer shelf, revealing the location and magnitude (up to 0.5 m water level differences) of setup and set down occurrences. Various products derived from the analysis that are useful for oceanographic operations, including water level change percentages and width of coastal boundary layers, are discussed.

Generation of Mesoscale Eddies in the Lee of the Hawaiian Islands

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-08

temperature (SST) as observed by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES, Figure lb, data available at http://oceanwatch.pifsc...hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and...The SSH is composed of the SSH anomaly from satellite JASON-1 by the AVISO group and the mean SSH of Niiler et al. [2003] (hereafter referred to

Patterns of internationalization and criteria for research assessment in the social sciences and humanities.

PubMed

Sivertsen, Gunnar

This article investigates the developments during the last decades in the use of languages, publication types and publication channels in the social sciences and humanities (SSH). The purpose is to develop an understanding of the processes of internationalization and to apply this understanding in a critical examination of two often used general criteria in research evaluations in the SSH. One of them is that the coverage of a publication in Scopus or Web of Science is seen in itself as an expression of research quality and of internationalization. The other is that a specific international language, English, and a specific type of publication, journal articles, are perceived as supreme in a general hierarchy of languages and publication types. Simple distinctions based on these criteria are contrary to the heterogeneous publication patterns needed in the SSH to organize their research adequately, present their results properly, reach their audiences efficiently, and thereby fulfil their missions. Research quality, internationalization, and societal relevance can be promoted in research assessment in the SSH without categorical hierarchies of publications. I will demonstrate this by using data from scholarly publishing in the SSH that go beyond the coverage in the commercial data sources in order to give a more comprehensive representation of scholarly publishing in the SSH.

Growth, optical, thermal, mechanical and dielectric studies of sodium succinate hexahydrate (β phase) single crystal: A promising third order NLO material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mageshwari, P. S. Latha; Priya, R.; Krishnan, S.; Joseph, V.; Das, S. Jerome

2016-11-01

A third order nonlinear optical (NLO)single crystals of sodium succinate hexahydrate (SSH) (β phase) has been grown by a slow evaporation growth technique using aqueous solution at ambient temperature. The lattice parameters and morphology of SSH were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. SSH crystallizes in centrosymmetric monoclinic system with space group P 21 / c and the crystalline purity was analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction analysis. The UV-vis-NIR spectrum reveals that the crystal is transparent in the entire visible region. The recorded FT-IR spectrum verified the presence of various functional groups in the material. NMR analysis of the grown crystal confirms the structural elucidation and detects the major and minor functional groups present in the title compound. ICP-OES analysis proved the presence of sodium in SSH. TG-DTA/DSCanalysis was used to investigate the thermal stability of the material. The dielectric permittivity and dielectric loss of SSH were carried out as a function of frequency for different temperatures and the results were discussed. The mechanical stability was evaluated from Vicker's microhardness test. The third order nonlinear optical properties of SSH has been investigated employing Z-scan technique with He-Ne laser operating at 632.8 nm wavelength.

Why are social sciences and humanities needed in the works of IPBES? A systematic review of the literature

PubMed Central

Rankovic, Aleksandar; Lapeyre, Renaud

2018-01-01

Despite the increased attention, which has been given to the issue of involving knowledge and experts from the social sciences and humanities (SSH) into the products and works of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), little is known on what the expectations towards the involvement of SSH in IPBES actually are. The aim of this paper is to close this gap by identifying the range of possible SSH contributions to IPBES that are expected in the literature, and discuss the inherent challenges of and concrete ways to realize these contributions in the particular institutional setting of IPBES. We address these two points by: firstly, assessing the literature dealing with IPBES and building a typology describing the main ways in which contributions from SSH to IPBES have been conceived between 2006 and 2017. We discuss these expected contributions in light of broader debates on the role of SSH in nature conservation and analyse some of the blind spots and selectivities in the perception of how SSH could substantially contribute to the works of IPBES. Then, secondly, by looking at one particular example, economics and its use in the first thematic assessment on pollinators, pollination and food production, we will concretely illustrate how works in a given discipline could contribute in many different and unprecedented ways to the works of IPBES and help identify paths for enhancing the conservation of biodiversity. Finally, we propose a range of practical recommendations as to how to increase the contribution of SSH in the works of IPBES. PMID:29706803

Two-leg Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chain with glide reflection symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shao-Liang; Zhou, Qi

2017-06-01

The Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model lays the foundation of many important concepts in quantum topological matters. Here, we show that a spin-dependent double-well optical lattice allows one to couple two topologically distinct SSH chains in the bulk and realize a glided-two-leg SSH model that respects the glide reflection symmetry. Such a model gives rise to intriguing quantum phenomena beyond the paradigm of a traditional SSH model. It is characterized by Wilson lines that require non-Abelian Berry connections, and the interplay between the glide symmetry and interaction automatically leads to charge fractionalization without jointing two lattice potentials at an interface. Our work demonstrates the versatility of ultracold atoms to create new theoretical models for studying topological matters.

Comparison of Two Global Ocean Reanalyses, NRL Global Ocean Forecast System (GOFS) and U. Maryland Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richman, J. G.; Shriver, J. F.; Metzger, E. J.; Hogan, P. J.; Smedstad, O. M.

2017-12-01

The Oceanography Division of the Naval Research Laboratory recently completed a 23-year (1993-2015) coupled ocean-sea ice reanalysis forced by NCEP CFS reanalysis fluxes. The reanalysis uses the Global Ocean Forecast System (GOFS) framework of the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) and the Los Alamos Community Ice CodE (CICE) and the Navy Coupled Ocean Data Assimilation 3D Var system (NCODA). The ocean model has 41 layers and an equatorial resolution of 0.08° (8.8 km) on a tri-polar grid with the sea ice model on the same grid that reduces to 3.5 km at the North Pole. Sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH) and temperature-salinity profile data are assimilated into the ocean every day. The SSH anomalies are converted into synthetic profiles of temperature and salinity prior to assimilation. Incremental analysis updating of geostrophically balanced increments is performed over a 6-hour insertion window. Sea ice concentration is assimilated into the sea ice model every day. Following the lead of the Ocean Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (ORA-IP), the monthly mean upper ocean heat and salt content from the surface to 300 m, 700m and 1500 m, the mixed layer depth, the depth of the 20°C isotherm, the steric sea surface height and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation for the GOFS reanalysis and the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA 3.3.1) eddy-permitting reanalysis have been compared on a global uniform 0.5° grid. The differences between the two ocean reanalyses in heat and salt content increase with increasing integration depth. Globally, GOFS trends to be colder than SODA at all depth. Warming trends are observed at all depths over the 23 year period. The correlation of the upper ocean heat content is significant above 700 m. Prior to 2004, differences in the data assimilated lead to larger biases. The GOFS reanalysis assimilates SSH as profile data, while SODA doesn't. Large differences are found in the Western Boundary Currents, Southern Ocean and equatorial regions. In the Indian Ocean, the Equatorial Counter Current extends to far to the east and the subsurface flow in the thermocline is too weak in GOFS. The 20°C isotherm is biased 2 m shallow in SODA compared to GOFS, but the monthly anomalies in the depth are highly correlated.

Thrombin selectively engages LIM kinase 1 and slingshot-1L phosphatase to regulate NF-κB activation and endothelial cell inflammation

PubMed Central

Leonard, Antony; Marando, Catherine; Rahman, Arshad

2013-01-01

Endothelial cell (EC) inflammation is a central event in the pathogenesis of many pulmonary diseases such as acute lung injury and its more severe form acute respiratory distress syndrome. Alterations in actin cytoskeleton are shown to be crucial for NF-κB regulation and EC inflammation. Previously, we have described a role of actin binding protein cofilin in mediating cytoskeletal alterations essential for NF-κB activation and EC inflammation. The present study describes a dynamic mechanism in which LIM kinase 1 (LIMK1), a cofilin kinase, and slingshot-1Long (SSH-1L), a cofilin phosphatase, are engaged by procoagulant and proinflammatory mediator thrombin to regulate these responses. Our data show that knockdown of LIMK1 destabilizes whereas knockdown of SSH-1L stabilizes the actin filaments through modulation of cofilin phosphorylation; however, in either case thrombin-induced NF-κB activity and expression of its target genes (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1) is inhibited. Further mechanistic analyses reveal that knockdown of LIMK1 or SSH-1L each attenuates nuclear translocation and thereby DNA binding of RelA/p65. In addition, LIMK1 or SSH-1L depletion inhibited RelA/p65 phosphorylation at Ser536, a critical event conferring transcriptional competency to the bound NF-κB. However, unlike SSH-1L, LIMK1 knockdown also impairs the release of RelA/p65 by blocking IKKβ-dependent phosphorylation/degradation of IκBα. Interestingly, LIMK1 or SSH-1L depletion failed to inhibit TNF-α-induced RelA/p65 nuclear translocation and proinflammatory gene expression. Thus this study provides evidence for a novel role of LIMK1 and SSH-1L in selectively regulating EC inflammation associated with intravascular coagulation. PMID:24039253

Thrombin selectively engages LIM kinase 1 and slingshot-1L phosphatase to regulate NF-κB activation and endothelial cell inflammation.

PubMed

Leonard, Antony; Marando, Catherine; Rahman, Arshad; Fazal, Fabeha

2013-11-01

Endothelial cell (EC) inflammation is a central event in the pathogenesis of many pulmonary diseases such as acute lung injury and its more severe form acute respiratory distress syndrome. Alterations in actin cytoskeleton are shown to be crucial for NF-κB regulation and EC inflammation. Previously, we have described a role of actin binding protein cofilin in mediating cytoskeletal alterations essential for NF-κB activation and EC inflammation. The present study describes a dynamic mechanism in which LIM kinase 1 (LIMK1), a cofilin kinase, and slingshot-1Long (SSH-1L), a cofilin phosphatase, are engaged by procoagulant and proinflammatory mediator thrombin to regulate these responses. Our data show that knockdown of LIMK1 destabilizes whereas knockdown of SSH-1L stabilizes the actin filaments through modulation of cofilin phosphorylation; however, in either case thrombin-induced NF-κB activity and expression of its target genes (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1) is inhibited. Further mechanistic analyses reveal that knockdown of LIMK1 or SSH-1L each attenuates nuclear translocation and thereby DNA binding of RelA/p65. In addition, LIMK1 or SSH-1L depletion inhibited RelA/p65 phosphorylation at Ser(536), a critical event conferring transcriptional competency to the bound NF-κB. However, unlike SSH-1L, LIMK1 knockdown also impairs the release of RelA/p65 by blocking IKKβ-dependent phosphorylation/degradation of IκBα. Interestingly, LIMK1 or SSH-1L depletion failed to inhibit TNF-α-induced RelA/p65 nuclear translocation and proinflammatory gene expression. Thus this study provides evidence for a novel role of LIMK1 and SSH-1L in selectively regulating EC inflammation associated with intravascular coagulation.

Lessons Learned from Assimilating Altimeter Data into a Coupled General Circulation Model with the GMAO Augmented Ensemble Kalman Filter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keppenne, Christian; Vernieres, Guillaume; Rienecker, Michele; Jacob, Jossy; Kovach, Robin

2011-01-01

Satellite altimetry measurements have provided global, evenly distributed observations of the ocean surface since 1993. However, the difficulties introduced by the presence of model biases and the requirement that data assimilation systems extrapolate the sea surface height (SSH) information to the subsurface in order to estimate the temperature, salinity and currents make it difficult to optimally exploit these measurements. This talk investigates the potential of the altimetry data assimilation once the biases are accounted for with an ad hoc bias estimation scheme. Either steady-state or state-dependent multivariate background-error covariances from an ensemble of model integrations are used to address the problem of extrapolating the information to the sub-surface. The GMAO ocean data assimilation system applied to an ensemble of coupled model instances using the GEOS-5 AGCM coupled to MOM4 is used in the investigation. To model the background error covariances, the system relies on a hybrid ensemble approach in which a small number of dynamically evolved model trajectories is augmented on the one hand with past instances of the state vector along each trajectory and, on the other, with a steady state ensemble of error estimates from a time series of short-term model forecasts. A state-dependent adaptive error-covariance localization and inflation algorithm controls how the SSH information is extrapolated to the sub-surface. A two-step predictor corrector approach is used to assimilate future information. Independent (not-assimilated) temperature and salinity observations from Argo floats are used to validate the assimilation. A two-step projection method in which the system first calculates a SSH increment and then projects this increment vertically onto the temperature, salt and current fields is found to be most effective in reconstructing the sub-surface information. The performance of the system in reconstructing the sub-surface fields is particularly impressive for temperature, but not as satisfactory for salt.

Exploring image data assimilation in the prospect of high-resolution satellite oceanic observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durán Moro, Marina; Brankart, Jean-Michel; Brasseur, Pierre; Verron, Jacques

2017-07-01

Satellite sensors increasingly provide high-resolution (HR) observations of the ocean. They supply observations of sea surface height (SSH) and of tracers of the dynamics such as sea surface salinity (SSS) and sea surface temperature (SST). In particular, the Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will provide measurements of the surface ocean topography at very high-resolution (HR) delivering unprecedented information on the meso-scale and submeso-scale dynamics. This study investigates the feasibility to use these measurements to reconstruct meso-scale features simulated by numerical models, in particular on the vertical dimension. A methodology to reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) multivariate meso-scale scenes is developed by using a HR numerical model of the Solomon Sea region. An inverse problem is defined in the framework of a twin experiment where synthetic observations are used. A true state is chosen among the 3D multivariate states which is considered as a reference state. In order to correct a first guess of this true state, a two-step analysis is carried out. A probability distribution of the first guess is defined and updated at each step of the analysis: (i) the first step applies the analysis scheme of a reduced-order Kalman filter to update the first guess probability distribution using SSH observation; (ii) the second step minimizes a cost function using observations of HR image structure and a new probability distribution is estimated. The analysis is extended to the vertical dimension using 3D multivariate empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) and the probabilistic approach allows the update of the probability distribution through the two-step analysis. Experiments show that the proposed technique succeeds in correcting a multivariate state using meso-scale and submeso-scale information contained in HR SSH and image structure observations. It also demonstrates how the surface information can be used to reconstruct the ocean state below the surface.

Multi-model Ensemble of Ocean Data Assimilation Products in The Northwestern Pacific and Their Quality Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isoguchi, O.; Matsui, K.; Kamachi, M.; Usui, N.; Miyazawa, Y.; Ishikawa, Y.; Hirose, N.

2017-12-01

Several operational ocean assimilation models are currently available for the Northwestern Pacific and surrounding marginal seas. One of the main targets is predicting the Kuroshio/Kuroshio Extension, which have an impact not only on social activities, such as fishery and ship routing, but also on local weather. There is a demand to assess their quality comprehensively and make the best out the available products. In the present study, several ocean data assimilation products and their multi-ensemble product were assessed by comparing with satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), and in-situ hydrographic sections. The Kuroshio axes were also computed from the surface currents of these products and were compared with the Kuroshio Axis data produced analyzing satellite-SST, SSH, and in-situ observations by Marine Information Research Center (MIRC). The multi-model ensemble products generally showed the best accuracy in terms of the comparisons with the satellite-derived SST and SSH. On the other hand, the ensemble products didn't result in the best one in the comparison with the hydrographic sections. It is thus suggested that the multi-model ensemble works efficiently for the horizontally 2D parameters for which each assimilation product tends to have random errors while it does not work well for the vertical 2D comparisons for which it tends to have bias errors with respect to in-situ data. In the assessment with the Kuroshio Axis Data, some products showed more energetic behavior than the Kuroshio Axis data, resulting in the large path errors which are defined as a ratio between an area surrounded by the reference and model-derived ones and a path length. It is however not determined which are real, because in-situ observations are still lacking to resolve energetic Kuroshio behavior even though the Kuroshio is one of the strongest current.

[Construction and analysis of a forward and reverse subtractive cDNA library from leaves and stem of Polygonum sibiricum Laxm. under salt stress].

PubMed

Liu, Guan-Jun; Liu, Ming-Kun; Xu, Zhi-Ru; Yan, Xiu-Feng; Wei, Zhi-Gang; Yang, Chuan-Ping

2009-04-01

Using cDNAs prepared from the leaves and stems of Polygonum sibiricum Laxm. treated with NaHCO3 stress for 48 h as testers and cDNAs from unstressed P. sibiricum leaves and stems as drivers library, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was employed to construct a cDNA subtracted library, which contained 2 282 valid sequences including 598 ESTs in the stems forward SSH library and 490 ESTs in the stem reverse SSH library, 627 ESTs in the leaf forward SSH library and 567 in the leaf reverse SSH library. According to the functional catalogue of MIPs and the comparison of the reverse and forward SSH libraries of the stem and leaf, the responses to NaHCO3 stress were different between leaf and stem, except for the same trend in cell rescue defense and transport facilitation. The trend in the metabolism, energy, photosynthesis, protein synthesis, transcription, and signal transduction was opposite. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that the expression of 12 putative stress related genes in the NaHCO3-treated leaves and stems was different from that in the untreated leaves and stems. This indicated that different mechanisms might be responsible for reactions of leaf and stem in P. sibiricum. The results from this study are useful in understanding the molecular mechanism of saline-alkali tolerance in P. sibiricum.

Anthropometric evaluation and recommendation for primary schools classroom furniture design in Perlis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shan, Lim Shaiu; Jing, Ewe Hui; Effendi, M. S. M.; Rosli, Muhamad Farizuan

2017-09-01

This study was carried out with the objective to obtain the anthropometric data of primary school children from Year 1 to Year 6 and evaluate the children's anthropometry with the current dimensions of classroom furniture (i.e. chair and table). In addition, this study also proposed the design dimensions for the improvement in classroom furniture design with the consideration of children's anthropometric data. A total of 390 children selected from 13 primary schools in Perlis, Malaysia were participated in this study. There were 11 anthropometric measurements of children have been measured in this study, which include stature (St), popliteal height (PH), knee height (KH), thigh thickness (TT), buttock popliteal length (BPL), hip breadth (HB), sitting shoulder height (SSH), sitting elbow height (SEH), forearm-hand length (FHL), height of lumbar point (HLP) and buttock clearance (BC). Besides that, 7 dimensions relating to current classroom chair have been measured, such as seat height (SH), seat depth (SD), seat width (SW), upper edge of backrest (UEB), lower edge of backrest (LEB), S point (SP), overall chair height (OCH). Another 5 dimensions of the existing classroom table have been measured too, which involve table height (TH), table depth (TD), table width (TW), under table height (UH) and seat to table clearance (STC). All the measurements were performed by using metal measuring tape. The anthropometric data of the children were analyzed with the help of Microsoft Excel 2013. Several equations with associated with the anthropometric data and furniture dimensions have been applied in this research. The new design dimensions for classroom furniture that proposed in this paper which based on the collected anthropometric data can be referred as a guideline for classroom furniture design. The implementation of these data may help to create comfortability, safety, suitability and improve performance of children in the classroom.

On the dynamics of the Sri Lanka Dome in the Bay of Bengal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burns, Jessica M.; Subrahmanyam, Bulusu; Murty, V. S. N.

2017-09-01

East of Sri Lanka, in the northern Indian Ocean, a cold dome, known as the Sri Lanka Dome (SLD), develops during southwest monsoon season (June-September). The SLD first forms around May, matures in July, and decays around September, in association with the strong cyclonic wind stress curl. In this study, the structure and dynamics of SLD in response to the climatic events such as the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) are examined. Our results reveal that these climatic events modulated the subsurface temperature variability in the thermocline at ˜100 m depth, whose signature was also evident in the satellite-derived sea surface height (SSH) anomaly in the SLD region. We find that the mechanisms for the formation of SLD are consistent with previous research, and there is year-to-year variability in the SLD dynamics. This study also reveals that the atmospheric parameters including vertical wind shear and midtropospheric relative humidity are high over the SLD region and adjacent southern Bay of Bengal and show an upward (increasing) trend over the decades. This has impacted the atmospheric parameters over the northern Bay of Bengal over the decades and as a consequence the total number of monsoon depressions (June-September) decreased over the decades from 1980 to 2015, as reported by the India Meteorological Department, New Delhi. Thus, the new insight emerged from this study is the variability in the cyclogenesis and the occurrence of total number of monsoon depressions over northern Bay of Bengal over the decades is much related to the SLD dynamics.

Real-Time Eddy-Resolving Ocean Prediction in the Caribbean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurlburt, H. E.; Smedstad, O. M.; Shriver, J. F.; Townsend, T. L.; Murphy, S. J.

2001-12-01

A {1/16}o eddy-resolving, nearly global ocean prediction system has been developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Stennis Space Center, MS. It has been run in real-time by the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVO), Stennis Space Center, MS since 18 Oct 2000 with daily updates for the nowcast and 30-day forecasts performed every Wednesday. The model has ~8 km resolution in the Caribbean region and assimilates real-time altimeter sea surface height (SSH) data from ERS-2, GFO and TOPEX/POSEIDON plus multi-channel sea surface temperature (MCSST) from satellite IR. Real-time and archived results from the system can be seen at web site: http://www7320.nrlssc.navy.mil/global\

Corsica: A Multi-Mission Absolute Calibration Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonnefond, P.; Exertier, P.; Laurain, O.; Guinle, T.; Femenias, P.

2013-09-01

In collaboration with the CNES and NASA oceanographic projects (TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason), the OCA (Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur) developed a verification site in Corsica since 1996, operational since 1998. CALibration/VALidation embraces a wide variety of activities, ranging from the interpretation of information from internal-calibration modes of the sensors to validation of the fully corrected estimates of the reflector heights using in situ data. Now, Corsica is, like the Harvest platform (NASA side) [14], an operating calibration site able to support a continuous monitoring with a high level of accuracy: a 'point calibration' which yields instantaneous bias estimates with a 10-day repeatability of 30 mm (standard deviation) and mean errors of 4 mm (standard error). For a 35-day repeatability (ERS, Envisat), due to a smaller time series, the standard error is about the double ( 7 mm).In this paper, we will present updated results of the absolute Sea Surface Height (SSH) biases for TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P), Jason-1, Jason-2, ERS-2 and Envisat.

Transport of the Norwegian Atlantic current as determined from satellite altimetry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pistek, Pavel; Johnson, Donald R.

1992-01-01

Relatively warm and salty North Atlantic surface waters flow through the Faeroe-Shetland Channel into the higher latitudes of the Nordic Seas, preserving an ice-free winter environment for much of the exterior coast of northern Europe. This flow was monitored along the Norwegian coast using Geosat altimetry on two ascending arcs during the Exact Repeat Mission in 1987-1989. Concurrent undertrack CTD surveys were used to fix a reference surface for the altimeter-derived SSH anomalies, in effect creating time series of alongtrack surface dynamic height topographies. Climatologic CTD casts were then used, with empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, to derive relationships between historical surface dynamic heights and vertical temperature and salinity profiles. Applying these EOF relationships to the altimeter signals, mean transports of volume, heat, and salt were calculated at approximately 2.9 Sverdrups, 8.1 x 10 exp 11 KCal/s and 1.0 x 10 exp 8 Kg/s, respectively. Maximum transports occurred in February/March and minimum in July/August.

Assimilation of Satellite Sea Surface Salinity Fields: Validating Ocean Analyses and Identifying Errors in Surface Buoyancy Fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehra, A.; Nadiga, S.; Bayler, E. J.; Behringer, D.

2014-12-01

Recently available satellite sea-surface salinity (SSS) fields provide an important new global data stream for assimilation into ocean forecast systems. In this study, we present results from assimilating satellite SSS fields from NASA's Aquarius mission into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) operational Modular Ocean Model version 4 (MOM4), the oceanic component of NOAA's operational seasonal-interannual Climate Forecast System (CFS). Experiments on the sensitivity of the ocean's overall state to different relaxation time periods were run to evaluate the importance of assimilating high-frequency (daily to mesoscale) and low-frequency (seasonal) SSS variability. Aquarius SSS data (Aquarius Data Processing System (ADPS) version 3.0), mapped daily fields at 1-degree spatial resolution, were used. Four model simulations were started from the same initial ocean condition and forced with NOAA's daily Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) fluxes, using a relaxation technique to assimilate daily satellite sea surface temperature (SST) fields and selected SSS fields, where, except as noted, a 30-day relaxation period is used. The simulations are: (1) WOAMC, the reference case and similar to the operational setup, assimilating monthly climatological SSS from the 2009 NOAA World Ocean Atlas; (2) AQ_D, assimilating daily Aquarius SSS; (3) AQ_M, assimilating monthly Aquarius SSS; and (4) AQ_D10, assimilating daily Aquarius SSS, but using a 10-day relaxation period. The analysis focuses on the tropical Pacific Ocean, where the salinity dynamics are intense and dominated by El Niño interannual variability in the cold tongue region and by high-frequency precipitation events in the western Pacific warm pool region. To assess the robustness of results and conclusions, we also examine the results for the tropical Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Preliminary validation studies are conducted using observations, such as satellite sea-surface height (SSH) fields and in situ Argo buoy vertical profiles of temperature and salinity, to demonstrate that SSS data assimilation improves ocean state representation of the following variables: ocean heat content (0-300m), dynamic height (0-1000m), mixed-layer depth, sea surface heigh, and surface buoyancy fluxes.

Constraining a Coastal Ocean Model by Surface Observations Using an Ensemble Kalman Filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Mey, P. J.; Ayoub, N. K.

2016-02-01

We explore the impact of assimilating sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height (SSH) observations in the Bay of Biscay (North-East Atlantic). The study is conducted in the SYMPHONIE coastal circulation model (Marsaleix et al., 2009) on a 3kmx3km grid, with 43 sigma levels. Ensembles are generated by perturbing the wind forcing to analyze the model error subspace spanned by its response to wind forcing uncertainties. The assimilation method is a 4D Ensemble Kalman Filter algorithm with localization. We use the SDAP code developed in the team (https://sourceforge.net/projects/sequoia-dap/). In a first step before the assimilation of real observations, we set up an Ensemble twin experiment protocol where a nature run as well as noisy pseudo-observations of SST and SSH are generated from an Ensemble member (later discarded from the assimilative Ensemble). Our objectives are to assess (1) the adequacy of the choice of error source and perturbation strategy and (2) how effective the surface observational constraint is at constraining the surface and subsurface fields. We first illustrate characteristics of the error subspace generated by the perturbation strategy. We then show that, while the EnKF solves a single seamless problem regardless of the region within our domain, the nature and effectiveness of the data constraint over the shelf differ from those over the abyssal plain.

Response of near-surface currents in the Indian Ocean to the anomalous atmospheric condition in 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utari, P. A.; Nurkhakim, M. Y.; Setiabudidaya, D.; Iskandar, I.

2018-05-01

Anomalous ocean-atmosphere conditions were detected in the tropical Indian Ocean during boreal spring to boreal winter 2015. It was suggested that the anomalous conditions were characteristics of the positive Indian Ocean Dipole (pIOD) event. The purpose of this investigation was to investigate the response of near-surface currents in the tropical Indian Ocean to the anomalous atmospheric condition in 2015. Near-surface current from OSCAR (Ocean Surface Current Analyses Real Time) reanalysis data combined with the sea surface temperature (SST) data from OISST – NOAA, sea surface height (SSH) and surface winds from the ECMWF were used in this investigation. The analysis showed that the evolution of 2015 pIOD started in June/July, peaked in the September and terminated in late November 2015. Correlated with the evolution of the pIOD, easterly winds anomalies were detected along the equator. As the oceanic response to these easterly wind anomalies, the surface currents anomalously westward during the peak of the pIOD. It was interesting to note that the evolution of 2015 pIOD event was closely related to the ocean wave dynamics as revealed by the SSH data. Downwelling westward propagating Rossby waves were detected in the southwestern tropical Indian Ocean. Once reached the western boundary of the Indian Ocean, they were redirected back into interior Indian Ocean and propagating eastward as the downwelling Kelvin waves.

Overexpression of EAR1 and SSH4 that encode PPxY proteins in the multivesicular body provides stability to tryptophan permease Tat2, allowing yeast cells to grow under high hydrostatic pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiraki, Toshiki; Usui, Keiko; Abe, Fumiyoshi

2010-12-01

Tryptophan uptake in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is susceptible to high hydrostatic pressure and it limits the growth of tryptophan auxotrophic (Trp-) strains under pressures of 15-25 MPa. The susceptibility of tryptophan uptake is accounted for by the pressure-induced degradation of tryptophan permease Tat2 occurring in a Rsp5 ubiquitin ligase-dependent manner. Ear1 and Ssh4 are multivesicular body proteins that physically interact with Rsp5. We found that overexpression of either of the EAR1 or SSH4 genes enabled the Trp- cells to grow at 15-25 MPa. EAR1 and SSH4 appeared to provide stability to the Tat2 protein when overexpressed. The result suggests that Ear1 and Ssh4 negatively regulate Rsp5 on ubiquitination of Tat2. Currently, high hydrostatic pressure is widely used in bioscience and biotechnology for structurally perturbing macromolecules such as proteins and lipids or in food processing and sterilizing microbes. We suggest that hydrostatic pressure is an operative experimental parameter to screen yeast genes specifically for regulation of Tat2 through the function of Rsp5 ubiquitin ligase.

Research ethics in the dynamic of scientific field: challenges in the building of guidelines for social sciences and humanities.

PubMed

Guerriero, Iara Coelho Zito; Bosi, Maria Lúcia Magalhães

2015-09-01

The development of guidelines on research ethics for social science and humanities (SSH) takes place in the scientific field, marked by disputes aimed at the establishment of hegemonic scientific standard. In Brazil, the National Health Council is responsible for approving these guidelines, which involve certain specificities. Based on the authors' experience in the SSH Working Group of the National Commission on Research Ethics (GT CHS / CONEP), this article presents the process of development of guidelines for SSH, and some its challenges: the distance between the statutory guarantee and the effective execution of guidelines; the biomedical hegemony and the marginal position of the SSH in the CEP / CONEP system; the inadequacy of the current resolution facing the research features in CHS; the use of the concept of risk in guidelines aimed at SSH in the health area. Some interfaces and tensions in the debate between scientific merit and ethical evaluation are also discussed. The analysis highlights important impasses and difficulties regarding inter-paradigmatic dialogue in health research, considered the characteristics of the different traditions, the CONEP's heavily relying on the positivist perspective and the defense of that paradigm hegemony.

Redox Signaling Regulated by Cysteine Persulfide and Protein Polysulfidation.

PubMed

Kasamatsu, Shingo; Nishimura, Akira; Morita, Masanobu; Matsunaga, Tetsuro; Abdul Hamid, Hisyam; Akaike, Takaaki

2016-12-15

For decades, reactive persulfide species including cysteine persulfide (CysSSH) have been known to exist endogenously in organisms. However, the physiological significance of endogenous persulfides remains poorly understood. That cystathionine β-synthase and cystathionine γ-lyase produced CysSSH from cystine was recently demonstrated. An endogenous sulfur transfer system involving CysSSH evidently generates glutathione persulfide (GSSH) that exists at concentrations greater than 100 μM in vivo. Because reactive persulfide species such as CysSSH and GSSH have higher nucleophilicity than parental cysteine (Cys) and glutathione do, these reactive species exhibit strong scavenging activities against oxidants, e.g., hydrogen peroxide, and electrophiles, which contributes to redox signaling regulation. Also, several papers indicated that various proteins and enzymes have Cys polysulfides including CysSSH at their specific Cys residues, which is called protein polysulfidation. Apart from the redox signaling regulatory mechanism, another plausible function of protein polysulfidation is providing protection for protein thiol residues against irreversible chemical modification caused by oxidants and electrophiles. Elucidation of the redox signaling regulatory mechanism of reactive persulfide species including small thiol molecules and thiol-containing proteins should lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies and drug discoveries for oxidative and electrophilic stress-related diseases.

Relationship between the Bering Strait Throughflow and Salinity in the Bering Sea in an Atmosphere-Ocean-Ice Coupled Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawai, Y.; Osafune, S.; Masuda, S.; Komuro, Y.

2016-12-01

The relationship between the volumetric transport of the Bering Strait throughflow (BTF) and sea surface salinity (SSS) in the Bering Sea was investigated using an atmosphere-ocean-ice coupled model, MIROC4h, which includes an eddy-permitting ocean model. The MIROC4h simulated well the seasonal cycle of BTF transport, although it overestimated the transport compared with previous studies. The interannual variations of SSS in the Bering Sea were correlated with those of BTF transport: SSS in the northwestern Bering Sea was high when BTF transport was large. The SSS anomaly associated with the BTF anomaly became evident from late autumn to spring, and SSS lagged behind the BTF by a few months. The BTF transport was strongly correlated with the SSH in the eastern Bering Sea, the southwestern Chukchi Sea, and the East Siberian Sea. The low SSH along the Russian coast in the Arctic Ocean was uncorrelated with the high SSH in the Bering Sea. The Arctic SSH affected BTF transport and the SSS in the northwestern Bering Sea independently of the SSH in the Bering Sea. We evaluated the salt budget in the northwestern Bering Sea, including Anadyr Bay. When the BTF transport in October-March was large, the horizontal convergence of salt increased and sea-ice melting decreased; both changes contributed to the increase of salinity. In contrast, evaporation-minus-precipitation and the residual component had the opposite effect. The sea-ice retreat was closely related to meridional wind anomalies that also raised the SSH in the eastern Bering Sea. Changes in upper-layer currents caused by the southerly wind anomalies in the Bering Sea contributed to the increase of the horizontal convergence of salt. In addition, the SSH anomalies in the Arctic Ocean independently affected the currents in the Bering Strait and the northwestern Bering Sea, perhaps through the propagation of shelf waves, which also led to salinization.

Simulated TBO in CMIP5 models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J.

2012-12-01

More than 55 models from nearly 30 groups have participated in CMIP5 and have submitted their model outputs to the designated official websites. Almost all the models are state-of-the-art GCMs and ESMs, representing the most recent progresses in the field of numerical climate modelling all around the world. This huge bank of data makes it possible to evaluate all the newly developed models at the same time, as well as to study some specific scientific hot issues. TBO is a phenomenon that was found in many variables in the tropical and subtropical atmosphere and ocean with a physical mechanism still far from being well-known. It proves to be a useful index to evaluate a model's ability to reproduce such kind of annual climate variability in the tropics and subtropics. In this study, CMIP5 database has been and will be used to evaluate models' capability of producing a TBO signal. Parameters such as Nino indices, SSH, cloud, precipitation and radiation data, are used. Experiments with different initial conditions, RCPs, with or without a resolved stratosphere, are to be concerned. Altimeter SSH, satellite SST, OLR, and merged precipitation are used here as observations. Preliminary results show that: 1) TBO should be a natural variability in the coupled atmosphere-ocean system. 2) Many models can give a reasonable depict of TBO, not only the power spectrum peak but also the spacial distribution. 3) Different ICs do result in different spectral structures, less systematical than those among different models.

Protein-phosphotyrosine proteome profiling by superbinder-SH2 domain affinity purification mass spectrometry, sSH2-AP-MS.

PubMed

Tong, Jiefei; Cao, Biyin; Martyn, Gregory D; Krieger, Jonathan R; Taylor, Paul; Yates, Bradley; Sidhu, Sachdev S; Li, Shawn S C; Mao, Xinliang; Moran, Michael F

2017-03-01

Recently, "superbinder" SH2 domain variants with three amino acid substitutions (sSH2) were reported to have 100-fold or greater affinity for protein-phosphotyrosine (pY) than natural SH2 domains. Here we report a protocol in which His-tagged Src sSH2 efficiently captures pY-peptides from protease-digested HeLa cell total protein extracts. Affinity purification of pY-peptides by this method shows little bias for pY-proximal amino acid sequences, comparable to that achieved by using antibodies to pY, but with equal or higher yield. Superbinder-SH2 affinity purification mass spectrometry (sSH2-AP-MS) therefore provides an efficient and economical approach for unbiased pY-directed phospho-proteome profiling without the use of antibodies. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Gulf Stream frontal system: A key oceanographic feature in the habitat selection of the leatherback turtle?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chambault, Philippine; Roquet, Fabien; Benhamou, Simon; Baudena, Alberto; Pauthenet, Etienne; de Thoisy, Benoît; Bonola, Marc; Dos Reis, Virginie; Crasson, Rodrigue; Brucker, Mathieu; Le Maho, Yvon; Chevallier, Damien

2017-05-01

Although some associations between the leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea and the Gulf Stream current have been previously suggested, no study has to date demonstrated strong affinities between leatherback movements and this particular frontal system using thorough oceanographic data in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions. The importance of the Gulf Stream frontal system in the selection of high residence time (HRT) areas by the North Atlantic leatherback turtle is assessed here for the first time using state-of-the-art ocean reanalysis products. Ten adult females from the Eastern French Guianese rookery were satellite tracked during post-nesting migration to relate (1) their horizontal movements to physical gradients (Sea Surface Temperature (SST), Sea Surface Height (SSH) and filaments) and biological variables (micronekton and chlorophyll a), and (2) their diving behaviour to vertical structures within the water column (mixed layer, thermocline, halocline and nutricline). All the turtles migrated northward towards the Gulf Stream north wall. Although their HRT areas were geographically remote (spread between 80-30 °W and 28-45 °N), all the turtles targeted similar habitats in terms of physical structures, i.e. strong gradients of SST, SSH and a deep mixed layer. This close association with the Gulf Stream frontal system highlights the first substantial synchronization ever observed in this species, as the HRTs were observed in close match with the autumn phytoplankton bloom. Turtles remained within the enriched mixed layer at depths of 38.5±7.9 m when diving in HRT areas, likely to have an easier access to their prey and maximize therefore the energy gain. These depths were shallow in comparison to those attained within the thermocline (82.4±5.6 m) while crossing the nutrient-poor subtropical gyre, probably to reach cooler temperatures and save energy during the transit. In a context of climate change, anticipating the evolution of such frontal structure under the influence of global warming is crucial to ensure the conservation of this vulnerable species.

Immune-Related Transcriptome of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki Workers: The Defense Mechanism

PubMed Central

Hussain, Abid; Li, Yi-Feng; Cheng, Yu; Liu, Yang; Chen, Chuan-Cheng; Wen, Shuo-Yang

2013-01-01

Formosan subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, live socially in microbial-rich habitats. To understand the molecular mechanism by which termites combat pathogenic microbes, a full-length normalized cDNA library and four Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH) libraries were constructed from termite workers infected with entomopathogenic fungi (Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana), Gram-positive Bacillus thuringiensis and Gram-negative Escherichia coli, and the libraries were analyzed. From the high quality normalized cDNA library, 439 immune-related sequences were identified. These sequences were categorized as pattern recognition receptors (47 sequences), signal modulators (52 sequences), signal transducers (137 sequences), effectors (39 sequences) and others (164 sequences). From the SSH libraries, 27, 17, 22 and 15 immune-related genes were identified from each SSH library treated with M. anisopliae, B. bassiana, B. thuringiensis and E. coli, respectively. When the normalized cDNA library was compared with the SSH libraries, 37 immune-related clusters were found in common; 56 clusters were identified in the SSH libraries, and 259 were identified in the normalized cDNA library. The immune-related gene expression pattern was further investigated using quantitative real time PCR (qPCR). Important immune-related genes were characterized, and their potential functions were discussed based on the integrated analysis of the results. We suggest that normalized cDNA and SSH libraries enable us to discover functional genes transcriptome. The results remarkably expand our knowledge about immune-inducible genes in C. formosanus Shiraki and enable the future development of novel control strategies for the management of Formosan subterranean termites. PMID:23874972

Increased actin polymerization and stabilization interferes with neuronal function and survival in the AMPKγ mutant Loechrig.

PubMed

Cook, Mandy; Bolkan, Bonnie J; Kretzschmar, Doris

2014-01-01

loechrig (loe) mutant flies are characterized by progressive neuronal degeneration, behavioral deficits, and early death. The mutation is due to a P-element insertion in the gene for the γ-subunit of the trimeric AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) complex, whereby the insertion affects only one of several alternative transcripts encoding a unique neuronal isoform. AMPK is a cellular energy sensor that regulates a plethora of signaling pathways, including cholesterol and isoprenoid synthesis via its downstream target hydroxy-methylglutaryl (HMG)-CoA reductase. We recently showed that loe interferes with isoprenoid synthesis and increases the prenylation and thereby activation of RhoA. During development, RhoA plays an important role in neuronal outgrowth by activating a signaling cascade that regulates actin dynamics. Here we show that the effect of loe/AMPKγ on RhoA prenylation leads to a hyperactivation of this signaling pathway, causing increased phosphorylation of the actin depolymerizating factor cofilin and accumulation of filamentous actin. Furthermore, our results show that the resulting cytoskeletal changes in loe interfere with neuronal growth and disrupt axonal integrity. Surprisingly, these phenotypes were enhanced by expressing the Slingshot (SSH) phosphatase, which during development promotes actin depolymerization by dephosphorylating cofilin. However, our studies suggest that in the adult SSH promotes actin polymerization, supporting in vitro studies using human SSH1 that suggested that SSH can also stabilize and bundle filamentous actin. Together with the observed increase in SSH levels in the loe mutant, our experiments suggest that in mature neurons SSH may function as a stabilization factor for filamentous actin instead of promoting actin depolymerization.

Simulating multi-scale oceanic processes around Taiwan on unstructured grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Hao-Cheng; Zhang, Yinglong J.; Yu, Jason C. S.; Terng, C.; Sun, Weiling; Ye, Fei; Wang, Harry V.; Wang, Zhengui; Huang, Hai

2017-11-01

We validate a 3D unstructured-grid (UG) model for simulating multi-scale processes as occurred in Northwestern Pacific around Taiwan using recently developed new techniques (Zhang et al., Ocean Modeling, 102, 64-81, 2016) that require no bathymetry smoothing even for this region with prevalent steep bottom slopes and many islands. The focus is on short-term forecast for several months instead of long-term variability. Compared with satellite products, the errors for the simulated Sea-surface Height (SSH) and Sea-surface Temperature (SST) are similar to a reference data-assimilated global model. In the nearshore region, comparison with 34 tide gauges located around Taiwan indicates an average RMSE of 13 cm for the tidal elevation. The average RMSE for SST at 6 coastal buoys is 1.2 °C. The mean transport and eddy kinetic energy compare reasonably with previously published values and the reference model used to provide boundary and initial conditions. The model suggests ∼2-day interruption of Kuroshio east of Taiwan during a typhoon period. The effect of tidal mixing is shown to be significant nearshore. The multi-scale model is easily extendable to target regions of interest due to its UG framework and a flexible vertical gridding system, which is shown to be superior to terrain-following coordinates.

The Potentials Of Gnss-R For Sea Hazard Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarizia, Maria Paola; Toffoli, Alessandro

2013-04-01

GNSS-Reflectometry represents a new and innovative approach for ocean remote sensing. This technique exploits signals of opportunity from GNSS constellations (i.e. GPS, Glonass, Galileo etc.), reflected off the surface of the ocean, and uses these reflections to retrieve useful geophysical parameters of the ocean surface. GNSS-R is generating an increasing attention from the Remote Sensing community, especially in recent years, due to its numerous advantages compared to other classical remote sensing techniques. The exploitation of long-term, ubiquitous signals of opportunity freely available, the high space-time sampling capabilities and the ability of its L-band signals to penetrate well through rain all contribute to make this technique very attractive. An additional and very important strength of GNSS-R is the need for simple, low-cost/low-power GNSS receivers, that could be easily piggybacked on other satellites to form a constellation of receivers. These recognized potentials of GNSS-R have been recently led to the approval of the NASA EV-2 Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS), a spaceborne mission focused on tropical cyclone (TC) inner core process studies. GNSS-R can be used for both scatterometric applications (i.e. wind and wave monitoring) and altimetric applications (i.e. measurements of sea surface height). In particular, its ability to collect multiple GPS reflections anywhere on the globe and at any time (due to the ubiquity of GPS signals) using a large constellation of simple GNSS receivers, makes is very suitable for Real-Time (RT) and Near-Real Time (NRT) applications. These are particularly crucial for monitoring sea hazards related to ship operations and operational oceanography in general. For scatterometric purposes, GNSS-R can potentially detect high wind and waves in RT and NRT, as well as oil spills on the surface of the ocean, through its measurements of the sea surface roughness. In addition to that, GNSS-R could provide densely spaced Sea Surface Height (SSH) measurements, by collecting a number of reflections from different satellites within a field point of view. A number of sea hazards like tsunamis, high tides, storm surges of simply very high solitary waves in the ocean can be easily detected with GNSS-R measurements of SSH. The precision in the SSH measurement that can be achieved with GNSS-R is still considerably lower than that obtained with operational conventional altimetry. For this reason, GNSS-R is currently more suitable to detect large waves, since they generate a large signal in the data that allows for a better detection. The increase in the number of GNSS constellations and signals, and the improvements that the new signals will have (larger bandwidth, longer codes etc.) should ultimately lead to an overcome of the current limitations of GNSS for sea surface altimetry applications.

Neural network-based estimates of Southern Ocean net community production from in-situ and satellite observation: A methodological study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, C.; Johnson, N. C.; Cassar, N.

2012-12-01

Although the Southern Ocean (SO) net community production (NCP), which is the difference between gross primary production and the community respiration rate, plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, limited in situ measurements prohibit a thorough understanding of the climatology and variability NCP in this region. In order to achieve a more comprehensive characterization of temporal and spatial variability of Southern Ocean NCP, we use a neural network approach based on the self-organizing map (SOM) to reconstruct weekly gridded (1o x 1o) SO NCP maps for the period of 1998-2009. This approach combines in situ measurements of NCP from over 40 research cruises with satellite-derived NCP predictor data, which includes chlorophyll (Chl), particulate organic carbon (POC), photosynthetically available radiation (PAR), sea surface height (SSH), and sea surface temperature (SST), as well as the mixed layer depth (MLD) from a high-resolution ocean general circulation model forced with satellite observed wind. The resulting NCP reconstructions reveal a number of salient features, including low NCP in the subtropics except near land masses, elevated NCP along the subtropical front (STF) around 40oS and especially off the Atlantic coast of the South America between the Río de la Plata and the Falkland Island, and moderate NCP values near Kerguelen Islands and along the Antarctic coast. Peak SO NCP occurs during November - January, as expected, and the climatological NCP field during the growing season closely resembles the climatological POC field. This neural network approach, which reveals complex nonlinear relationships and readily handles missing predictor data, provides a comprehensive view of SO NCP and an opportunity to investigate variability over a period of more than ten years. Convergence of various approaches;

Using ParaView Software on the Peregrine System | High-Performance

Science.gov Websites

come pre-installed on most Linux and Mac systems. On Windows the ssh and terminal functions are provided by the programs plink.exe and cmd.exe, of which only cmd.exe will come pre-installed. The ssh

Subtractive transcriptome analysis of leaf and rhizome reveals differentially expressed transcripts in Panax sokpayensis.

PubMed

Gurung, Bhusan; Bhardwaj, Pardeep K; Talukdar, Narayan C

2016-11-01

In the present study, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) strategy was used to identify rare and differentially expressed transcripts in leaf and rhizome tissues of Panax sokpayensis. Out of 1102 randomly picked clones, 513 and 374 high quality expressed sequenced tags (ESTs) were generated from leaf and rhizome subtractive libraries, respectively. Out of them, 64.92 % ESTs from leaf and 69.26 % ESTs from rhizome SSH libraries were assembled into different functional categories, while others were of unknown function. In particular, ESTs encoding galactinol synthase 2, ribosomal RNA processing Brix domain protein, and cell division cycle protein 20.1, which are involved in plant growth and development, were most abundant in the leaf SSH library. Other ESTs encoding protein KIAA0664 homologue, ubiquitin-activating enzyme e11, and major latex protein, which are involved in plant immunity and defense response, were most abundant in the rhizome SSH library. Subtractive ESTs also showed similarity with genes involved in ginsenoside biosynthetic pathway, namely farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase, squalene synthase, and dammarenediol synthase. Expression profiles of selected ESTs validated the quality of libraries and confirmed their differential expression in the leaf, stem, and rhizome tissues. In silico comparative analyses revealed that around 13.75 % of unigenes from the leaf SSH library were not represented in the available leaf transcriptome of Panax ginseng. Similarly, around 18.12, 23.75, 25, and 6.25 % of unigenes from the rhizome SSH library were not represented in available root/rhizome transcriptomes of P. ginseng, Panax notoginseng, Panax quinquefolius, and Panax vietnamensis, respectively, indicating a major fraction of novel ESTs. Therefore, these subtractive transcriptomes provide valuable resources for gene discovery in P. sokpayensis and would complement the available transcriptomes from other Panax species.

High rate GPS positioning , JASON altimetry and marine gravimetry : monitoring the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) through the DRAKE campaigns.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melachroinos, S. A.; Biancale, R.; Menard, Y.; Sarrailh, M.

2008-12-01

The Drake campaign which took place from Jan 14, 2006 - 08 Feb, 2006 has been a very successful mission in collecting a wide range of GPS and marine gravity data all along JASON altimetry ground track n° 104. The same campaign will be repeated in 2009 along 028 and 104 JASON-2 ground track. The Drake Passage (DP) chokepoint is not only well suited geographically, as the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is constricted to its narrowest extent of 700 km, but observations and models suggest that dynamical balances are particular effective in this area. Furthermore the space geodesy observations and their products provided from several altimetry missions (currently operating ENVISAT, JASON 1 and 2, GFO, ERS and other plannified for the future such as Altika, SWOT) require the cross comparison with independent geodetic techniques at the DP. The current experiment comprises a kinematic GPS and marine gravimetry Cal/Val geodetic approach and it aims to : validate with respect to altimetry data and surface models such a kinematic high frequency GPS technique for measuring sea state and sea surface height (SSH), compare the GPS SSH profiles with altimetry mean dynamic topography (MDT) and mean sea surface (MSS) models, give recommendations for future "offshore" Cal/Val activities on the ground tracks of altimeter satellites such as JASON-2, GFO, Altika using the GNSS technology etc. The GPS observations are collected from GPS antennas installed on a wave-rider buoy , aboard the R/V "Polarstern" and from continuous geodetic reference stations in the proximity. We also analyse problems related to the ship's attitude variations in roll, pitch and yaw and a way to correct them. We also give emphasis on the impact of the ship's acceleration profiles on the so called "squat effect" and ways to deal with it. The project will in particular benefit the GOCE mission by proposing to integrate GOCE in the ocean circulation study and validate GOCE products with our independent geodetic data set. The high rate GPS SSH solutions are derived using two different GPS kinematic software, GINS (CNES) and TRACK (MIT).

Ocean Wave Studies with Applications to Ocean Modeling and Improvement of Satellite Altimeter Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glazman, Roman E.

1999-01-01

Combining analysis of satellite data (altimeter, scatterometer, high-resolution visible and infrared images, etc.) with mathematical modeling of non-linear wave processes, we investigate various ocean wave fields (on scales from capillary to planetary), their role in ocean dynamics and turbulent transport (of heat and biogeochemical quantities), and their effects on satellite altimeter measuring accuracy. In 1998 my attention was focused on long internal gravity waves (10 to 1000 km), known also as baroclinic inertia-gravity (BIG) waves. We found these waves to be a major factor of altimeter measurements "noise," resulting in a greater uncertainty [up to 10 cm in terms of sea surface height (SSH) amplitude] in the measured SSH signal than that caused by the sea state bias variations (up to 5 cm or so). This effect still remains largely overlooked by the satellite altimeter community. Our studies of BIG waves address not only their influence on altimeter measurements but also their role in global ocean dynamics and in transport and turbulent diffusion of biogeochemical quantities. In particular, in collaboration with Prof Peter Weichman, Caltech, we developed a theory of turbulent diffusion caused by wave motions of most general nature. Applied to the problem of horizontal turbulent diffusion in the ocean, the theory yielded the effective diffusion coefficient as a function of BIG wave parameters obtainable from satellite altimeter data. This effort, begun in 1997, has been successfully completed in 1998. We also developed a theory that relates spatial fluctuations of scalar fields (such as sea surface temperature, chlorophyll concentration, drifting ice concentration, etc.) to statistical characteristics of BIG waves obtainable from altimeter measurements. A manuscript is in the final stages of preparation. In order to verify the theoretical predictions and apply them to observations, we are now analyzing Sea-viewing Wide Field of view Sensor (SeaWiFS) and Field of view Sensor (SeaWiFS) and Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data on sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll concentration jointly with TOPEX/POSEIDON data on SSH variations.

A Preliminary Assessment of the S-3A SRAL Performances in SAR Mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinardo, Salvatore; Scharroo, Remko; Bonekamp, Hans; Lucas, Bruno; Loddo, Carolina; Benveniste, Jerome

2016-08-01

The present work aims to assess and characterize the S3-A SRAL Altimeter performance in closed-loop tracking mode and in open ocean conditions. We have processed the Sentinel-3 SAR data products from L0 until L2 using an adaptation of the ESRIN GPOD CryoSat-2 Processor SARvatore.During the Delay-Doppler processing, we have chosen to activate the range zero-padding option.The L2 altimetric geophysical parameters, that are to be validated, are the sea surface height above the ellipsoid (SSH), sea level anomaly (SLA), the significant wave height (SWH) and wind speed (U10), all estimated at 20 Hz.The orbit files are the POD MOE, while the geo- corrections are extracted from the RADS database.In order to assess the accuracy of the wave&wind products, we have been using an ocean wave&wind speed model output (wind speed at 10 meter high above the sea surface) from the ECMWF.We have made a first order approximation of the sea state bias as -4.7% of the SWH.In order to assess the precision performance of SRAL SAR mode, we compute the level of instrumental noise (range, wave height and wind speed) for different conditions of sea state.

A programmable, multichannel power supply for SIPMs with temperature compensation loop and Ethernet interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Querol, M.; Rodríguez, J.; Toledo, J.; Esteve, R.; Álvarez, V.; Herrero, V.

2016-12-01

Among the different techniques available, the SiPM power supply described in this paper uses output voltage and sensor temperature feedback. A high-resolution ADC digitizes both the output voltage and an analog signal proportional to the SiPM temperature for each of its 16 independent outputs. The appropriate change in the bias voltage is computed in a micro-controller and this correction is applied via a high resolution DAC to the control input of a DC/DC module that produces the output voltage. This method allows a reduction in gain variations from typically 30% to only 0.5% in a 10 °C range. The power supply is housed in a 3U-height aluminum box. A 2.8'' touch screen on the front panel provides local access to the configuration and monitoring functions using a graphical interface. The unit has an Ethernet interface on its rear side to provide remote operation and integration in slow control systems using the encrypted and secure SSH protocol. A LabVIEW application with SSH interface has been designed to operate the power supply from a remote computer. The power supply has good characteristics, such as 85 V output range with 1 mV resolution and stability better than 2 mVP, excellent output load regulation and programmable rise and fall voltage ramps. Commercial power supplies from well-known manufacturers can show far better specifications though can also result in an over featured and over costly solution for typical applications.

Universities and Smart Specialisation Strategy: From Third Mission to Sustainable Development Co-Creation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rinaldi, Chiara; Cavicchi, Alessio; Spigarelli, Francesca; Lacchè, Luigi; Rubens, Arthur

2018-01-01

Purpose: The paper analyses the emerging role of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) universities in contemporary society via third- and fourth-mission activities. In particular, the paper investigates the potential contributions that SSH universities can offer in developing and enhancing capacities, supporting the changing conception of…

SSH reveals a linkage between a senescence-associated protease and Verticillium wilt symptom development in lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was employed to identify lettuce (Lactuca sativa) genes that are differentially expressed in symptomatic leaves infected with Verticillium dahliae. Genes expressed only in symptomatic leaves included those with homology to pathogenesis-related (PR) protei...

Large-Scale Oceanic Variability Associated with the Madden-Julian Oscillation during the CINDY/DYNAMO Field Campaign from Satellite Observations

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-29

during the field campaign. For the first time, it is demonstrated that subseasonal SSS variations in the central Indian Ocean can be monitored by Aquarius...westerlies were observed in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres in the central and eastern Indian Oceans. The anomalous SSH associated with strong...it is demonstrated that subseasonal SSS variations in the central Indian Ocean can be monitored by Aquarius measurements based on the comparison

Safety surrogate histograms (SSH): A novel real-time safety assessment of dilemma zone related conflicts at signalized intersections.

PubMed

Ghanipoor Machiani, Sahar; Abbas, Montasir

2016-11-01

Drivers' indecisiveness in dilemma zones (DZ) could result in crash-prone situations at signalized intersections. DZ is to the area ahead of an intersection in which drivers encounter a dilemma regarding whether to stop or proceed through the intersection when the signal turns yellow. An improper decision to stop by the leading driver, combined with the following driver deciding to go, can result in a rear-end collision, unless the following driver recognizes a collision is imminent and adjusts his or her behavior at or shortly after the onset of yellow. Considering the significance of DZ-related crashes, a comprehensive safety measure is needed to characterize the level of safety at signalized intersections. In this study, a novel safety surrogate measure was developed utilizing real-time radar field data. This new measure, called safety surrogate histogram (SSH), captures the degree and frequency of DZ-related conflicts at each intersection approach. SSH includes detailed information regarding the possibility of crashes, because it is calculated based on the vehicles conflicts. An example illustrating the application of the new methodology at two study sites in Virginia is presented and discussed, and a comparison is provided between SSH and other DZ-related safety surrogate measures mentioned in the literature. The results of the study reveal the efficacy of the SSH as complementary to existing surrogate measures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SSh versus TSE sequence protocol in rapid MR examination of pediatric patients with programmable drainage system.

PubMed

Brichtová, Eva; Šenkyřík, J

2017-05-01

A low radiation burden is essential during diagnostic procedures in pediatric patients due to their high tissue sensitivity. Using MR examination instead of the routinely used CT reduces the radiation exposure and the risk of adverse stochastic effects. Our retrospective study evaluated the possibility of using ultrafast single-shot (SSh) sequences and turbo spin echo (TSE) sequences in rapid MR brain imaging in pediatric patients with hydrocephalus and a programmable ventriculoperitoneal drainage system. SSh sequences seem to be suitable for examining pediatric patients due to the speed of using this technique, but significant susceptibility artifacts due to the programmable drainage valve degrade the image quality. Therefore, a rapid MR examination protocol based on TSE sequences, less sensitive to artifacts due to ferromagnetic components, has been developed. Of 61 pediatric patients who were examined using MR and the SSh sequence protocol, a group of 15 patients with hydrocephalus and a programmable drainage system also underwent TSE sequence MR imaging. The susceptibility artifact volume in both rapid MR protocols was evaluated using a semiautomatic volumetry system. A statistically significant decrease in the susceptibility artifact volume has been demonstrated in TSE sequence imaging in comparison with SSh sequences. Using TSE sequences reduced the influence of artifacts from the programmable valve, and the image quality in all cases was rated as excellent. In all patients, rapid MR examinations were performed without any need for intravenous sedation or general anesthesia. Our study results strongly suggest the superiority of the TSE sequence MR protocol compared to the SSh sequence protocol in pediatric patients with a programmable ventriculoperitoneal drainage system due to a significant reduction of susceptibility artifact volume. Both rapid sequence MR protocols provide quick and satisfactory brain imaging with no ionizing radiation and a reduced need for intravenous or general anesthesia.

Investigating Auditory Processing of Syntactic Gaps with L2 Speakers Using Pupillometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernandez, Leigh; Höhle, Barbara; Brock, Jon; Nickels, Lyndsey

2018-01-01

According to the Shallow Structure Hypothesis (SSH), second language (L2) speakers, unlike native speakers, build shallow syntactic representations during sentence processing. In order to test the SSH, this study investigated the processing of a syntactic movement in both native speakers of English and proficient late L2 speakers of English using…

Experiments in interdisciplinarity: Responsible research and innovation and the public good

PubMed Central

Åm, Heidrun

2018-01-01

In Europe, responsible research and innovation (RRI) has emerged as a science policy measure that demands the early integration of a broad range of social actors and perspectives into research and development (R&D). More collaboration of the social sciences and humanities (SSH) with science and engineering appears within this policy framework as a crucial element that will enable better technological development. However, RRI is new to both natural scientists and SSH scholars, and interdisciplinary collaborations are challenging for many reasons. In this paper, we discuss these challenges while suggesting that what RRI can be in a particular project is not a given but remains an empirical question. Natural scientists and SSH scholars need to coresearch RRI in an experimental mode. PMID:29579043

Experiments in interdisciplinarity: Responsible research and innovation and the public good.

PubMed

Delgado, Ana; Åm, Heidrun

2018-03-01

In Europe, responsible research and innovation (RRI) has emerged as a science policy measure that demands the early integration of a broad range of social actors and perspectives into research and development (R&D). More collaboration of the social sciences and humanities (SSH) with science and engineering appears within this policy framework as a crucial element that will enable better technological development. However, RRI is new to both natural scientists and SSH scholars, and interdisciplinary collaborations are challenging for many reasons. In this paper, we discuss these challenges while suggesting that what RRI can be in a particular project is not a given but remains an empirical question. Natural scientists and SSH scholars need to coresearch RRI in an experimental mode.

Ensemble data assimilation in the Red Sea: sensitivity to ensemble selection and atmospheric forcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toye, Habib; Zhan, Peng; Gopalakrishnan, Ganesh; Kartadikaria, Aditya R.; Huang, Huang; Knio, Omar; Hoteit, Ibrahim

2017-07-01

We present our efforts to build an ensemble data assimilation and forecasting system for the Red Sea. The system consists of the high-resolution Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITgcm) to simulate ocean circulation and of the Data Research Testbed (DART) for ensemble data assimilation. DART has been configured to integrate all members of an ensemble adjustment Kalman filter (EAKF) in parallel, based on which we adapted the ensemble operations in DART to use an invariant ensemble, i.e., an ensemble Optimal Interpolation (EnOI) algorithm. This approach requires only single forward model integration in the forecast step and therefore saves substantial computational cost. To deal with the strong seasonal variability of the Red Sea, the EnOI ensemble is then seasonally selected from a climatology of long-term model outputs. Observations of remote sensing sea surface height (SSH) and sea surface temperature (SST) are assimilated every 3 days. Real-time atmospheric fields from the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) are used as forcing in different assimilation experiments. We investigate the behaviors of the EAKF and (seasonal-) EnOI and compare their performances for assimilating and forecasting the circulation of the Red Sea. We further assess the sensitivity of the assimilation system to various filtering parameters (ensemble size, inflation) and atmospheric forcing.

Observing and Studying Extreme Low Pressure Events with Altimetry

PubMed Central

Carrère, Loren; Mertz, Françoise; Dorandeu, Joel; Quilfen, Yves; Patoux, Jerome

2009-01-01

The ability of altimetry to detect extreme low pressure events and the relationship between sea level pressure and sea level anomalies during extra-tropical depressions have been investigated. Specific altimeter treatments have been developed for tropical cyclones and applied to obtain a relevant along-track sea surface height (SSH) signal: the case of tropical cyclone Isabel is presented here. The S- and C-band measurements are used because they are less impacted by rain than the Ku-band, and new sea state bias (SSB) and wet troposphere corrections are proposed. More accurate strong altimeter wind speeds are computed thanks to the Young algorithm. Ocean signals not related to atmospheric pressure can be removed with accuracy, even within a Near Real Time context, by removing the maps of sea level anomaly (SLA) provided by SSALTO/Duacs. In the case of Extra-Tropical Depressions, the classical altimeter processing can be used. Ocean signal not related to atmospheric pressure is along-track filtered. The sea level pressure (SLP)-SLA relationship is investigated for the North Atlantic, North Pacific and Indian oceans; three regression models are proposed allowing restoring an altimeter SLP with a mean error of 5 hPa if compared to ECMWF or buoys SLP. The analysis of barotropic simulation outputs points out the regional variability of the SLP/Model Sea Level relationship and the wind effects. PMID:22573955

Data Assimilation in the Littoral Zone. Part 1. Analysis of the Navy Coupled Ocean Data Assimilation System (NCODA)

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-27

class uses the variables describing the analysis grid; number of cells , cell size, etc. This view shows how the program variables can be classified...nx=1440 and ny=721 entries. The MODAS data files use a naming convention like “m180+30_12.b” and contain 4 records: 1. i1, j1, m1, n1, mr1, mi1, nt1 ...2. wrk_beg, wrk_end, wrk1 ( nt1 ), wrk2 ( nt1 ), wrk3 ( nt1 ), wrk4 ( nt1 ) 3. iwork (mi1) 4. work (mr1) These files are unpacked to produce lat, lon, ssh

The internal gravity wave spectrum in two high-resolution global ocean models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arbic, B. K.; Ansong, J. K.; Buijsman, M. C.; Kunze, E. L.; Menemenlis, D.; Müller, M.; Richman, J. G.; Savage, A.; Shriver, J. F.; Wallcraft, A. J.; Zamudio, L.

2016-02-01

We examine the internal gravity wave (IGW) spectrum in two sets of high-resolution global ocean simulations that are forced concurrently by atmospheric fields and the astronomical tidal potential. We analyze global 1/12th and 1/25th degree HYCOM simulations, and global 1/12th, 1/24th, and 1/48th degree simulations of the MITgcm. We are motivated by the central role that IGWs play in ocean mixing, by operational considerations of the US Navy, which runs HYCOM as an ocean forecast model, and by the impact of the IGW continuum on the sea surface height (SSH) measurements that will be taken by the planned NASA/CNES SWOT wide-swath altimeter mission. We (1) compute the IGW horizontal wavenumber-frequency spectrum of kinetic energy, and interpret the results with linear dispersion relations computed from the IGW Sturm-Liouville problem, (2) compute and similarly interpret nonlinear spectral kinetic energy transfers in the IGW band, (3) compute and similarly interpret IGW contributions to SSH variance, (4) perform comparisons of modeled IGW kinetic energy frequency spectra with moored current meter observations, and (5) perform comparisons of modeled IGW kinetic energy vertical wavenumber-frequency spectra with moored observations. This presentation builds upon our work in Muller et al. (2015, GRL), who performed tasks (1), (2), and (4) in 1/12th and 1/25th degree HYCOM simulations, for one region of the North Pacific. New for this presentation are tasks (3) and (5), the inclusion of MITgcm solutions, and the analysis of additional ocean regions.

Evaluation of SARAL/AltiKa performance using GNSS/IMU equipped buoy in Sajafi, Imam Hassan and Kangan Ports

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ardalan, Alireza A.; Jazireeyan, Iraj; Abdi, Naser; Rezvani, Mohammad-Hadi

2018-03-01

Performance of SARAL/AltiKa mission has been evaluated within 2016 altimeter calibration/validation framework in Persian Gulf through three campaigns conducted in the offshore waters of Sajafi, Imam Hassan and Kangan Ports, while the altimeter overflew the passes 470, 111 and 25 on 13 Feb, 7 March and 17 June 2016, respectively. As the preparation, a lightweight buoy was equipped with a GNSS receiver/choke-ring antenna and a MEMS-based IMU to measure independent datasets in the field operations. To obtain accurate sea surface height (SSH) time series, the offset of the onboard antenna from the equilibrium sea level was predetermined through surveying operations as the buoy was deploying in the onshore waters of Kangan Port. Accordingly, the double-difference carrier phase observations have been processed via the Bernese GPS Software v. 5.0 so as to provide the GNSS-derived time series at the comparison points of the calibration campaigns, once the disturbing effects due to the platform tilt and heave have been eliminated. Owing to comparing of the SSH time series and the associating altimetry 1 Hz GDR-T datasets, the calibration/validation of the SARAL/AltiKa has been performed in the both cases of radiometer and ECMWF wet troposphere corrections so as to identify potential land contamination. An agreement of the present findings in comparison with those attained in other international calibrations sites confirms the promising feasibility of Persian Gulf as a new dedicated site for calibration/validation of ongoing and future altimetry missions.

Low-frequency western Pacific Ocean sea level and circulation changes due to the connectivity of the Philippine Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Wei; Qiu, Bo; Du, Yan

2013-12-01

Interannual-to-decadal sea level and circulation changes associated with the oceanic connectivity around the Philippine Archipelago are studied using satellite altimeter sea surface height (SSH) data and a reduced gravity ocean model. SSHs in the tropical North Pacific, the Sulu Sea and the eastern South China Sea (ESCS) display very similar low-frequency oscillations that are highly correlated with El Niño and Southern Oscillation. Model experiments reveal that these variations are mainly forced by the low-frequency winds over the North Pacific tropical gyre and affected little by the winds over the marginal seas and the North Pacific subtropical gyre. The wind-driven baroclinic Rossby waves impinge on the eastern Philippine coast and excite coastal Kelvin waves, conveying the SSH signals through the Sibutu Passage-Mindoro Strait pathway into the Sulu Sea and the ESCS. Closures of the Luzon Strait, Karimata Strait, and ITF passages have little impacts on the low-frequency sea level changes in the Sulu Sea and the ESCS. The oceanic pathway west of the Philippine Archipelago modulates the western boundary current system in the tropical North Pacific. Opening of this pathway weakens the time-varying amplitudes of the North Equatorial Current bifurcation latitude and Kuroshio transport. Changes of the amplitudes can be explained by the conceptual framework of island rule that allows for baroclinic adjustment. Although it fails to capture the interannual changes in the strongly nonlinear Mindanao Current, the time-dependent island rule is nevertheless helpful in clarifying the role of the archipelago in regulating its multidecadal variations.

The Influence of the Terrestrial Reference Frame on Studies of Sea Level Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nerem, R. S.; Bar-Sever, Y. E.; Haines, B. J.; Desai, S.; Heflin, M. B.

2015-12-01

The terrestrial reference frame (TRF) provides the foundation for the accurate monitoring of sea level using both ground-based (tide gauges) and space-based (satellite altimetry) techniques. For the latter, tide gauges are also used to monitor drifts in the satellite instruments over time. The accuracy of the terrestrial reference frame (TRF) is thus a critical component for both types of sea level measurements. The TRF is central to the formation of geocentric sea-surface height (SSH) measurements from satellite altimeter data. The computed satellite orbits are linked to a particular TRF via the assumed locations of the ground-based tracking systems. The manner in which TRF errors are expressed in the orbit solution (and thus SSH) is not straightforward, and depends on the models of the forces underlying the satellite's motion. We discuss this relationship, and provide examples of the systematic TRF-induced errors in the altimeter derived sea-level record. The TRF is also crucial to the interpretation of tide-gauge measurements, as it enables the separation of vertical land motion from volumetric changes in the water level. TRF errors affect tide gauge measurements through GNSS estimates of the vertical land motion at each tide gauge. This talk will discuss the current accuracy of the TRF and how errors in the TRF impact both satellite altimeter and tide gauge sea level measurements. We will also discuss simulations of how the proposed Geodetic Reference Antenna in SPace (GRASP) satellite mission could reduce these errors and revolutionize how reference frames are computed in general.

Deception Using an SSH Honeypot

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-01

the device itself but also the device’s cloud and mobile infrastructure. This increase in unsecured devices connected to the Internet presents...have SSH enabled on their systems without knowledge that this service is running. Computer -security professionals use several techniques to gain...early 2000s. Honeypots are decoy computer systems intended for no other purpose than to collect data on attackers. They gather information about

Bismarck or Beveridge: a beauty contest between dinosaurs

PubMed Central

van der Zee, Jouke; Kroneman, Madelon W

2007-01-01

Background Health systems delivery systems can be divided into two broad categories: National Health Services (NHS) on the one hand and Social Security (based) Health care systems (SSH) on the other hand. Existing literature is inconclusive about which system performs best. In this paper we would like to improve the evidence-base for discussion about pros and cons of NHS-systems versus SSH-system for health outcomes, expenditure and population satisfaction. Methods In this study we used time series data for 17 European countries, that were characterized as either NHS or SSH country. We used the following performance indicators: For health outcome: overall mortality rate, infant mortality rate and life expectancy at birth. For health care costs: health care expenditure per capita in pppUS$ and health expenditure as percentage of GDP. Time series dated from 1970 until 2003 or 2004, depending on availability. Sources were OECD health data base 2006 and WHO health for all database 2006. For satisfaction we used the Eurobarometer studies from 1996, 1998 and 1999. Results SSH systems perform slightly better on overall mortality rates and life expectancy (after 1980). For infant mortality the rates converged between the two types of systems and since 1980 no differences ceased to exist. SSH systems are more expensive and NHS systems have a better cost containment. Inhabitants of countries with SSH-systems are on average substantially more satisfied than those in NHS countries. Conclusion We concluded that the question 'which type of system performs best' can be answered empirically as far as health outcomes, health care expenditures and patient satisfaction are concerned. Whether this selection of indicators covers all or even most relevant aspects of health system comparison remains to be seen. Perhaps further and more conclusive research into health system related differences in, for instance, equity should be completed before the leading question of this paper can be answered. We do think, however, that this study can form a base for a policy debate on the pros and cons of the existing health care systems in Europe. PMID:17594476

Improved gravity anomaly fields from retracked multimission satellite radar altimetry observations over the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khaki, M.; Forootan, E.; Sharifi, M. A.; Awange, J.; Kuhn, M.

2015-09-01

Satellite radar altimetry observations are used to derive short wavelength gravity anomaly fields over the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea, where in situ and ship-borne gravity measurements have limited spatial coverage. In this study the retracking algorithm `Extrema Retracking' (ExtR) was employed to improve sea surface height (SSH) measurements that are highly biased in the study regions due to land contaminations in the footprints of the satellite altimetry observations. ExtR was applied to the waveforms sampled by the five satellite radar altimetry missions: TOPEX/POSEIDON, JASON-1, JASON-2, GFO and ERS-1. Along-track slopes have been estimated from the improved SSH measurements and used in an iterative process to estimate deflections of the vertical, and subsequently, the desired gravity anomalies. The main steps of the gravity anomaly computations involve estimating improved SSH using the ExtR technique, computing deflections of the vertical from interpolated SSHs on a regular grid using a biharmonic spline interpolation and finally estimating gridded gravity anomalies. A remove-compute-restore algorithm, based on the fast Fourier transform, has been applied to convert deflections of the vertical into gravity anomalies. Finally, spline interpolation has been used to estimate regular gravity anomaly grids over the two study regions. Results were evaluated by comparing the estimated altimetry-derived gravity anomalies (with and without implementing the ExtR algorithm) with ship-borne free air gravity anomaly observations, and free air gravity anomalies from the Earth Gravitational Model 2008 (EGM2008). The comparison indicates a range of 3-5 mGal in the residuals, which were computed by taking the differences between the retracked altimetry-derived gravity anomaly and the ship-borne data. The comparison of retracked data with ship-borne data indicates a range in the root-mean-square-error (RMSE) between approximately 1.8 and 4.4 mGal and a bias between 0.4062 and 2.1413 mGal over different areas. Also a maximum RMSE of 4.4069 mGal, with a mean value of 0.7615 mGal was obtained in the residuals. An average improvement of 5.2746 mGal in the RMSE of the altimetry-derived gravity anomalies corresponding to 89.9 per cent was obtained after applying the ExtR post-processing.

Gene Expression Profiling in the Thiamethoxam Resistant and Susceptible B-biotype Sweetpotato Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci

PubMed Central

Xie, Wen; Yang, Xin; Wang, Shao-Ii; Wu, Qing-jun; Yang, Ni-na; Li, Ru-mei; Jiao, Xiaoguo; Pan, Hui-peng; Liu, Bai-ming; Feng, Yun-tao; Xu, Bao-yun; Zhou, Xu-guo; Zhang, You-jun

2012-01-01

Thiamethoxam has been used as a major insecticide to control the B-biotype sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Due to its excessive use, a high level of resistance to thiamethoxam has developed worldwide over the past several years. To better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying this resistance in B. tabaci, gene profiles between the thiamethoxam-resistant and thiamethoxam-susceptible strains were investigated using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) library approach. A total of 72 and 52 upand down-regulated genes were obtained from the forward and reverse SSH libraries, respectively. These expressed sequence tags (ESTs) belong to several functional categories based on their gene ontology annotation. Some categories such as cell communication, response to abiotic stimulus, lipid particle, and nuclear envelope were identified only in the forward library of thiamethoxam-resistant strains. In contrast, categories such as behavior, cell proliferation, nutrient reservoir activity, sequence-specific DNA binding transcription factor activity, and signal transducer activity were identified solely in the reverse library. To study the validity of the SSH method, 16 differentially expressed genes from both forward and reverse SSH libraries were selected randomly for further analyses using quantitative realtime PCR (qRT-PCR). The qRT-PCR results were fairly consistent with the SSH results; however, only 50% of the genes showed significantly different expression profiles between the thiamethoxam-resistant and thiamethoxam-susceptible whiteflies. Among these genes, a putative NAD-dependent methanol dehydrogenase was substantially over-expressed in the thiamethoxamresistant adults compared to their susceptible counterparts. The distributed profiles show that it was highly expressed during the egg stage, and was most abundant in the abdomen of adult females. PMID:22957505

Molecular characterization of infectious bursal disease virus isolates from Nepal based on hypervariable region of VP2 gene.

PubMed

Sharma, K; Hair-Bejo, M; Omar, A R; Aini, I

2005-01-01

Two Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) isolates, NP1SSH and NP2K were obtained from a severe infectious bursal disease (IBD) outbreak in Nepal in 2002. The hypervariable (HV) region of VP2 gene (1326 bp) of the isolates was generated by RT-PCR and sequenced. The obtained nucleotide sequences were compared with those of twenty other IBDV isolates/strains. Phylogenetic analysis based on this comparison revealed that NP1SSH and NP2K clustered with very virulent (vv) IBDV strains of serotype 1. In contrast, classical, Australian classical and attenuated strains of serotype 1 and avirulent IBDV strains of serotype 2 formed a different cluster. The deduced amino acid sequences of the two isolates showed a 98.3% identity with each other and 97.1% and 98.3% identities, respectively with very virulent IBDV (vvIBDV) isolates/strains. Three amino acids substitutions at positions 300 (E-->A), 308 (I-->F) and 334 (A-->P) within the HV region were common for both the isolates. The amino acids substitutions at positions 27 (S-->T), 28 (I-->T), 31 (D-->A), 36 (H-->Y), 135 (E-->G), 223 (G-->S), 225 (V-->I), 351 (L-->I), 352 (V-->E) and 399 (I-->S) for NP1SSH and at position 438 (I-->S) for NP2K were unique and differed from other IBDV isolates/strains. NP1SSH and NP2K showed highest similarity (97.8%) with the BD399 strain from Bangladesh as compared with other vvIBDV isolates/strains. We conclude that the NP1SSH and NP2K isolates of IBDV from Nepal represent vvIBDV of serotype 1.

Globus File Transfer Services | High-Performance Computing | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Account To get a Globus account, sign up on the Globus account website. To get access to the NREL endpoint continue. Use the Globus credentials you used to register your Globus.org account. Go to the Transfer Files Globus.org account to allow ssh CLI access To use the CLI you must have a Globus account with ssh access

Nested high resolution models for the coastal areas of the North Indian Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wobus, Fred; Shapiro, Georgy

2017-04-01

Oceanographic processes at coastal scales require much higher horizontal resolution from both ocean models and observations as compared to deep water oceanography. Aside from a few exceptions such as land-locked seas, the hydrodynamics of coastal shallow waters is strongly influenced by the tides, which in turn control the mixing, formation of temperature fronts and other phenomena. The numerical modelling of the coastal domains requires good knowledge of the lateral boundary conditions. The application of lateral boundary conditions to ocean models is a notoriously tricky task, but can only be avoided with global ocean models. Smaller scale regional ocean models are typically nested within global models, and even smaller-scale coastal models may be nested within regional models, creating a nesting chain. However a direct nesting of a very high resolution coastal model into a coarse resolution global model results in degrading of the accuracy of the outputs due to the large difference between the model resolutions. This is why a nesting chain has to be applied, so that every increase in resolution is kept within a reasonable minimum (typically by a factor of 3 to 5 at each step). Global models are traditionally non-tidal, so at some stage of the nesting chain the tides need to be introduced. This is typically done by calculating the tidal constituents from a dedicated tidal model (e.g. TPXO) for all boundary points of a nested model. The tidal elevation at each boundary location can then be calculated from the harmonics at every model time step and the added to the parent model non-tidal SSH. This combination of harmonics-derived tidal SSH and non-tidal parent model SSH is typically applied to the nested domain using the Flather condition, together with the baroclinic velocities from the parent model. The harmonics-derived SSH cannot be added to an SSH signal that is already tidal, so the parent model SSH has to be either detided or taken from a non-tidal model. Due to the lack of effective detiding methods and the prevailing view that harmonics-derived SSH provide a cleaner tidal signal over the SSH taken from a tidal parent model it has traditionally only been the last model in a nesting chain that is tidal. But to our knowledge these assumptions haven't been sufficiently tested and need to be re-visited. Furthermore, the lack of tides in the larger-scale regional models limits their capability and we would like to push for a nesting chain where all regional models (including the intermediate ones) are tidal. In this study we have conducted a number of numerical experiments where we have tested whether a tidal regional model can effectively force a tidal nested model without resorting to detiding techniques and the use of a dedicated tidal model such as TPXO. We have tested whether it's possible to use a tidal parent model and use the total SSH (combined geostrophic SSH and tidal component) to force the child model at the boundary. We call this strategy "tidal nesting" as opposed to TPXO tidal forcing which is used in "traditional nesting". For our experiments we have developed 2 models based on the same NEMO 3.6 codebase. The medium resolution AS20 model covers the Arabian Sea at 1/20 ̊ with 50 layers using a hybrid s-on-top-of-z vertical discretisation scheme (Shapiro et al., 2013); and the high resolution AG60 model covers the Arabian/Persian Gulf at 1/60 ̊ with 50 layers. The AS20 model is "traditionally" nested within the UK Met Office non-tidal large-scale Indian Ocean model at 1/12 ̊ resolution and tidal constituents at the boundary are taken from the TPXO7.2 Global Tidal Solution. Our "tidal nesting" experiments use different forcing frequencies at which the tidal SSH is fed from the larger-scale AS20 into the smaller-scale AG60 model. These strategies are compared with "traditional nesting" where the inner AG60 uses boundary conditions from a non-tidal AS20 parent model and tides are computed from TPXO harmonics. The results reveal an optimal tidal nesting strategy which forces tidal SSH from the parent model at 1-hourly intervals whilst non-tidal parameters are forced at 24-hourly intervals. The analysis includes comparisons with tidal gauges in the Gulf of Oman and inside the Arabian Gulf. The accuracy of tides inside the Gulf is inhibited by the narrow Straits of Hormuz, and tidal nesting doesn't achieve the same level of agreement with observation as traditional nesting. We also found that a further increase in the SSH forcing frequency to 30 minutes does not further improve the results. The forcing at intervals of 1h/24h for tidal/non-tidal parameters shows that a 2-step tidal nesting chain is viable and thus tides can be represented in more than just the last model of a nesting chain. References: Shapiro, G., Luneva, M., Pickering, J., and Storkey, D.: The effect of various vertical discretization schemes and horizontal diffusion parameterization on the performance of a 3-D ocean model: the Black Sea case study, Ocean Sci., 9, 377-390, doi:10.5194/os-9-377-2013, 2013.

Modes of Arctic Ocean Change from GRACE, ICESat and the PIOMAS and ECCO2 Models of the Arctic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peralta Ferriz, C.; Morison, J. H.; Bonin, J. A.; Chambers, D. P.; Kwok, R.; Zhang, J.

2012-12-01

EOF analysis of month-to-month variations in GRACE derived Arctic Ocean bottom pressure (OBP) with trend and seasonal variation removed yield three dominant modes. The first mode is a basin wide variation in mass associated with high atmospheric pressure (SLP) over Scandinavia mainly in winter. The second mode is a shift of mass from the central Arctic Ocean to the Siberian shelves due to low pressure over the basins, associated with the Arctic Oscillation. The third mode is a shift in mass between the Eastern and Western Siberian shelves, related to strength of the Beaufort High mainly in summer, and to eastward alongshore winds on the Barents Sea in winter. The PIOMAS and ECCO2 modeled OBP show fair agreement with the form of these modes and provide context in terms of variations in sea surface height SSH. Comparing GRACE OBP from 2007 to 2011 with GRACE OBP from 2002 to 2006 reveals a rising trend over most of the Arctic Ocean but declines in the Kara Sea region and summer East Siberian Sea. ECCO2 bears a faint resemblance to the observed OBP change but appears to be biased negatively. In contrast, PIOMAS SSH and ECCO2 especially, show changes between the two periods that are muted but similar to ICESat dynamic ocean topography and GRACE-ICESat freshwater trends from 2005 through 2008 [Morison et al., 2012] with a rising DOT and freshening in the Beaufort Sea and a trough with decreased freshwater on the Russian side of the Arctic Ocean. Morison, J., R. Kwok, C. Peralta-Ferriz, M. Alkire, I. Rigor, R. Andersen, and M. Steele (2012), Changing Arctic Ocean freshwater pathways, Nature, 481(7379), 66-70.

Modeling Monthly Spatial Distribution of Ommastrephes bartramii CPUE in the Northwest Pacific and Its Spatially Nonstationary Relationships with the Marine Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yongjiu; Liu, Yang; Chen, Xinjun

2018-06-01

There are substantial spatial variations in the relationships between catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) and oceanographic conditions with respect to pelagic species. This study examines the monthly spatiotemporal distribution of CPUE of the neon flying squid, Ommastrephes bartramii, in the Northwest Pacific from July to November during 2004-2013, and analyzes the relationships with oceanographic conditions using a generalized additive model (GAM) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. The results show that most of the squids were harvested in waters with sea surface temperature (SST) between 7.6 and 24.6°C, chlorophyll- a (Chl- a) concentration below 1.0 mg m-3, sea surface salinity (SSS) between 32.7 and 34.6, and sea surface height (SSH) between -12.8 and 28.4 cm. The monthly spatial distribution patterns of O. bartramii predicted using GAM and GWR models are similar to observed patterns for all months. There are notable variations in the local coefficients of GWR, indicating the presence of spatial non-stationarity in the relationship between O. bartramii CPUE and oceanographic conditions. The statistical results show that there were nearly equal positive and negative coefficients for Chl- a, more positive than negative coefficients for SST, and more negative than positive coefficients for SSS and SSH. The overall accuracies of the hot spots predicted by GWR exceed 60% (except for October), indicating a good performance of this model and its improvement over GAM. Our study provides a better understanding of the ecological dynamics of O. bartramii CPUE and makes it possible to use GWR to study the spatially nonstationary characteristics of other pelagic species.

Relationship between Ocean Bottom Pressure Variations and Baroclinic Eddy off Kushiro-Tokachi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasegawa, T.; Nagano, A.; Matsumoto, H.; Ariyoshi, K.

2016-02-01

The scope of this study is to reveal relationships between ocean bottom pressure (BP) variations related to ocean plate changes, and oceanic climate changes. We analyzed BP data at stations PG1 (41.7040N-144.4375E) and PG2 (42.2365N-144.8454E) obtained from the Long-Term Deep Sea Floor Observatory off Kushiro-Tokachi in the Kuril Trench, gridded daily sea surface height (SSH) data provided by AVISO, and conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) data at a repeated observation line off Akkeshi (A-line) from 2004 to 2013. In addition, we used Nino-3 index, which is the major index for El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is given by the CPC/NOAA. It is suggested that SSH at PG1 and PG2 similarly vary affected by the Oyashio, the western boundary current of the North Pacific subarctic gyre, and El Nino events in 2006 and 2007 via atmospheric telconnections. BP time series at PG1 and PG2 are almost in phase in most of the analysis period, but from the early 2006 to the end of 2007, are quit discrepant in amplitude; at that occasion, BP at PG1 is much higher than that at PG2. Expecting a peculiar hydrographic feature at the occasion, CTD data along the A-line in January 2007 are analyzed. A lenticular eddy was found to exist in a layer between 1500 and 3000 dbar and to deepen substantially isopycnals of approximately 27.7 sigma-theta around a depth of 2000 dbar. Probably due to the baroclinic eddy feature, BP is kept low at PG2, while high at PG1. The subthermocline water occupying the deep eddy are considered not to be originated in the North Pacific but to be derived from the Southern Ocean.

Reporting Errors in Siblings’ Survival Histories and Their Impact on Adult Mortality Estimates: Results From a Record Linkage Study in Senegal

PubMed Central

Helleringer, Stéphane; Pison, Gilles; Kanté, Almamy M.; Duthé, Géraldine; Andro, Armelle

2014-01-01

Estimates of adult mortality in countries with limited vital registration (e.g., sub-Saharan Africa) are often derived from information about the survival of a respondent’s siblings. We evaluated the completeness and accuracy of such data through a record linkage study conducted in Bandafassi, located in southeastern Senegal. We linked at the individual level retrospective siblings’ survival histories (SSH) reported by female respondents (n = 268) to prospective mortality data and genealogies collected through a health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS). Respondents often reported inaccurate lists of siblings. Additions to these lists were uncommon, but omissions were frequent: respondents omitted 3.8 % of their live sisters, 9.1 % of their deceased sisters, and 16.6 % of their sisters who had migrated out of the DSS area. Respondents underestimated the age at death of the siblings they reported during the interview, particularly among siblings who had died at older ages (≥45 years). Restricting SSH data to person-years and events having occurred during a recent reference period reduced list errors but not age and date errors. Overall, SSH data led to a 20 % underestimate of 45q15 relative to HDSS data. Our study suggests new quality improvement strategies for SSH data and demonstrates the potential use of HDSS data for the validation of “unconventional” demographic techniques. PMID:24493063

Reporting errors in siblings' survival histories and their impact on adult mortality estimates: results from a record linkage study in Senegal.

PubMed

Helleringer, Stéphane; Pison, Gilles; Kanté, Almamy M; Duthé, Géraldine; Andro, Armelle

2014-04-01

Estimates of adult mortality in countries with limited vital registration (e.g., sub-Saharan Africa) are often derived from information about the survival of a respondent's siblings. We evaluated the completeness and accuracy of such data through a record linkage study conducted in Bandafassi, located in southeastern Senegal. We linked at the individual level retrospective siblings' survival histories (SSH) reported by female respondents (n = 268) to prospective mortality data and genealogies collected through a health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS). Respondents often reported inaccurate lists of siblings. Additions to these lists were uncommon, but omissions were frequent: respondents omitted 3.8 % of their live sisters, 9.1 % of their deceased sisters, and 16.6 % of their sisters who had migrated out of the DSS area. Respondents underestimated the age at death of the siblings they reported during the interview, particularly among siblings who had died at older ages (≥45 years). Restricting SSH data to person-years and events having occurred during a recent reference period reduced list errors but not age and date errors. Overall, SSH data led to a 20 % underestimate of 45 q 15 relative to HDSS data. Our study suggests new quality improvement strategies for SSH data and demonstrates the potential use of HDSS data for the validation of "unconventional" demographic techniques.

SSH-2 measurements of cirrus at 18-28 micrometers from the King Air during FIRE 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffin, Michael K.

1993-01-01

In November of 1991, the First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment (FIRE) Phase II cirrus study took place at Coffeyville, Kansas. The field experiment incorporated instrumentation from surface, aircraft, and satellite to attempt to define the optical, radiative, and microphysical characteristics of these high altitude, predominantly ice clouds. The NCAR King Air research aircraft was outfitted with a variety of radiative and microphysical instrumentation for the FIRE II project. Included for this project was the SSH-2, a 16-channel passive radiometer. The SSH-2 was originally designed as a space-qualified infrared (IR) temperature and water vapor sounder for deployment onboard the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) series of environmental satellites. For this experiment, only those channels associated with the water vapor profiling function have been examined although downwelling radiance measurements were taken at all channels during the project. With supporting information from the aircraft telemetry observations it may be possible to relate these SSH-2 measurements to cloud radiative and microphysical properties. The following sections will describe the spectral characteristics of the instrument, the calibration scheme used to convert the raw measured counts into calibrated radiances, and the case studies that will be covered in this paper. This will be followed by a discussion of the results of this preliminary investigation and a description of future work to be done.

What role for social sciences in socio-hydrology? Results from an online survey among hydrologists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seidl, Roman; Barthel, Roland; Stauffacher, Michael

2015-04-01

The necessity of a more integrated approach in hydrological research has been highlighted by the IAHS scientific decade 2013-2022 "Panta Rhei", dedicated to foster multi-disciplinary research activities on changes in hydrology and society (Montanari, Young et al. 2013). On a similar note, the concept of Socio-Hydrology (Sivapalan, Savenije et al. 2012) suggests a much deeper involvement of hydrologists in socio-economic questions. Despite this general consensus, it remains unclear how such interdisciplinary approaches should be carried out and, in particular, which roles hydrological sciences (HS) and social sciences and the humanities (SSH) should assume. In order to evaluate the opinion of HS on the mutual contributions of HS and SSH to the process of integration, an online survey was prepared by the authors and announced through the newsletters of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) and the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS). Two sets of questions offered a choice of potential contributions to interdisciplinary processes of HS and SSH respectively. A third group of questions asked for the status of integration of HS and SSH and if improvements are needed. Finally, participants were asked to rank different options to foster or improve cooperation between natural and social scientists. 141 questionnaires could be used for further analysis. As expected the background of most participants is hydrology, but many also mention more than one discipline. Most participants have their main place of work in Europe. The answers were analysed using Factor and Cluster analysis to reveal potential patterns in the data. The main results from the survey can be summarized like this: The majority of respondents agrees that SSH is not well integrated into hydrological research as yet and most participants see a need for better cooperation. Expectations from hydrologists who should do what in integrative work, reveal that some roles are perceived similarly for both SSH and HS: Facilitate resource management, Exchange knowledge, Communicate the results, Reflect about the normative aspects, Secure public acceptance. However, hydrologists assume it is clearly more the role of SSH to study socio-economic aspects and the impact of human decisions on the environment, for instance. Higher status and acknowledgment by other colleagues does not seem to be a major incentive for integrative work, ranking lowest of all offered statements. However, the statement Hydrologists themselves should consider and integrate socio-economic aspects in their own work, was rated most often as most preferable. One can speculate that hydrologists (at least many in our sample) would like to learn from SSH but then apply that knowledge themselves; that is, "integrate" social science tasks into their field, or rather into a new discipline, socio-hydrology but not collaborate at eye-level with social scientists. We conclude that researchers interested in the integration of disciplines should explicitly specify how they would like to achieve this, what mutual expectations they have. In the case of the Panta Rhei initiative or Social Hydrology, this seems neither evident nor explicitly done. References: Montanari, A., et al. (2013). ""Panta Rhei -- Everything Flows": Change in hydrology and society -- The IAHS Scientific Decade 2013-2022." Hydrological Sciences Journal: 1-20. Sivapalan, M., et al. (2012). "Socio-hydrology: A new science of people and water." Hydrological Processes 26(8): 1270-1276.

Suppressive subtractive hybridization approach revealed differential expression of hypersensitive response and reactive oxygen species production genes in tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) leaves during Pestalotiopsis thea infection.

PubMed

Senthilkumar, Palanisamy; Thirugnanasambantham, Krishnaraj; Mandal, Abul Kalam Azad

2012-12-01

Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) is an economically important plant cultivated for its leaves. Infection of Pestalotiopsis theae in leaves causes gray blight disease and enormous loss to the tea industry. We used suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique to unravel the differential gene expression pattern during gray blight disease development in tea. Complementary DNA from P. theae-infected and uninfected leaves of disease tolerant cultivar UPASI-10 was used as tester and driver populations respectively. Subtraction efficiency was confirmed by comparing abundance of β-actin gene. A total of 377 and 720 clones with insert size >250 bp from forward and reverse library respectively were sequenced and analyzed. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool analysis revealed 17 sequences in forward SSH library have high degree of similarity with disease and hypersensitive response related genes and 20 sequences with hypothetical proteins while in reverse SSH library, 23 sequences have high degree of similarity with disease and stress response-related genes and 15 sequences with hypothetical proteins. Functional analysis indicated unknown (61 and 59 %) or hypothetical functions (23 and 18 %) for most of the differentially regulated genes in forward and reverse SSH library, respectively, while others have important role in different cellular activities. Majority of the upregulated genes are related to hypersensitive response and reactive oxygen species production. Based on these expressed sequence tag data, putative role of differentially expressed genes were discussed in relation to disease. We also demonstrated the efficiency of SSH as a tool in enriching gray blight disease related up- and downregulated genes in tea. The present study revealed that many genes related to disease resistance were suppressed during P. theae infection and enhancing these genes by the application of inducers may impart better disease tolerance to the plants.

Effects of Sacubitril/Valsartan (LCZ696) on Natriuresis, Diuresis, Blood Pressures, and NT-proBNP in Salt-Sensitive Hypertension.

PubMed

Wang, Tzung-Dau; Tan, Ru-San; Lee, Hae-Young; Ihm, Sang-Hyun; Rhee, Moo-Yong; Tomlinson, Brian; Pal, Parasar; Yang, Fan; Hirschhorn, Elizabeth; Prescott, Margaret F; Hinder, Markus; Langenickel, Thomas H

2017-01-01

Salt-sensitive hypertension (SSH) is characterized by impaired sodium excretion and subnormal vasodilatory response to salt loading. Sacubitril/valsartan (LCZ696) was hypothesized to increase natriuresis and diuresis and result in superior blood pressure control compared with valsartan in Asian patients with SSH. In this randomized, double-blind, crossover study, 72 patients with SSH received sacubitril/valsartan 400 mg and valsartan 320 mg once daily for 4 weeks each. SSH was diagnosed if the mean arterial pressure increased by ≥10% when patients switched from low (50 mmol/d) to high (320 mmol/d) sodium diet. The primary outcome was cumulative 6- and 24-hour sodium excretion after first dose administration. Compared with valsartan, sacubitril/valsartan was associated with a significant increase in natriuresis (adjusted treatment difference: 24.5 mmol/6 hours, 50.3 mmol/24 hours, both P<0.001) and diuresis (adjusted treatment difference: 291.2 mL/6 hours, P<0.001; 356.4 mL/24 hours, P=0.002) on day 1, but not on day 28, and greater reductions in office and ambulatory blood pressure on day 28. Despite morning dosing of both drugs, ambulatory blood pressure reductions were more pronounced at nighttime than at daytime or the 24-hour average. Compared with valsartan, sacubitril/valsartan significantly reduced N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide levels on day 28 (adjusted treatment difference: -20%; P=0.001). Sacubitril/valsartan and valsartan were safe and well tolerated with no significant changes in body weight or serum sodium and potassium levels with either treatments. In conclusion, sacubitril/valsartan compared with valsartan was associated with short-term increases in natriuresis and diuresis, superior office and ambulatory blood pressure control, and significantly reduced N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide levels in Asian patients with SSH. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01681576. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

An SSH key management system: easing the pain of managing key/user/account associations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arkhipkin, D.; Betts, W.; Lauret, J.; Shiryaev, A.

2008-07-01

Cyber security requirements for secure access to computing facilities often call for access controls via gatekeepers and the use of two-factor authentication. Using SSH keys to satisfy the two factor authentication requirement has introduced a potentially challenging task of managing the keys and their associations with individual users and user accounts. Approaches for a facility with the simple model of one remote user corresponding to one local user would not work at facilities that require a many-to-many mapping between users and accounts on multiple systems. We will present an SSH key management system we developed, tested and deployed to address the many-to-many dilemma in the environment of the STAR experiment. We will explain its use in an online computing context and explain how it makes possible the management and tracing of group account access spread over many sub-system components (data acquisition, slow controls, trigger, detector instrumentation, etc.) without the use of shared passwords for remote logins.

California serogroup and Powassan virus infection of cats.

PubMed

Keane, D P; Parent, J; Little, P B

1987-08-01

One hundred and seventy five sera from cats in Ontario, Canada, were tested for hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies to three arboviruses; namely, Powassan (POW) of the Flavivirus serogroup, and Snowshoe hare (SSH) and Jamestown Canyon (JC) viruses of the California (CAL) serogroup. All sera were negative for antibodies to POW virus. Twelve cats possessed CAL serogroup antibodies including 3 with antibodies to SSH alone, 6 with antibodies to JC alone, and 3 with antibodies to both SSH and JC antigens. POW virus was inoculated into seven cats, one intracerebrally and six intravenously. Neurologic signs were not detected in any of the cats. Histologic lesions of a nonsuppurative encephalitis and encephalomyelitis were observed in the intracerebrally inoculated cat and in one of the intravenously inoculated cats, respectively. POW virus was not isolated from the brain or spinal cord of either of these two cats. HI antibodies were detected in the sera of all inoculated animals. HI antibodies were not detected in the CSF of any animal.

Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes Associated with Coronatine-Induced Laticifer Differentiation in the Rubber Tree by Subtractive Hybridization Suppression

PubMed Central

Zhang, Shi-Xin; Wu, Shao-Hua; Chen, Yue-Yi; Tian, Wei-Min

2015-01-01

The secondary laticifer in the secondary phloem is differentiated from the vascular cambia of the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg.). The number of secondary laticifers is closely related to the rubber yield potential of Hevea. Pharmacological data show that jasmonic acid and its precursor linolenic acid are effective in inducing secondary laticifer differentiation in epicormic shoots of the rubber tree. In the present study, an experimental system of coronatine-induced laticifer differentiation was developed to perform SSH identification of genes with differential expression. A total of 528 positive clones were obtained by blue-white screening, of which 248 clones came from the forward SSH library while 280 clones came from the reverse SSH library. Approximately 215 of the 248 clones and 171 of the 280 clones contained cDNA inserts by colony PCR screening. A total of 286 of the 386 ESTs were detected to be differentially expressed by reverse northern blot and sequenced. Approximately 147 unigenes with an average length of 497 bp from the forward and 109 unigenes with an average length of 514 bp from the reverse SSH libraries were assembled and annotated. The unigenes were associated with the stress/defense response, plant hormone signal transduction and structure development. It is suggested that Ca2+ signal transduction and redox seem to be involved in differentiation, while PGA and EIF are associated with the division of cambium initials for COR-induced secondary laticifer differentiation in the rubber tree. PMID:26147807

Using OpenSSH to secure mobile LAN network traffic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luu, Brian B.; Gopaul, Richard D.

2002-08-01

Mobile Internet Protocol (IP) Local Area Network (LAN) is a technique, developed by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, which allows a LAN to be IP mobile when attaching to a foreign IP-based network and using this network as a means to retain connectivity to its home network. In this paper, we describe a technique that uses Open Secure Shell (OpenSSH) software to ensure secure, encrypted transmission of a mobile LAN's network traffic. Whenever a mobile LAN, implemented with Mobile IP LAN, moves to a foreign network, its gateway (router) obtains an IP address from the new network. IP tunnels, using IP encapsulation, are then established from the gateway through the foreign network to a home agent on its home network. These tunnels provide a virtual two-way connection to the home network for the mobile LAN as if the LAN were connected directly to its home network. Hence, when IP mobile, a mobile LAN's tunneled network traffic must traverse one or more foreign networks that may not be trusted. This traffic could be subject to eavesdropping, interception, modification, or redirection by malicious nodes in these foreign networks. To protect network traffic passing through the tunnels, OpenSSH is used as a means of encryption because it prevents surveillance, modification, and redirection of mobile LAN traffic passing across foreign networks. Since the software is found in the public domain, is available for most current operating systems, and is commonly used to provide secure network communications, OpenSSH is the software of choice.

Interdisciplinary promises versus practices in medicine: the decoupled experiences of social sciences and humanities scholars.

PubMed

Albert, Mathieu; Paradis, Elise; Kuper, Ayelet

2015-02-01

This paper explores social scientists' and humanities (SSH) scholars' integration within the academic medical research environment. Three questions guided our investigation: Do SSH scholars adapt to the medical research environment? How do they navigate their career within a culture that may be inconsistent with their own? What strategies do they use to gain legitimacy? The study builds on three concepts: decoupling, doxa, and epistemic habitus. Twenty-nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with SSH scholars working in 11 faculties of medicine across Canada. Participants were selected through purposeful and snowball sampling. The data were analyzed by thematic content analysis. For most of our participants, moving into medicine has been a challenging experience, as their research practices and views of academic excellence collided with those of medicine. In order to achieve some level of legitimacy more than half of our participants altered their research practices. This resulted in a dissonance between their internalized appreciation of academic excellence and their new, altered, research practices. Only six participants experienced no form of challenge or dissonance after moving into medicine, while three decided to break with their social science and humanities past and make the medical research community their new home. We conclude that the work environment for SSH scholars in faculties of medicine does not deliver on the promise of inclusiveness made by calls for interdisciplinarity in Canadian health research. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Implementation of Wetting and Drying in NCOM: Description and Validation Test Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-04

is mainly affected by the amplitude of the tides and the amount of “set down” of the SSH caused by the winds . The amount of set up or set down at the...coast depends on the strength and direction of the winds and the shape of the local coastline and bathymetry. For example, the gradient of the SSH...between the mouth and head of a bay is approximately proportional to the distance between the mouth and the head of the bay and the magnitude of the wind

1/32 Degree Real-Time Global Ocean Prediction and Value-Added Over 1/16 Degree Resolution

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-07-30

SSH ridge to the south of these eddies are captured by at least one of the two data narrowing the trough, both assisting in cutting off eddy...In Section 3.4, the off from a GFO track a week later (Fig. 3D). Eddy #12 Hawaiian Islands region is used to compare results where was already...Journal of Marine Systems 65 (2007) 3-26 13 The second example is the cluster of 6 small eddies week leading up to 29 Sept. This formed an SSH trough

Southern Ocean Eddy Heat Flux and Eddy-Mean Flow Interactions in Drake Passage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foppert, Annie

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is a complex current system composed of multiple jets that is both unique to the world's oceans and relatively under observed compared with other current systems. Observations taken by current- and pressure-recording inverted echo sounders (CPIES) over four years, from November 2007 to November 2011, quantify the mean structure of one of the main jets of the ACC - the Polar Front - in a composite-mean sense. While the array of CPIES deployed in Drake Passage included a 3 x 7 local dynamics array, analysis of the Polar Front makes use of the line of CPIES that spanned the width of Drake Passage (C-Line). The Polar Front tends to prefer one of two locations, separated along the C-Line by 1° of latitude, with the core of the jet centered on corresponding geopotential height contours (with a 17 cm dierence between the northern and southern jets). Potential vorticity fields suggest that the Polar Front is susceptible to baroclinic instability, regardless of whether it is found upstream (farther south along the C-Line) or downstream (farther north along the C-Line) of the Shackleton Fracture Zone (SFZ), yet the core of the jet remains a barrier to smaller-scale mixing, as inferred from estimated mixing lengths. Within the local dynamics array of CPIES, the observed offset between eddy heat flux (EHF) and eddy kinetic energy (EKE) and the alignment of EHF with sea surface height (SSH) standard deviation motivates a proxy for depth-integrated EHF that can be estimated from available satellite SSH data. An eddy-resolving numerical model develops the statistics of a logarithmic fit between SSH standard deviation and cross-frontal EHF that is applied to the ACC in a circumglobal sense. We find 1.06 PW enters the ACC from the north and 0.02 PW exits towards Antarctica. The magnitude of the estimated EHF, along with contemporaneous estimates of the mean heat flux, suggests that the air-sea heat flux south of the PF is an overestimate. Long-term trends in EHF are calculated from January 1992 to December 2014 and reveal varying trends at the eight ACC EHF hot spots, with only three having statistically significant temporal trends of strengthening cross-frontal EHF. The dynamics of an oceanic storm track are investigated using CPIES observations in the local dynamics array to better understand the processes responsible for the spatial oset between EHF and EKE. Wave activity flux ( W), calculated from the total geostrophic stream-function, is used to diagnose eddy-mean flow interactions in the eddy-rich region immediately downstream of the SFZ. In the full four-year mean and in a composite of eddy events, elevated values of eddy potential energy (EPE) are aligned with the vertical component of W. This is indicative of a conversion of mean available potential energy to EPE through EHF associated with baroclinic instability. Emanating from this region, horizontal W vectors point towards the adjacent region of elevated EKE. A case study of an eddy event, lasting from 15 to 23 July 2010, is presented and highlights the capability of W to illustrate the evolution of the storm track in a snap-shot sense. While baroclinic processes initially dominate the event, the alignment of elevated values of EKE with the convergence of the horizontal W vectors indicates the importance of barotropic processes in transporting EKE away from the ACC's interaction with the SFZ.

Genomic insights into strategies used by Xanthomonas albilineans with its reduced artillery to spread within sugarcane xylem vessels.

PubMed

Pieretti, Isabelle; Royer, Monique; Barbe, Valérie; Carrere, Sébastien; Koebnik, Ralf; Couloux, Arnaud; Darrasse, Armelle; Gouzy, Jérôme; Jacques, Marie-Agnès; Lauber, Emmanuelle; Manceau, Charles; Mangenot, Sophie; Poussier, Stéphane; Segurens, Béatrice; Szurek, Boris; Verdier, Valérie; Arlat, Matthieu; Gabriel, Dean W; Rott, Philippe; Cociancich, Stéphane

2012-11-21

Xanthomonas albilineans causes leaf scald, a lethal disease of sugarcane. X. albilineans exhibits distinctive pathogenic mechanisms, ecology and taxonomy compared to other species of Xanthomonas. For example, this species produces a potent DNA gyrase inhibitor called albicidin that is largely responsible for inducing disease symptoms; its habitat is limited to xylem; and the species exhibits large variability. A first manuscript on the complete genome sequence of the highly pathogenic X. albilineans strain GPE PC73 focused exclusively on distinctive genomic features shared with Xylella fastidiosa-another xylem-limited Xanthomonadaceae. The present manuscript on the same genome sequence aims to describe all other pathogenicity-related genomic features of X. albilineans, and to compare, using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), genomic features of two strains differing in pathogenicity. Comparative genomic analyses showed that most of the known pathogenicity factors from other Xanthomonas species are conserved in X. albilineans, with the notable absence of two major determinants of the "artillery" of other plant pathogenic species of Xanthomonas: the xanthan gum biosynthesis gene cluster, and the type III secretion system Hrp (hypersensitive response and pathogenicity). Genomic features specific to X. albilineans that may contribute to specific adaptation of this pathogen to sugarcane xylem vessels were also revealed. SSH experiments led to the identification of 20 genes common to three highly pathogenic strains but missing in a less pathogenic strain. These 20 genes, which include four ABC transporter genes, a methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein gene and an oxidoreductase gene, could play a key role in pathogenicity. With the exception of hypothetical proteins revealed by our comparative genomic analyses and SSH experiments, no genes potentially involved in any offensive or counter-defensive mechanism specific to X. albilineans were identified, supposing that X. albilineans has a reduced artillery compared to other pathogenic Xanthomonas species. Particular attention has therefore been given to genomic features specific to X. albilineans making it more capable of evading sugarcane surveillance systems or resisting sugarcane defense systems. This study confirms that X. albilineans is a highly distinctive species within the genus Xanthomonas, and opens new perpectives towards a greater understanding of the pathogenicity of this destructive sugarcane pathogen.

Tle Triangulation Campaign by Japanese High School Students as a Space Educational Project of the Ssh Consortium Kochi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Masa-Yuki; Okamoto, Sumito; Miyoshi, Terunori; Takamura, Yuzaburo; Aoshima, Akira; Hinokuchi, Jin

As one of the space educational projects in Japan, a triangulation observation project of TLE (Transient Luminous Events: sprites, elves, blue-jets, etc.) has been carried out since 2006 in collaboration between 29 Super Science High-schools (SSH) and Kochi University of Technol-ogy (KUT). Following with previous success of sprite observations by "Astro High-school" since 2004, the SSH consortium Kochi was established as a national space educational project sup-ported by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). High-sensitivity CCD camera (Watec, Neptune-100) with 6 mm F/1.4 C-mount lens (Fujinon) and motion-detective software (UFO-Capture, SonotaCo) were given to each participating team in order to monitor Northern night sky of Japan with almost full-coverage. During each school year (from April to March in Japan) since 2006, thousands of TLE images were taken by many student teams, with considerably large numbers of successful triangulations, i.e., (School year, Numbers of TLE observations, Numbers of triangulations) are (2006, 43, 3), (2007, 441, 95), (2008, 734, 115), and (2009, 337, 78). Note that, school year in Japan begins on April 1 and ends on March 31. The observation campaign began in December 2006, numbers are as of Feb. 28, 2010. Recently, some high schools started wide field observations using multiple cameras, and others started VLF observations using handmade loop antennae and amplifiers. Infomation exchange among the SSH consortium Kochi is frequently communicated with scientific discussion via KUT's mailing lists. Also, interactions with amateur observers in Japan are made through an internet forum of "SonotaCo Network Japan" (http://sonotaco.jp). Not only as an educational project but also as a scientific one, the project is also in success. In February 2008, simultaneous observations of Elves were obtained, in November 2009 a Giant "Graft-shaped" Sprites driven by Jets was clearly imaged with VLF signals. Most recently, ob-servations of Elves and sprite halos with stripes like wave structures on airglow were successfully imaged in January 2010. In this talk, four years activities of the SSH consortium Kochi will be presented by participating high-school students and teachers with their own impressions.

Anomalous circulation in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean in July-December 2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panteleev, G.; Francis, O. P.; Yaremchuk, M.; Zhang, J.; Kulakov, M.; Onat, Y.

2017-12-01

Variability of the mean summer-fall ocean state in the Pacific Sector of the Arctic Ocean (PSAO) is studied using a dynamically constrained synthesis (4Dvar) of historical in situ observations collected during 1972 to 2008. Specifically, the oceanic response to the cyclonic (1989-1996) and anticyclonic (1972-1978, 1997-2006) phases o f the Arctic Ocean Oscillation (AOO) is assessed for the purpose of quantitatively comparing the 2008 circulation pattern that followed the 2007 ice cover minimum.It is shown that the PSAO circulation during July-December of 2008 was characterized by a pronounced negative Sea Surface Height (SSH) anomaly along theEurasian shelf break, which caused a significant decline of the transport in the Atlantic Water (AW) inflow region into the PSAO and increased the sea level difference betweenthe Bering and Chukchi Seas. This anomaly could be one of the reasons for the observed amplification of the Bering Strait transport carrying fresh Pacific Waters into the PSAO. Largrangian analysis of the optimized solution suggests that the freshwater (FW) accumulation in the Beaufort Gyre has a negligible contribution from the East Siberian Sea and is likely caused by the enhanced FW export from the region north of the Canadian Archipelago/Greenland.The inverse modeling results are confirmed by validation against independent altimetry observations and in situ velocity data from NABOS moorings. It is also shown that presented results are in significantly better agreement with the data than the output of the PIOMAS model run utilized as a first guess solution for the 4dVar analysis.

Repeated psychological stress-induced alterations of visceral sensitivity and colonic motor functions in mice: influence of surgery and postoperative single housing on visceromotor responses.

PubMed

Larauche, Muriel; Gourcerol, Guillaume; Million, Mulugeta; Adelson, David W; Taché, Yvette

2010-07-01

Visceral pain modulation by chronic stress in mice has been little studied. Electromyography (EMG) recording of abdominal muscle contractions, as a proxy to the visceromotor response (VMR), requires electrode implantation and post-surgical single housing (SH) which could affect the VMR to stress. To test this hypothesis, male mice had electrode implantation surgery (S) plus SH, or no surgery and were group housed (NS-GH) or single housed (NS-SH) and exposed to either water avoidance stress (WAS, 1 h/day) or left undisturbed in their home cages for 10 days. The VMR to phasic ascending colorectal distension (CRD) was assessed before (basal) and 24 h after 10 days of WAS or no stress using a surgery-free method of intraluminal colonic pressure (ICP) recording (solid-state manometry). WAS heightened significantly the VMR to CRD at 30, 45, and 60 mmHg in S-SH vs. NS-GH, but not compared to NS-SH conscious mice. Compared to basal CRD, WAS increased VMR at 60 mmHg in the S-SH group and decreased it at 30-60 mmHg in NS-GH mice, while having no effect in NS-SH mice. The average defecation during the hour of repeated WAS over 10 days was 1.9 and 2.4 fold greater in S-SH vs. NS-GH and NS-SH mice, respectively. These data indicate that the combination of S-SH required for VMR monitoring with EMG is an important component of repeated WAS-induced post-stress visceral hypersensitivity and defecation in mice.

Role of Western Hemisphere Warm Pool in Rapid Climate Changes over the Western North Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kug, Jong-Seong; Park, Jae-Heung; An, Soon-Il

2017-04-01

Oceanic states over the western North Pacific (WNP), which is surrounded by heavily populated countries, are closely tied to the lives of the people in East Asia in regards to both climate and socioeconomics. As global warming continues, remarkable increases in sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height (SSH) have been observed in the WNP in recent decades. Here, we show that the SST increase in the western hemisphere warm pool (WHWP), which is the second largest warm pool on the globe, has contributed considerably to the rapid surface warming and sea level rise in the WNP via its remote teleconnection along the Pacific Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). State-of-the-art climate models strongly support the role of the WHWP not only on interannual time sales but also in long-term climate projections. We expect that understanding the processes initiated by the WHWP-SST could permit better forecasts of western North Pacific climate and the further development of the socioeconomics of East Asia.

Charge and energy transports via poly-phenylacetylene based dendrimers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Yongwoo; Li, Minghai; Lin, Xi

2010-03-01

Poly-Phenylacetylene (PPA) is widely used in photoconductivity, photoluminescence, and light harvesting applications. In this work, we investigate the charge and exciton transport energetics and mechanisms in the PPA-based dendrimers using our recently developed adapted Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model Hamiltonians and ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF) calculations. We found both doping and photo-excitation lead to the formation of optical phonon dressed pi electron states, namely the self-localized polarons, in the energy gap. Independent from their origins, these polarons can be self-trapped at multiple lattice locations along the PPA chain, and migrate from one to the next with an activation barrier of ˜0.006 eV, slightly higher than the corresponding barrier found in trans-polyacetylene. The PPA-based dendrimers can be constructed via the meta-positions of phenyl rings. In this case, we found the dendrimer junctions form attractive potential wells for both polarons and excitons, and the width and height of these junction potential wells can be controlled by the geometry of the dendrimers.

The Rise of GNSS Reflectometry for Earth Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zuffada, Cinzia; Li, Zhijin; Nghiem, Son V.; Lowe, Steve; Shah, Rashmi; Clarizia, Maria Paola; Cardellach, Estel

2015-01-01

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reflectometry, i.e. GNSS-R, is a novel remote-sensing technique first published in that uses GNSS signals reflected from the Earth's surface to infer its surface properties such as sea surface height (SSH), ocean winds, sea-ice coverage, vegetation, wetlands and soil moisture, to name a few. This communication discusses the scientific value of GNSS-R to (a) furthering our understanding of ocean mesoscale circulation toward scales finer than those that existing nadir altimeters can resolve, and (b) mapping vegetated wetlands, an emerging application that might open up new avenues to map and monitor the planet's wetlands for methane emission assessments. Such applications are expected to be demonstrated by the availability of data from GEROS-ISS, an ESA experiment currently in phase A, and CyGNSS [3], a NASA mission currently in development. In particular, the paper details the expected error characteristics and the role of filtering played in the assimilation of these data to reduce the altimetric error (when averaging many measurements).

Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chain with one pair of [Formula: see text]-symmetric defects.

PubMed

Jin, L; Wang, P; Song, Z

2017-07-19

The topologically nontrivial edge states induce [Formula: see text] transition in Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) chain with one pair of gain and loss at boundaries. In this study, we investigated a pair of [Formula: see text]-symmetric defects located inside the SSH chain, in particular, the defects locations are at the chain centre. The [Formula: see text] symmetry breaking of the bound states leads to the [Formula: see text] transition, the [Formula: see text]-symmetric phases and the localized states were studied. In the broken [Formula: see text]-symmetric phase, all energy levels break simultaneously in topologically trivial phase; however, two edge states in topologically nontrivial phase are free from the influence of the [Formula: see text]-symmetric defects. We discovered [Formula: see text]-symmetric bound states induced by the [Formula: see text]-symmetric local defects at the SSH chain centre. The [Formula: see text]-symmetric bound states significantly increase the [Formula: see text] transition threshold and coalesce to the topologically protected zero mode with vanishing probabilities on every other site of the left-half chain and the right-half chain, respectively.

Pilot-scale bioconversion of rice and sunflower agro-residues into medicinal mushrooms and laccase enzymes through solid-state fermentation with Ganoderma lucidum.

PubMed

Postemsky, P D; Bidegain, M A; González-Matute, R; Figlas, N D; Cubitto, M A

2017-05-01

Solid-state fermentation was evaluated at the pilot-scale for the bioconversion and valorization of rice husks and straw (RSH), or sunflower seed hulls (SSH), into medicinal mushrooms and crude extracts, with laccase activity. The average mushroom yield was 56kg dry weight per ton of agro-residues. Laccase activity in crude aqueous extracts showed its maximum value of 10,927Ukg -1 in RSH (day 10, Exudate phase) and 16,442Ukg -1 in SSH (day 5, Full colonization phase), the activity at the Residual substrate phase being 511Ukg -1 in RSH and 803Ukg -1 in SSH, respectively. Crude extracts obtained with various protocols revealed differences in the extraction yields. Lyophilization followed by storage at 4°C allowed the preservation of laccase activity for more than one month. It is proposed that standard mushroom farms could increase their profits by obtaining laccase as a byproduct during the gaps in mycelium running. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Regional circulation around Heard and McDonald Islands and through the Fawn Trough, central Kerguelen Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Wijk, Esmee M.; Rintoul, Stephen R.; Ronai, Belinda M.; Williams, Guy D.

2010-05-01

The fine-scale circulation around the Heard and McDonald Islands and through the Fawn Trough, Kerguelen Plateau, is described using data from three high-resolution CTD sections, Argo floats and satellite maps of chlorophyll a, sea surface temperature (SST) and absolute sea surface height (SSH). We confirm that the Polar Front (PF) is split into two branches over the Kerguelen Plateau, with the NPF crossing the north-eastern limits of our survey carrying 25 Sv to the southeast. The SPF was associated with a strong eastward-flowing jet carrying 12 Sv of baroclinic transport through the deepest part of Fawn Trough (relative to the bottom). As the section was terminated midway through the trough this estimate is very likely to be a lower bound for the total transport. We demonstrate that the SPF contributes to the Fawn Trough Current identified by previous studies. After exiting the Fawn Trough, the SPF crossed Chun Spur and continued as a strong north-westward flowing jet along the eastern flank of the Kerguelen Plateau before turning offshore between 50°S and 51.5°S. Measured bottom water temperatures suggest a deep water connection between the northern and southern parts of the eastern Kerguelen Plateau indicating that the deep western boundary current continues at least as far north as 50.5°S. Analysis of satellite altimetry derived SSH streamlines demonstrates a southward shift of both the northern and southern branches of the Polar Front from 1994 to 2004. In the direct vicinity of the Heard and McDonald islands, cool waters of southern origin flow along the Heard Island slope and through the Eastern Trough bringing cold Winter Water (WW) onto the plateau. Complex topography funnels flow through canyons, deepens the mixed layer and increases productivity, resulting in this area being the preferred foraging region for a number of satellite-tracked land-based predators.

Examining spatiotemporal distribution and CPUE-environment relationships for the jumbo flying squid Dosidicus gigas offshore Peru based on spatial autoregressive model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yongjiu; Chen, Xinjun; Liu, Yang

2017-09-01

The spatiotemporal distribution and relationship between nominal catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) and environment for the jumbo flying squid (Dosidicus gigas) were examined in offshore Peruvian waters during 2009-2013. Three typical oceanographic factors affecting the squid habitat were investigated in this research, including sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface salinity (SSS) and sea surface height (SSH). We studied the CPUE-environment relationships for D. gigas using a spatially-lagged version of spatial autoregressive (SAR) model and a generalized additive model (GAM), with the latter for auxiliary and comparative purposes. The annual fishery centroids were distributed broadly in an area bounded by 79.5°-82.7°W and 11.9°-17.1°S, while the monthly fishery centroids were spatially close and lay in a smaller area bounded by 81.0°-81.2°W and 14.3°-15.4°S. Our results show that the preferred environmental ranges for D. gigas offshore Peru were 20.9°-21.9°C for SST, 35.16-35.32 for SSS and 27.2-31.5 cm for SSH in the areas bounded by 78°-80°W/82-84°W and 15°-18°S. Monthly spatial distributions during October to December were predicted using the calibrated GAM and SAR models and general similarities were found between the observed and predicted patterns for the nominal CPUE of D. gigas. The overall accuracies for the hotspots generated by the SAR model were much higher than those produced by the GAM model for all three months. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the spatiotemporal distributions of D. gigas offshore Peru, and offer a new SAR modeling method for advancing fishery science.

Observational evidence of seasonality in the timing of loop current eddy separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, Cody A.; Leben, Robert R.

2016-12-01

Observational datasets, reports and analyses over the time period from 1978 through 1992 are reviewed to derive pre-altimetry Loop Current (LC) eddy separation dates. The reanalysis identified 20 separation events in the 15-year record. Separation dates are estimated to be accurate to approximately ± 1.5 months and sufficient to detect statistically significant LC eddy separation seasonality, which was not the case for previously published records because of the misidentification of separation events and their timing. The reanalysis indicates that previously reported LC eddy separation dates, determined for the time period before the advent of continuous altimetric monitoring in the early 1990s, are inaccurate because of extensive reliance on satellite sea surface temperature (SST) imagery. Automated LC tracking techniques are used to derive LC eddy separation dates in three different altimetry-based sea surface height (SSH) datasets over the time period from 1993 through 2012. A total of 28-30 LC eddy separation events were identified in the 20-year record. Variations in the number and dates of eddy separation events are attributed to the different mean sea surfaces and objective-analysis smoothing procedures used to produce the SSH datasets. Significance tests on various altimetry and pre-altimetry/altimetry combined date lists consistently show that the seasonal distribution of separation events is not uniform at the 95% confidence level. Randomization tests further show that the seasonal peak in LC eddy separation events in August and September is highly unlikely to have occurred by chance. The other seasonal peak in February and March is less significant, but possibly indicates two seasons of enhanced probability of eddy separation centered near the spring and fall equinoxes. This is further quantified by objectively dividing the seasonal distribution into two seasons using circular statistical techniques and a k-means clustering algorithm. The estimated spring and fall centers are March 2nd and August 23rd, respectively, with season boundaries in May and December.

Exploring image data assimilation in the prospect of high-resolution satellite data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verron, J. A.; Duran, M.; Gaultier, L.; Brankart, J. M.; Brasseur, P.

2016-02-01

Many recent works show the key importance of studying the ocean at fine scales including the meso- and submesoscales. Satellite observations such as ocean color data provide informations on a wide range of scales but do not directly provide information on ocean dynamics. Satellite altimetry provide informations on the ocean dynamic topography (SSH) but so far with a limited resolution in space and even more, in time. However, in the near future, high-resolution SSH data (e.g. SWOT) will give a vision of the dynamic topography at such fine space resolution. This raises some challenging issues for data assimilation in physical oceanography: develop reliable methodology to assimilate high resolution data, make integrated use of various data sets including biogeochemical data, and even more simply, solve the challenge of handling large amont of data and huge state vectors. In this work, we propose to consider structured information rather than pointwise data. First, we take an image data assimilation approach in studying the feasibility of inverting tracer observations from Sea Surface Temperature and/or Ocean Color datasets, to improve the description of mesoscale dynamics provided by altimetric observations. Finite Size Lyapunov Exponents are used as an image proxy. The inverse problem is formulated in a Bayesian framework and expressed in terms of a cost function measuring the misfits between the two images. Second, we explore the inversion of SWOT-like high resolution SSH data and more especially the various possible proxies of the actual SSH that could be used to control the ocean circulation at various scales. One focus is made on controlling the subsurface ocean from surface only data. A key point lies in the errors and uncertainties that are associated to SWOT data.

Impact of salt exposure on N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase (arylsulfatase B) activity, glycosaminoglycans, kininogen, and bradykinin

PubMed Central

Kotlo, Kumar; Bhattacharyya, Sumit; Yang, Bo; Feferman, Leonid; Tejaskumar, Shah; Linhardt, Robert; Danziger, Robert

2013-01-01

N -acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase (Arylsulfatase B; ARSB) is the enzyme that removes sulfate groups from the N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfate residue at the non-reducing end of chondroitin-4-sulfate (C4S) and dermatan sulfate (DS). Previous studies demonstrated reduction in cell-bound high molecular weight kininogen in normal rat kidney (NRK) epithelial cells when chondroitin-4-sulfate content was reduced following overexpression of ARSB activity, and chondroitinase ABC produced similar decline in cell-bound kininogen. Reduction in the cell-bound kininogen was associated with increase in secreted bradykinin. In this report, we extend the in vitro findings to in vivo models, and present findings in Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats exposed to high (SSH) and low salt (SSL) diets. In the renal tissue of the SSH rats, ARSB activity was significantly less than in the SSL rats, and chondroitin-4-sulfate and total sulfated glycosaminoglycan content were significantly greater. Disaccharide analysis confirmed marked increase in C4S disaccharides in the renal tissue of the SSH rats. In contrast, unsulfated, hyaluronan-derived disaccharides were increased in the rats on the low salt diet. In the SSH rats, with lower ARSB activity and higher C4S levels, cell-bound, high-molecular weight kininogen was greater and urinary bradykinin was lower. ARSB activity in renal tissue and NRK cells declined when exogenous chloride concentration was increased in vitro. The impact of high chloride exposure in vivo on ARSB, chondroitin-4-sulfation, and C4S-kininogen binding provides a mechanism that links dietary salt intake with bradykinin secretion and may be a factor in blood pressure regulation. PMID:23385884

Repeated psychological stress-induced alterations of visceral sensitivity and colonic motor functions in mice: Influence of surgery and postoperative single housing on visceromotor responses

PubMed Central

Larauche, Muriel; Gourcerol, Guillaume; Million, Mulugeta; Adelson, David W.; Taché, Yvette

2012-01-01

Visceral pain modulation by chronic stress in mice has been little studied. Electromyography (EMG) recording of abdominal muscle contractions, as a proxy to the visceromotor response (VMR), requires electrode implantation and post-surgical single housing (SH) which could affect the VMR to stress. To test this hypothesis, male mice had electrode implantation surgery (S) plus SH, or no surgery and were group housed (NS-GH) or single housed (NS-SH) and exposed to either water avoidance stress (WAS, 1 h/day) or left undisturbed in their home cages for 10 days. The VMR to phasic ascending colorectal distension (CRD) was assessed before (basal) and 24 h after 10 days of WAS or no stress using a surgery-free method of intraluminal colonic pressure (ICP) recording (solid-state manometry). WAS heightened significantly the VMR to CRD at 30, 45, and 60 mmHg in S-SH vs. NS-GH, but not compared to NS-SH conscious mice. Compared to basal CRD, WAS increased VMR at 60 mmHg in the S-SH group and decreased it at 30–60 mmHg in NS-GH mice, while having no effect in NS-SH mice. The average defecation during the hour of repeated WAS over 10 days was 1.9 and 2.4 fold greater in S-SH vs. NS-GH and NS-SH mice, respectively. These data indicate that the combination of S-SH required for VMR monitoring with EMG is an important component of repeated WAS-induced post-stress visceral hypersensitivity and defecation in mice. PMID:20536336

Impact of salt exposure on N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase (arylsulfatase B) activity, glycosaminoglycans, kininogen, and bradykinin.

PubMed

Kotlo, Kumar; Bhattacharyya, Sumit; Yang, Bo; Feferman, Leonid; Tejaskumar, Shah; Linhardt, Robert; Danziger, Robert; Tobacman, Joanne K

2013-10-01

N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase (Arylsulfatase B; ARSB) is the enzyme that removes sulfate groups from the N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfate residue at the non-reducing end of chondroitin-4-sulfate (C4S) and dermatan sulfate (DS). Previous studies demonstrated reduction in cell-bound high molecular weight kininogen in normal rat kidney (NRK) epithelial cells when chondroitin-4-sulfate content was reduced following overexpression of ARSB activity, and chondroitinase ABC produced similar decline in cell-bound kininogen. Reduction in the cell-bound kininogen was associated with increase in secreted bradykinin. In this report, we extend the in vitro findings to in vivo models, and present findings in Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats exposed to high (SSH) and low salt (SSL) diets. In the renal tissue of the SSH rats, ARSB activity was significantly less than in the SSL rats, and chondroitin-4-sulfate and total sulfated glycosaminoglycan content were significantly greater. Disaccharide analysis confirmed marked increase in C4S disaccharides in the renal tissue of the SSH rats. In contrast, unsulfated, hyaluronan-derived disaccharides were increased in the rats on the low salt diet. In the SSH rats, with lower ARSB activity and higher C4S levels, cell-bound, high-molecular weight kininogen was greater and urinary bradykinin was lower. ARSB activity in renal tissue and NRK cells declined when exogenous chloride concentration was increased in vitro. The impact of high chloride exposure in vivo on ARSB, chondroitin-4-sulfation, and C4S-kininogen binding provides a mechanism that links dietary salt intake with bradykinin secretion and may be a factor in blood pressure regulation.

Quantitative trait loci affecting the 3D skull shape and size in mouse and prioritization of candidate genes in-silico

PubMed Central

Maga, A. Murat; Navarro, Nicolas; Cunningham, Michael L.; Cox, Timothy C.

2015-01-01

We describe the first application of high-resolution 3D micro-computed tomography, together with 3D landmarks and geometric morphometrics, to map QTL responsible for variation in skull shape and size using a backcross between C57BL/6J and A/J inbred strains. Using 433 animals, 53 3D landmarks, and 882 SNPs from autosomes, we identified seven QTL responsible for the skull size (SCS.qtl) and 30 QTL responsible for the skull shape (SSH.qtl). Size, sex, and direction-of-cross were all significant factors and included in the analysis as covariates. All autosomes harbored at least one SSH.qtl, sometimes up to three. Effect sizes of SSH.qtl appeared to be small, rarely exceeding 1% of the overall shape variation. However, they account for significant amount of variation in some specific directions of the shape space. Many QTL have stronger effect on the neurocranium than expected from a random vector that will parcellate uniformly across the four cranial regions. On the contrary, most of QTL have an effect on the palate weaker than expected. Combined interval length of 30 SSH.qtl was about 315 MB and contained 2476 known protein coding genes. We used a bioinformatics approach to filter these candidate genes and identified 16 high-priority candidates that are likely to play a role in the craniofacial development and disorders. Thus, coupling the QTL mapping approach in model organisms with candidate gene enrichment approaches appears to be a feasible way to identify high-priority candidates genes related to the structure or tissue of interest. PMID:25859222

Development and evaluation of height diameter at breast models for native Chinese Metasequoia.

PubMed

Liu, Mu; Feng, Zhongke; Zhang, Zhixiang; Ma, Chenghui; Wang, Mingming; Lian, Bo-Ling; Sun, Renjie; Zhang, Li

2017-01-01

Accurate tree height and diameter at breast height (dbh) are important input variables for growth and yield models. A total of 5503 Chinese Metasequoia trees were used in this study. We studied 53 fitted models, of which 7 were linear models and 46 were non-linear models. These models were divided into two groups of single models and multivariate models according to the number of independent variables. The results show that the allometry equation of tree height which has diameter at breast height as independent variable can better reflect the change of tree height; in addition the prediction accuracy of the multivariate composite models is higher than that of the single variable models. Although tree age is not the most important variable in the study of the relationship between tree height and dbh, the consideration of tree age when choosing models and parameters in model selection can make the prediction of tree height more accurate. The amount of data is also an important parameter what can improve the reliability of models. Other variables such as tree height, main dbh and altitude, etc can also affect models. In this study, the method of developing the recommended models for predicting the tree height of native Metasequoias aged 50-485 years is statistically reliable and can be used for reference in predicting the growth and production of mature native Metasequoia.

Development and evaluation of height diameter at breast models for native Chinese Metasequoia

PubMed Central

Feng, Zhongke; Zhang, Zhixiang; Ma, Chenghui; Wang, Mingming; Lian, Bo-ling; Sun, Renjie; Zhang, Li

2017-01-01

Accurate tree height and diameter at breast height (dbh) are important input variables for growth and yield models. A total of 5503 Chinese Metasequoia trees were used in this study. We studied 53 fitted models, of which 7 were linear models and 46 were non-linear models. These models were divided into two groups of single models and multivariate models according to the number of independent variables. The results show that the allometry equation of tree height which has diameter at breast height as independent variable can better reflect the change of tree height; in addition the prediction accuracy of the multivariate composite models is higher than that of the single variable models. Although tree age is not the most important variable in the study of the relationship between tree height and dbh, the consideration of tree age when choosing models and parameters in model selection can make the prediction of tree height more accurate. The amount of data is also an important parameter what can improve the reliability of models. Other variables such as tree height, main dbh and altitude, etc can also affect models. In this study, the method of developing the recommended models for predicting the tree height of native Metasequoias aged 50–485 years is statistically reliable and can be used for reference in predicting the growth and production of mature native Metasequoia. PMID:28817600

[Comparisons of different methods for virus-elimination of edible fungi].

PubMed

Zhang, Chao-hui; Liu, Ying-miao; Qi, Yuan-cheng; Gao, Yu-qian; Shen, Jin-wen; Qiu, Li-you

2010-05-01

Four dsRNA bands were extracted from Pleurotus ostreatus TD300 by the dsRNA isolation technique with sizes of 8.2 kb, 2.5 kb, 2.1 kb, and 1.1 kb, respectively. Four virus-eliminated methods, i. e. hyphal tips cut (HTC), protoplast regeneration (PR), single spore hybridization (SSH), and frozen and lyophilized (FL), were applied to prepare virus-eliminated strains, and one virus-eliminated strain was selected for each virus-elimination method. The virus-eliminated strains were named as HTC8, PR15, FL01, and SSH11, respectively. There were low concentration of 8.2 kb dsRNA remained in HTC8, as well as low concentration of 8.2 kb and 2.5 kb dsRNA remained in FL01. However, no dsRNA remained in PR15 and SSH11. The hyphal growth rate and laccase activity of the virus-eliminated strains increased, especially HTC8 and PR15, whose hyphal growth rate was higher by 22.73% and 18.18%, and laccase activities higher by 145.83% and 134.38% than that of the original strain, respectively. The conclusion is that hyphal tips cut and protoplast regeneration are suitable to prepare virus-eliminated strains of edible fungi.

Identification of sennoside A as a novel inhibitor of the slingshot (SSH) family proteins related to cancer metastasis.

PubMed

Lee, Seon Young; Kim, Wooil; Lee, Young Geun; Kang, Hyo Jin; Lee, Sang-Hyun; Park, Sun Young; Min, Jeong-Ki; Lee, Sang-Rae; Chung, Sang J

2017-05-01

Phospho-cofilin (p-cofilin), which has a phosphate group on Ser-3, is involved in actin polymerization. Its dephosphorylated form promotes filopodia formation and cell migration by enhancing actin depolymerization. Protein phosphatase slingshot homologs (SSHs), known as dual-specificity phosphatases, catalyze hydrolytic removal of the Ser-3 phosphate group from phospho-cofilin. Aberrant SSH activity results in cancer metastasis, implicating SSHs as potential therapeutic targets for cancer metastasis. In this study, we screened 658 natural products purified from traditional oriental medicinal plants to identify three potent SSH inhibitors with submicromolar or single-digit micromolar K i values: gossypol, hypericin, and sennoside A. The three compounds were purified from cottonseed, Saint John's wort, and rhubarb, respectively. Sennoside A markedly increased cofilin phosphorylation in pancreatic cancer cells, leading to impaired actin dynamics in pancreatic cancer cells with or without EGF stimulation and reduced motility and invasiveness in vitro and in vivo. Collaboratively, these results demonstrate that sennoside A is a novel inhibitor of SSHs and suggest that it may be valuable in the development of pharmaceutical drugs for treating cancer metastasis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient ensemble system based on the copper binding motif for highly sensitive and selective detection of cyanide ions in 100% aqueous solutions by fluorescent and colorimetric changes.

PubMed

Jung, Kwan Ho; Lee, Keun-Hyeung

2015-09-15

A peptide-based ensemble for the detection of cyanide ions in 100% aqueous solutions was designed on the basis of the copper binding motif. 7-Nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole-labeled tripeptide (NBD-SSH, NBD-SerSerHis) formed the ensemble with Cu(2+), leading to a change in the color of the solution from yellow to orange and a complete decrease of fluorescence emission. The ensemble (NBD-SSH-Cu(2+)) sensitively and selectively detected a low concentration of cyanide ions in 100% aqueous solutions by a colorimetric change as well as a fluorescent change. The addition of cyanide ions instantly removed Cu(2+) from the ensemble (NBD-SSH-Cu(2+)) in 100% aqueous solutions, resulting in a color change of the solution from orange to yellow and a "turn-on" fluorescent response. The detection limits for cyanide ions were lower than the maximum allowable level of cyanide ions in drinking water set by the World Health Organization. The peptide-based ensemble system is expected to be a potential and practical way for the detection of submicromolar concentrations of cyanide ions in 100% aqueous solutions.

PyPele Rewritten To Use MPI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hockney, George; Lee, Seungwon

2008-01-01

A computer program known as PyPele, originally written as a Pythonlanguage extension module of a C++ language program, has been rewritten in pure Python language. The original version of PyPele dispatches and coordinates parallel-processing tasks on cluster computers and provides a conceptual framework for spacecraft-mission- design and -analysis software tools to run in an embarrassingly parallel mode. The original version of PyPele uses SSH (Secure Shell a set of standards and an associated network protocol for establishing a secure channel between a local and a remote computer) to coordinate parallel processing. Instead of SSH, the present Python version of PyPele uses Message Passing Interface (MPI) [an unofficial de-facto standard language-independent application programming interface for message- passing on a parallel computer] while keeping the same user interface. The use of MPI instead of SSH and the preservation of the original PyPele user interface make it possible for parallel application programs written previously for the original version of PyPele to run on MPI-based cluster computers. As a result, engineers using the previously written application programs can take advantage of embarrassing parallelism without need to rewrite those programs.

Isolation, identification and expression analysis of salt-induced genes in Suaeda maritima, a natural halophyte, using PCR-based suppression subtractive hybridization

PubMed Central

Sahu, Binod B; Shaw, Birendra P

2009-01-01

Background Despite wealth of information generated on salt tolerance mechanism, its basics still remain elusive. Thus, there is a need of continued effort to understand the salt tolerance mechanism using suitable biotechnological techniques and test plants (species) to enable development of salt tolerant cultivars of interest. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to generate information on salt stress responsive genes in a natural halophyte, Suaeda maritima, using PCR-based suppression subtractive hybridization (PCR-SSH) technique. Results Forward and reverse SSH cDNA libraries were constructed after exposing the young plants to 425 mM NaCl for 24 h. From the forward SSH cDNA library, 429 high quality ESTs were obtained. BLASTX search and TIGR assembler programme revealed overexpression of 167 unigenes comprising 89 singletons and 78 contigs with ESTs redundancy of 81.8%. Among the unigenes, 32.5% were found to be of special interest, indicating novel function of these genes with regard to salt tolerance. Literature search for the known unigenes revealed that only 17 of them were salt-inducible. A comparative analysis of the existing SSH cDNA libraries for NaCl stress in plants showed that only a few overexpressing unigenes were common in them. Moreover, the present study also showed increased expression of phosphoethanolamine N-methyltransferase gene, indicating the possible accumulation of a much studied osmoticum, glycinebetaine, in halophyte under salt stress. Functional categorization of the proteins as per the Munich database in general revealed that salt tolerance could be largely determined by the proteins involved in transcription, signal transduction, protein activity regulation and cell differentiation and organogenesis. Conclusion The study provided a clear indication of possible vital role of glycinebetaine in the salt tolerance process in S. maritima. However, the salt-induced expression of a large number of genes involved in a wide range of cellular functions was indicative of highly complex nature of the process as such. Most of the salt inducible genes, nonetheless, appeared to be species-specific. In light of the observations made, it is reasonable to emphasize that a comparative analysis of ESTs from SSH cDNA libraries generated systematically for a few halophytes with varying salt exposure time may clearly identify the key salt tolerance determinant genes to a minimum number, highly desirable for any genetic manipulation adventure. PMID:19497134

Ethnicity and parental report of postoperative behavioral changes in children.

PubMed

Fortier, Michelle A; Tan, Edwin T; Mayes, Linda C; Wahi, Aditi; Rosenbaum, Abraham; Strom, Suzanne; Santistevan, Ricci; Kain, Zeev N

2013-05-01

To examine the role of ethnicity and language in parent report of children's postoperative behavioral recovery. To compare incidence of new onset negative behavior change in English- and Spanish-speaking White and Hispanic children following outpatient surgery. Postoperative behavioral change in children is common; however, it is unknown whether cultural variables including ethnicity and language may influence parent report of children's behavioral recovery. Participants included 288 parents (English-speaking White, English-speaking Hispanic, Spanish-speaking Hispanic parents) of children undergoing outpatient elective surgery. Parents completed the post-hospitalization behavior questionnaire (PHBQ) and parents' postoperative pain measure (PPPM) on postoperative days one, three, and seven at home. Most parents (83%) reported onset of new negative behavioral change in children postoperatively. Generalized estimating equations revealed significant group differences in overall behavior change [Wald χ(2)(12) = 375.69, P < 0.0001] after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic differences. At all three postoperative days, Spanish-speaking Hispanic (SSH) parents reported lower negative behavioral changes in their children compared to English-speaking White (ESW) parents (day 1: P < 0.01; day 3: P < 0.001; day 7: P < 0.10). On postoperative days one and three, SSH parents also reported lower total PHBQ scores than English-speaking Hispanic (ESH) parents [day 1: χ(2)(1) = 6.72, P = 0.01; day 3: χ(2)(1) = 7.98, P = 0.005]. The present study provides evidence that parent report of children's postoperative behavioral recovery may be influenced by cultural variables, such as ethnicity and language. The present results contribute to a growing body of evidence that highlights the need for culturally sensitive assessment and care of families in the medical setting. The findings may reflect differences in cultural values such as stoicism; however, future studies would benefit from examination of the factors that may account for the differences in reported behavior change after surgery (i.e., report bias, cultural values). © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Eddy forced variations in on- and off-margin summertime circulation along the 1000-m isobath of the northern Gulf of Mexico, 2000-2003, and links with sperm whale distributions along the middle slope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biggs, Douglas C.; Jochens, Ann E.; Howard, Matthew K.; DiMarco, Steven F.; Mullin, Keith D.; Leben, Robert R.; Muller-Karger, Frank E.; Hu, Chuanmin

In summers 2000-2003, NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter and TAMU R/V Gyre dropped XBTs and logged ADCP data while carrying out visual and passive-acoustic surveys for sperm whales along the 1000-m isobath of the northern Gulf of Mexico. The ships also made CTD casts, particularly when/where the XBT and ADCP data indicated the ships were passing into or out of anticyclonic and/or cyclonic slope eddies. The fine-scale resolution of the ship surveys, when combined with the meso-scale resolution of remote sensing surveys of sea surface height and ocean color, document the summer-to-summer variability in the intensity and geographic location of Loop Current eddies, warm slope eddies, and areas of cyclonic circulation over this middle slope region of the northern Gulf of Mexico. These variations forced striking year-to-year differences in the locations along the 1000-m isobath where there was on-margin and off-margin flow, and in locations where sperm whales were encountered along the 1000-m isobath. For example, when there was on-margin flow into the Mississippi Canyon region in early summer 2003, sperm whales were very rarely seen or heard there. In contrast, later that summer and during other summers when flow was along-margin or off-margin there, sperm whales were locally abundant. In this report we describe how eddy-forced variations in on-margin and off-margin flow changed the meso-scale circulation along the 1000-m isobath, and we show that most sperm whales were encountered in regions of negative SSH and/or higher-than-average surface chlorophyll.

Research on ionospheric tomography based on variable pixel height

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Dunyong; Li, Peiqing; He, Jie; Hu, Wusheng; Li, Chaokui

2016-05-01

A novel ionospheric tomography technique based on variable pixel height was developed for the tomographic reconstruction of the ionospheric electron density distribution. The method considers the height of each pixel as an unknown variable, which is retrieved during the inversion process together with the electron density values. In contrast to conventional computerized ionospheric tomography (CIT), which parameterizes the model with a fixed pixel height, the variable-pixel-height computerized ionospheric tomography (VHCIT) model applies a disturbance to the height of each pixel. In comparison with conventional CIT models, the VHCIT technique achieved superior results in a numerical simulation. A careful validation of the reliability and superiority of VHCIT was performed. According to the results of the statistical analysis of the average root mean square errors, the proposed model offers an improvement by 15% compared with conventional CIT models.

KSC-04PD-2216

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. This panel comprising former and current Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) management talk about identifying and comparing safety challenges of the past, present and future during Spaceport Super Safety and Health Day (SS&H) at KSC. Larry Crawford, left, is director of S&MA. SS&H Day included guest speakers Dr. Pamela Peeke, Navy Com. Stephen E. Iwanowicz, NASAs Dr. Kristine Calderon and Olympic-great Bruce Jenner. In addition, many vendors exhibits were on display for employees. Super Safety and Health Day was initiated at KSC in 1998 to increase awareness of the importance of safety and health among the government and contractor workforce. The theme for this years event was Safety and Health: A Winning Combination.

Pyrolysis of sunflower seed hulls for obtaining bio-oils.

PubMed

Casoni, Andrés I; Bidegain, Maximiliano; Cubitto, María A; Curvetto, Nestor; Volpe, María A

2015-02-01

Bio-oils from pyrolysis of as received sunflower seed hulls (SSH), hulls previously washed with acid (SSHA) and hulls submitted to a mushroom enzymatic attack (BSSH) were analyzed. The concentration of lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose varied with the pre-treatment. The liquid corresponding to SSH presented a relatively high concentration of acetic acid and a high instability to storage. The bio-oil from SSHA showed a high concentration of furfural and an appreciable amount of levoglucosenone. Lignin was degraded upon enzymatic activity, for this reason BSSH led to the highest yield of bio-oil, with relative high concentration of acetic acid and stability to storage. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Remote observing with NASA's Deep Space Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuiper, T. B. H.; Majid, W. A.; Martinez, S.; Garcia-Miro, C.; Rizzo, J. R.

2012-09-01

The Deep Space Network (DSN) communicates with spacecraft as far away as the boundary between the Solar System and the interstellar medium. To make this possible, large sensitive antennas at Canberra, Australia, Goldstone, California, and Madrid, Spain, provide for constant communication with interplanetary missions. We describe the procedures for radioastronomical observations using this network. Remote access to science monitor and control computers by authorized observers is provided by two-factor authentication through a gateway at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena. To make such observations practical, we have devised schemes based on SSH tunnels and distributed computing. At the very minimum, one can use SSH tunnels and VNC (Virtual Network Computing, a remote desktop software suite) to control the science hosts within the DSN Flight Operations network. In this way we have controlled up to three telescopes simultaneously. However, X-window updates can be slow and there are issues involving incompatible screen sizes and multi-screen displays. Consequently, we are now developing SSH tunnel-based schemes in which instrument control and monitoring, and intense data processing, are done on-site by the remote DSN hosts while data manipulation and graphical display are done at the observer's host. We describe our approaches to various challenges, our experience with what worked well and lessons learned, and directions for future development.

The mining of pearl formation genes in pearl oyster Pinctada fucata by cDNA suppression subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Wang, Ning; Kinoshita, Shigeharu; Nomura, Naoko; Riho, Chihiro; Maeyama, Kaoru; Nagai, Kiyohito; Watabe, Shugo

2012-04-01

Recent researches revealed the regional preference of biomineralization gene transcription in the pearl oyster Pinctada fucata: it transcribed mainly the genes responsible for nacre secretion in mantle pallial, whereas the ones regulating calcite shells expressed in mantle edge. This study took use of this character and constructed the forward and reverse suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA libraries. A total of 669 cDNA clones were sequenced and 360 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) greater than 100 bp were generated. Functional annotation associated 95 ESTs with specific functions, and 79 among them were identified from P. fucata at the first time. In the forward SSH cDNA library, it recognized mass amount of nacre protein genes, biomineralization genes dominantly expressed in the mantle pallial, calcium-ion-binding genes, and other biomineralization-related genes important for pearl formation. Real-time PCR showed that all the examined genes were distributed in oyster mantle tissues with a consistence to the SSH design. The detection of their RNA transcripts in pearl sac confirmed that the identified genes were certainly involved in pearl formation. Therefore, the data from this work will initiate a new round of pearl formation gene study and shed new insights into molluscan biomineralization.

Biological Hydropersulfides and Related Polysulfides: A New Concept and Perspective in Redox Biology.

PubMed

Fukuto, Jon M; Ignarro, Louis J; Nagy, Peter; Wink, David A; Kevil, Christopher G; Feelisch, Martin; Cortese-Krott, Miriam M; Bianco, Christopher L; Kumagai, Yoshito; Hobbs, Adrian J; Lin, Joseph; Ida, Tomoaki; Akaike, Takaaki

2018-05-12

The chemical biology of thiols (RSH, e.g., cysteine and cysteine containing proteins/peptides) has been a topic of extreme interest for many decades due to their reported roles in protein structure/folding, redox signaling, metal ligation, cellular protection and enzymology. While many of the studies on thiol/sulfur biochemistry have focused on thiols, relatively ignored have been hydropersulfides (RSSH) and higher order polysulfur species (RSS n H, RSS n R, n > 1). Recent and provocative work has alluded to the prevalence and likely physiological importance of RSSH and related RSS n H. RSSH of cysteine (Cys-SSH) has been found to be prevalent in mammalian systems along with Cys-SSH-containing proteins. The RSSH functionality has not been examined to the extent of other biologically relevant sulfur derivatives (e.g., sulfenic acids, disulfides, etc.), whose roles in cell signaling are strongly indicated. The recent finding of Cys-SSH biosynthesis and translational incorporation into proteins is an unequivocal indication of its fundamental importance and necessitates a more profound look into the physiology of RSSH. In this Review, we discuss the currently reported chemical biology of RSSH (and related species) as a prelude to discussing their possible physiological roles. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Gene-expression profiling using suppression-subtractive hybridization and cDNA microarray in rat mononuclear cells in response to welding-fume exposure.

PubMed

Rim, Kyung Taek; Park, Kun Koo; Sung, Jae Hyuck; Chung, Yong Hyun; Han, Jeong Hee; Cho, Key Seung; Kim, Kwang Jong; Yu, Il Je

2004-06-01

Welders with radiographic pneumoconiosis abnormalities have shown a gradual clearing of the X-ray identified effects following removal from exposure. In some cases, the pulmonary fibrosis associated with welding fumes appears in a more severe form in welders. Accordingly, for the early detection of welding-fume-exposure-induced pulmonary fibrosis, the gene expression profiles of peripheral mononuclear cells from rats exposed to welding fumes were studied using suppression-subtractive hybridization (SSH) and a cDNA microarray. As such, Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to a stainless steel arc welding fume for 2 h/day in an inhalation chamber with a 1107.5 +/- 2.6 mg/m3 concentration of total suspended particulate (TSP) for 30 days. Thereafter, the total RNA was extracted from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells, the cDNA synthesized from the total RNA using the SMART PCR cDNA method, and SSH performed to select the welding-fume-exposure-regulated genes. The cDNAs identified by the SSH were then cloned into a plasmid miniprep, sequenced and the sequences analysed using the NCBI BLAST programme. In the SSH cloned cDNA microarray analysis, five genes were found to increase their expression by 1.9-fold or more, including Rgs 14, which plays an important function in cellular signal transduction pathways; meanwhile 36 genes remained the same and 30 genes decreased their expression by more than 59%, including genes associated with the immune response, transcription factors and tyrosine kinases. Among the 5200 genes analysed, 256 genes (5.1%) were found to increase their gene expression, while 742 genes (15%) decreased their gene expression in response to the welding-fume exposure when tested using a commercial 5.0k DNA microarray. Therefore, unlike exposure to other toxic substances, prolonged welding-fume exposure was found to substantially downregulate many genes.

The Neurobiological Mechanism of Chemical Aversion (Emetic) Therapy for Alcohol Use Disorder: An fMRI Study

PubMed Central

Elkins, Ralph L.; Richards, Todd L.; Nielsen, Robert; Repass, Richard; Stahlbrandt, Henriettae; Hoffman, Hunter G.

2017-01-01

A recent NIH epidemiology study found the lifetime prevalence of alcohol use disorder in the United States to be 29%. Alcohol drinking behavior is strongly “learned” via pleasure center activation/reinforcement. Alcohol craving is a powerful desire to drink alcoholic beverages. Craving was added as one of the defining criteria for alcohol use disorder in DSM5, and craving reduction is becoming an increasingly important treatment goal. In the current study, patients with alcohol use disorder received 10 days of inpatient multi-modal treatments at Schick Shadel Hospital (SSH) of Seattle. The treatments included five chemical aversion conditioning sessions that associated alcohol cues (and alcohol) with nausea and emesis. All patients met DSM4 criteria for alcohol use disorder, were heavy drinkers, and reported craving alcohol pre-treatment. Craving reduction was one of the primary treatment goals. This is the first fMRI study to measure the effects of chemical aversion therapy on alcohol craving-related brain activity. Patients were recruited as subjects for the University of Washington (UW) brain scan study following SSH admission but before treatment onset. Prior to treatment, patients reported craving/desire for alcohol. After treatment (after four SSH chemical aversion treatments, again after five SSH chemical treatments, 30 and 90-days post-discharge), these same patients reported avoidance/aversion to alcohol. Most of the participants (69%) reported being still sober 12 months post-treatment. Consistent with a craving reduction mechanism of how chemical aversion therapy facilitates sobriety, results of the UW fMRI brain scans showed significant pre- to post-treatment reductions in craving-related brain activity in the occipital cortex. Additional fMRI brain scan studies are needed to further explore the neurobiological mechanism of chemical aversion therapy treatment for alcohol use disorder, and other substance use disorders for which chemical aversion therapy is used (e.g., opioid dependence and cocaine dependence). Substance use disorders are estimated to affect well over one billion people worldwide. PMID:29033802

The treatment of parental height as a biological factor in studies of birth weight and childhood growth

PubMed Central

Spencer, N; Logan, S

2002-01-01

Parental height is frequently treated as a biological variable in studies of birth weight and childhood growth. Elimination of social variables from multivariate models including parental height as a biological variable leads researchers to conclude that social factors have no independent effect on the outcome. This paper challenges the treatment of parental height as a biological variable, drawing on extensive evidence for the determination of adult height through a complex interaction of genetic and social factors. The paper firstly seeks to establish the importance of social factors in the determination of height. The methodological problems associated with treatment of parental height as a purely biological variable are then discussed, illustrated by data from published studies and by analysis of data from the 1958 National Childhood Development Study (NCDS). The paper concludes that a framework for studying pathways to pregnancy and childhood outcomes needs to take account of the complexity of the relation between genetic and social factors and be able to account for the effects of multiple risk factors acting cumulatively across time and across generations. Illustrations of these approaches are given using NCDS data. PMID:12193422

Variation of facial features among three African populations: Body height match analyses.

PubMed

Taura, M G; Adamu, L H; Gudaji, A

2017-01-01

Body height is one of the variables that show a correlation with facial craniometry. Here we seek to discriminate the three populations (Nigerians, Ugandans and Kenyans) using facial craniometry based on different categories of body height of adult males. A total of 513 individuals comprising 234 Nigerians, 169 Ugandans and 110 Kenyans with mean age of 25.27, s=5.13 (18-40 years) participated. Paired and unpaired facial features were measured using direct craniometry. Multivariate and stepwise discriminate function analyses were used for differentiation of the three populations. The result showed significant overall facial differences among the three populations in all the body height categories. Skull height, total facial height, outer canthal distance, exophthalmometry, right ear width and nasal length were significantly different among the three different populations irrespective of body height categories. Other variables were sensitive to body height. Stepwise discriminant function analyses included maximum of six variables for better discrimination between the three populations. The single best discriminator of the groups was total facial height, however, for body height >1.70m the single best discriminator was nasal length. Most of the variables were better used with function 1, hence, better discrimination than function 2. In conclusion, adult body height in addition to other factors such as age, sex, and ethnicity should be considered in making decision on facial craniometry. However, not all the facial linear dimensions were sensitive to body height. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Observed seasonal and interannual variability of the near-surface thermal structure of the Arabian Sea Warm Pool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, R. R.; Ramakrishna, S. S. V. S.

2017-06-01

The observed seasonal and interannual variability of near-surface thermal structure of the Arabian Sea Warm Pool (ASWP) is examined utilizing a reanalysis data set for the period 1990-2008. During a year, the ASWP progressively builds from February, reaches its peak by May only in the topmost 60 m water column. The ASWP Index showed a strong seasonal cycle with distinct interannual signatures. The years with higher (lower) sea surface temperature (SST) and larger (smaller) spatial extent are termed as strong (weak) ASWP years. The differences in the magnitude and spatial extent of thermal structure between the strong and weak ASWP regimes are seen more prominently in the topmost 40 m water column. The heat content values with respect to 28 °C isotherm (HC28) are relatively higher (lower) during strong (weak) ASWP years. Even the secondary peak in HC28 seen during the preceding November-December showed higher (lower) magnitude during the strong ASWP (weak) years. The influence of the observed variability in the surface wind field, surface net air-sea heat flux, near-surface mixed layer thickness, sea surface height (SSH) anomaly, depth of 20 °C isotherm and barrier layer thickness is examined to explain the observed differences in the near-surface thermal structure of the ASWP between strong and weak regimes. The surface wind speed is much weaker in particular during the preceding October and February-March corresponding to the strong ASWP years when compared to those of the weak ASWP years implying its important role. Both stronger winter cooling during weak ASWP years and stronger pre-monsoon heating during strong ASWP years through the surface air-sea heat fluxes contribute to the observed sharp contrast in the magnitudes of both the regimes of the ASWP. The upwelling Rossby wave during the preceding summer monsoon, post-monsoon and winter seasons is stronger corresponding to the weak ASWP regime when compared to the strong ASWP regime resulting in greater cooling of the near-surface layers during the summer monsoon season of the preceding year. On the other hand, the downwelling Rossby wave is stronger during pre-monsoon months during the strong ASWP regime when compared to weak ASWP regime leading to lesser cooling during strong ASWP regime.

Improving the Accuracy of Coastal Sea Surface Heights by Retracking Decontaminated Radar Altimetry Waveforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Zhengkai; Wang, Haihong; Luo, Zhicai

2017-04-01

Due to the complex coastal topography and energetic ocean dynamics effect, the return echoes are contaminated while the satellite footprint approaches or leaves the coastline. Specular peaks are often induced in the trailing edges of contaminated waveforms, thus leading the error in the determination of the leading edge and associated track offset in the waveform retracking process. We propose an improved algorithm base on Tseng's modification method to decontaminated coastal (0-7 km from coastline) waveforms, thus improving both the utilization and precision of coastal sea surface height (SSH). Using the Envisat/Jason-2 SGDR data, the shortcoming of Tseng's method is pointed out and the novel algorithm is proposed by revising the strategy of selecting reference waveform and determining weight for removing outlier. The reference waveform of the decontaminated technology is closer to the real waveform of the offshore area, which avoids the over-modification problem of Tseng method. The sea-level measurements from tide gauge station and geoid height from EGM2008 model were used to validate the retracking strategy. Experimental results show that decontaminated waveform was more suitable than original and Tseng modified waveform and has uniform performance in both compare to the tide gauge and geoid. The retrieved altimetry data in the 0-1km and 1-7km coastal zone indicate that threshold retracker with decontaminated waveform have STD of 73.8cm and 33cm as compared with in situ gauge data,which correspond to 62.1% and 58% in precession compared to the unretracked altimetry measurements. The retracked SSHs are better in two coastal (0-1 km and 1-7km) zones, which have STD of 11.9cm and 22.7cm as compared with geoid height. Furthermore, the comparisons shows that the precision of decontaminated technology improve 0.3cm and 3.3cm than the best result of PISTACH product in coastal sea. This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41174020, 41174021, 41131067) and the open fund of Guangxi Key Laboratory of Spatial Information and Geometrics (Grant No. 15-140-07-26). Index Terms: retracking, Envisat, Jason-2, Coastal sea, decontamination.

Docker Container Manager: A Simple Toolkit for Isolated Work with Shared Computational, Storage, and Network Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polyakov, S. P.; Kryukov, A. P.; Demichev, A. P.

2018-01-01

We present a simple set of command line interface tools called Docker Container Manager (DCM) that allow users to create and manage Docker containers with preconfigured SSH access while keeping the users isolated from each other and restricting their access to the Docker features that could potentially disrupt the work of the server. Users can access DCM server via SSH and are automatically redirected to DCM interface tool. From there, they can create new containers, stop, restart, pause, unpause, and remove containers and view the status of the existing containers. By default, the containers are also accessible via SSH using the same private key(s) but through different server ports. Additional publicly available ports can be mapped to the respective ports of a container, allowing for some network services to be run within it. The containers are started from read-only filesystem images. Some initial images must be provided by the DCM server administrators, and after containers are configured to meet one’s needs, the changes can be saved as new images. Users can see the available images and remove their own images. DCM server administrators are provided with commands to create and delete users. All commands were implemented as Python scripts. The tools allow to deploy and debug medium-sized distributed systems for simulation in different fields on one or several local computers.

Coil-to-coil physiological noise correlations and their impact on fMRI time-series SNR

PubMed Central

Triantafyllou, C.; Polimeni, J. R.; Keil, B.; Wald, L. L.

2017-01-01

Purpose Physiological nuisance fluctuations (“physiological noise”) are a major contribution to the time-series Signal to Noise Ratio (tSNR) of functional imaging. While thermal noise correlations between array coil elements have a well-characterized effect on the image Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR0), the element-to-element covariance matrix of the time-series fluctuations has not yet been analyzed. We examine this effect with a goal of ultimately improving the combination of multichannel array data. Theory and Methods We extend the theoretical relationship between tSNR and SNR0 to include a time-series noise covariance matrix Ψt, distinct from the thermal noise covariance matrix Ψ0, and compare its structure to Ψ0 and the signal coupling matrix SSH formed from the signal intensity vectors S. Results Inclusion of the measured time-series noise covariance matrix into the model relating tSNR and SNR0 improves the fit of experimental multichannel data and is shown to be distinct from Ψ0 or SSH. Conclusion Time-series noise covariances in array coils are found to differ from Ψ0 and more surprisingly, from the signal coupling matrix SSH. Correct characterization of the time-series noise has implications for the analysis of time-series data and for improving the coil element combination process. PMID:26756964

Development and Evaluation of Models for the Relationship between Tree Height and Diameter at Breast Height for Chinese-Fir Plantations in Subtropical China.

PubMed

Li, Yan-qiong; Deng, Xiang-wen; Huang, Zhi-hong; Xiang, Wen-hua; Yan, Wen-de; Lei, Pi-feng; Zhou, Xiao-lu; Peng, Chang-hui

2015-01-01

Tree diameter at breast height (dbh) and height are the most important variables used in forest inventory and management as well as forest carbon-stock estimation. In order to identify the key stand variables that influence the tree height-dbh relationship and to develop and validate a suit of models for predicting tree height, data from 5961 tree samples aged from 6 years to 53 years and collected from 80 Chinese-fir plantation plots were used to fit 39 models, including 33 nonlinear models and 6 linear models, were developed and evaluated into two groups. The results showed that composite models performed better in height estimate than one-independent-variable models. Nonlinear composite Model 34 and linear composite Model 6 were recommended for predicting tree height in Chinese fir plantations with a dbh range between 4 cm and 40 cm when the dbh data for each tree and the quadratic mean dbh of the stand (Dq) and mean height of the stand (Hm) were available. Moreover, Hm could be estimated by using the formula Hm = 11.707 × l n(Dq)-18.032. Clearly, Dq was the primary stand variable that influenced the height-dbh relationship. The parameters of the models varied according to stand age and site. The inappropriate application of provincial or regional height-dbh models for predicting small tree height at local scale may result in larger uncertainties. The method and the recommended models developed in this study were statistically reliable for applications in growth and yield estimation for even-aged Chinese-fir plantation in Huitong and Changsha. The models could be extended to other regions and to other tree species only after verification in subtropical China.

Development and Evaluation of Models for the Relationship between Tree Height and Diameter at Breast Height for Chinese-Fir Plantations in Subtropical China

PubMed Central

Li, Yan-qiong; Deng, Xiang-wen; Huang, Zhi-hong; Xiang, Wen-hua; Yan, Wen-de; Lei, Pi-feng; Zhou, Xiao-lu; Peng, Chang-hui

2015-01-01

Tree diameter at breast height (dbh) and height are the most important variables used in forest inventory and management as well as forest carbon-stock estimation. In order to identify the key stand variables that influence the tree height-dbh relationship and to develop and validate a suit of models for predicting tree height, data from 5961 tree samples aged from 6 years to 53 years and collected from 80 Chinese-fir plantation plots were used to fit 39 models, including 33 nonlinear models and 6 linear models, were developed and evaluated into two groups. The results showed that composite models performed better in height estimate than one-independent-variable models. Nonlinear composite Model 34 and linear composite Model 6 were recommended for predicting tree height in Chinese fir plantations with a dbh range between 4 cm and 40 cm when the dbh data for each tree and the quadratic mean dbh of the stand (Dq) and mean height of the stand (Hm) were available. Moreover, Hm could be estimated by using the formula Hm=11.707×ln(Dq)-18.032. Clearly, Dq was the primary stand variable that influenced the height-dbh relationship. The parameters of the models varied according to stand age and site. The inappropriate application of provincial or regional height-dbh models for predicting small tree height at local scale may result in larger uncertainties. The method and the recommended models developed in this study were statistically reliable for applications in growth and yield estimation for even-aged Chinese-fir plantation in Huitong and Changsha. The models could be extended to other regions and to other tree species only after verification in subtropical China. PMID:25905458

Numerical modeling of storm surges in the coast of Mozambique: the cases of tropical cyclones Bonita (1996) and Lisette (1997)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bié, Alberto José; de Camargo, Ricardo; Mavume, Alberto Francisco; Harari, Joseph

2017-11-01

The coast of Mozambique is often affected by storms, particularly tropical cyclones during summer or sometimes midlatitude systems in the southern part. Storm surges combined with high freshwater discharge can drive huge coastal floods, affecting both urban and rural areas. To improve the knowledge about the impact of storm surges in the coast of Mozambique, this study presents the first attempt to model this phenomenon through the implementation of the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) in the Southwestern Indian Ocean domain (SWIO; 2-32°S, 28-85°E) using a regular grid with 1/6° of spatial resolution and 36 sigma levels. The simulation was performed for the period 1979-2010, and the most interesting events of surges were related to tropical cyclones Bonita (1996) and Lisette (1997) that occurred in the Mozambique Channel. The results showed that the model represented well the amplitude and phase of principal lunar and solar tidal constituents, as well as it captured the spatial pattern and magnitudes of SST with slight positive bias in summer and negative bias in winter months. In terms of SSH, the model underestimated the presence of mesoscale eddies, mainly in the Mozambique Channel. Our results also showed that the atmospheric sea level pressure had a significant contribution to storm heights during the landfall of the tropical cyclones Bonita (1996) and Lisette (1997) in the coast of Mozambique contributing with about 20 and 16% of the total surge height for each case, respectively, surpassing the contribution of the tide-surge nonlinear interactions by a factor of 2.

Multi-Scale 4DVAR Assimilation of Glider Teams on the North Carolina Shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osborne, J. J. V.; Carrier, M.; Book, J. W.; Barron, C. N.; Rice, A. E.; Rowley, C. D.; Smedstad, L.; Souopgui, I.; Teague, W. J.

2017-12-01

We demonstrate a method to assimilate glider profile data from multiple gliders in close proximity ( 10 km or less). Gliders were deployed in a field experiment from 17 May until 4 June 2017, north of Cape Hatteras and inshore of the Gulf Stream. Gliders were divided into two teams, generally two or three gliders per team. One team was tasked with station keeping and the other with moving and sampling regions of high variability in temperature and salinity. Glider data are assimilated into the Relocatable Navy Coastal Ocean Model (RELO NCOM) with four dimensional variational assimilation (NCOM-4DVAR). RELO NCOM is used by the US Navy to predict the ocean. RELO NCOM is a baroclinic, Boussinesq, free-surface, and hydrostatic ocean model with a flexible sigma-z vertical coordinate. Two domains are used, one focused north and one focused south of Cape Hatteras. The domains overlap near the gliders, thus providing two forecasts near the gliders. Both domains have 1 km horizontal resolution. Data are assimilated in a newly-developed multi-scale data-processing and assimilating approach using NCOM-4DVAR. This enables NCOM-4DVAR to use many more observations than standard NCOM-4DVAR, improving the analysis and forecast. Assimilation experiments use station-keeping glider data, moving glider data, or all glider data. Sea surface temperature (SST) data and satellite altimeter (SSH) data are also assimilated. An additional experiment omits glider data but still assimilates SST and SSH data. Conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) profiles from the R/V Savannah are used for validation, including data from an underway CTD (UCTD). Data from glider teams have the potential to significantly improve model forecasts. Missions using teams of gliders can be planned to maximize data assimilation for optimal impact on model predictions.

Overview of Continuing Education Financing and Budgeting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shipp, Travis

1982-01-01

Continuing education agencies have cycles of financial activities that are all parts of financial management, including obtaining funding and venture capital, setting fees, and controlling costs for cost recovery. (Author/SSH)

Epistemology, culture, justice and power: non-bioscientific knowledge for medical training.

PubMed

Kuper, Ayelet; Veinot, Paula; Leavitt, Jennifer; Levitt, Sarah; Li, Amanda; Goguen, Jeannette; Schreiber, Martin; Richardson, Lisa; Whitehead, Cynthia R

2017-02-01

While medical curricula were traditionally almost entirely comprised of bioscientific knowledge, widely accepted competency frameworks now make clear that physicians must be competent in far more than biomedical knowledge and technical skills. For example, of the influential CanMEDS roles, six are conceptually based in the social sciences and humanities (SSH). Educators frequently express uncertainty about what to teach in this area. This study concretely identifies the knowledge beyond bioscience needed to support the training of physicians competent in the six non-Medical Expert CanMEDS roles. We interviewed 58 non-clinician university faculty members with doctorates in over 20 SSH disciplines. We abstracted our transcripts (meaning condensation, direct quotations) resulting in approximately 300 pages of data which we coded using top-down (by CanMEDS role) and bottom-up (thematically) approaches and analysed within a critical constructivist framework. Participants and clinicians with SSH PhDs member-checked and refined our results. Twelve interrelated themes were evident in the data. An understanding of epistemology, including the constructed nature of social knowledge, was seen as the foundational theme without which the others could not be taught or understood. Our findings highlighted three anchoring themes (Justice, Power, Culture), all of which link to eight more specific themes concerning future physicians' relationships to the world and the self. All 12 themes were cross-cutting, in that each related to all six non-Medical Expert CanMEDS roles. The data also provided many concrete examples of potential curricular content. There is a definable body of SSH knowledge that forms the academic underpinning for important physician competencies and is outside the experience of most medical educators. Curricular change incorporating such content is necessary if we are to strengthen the non-Medical Expert physician competencies. Our findings, particularly our cross-cutting themes, also provide a pedagogically useful mechanism for holistically teaching the underpinnings of physician competence. We are now implementing our findings into medical curricula. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

Aerodynamic Parameters of a UK City Derived from Morphological Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millward-Hopkins, J. T.; Tomlin, A. S.; Ma, L.; Ingham, D. B.; Pourkashanian, M.

2013-03-01

Detailed three-dimensional building data and a morphometric model are used to estimate the aerodynamic roughness length z 0 and displacement height d over a major UK city (Leeds). Firstly, using an adaptive grid, the city is divided into neighbourhood regions that are each of a relatively consistent geometry throughout. Secondly, for each neighbourhood, a number of geometric parameters are calculated. Finally, these are used as input into a morphometric model that considers the influence of height variability to predict aerodynamic roughness length and displacement height. Predictions are compared with estimations made using standard tables of aerodynamic parameters. The comparison suggests that the accuracy of plan-area-density based tables is likely to be limited, and that height-based tables of aerodynamic parameters may be more accurate for UK cities. The displacement heights in the standard tables are shown to be lower than the current predictions. The importance of geometric details in determining z 0 and d is then explored. Height variability is observed to greatly increase the predicted values. However, building footprint shape only has a significant influence upon the predictions when height variability is not considered. Finally, we develop simple relations to quantify the influence of height variation upon predicted z 0 and d via the standard deviation of building heights. The difference in these predictions compared to the more complex approach highlights the importance of considering the specific shape of the building-height distributions. Collectively, these results suggest that to accurately predict aerodynamic parameters of real urban areas, height variability must be considered in detail, but it may be acceptable to make simple assumptions about building layout and footprint shape.

HRD and the Steel-Collar Worker.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byham, William C.

1984-01-01

The author argues that, as robots begin to take over more and more industrial tasks, the impact on human workers at all levels will increase geometrically and trainers will play a strategic role. (SSH)

Comparative analysis of differential gene expression in kidney tissues of moribund and surviving crucian carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) in response to cyprinid herpesvirus 2 infection.

PubMed

Xu, Lijuan; Podok, Patarida; Xie, Jun; Lu, Liqun

2014-08-01

Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) has recently been associated with high mortality of cultured crucian carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) in eastern China. In this study, we established a real-time PCR method to confirm viral infection of crucian carp and to quantify CyHV-2 particles obtained by sucrose gradient centrifugation from diseased fish. Virus-free crucian carp were artificially infected with CyHV-2 using an injection method, which resulted in a dose-dependent death rate. In situ hybridization analysis indicated that there was extensive viral replication and lysis in the kidneys of moribund fish, in contrast to very limited replication in surviving fish. To probe the host immune response to viral infection at the level of gene expression, we identified virus-responsive genes using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) in head kidney tissues, the principal immune organ of fish, from moribund and surviving crucian carps after viral challenge. From the moribund SSH library, 363 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were clustered to 234 unigenes (including 15 singletons and 45 contigs). From the survivor SSH library, 599 ESTs was clustered to 549 unigenes (including 107 singletons and 105 contigs). We further analyzed the transcriptional levels of all immune-related genes by quantitative real-time RT-PCR, which confirmed the upregulation of 90.48 % of these genes. The significantly upregulated immune-related genes identified in this study can serve as candidate marker genes for acute CyHV-2 infection.

Cadmium induces cadmium-tolerant gene expression in the filamentous fungus Trichoderma harzianum.

PubMed

Cacciola, Santa O; Puglisi, Ivana; Faedda, Roberto; Sanzaro, Vincenzo; Pane, Antonella; Lo Piero, Angela R; Evoli, Maria; Petrone, Goffredo

2015-11-01

The filamentous fungus Trichoderma harzianum, strain IMI 393899, was able to grow in the presence of the heavy metals cadmium and mercury. The main objective of this research was to study the molecular mechanisms underlying the tolerance of the fungus T. harzianum to cadmium. The suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) method was used for the characterization of the genes of T. harzianum implicated in cadmium tolerance compared with those expressed in the response to the stress induced by mercury. Finally, the effects of cadmium exposure were also validated by measuring the expression levels of the putative genes coding for a glucose transporter, a plasma membrane ATPase, a Cd(2+)/Zn(2+) transporter protein and a two-component system sensor histidine kinase YcbA, by real-time-PCR. By using the aforementioned SSH strategy, it was possible to identify 108 differentially expressed genes of the strain IMI 393899 of T. harzianum grown in a mineral substrate with the addition of cadmium. The expressed sequence tags identified by SSH technique were encoding different genes that may be involved in different biological processes, including those associated to primary and secondary metabolism, intracellular transport, transcription factors, cell defence, signal transduction, DNA metabolism, cell growth and protein synthesis. Finally, the results show that in the mechanism of tolerance to cadmium a possible signal transduction pathway could activate a Cd(2+)/Zn(2+) transporter protein and/or a plasma membrane ATPase that could be involved in the compartmentalization of cadmium inside the cell.

A Study on the Relationships among Surface Variables to Adjust the Height of Surface Temperature for Data Assimilation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, J. H.; Song, H. J.; Han, H. J.; Ha, J. H.

2016-12-01

The observation processing system, KPOP (KIAPS - Korea Institute of Atmospheric Prediction Systems - Package for Observation Processing) have developed to provide optimal observations to the data assimilation system for the KIAPS Integrated Model (KIM). Currently, the KPOP has capable of processing almost all of observations for the KMA (Korea Meteorological Administration) operational global data assimilation system. The height adjustment of SURFACE observations are essential for the quality control due to the difference in height between observation station and model topography. For the SURFACE observation, it is usual to adjust the height using lapse rate or hypsometric equation, which decides values mainly depending on the difference of height. We have a question of whether the height can be properly adjusted following to the linear or exponential relationship solely with regard to the difference of height, with disregard the atmospheric conditions. In this study, firstly we analyse the change of surface variables such as temperature (T2m), pressure (Psfc), humidity (RH2m and Q2m), and wind components (U and V) according to the height difference. Additionally, we look further into the relationships among surface variables . The difference of pressure shows a strong linear relationship with difference of height. But the difference of temperature according to the height shows a significant correlation with difference of relative humidity than with the height difference. A development of reliable model for the height-adjustment of surface temperature is being undertaken based on the preliminary results.

Growth hormone responsiveness: peak stimulated growth hormone levels and other variables in idiopathic short stature (ISS): data from the National Cooperative Growth Study.

PubMed

Moore, Wayne V; Dana, Ken; Frane, James; Lippe, Barbara

2008-09-01

In children with idiopathic short stature (ISS), growth hormone (GH) response to a provocative test will be inversely related to the first year response to hGH and be a variable accounting for a degree of responsiveness. Because high levels of GH are a characteristic of GH insensitivity, such as in Laron syndrome, it is possible that a high stimulated GH is associated with a lower first year height velocity among children diagnosed as having ISS. We examined the relationship between the peak stimulated GH levels in 3 ISS groups; GH >10 -<25, 25-40, and >40 ng/mL and the first year growth response to rhGH therapy. We also looked at 8 other predictor variables (age, sex, height SDS, height age, body mass index (BMI), bone age, dose, and SDS deficit from target parental height. Multiple regression analysis with the first year height as the dependent variable and peak stimulated GH was the primary endpoint. The predictive value of adding each of the other variables was then assessed. Mean change in height velocity was similar among the three groups, with a maximum difference among the groups of 0.6 cm/yr. There was a small but statistically significant correlation (r=-0.12) between the stimulated GH and first year height velocity. The small correlation between first year growth response and peak GH is not clinically relevant in defining GH resistance. No cut off level by peak GH could be determined to enhance the usefulness of this measure to predict response. Baseline age was the only clinically significant predictor, R-squared, 6.4%. All other variables contributed less than an additional 2% to the R-squared.

System Access | High-Performance Computing | NREL

Science.gov Websites

) systems. Photo of man looking at a large computer monitor with a colorful, visual display of data. System secure shell gateway (SSH) or virtual private network (VPN). User Accounts Request a user account

Leisure Time of Husbands and Wives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nickols, Sharon Y.; Abdel-Ghany, Mohamed

1983-01-01

The results of this analysis of leisure time of husband and wife indicate the importance of family roles and relationships in the allocation of time to leisure. Previous examinations have seldom considered leisure time in a family context. (SSH)

The Causes and Costs of Promotion Trauma.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darling, Lu Ann W.; McGrath, Loraine G.

1983-01-01

Minimizing the stress that nurses experience after a promotion requires an understanding of the factors associated with moving up the managerial ladder. Knowing these factors, nursing administrators can plan their programs to support their managers in transition. (SSH)

Perceptions of the Value of Extended Service in Horticulture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watkins, Larae; Miller, Larry E.

1983-01-01

This study suggests the need for several improvements in the summer vocational horticulture education programs. Knowledge of the summer program, its aims, and the teacher's responsibilities appears to be lacking in the groups studied. (SSH)

GPCR-mediated PLCβγ/PKCβ/PKD signaling pathway regulates the cofilin phosphatase slingshot 2 in neutrophil chemotaxis

PubMed Central

Xu, Xuehua; Gera, Nidhi; Li, Hongyan; Yun, Michelle; Zhang, Liyong; Wang, Youhong; Wang, Q. Jane; Jin, Tian

2015-01-01

Chemotaxis requires precisely coordinated polymerization and depolymerization of the actin cytoskeleton at leading fronts of migrating cells. However, GPCR activation-controlled F-actin depolymerization remains largely elusive. Here, we reveal a novel signaling pathway, including Gαi, PLC, PKCβ, protein kinase D (PKD), and SSH2, in control of cofilin phosphorylation and actin cytoskeletal reorganization, which is essential for neutrophil chemotaxis. We show that PKD is essential for neutrophil chemotaxis and that GPCR-mediated PKD activation depends on PLC/PKC signaling. More importantly, we discover that GPCR activation recruits/activates PLCγ2 in a PI3K-dependent manner. We further verify that PKCβ specifically interacts with PKD1 and is required for chemotaxis. Finally, we identify slingshot 2 (SSH2), a phosphatase of cofilin (actin depolymerization factor), as a target of PKD1 that regulates cofilin phosphorylation and remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton during neutrophil chemotaxis. PMID:25568344

Mitogenome Diversity in Sardinians: A Genetic Window onto an Island's Past

PubMed Central

Olivieri, Anna; Sidore, Carlo; Achilli, Alessandro; Angius, Andrea; Posth, Cosimo; Furtwängler, Anja; Brandini, Stefania; Capodiferro, Marco Rosario; Gandini, Francesca; Zoledziewska, Magdalena; Pitzalis, Maristella; Maschio, Andrea; Busonero, Fabio; Lai, Luca; Skeates, Robin; Gradoli, Maria Giuseppina; Beckett, Jessica; Marongiu, Michele; Mazzarello, Vittorio; Marongiu, Patrizia; Rubino, Salvatore; Rito, Teresa; Macaulay, Vincent; Semino, Ornella; Pala, Maria; Abecasis, Gonçalo R.; Schlessinger, David; Conde-Sousa, Eduardo; Soares, Pedro; Richards, Martin B.

2017-01-01

Sardinians are “outliers” in the European genetic landscape and, according to paleogenomic nuclear data, the closest to early European Neolithic farmers. To learn more about their genetic ancestry, we analyzed 3,491 modern and 21 ancient mitogenomes from Sardinia. We observed that 78.4% of modern mitogenomes cluster into 89 haplogroups that most likely arose in situ. For each Sardinian-specific haplogroup (SSH), we also identified the upstream node in the phylogeny, from which non-Sardinian mitogenomes radiate. This provided minimum and maximum time estimates for the presence of each SSH on the island. In agreement with demographic evidence, almost all SSHs coalesce in the post-Nuragic, Nuragic and Neolithic-Copper Age periods. For some rare SSHs, however, we could not dismiss the possibility that they might have been on the island prior to the Neolithic, a scenario that would be in agreement with archeological evidence of a Mesolithic occupation of Sardinia. PMID:28177087

Thrombospondin Type-1 Repeat Domain-Containing Proteins Are Strongly Expressed in the Head Region of Hydra.

PubMed

Hamaguchi-Hamada, Kayoko; Kurumata-Shigeto, Mami; Minobe, Sumiko; Fukuoka, Nozomi; Sato, Manami; Matsufuji, Miyuki; Koizumi, Osamu; Hamada, Shun

2016-01-01

The head region of Hydra, the hypostome, is a key body part for developmental control and the nervous system. We herein examined genes specifically expressed in the head region of Hydra oligactis using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cloning. A total of 1414 subtracted clones were sequenced and found to be derived from at least 540 different genes by BLASTN analyses. Approximately 25% of the subtracted clones had sequences encoding thrombospondin type-1 repeat (TSR) domains, and were derived from 17 genes. We identified 11 TSR domain-containing genes among the top 36 genes that were the most frequently detected in our SSH library. Whole-mount in situ hybridization analyses confirmed that at least 13 out of 17 TSR domain-containing genes were expressed in the hypostome of Hydra oligactis. The prominent expression of TSR domain-containing genes suggests that these genes play significant roles in the hypostome of Hydra oligactis.

Data Quality Assessment of In Situ and Altimeter Observations Through Two-Way Intercomparison Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guinehut, Stephanie; Valladeau, Guillaume; Legeais, Jean-Francois; Rio, Marie-Helene; Ablain, Michael; Larnicol, Gilles

2013-09-01

This proceeding presents an overview of the two-way inter-comparison activities performed at CLS for both space and in situ observation agencies and why this activity is a required step to obtain accurate and homogenous data sets that can then be used together for climate studies or in assimilation/validation tools. We first describe the work performed in the frame of the SALP program to assess the stability of altimeter missions through SSH comparisons with tide gauges (GLOSS/CLIVAR network). Then, we show how the SSH comparison between the Argo array and altimeter time series allows the detection of drifts or jumps in altimeter (SALP program) but also for some Argo floats (Ifremer/Coriolis center). Lastly, we describe how the combine use of altimeter and wind observations helps the detection of drogue loss of surface drifting buoys (GDP network) and allow the computation of a correction term for wind slippage.

Relationships Between Countermovement Jump Ground Reaction Forces and Jump Height, Reactive Strength Index, and Jump Time.

PubMed

Barker, Leland A; Harry, John R; Mercer, John A

2018-01-01

Barker, LA, Harry, JR, and Mercer, JA. Relationships between countermovement jump ground reaction forces and jump height, reactive strength index, and jump time. J Strength Cond Res 32(1): 248-254, 2018-The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between ground reaction force (GRF) variables to jump height, jump time, and the reactive strength index (RSI). Twenty-six, Division-I, male, soccer players performed 3 maximum effort countermovement jumps (CMJs) on a dual-force platform system that measured 3-dimensional kinetic data. The trial producing peak jump height was used for analysis. Vertical GRF (Fz) variables were divided into unloading, eccentric, amortization, and concentric phases and correlated with jump height, RSI (RSI = jump height/jump time), and jump time (from start to takeoff). Significant correlations were observed between jump height and RSI, concentric kinetic energy, peak power, concentric work, and concentric displacement. Significant correlations were observed between RSI and jump time, peak power, unload Fz, eccentric work, eccentric rate of force development (RFD), amortization Fz, amortization time, second Fz peak, average concentric Fz, and concentric displacement. Significant correlations were observed between jump time and unload Fz, eccentric work, eccentric RFD, amortization Fz, amortization time, average concentric Fz, and concentric work. In conclusion, jump height correlated with variables derived from the concentric phase only (work, power, and displacement), whereas Fz variables from the unloading, eccentric, amortization, and concentric phases correlated highly with RSI and jump time. These observations demonstrate the importance of countermovement Fz characteristics for time-sensitive CMJ performance measures. Researchers and practitioners should include RSI and jump time with jump height to improve their assessment of jump performance.

Relative importance of expertise, lifting height and weight lifted on posture and lumbar external loading during a transfer task in manual material handling.

PubMed

Plamondon, André; Larivière, Christian; Delisle, Alain; Denis, Denys; Gagnon, Denis

2012-01-01

The objective of this study was to measure the effect size of three important factors in manual material handling, namely expertise, lifting height and weight lifted. The effect of expertise was evaluated by contrasting 15 expert and 15 novice handlers, the effect of the weight lifted with a 15-kg box and a 23-kg box and the effect of lifting height with two different box heights: ground level and a 32 cm height. The task consisted of transferring a series of boxes from a conveyor to a hand trolley. Lifting height and weight lifted had more effect size than expertise on external back loading variables (moments) while expertise had low impact. On the other hand, expertise showed a significant effect of posture variables on the lumbar spine and knees. All three factors are important, but for a reduction of external back loading, the focus should be on the lifting height and weight lifted. The objective was to measure the effect size of three important factors in a transfer of boxes from a conveyor to a hand trolley. Lifting height and weight lifted had more effect size than expertise on external back loading variables but expertise was a major determinant in back posture.

Identification and verification of differentially expressed genes in the caprine hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis that are associated with litter size.

PubMed

Feng, Tao; Cao, Gui-Ling; Chu, Ming-Xing; Di, Ran; Huang, Dong-Wei; Liu, Qiu-Yue; Pan, Zhang-Yuan; Jin, Mei; Zhang, Ying-Jie; Li, Ning

2015-02-01

Litter size is a favorable economic trait for the goat industry, but remains a complex trait controlled by multiple genes in multiple organs. Several genes have been identified that may affect embryo survival, follicular development, and the health of fetuses during pregnancy. Jining Grey goats demonstrate the largest litter size among goat breeds indigenous to China. In order to better understand the genetic basis of this trait, six suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA libraries were constructed using pooled mRNAs from hypothalamuses, pituitaries, and ovaries of sexually mature and adult polytocous Jining Grey goats, as testers, versus the pooled corresponding mRNAs of monotocous Liaoning Cashmere goats, as drivers. A total of 1,458 true-positive clones--including 955 known genes and 481 known and 22 unknown expressed sequence tags--were obtained from the SSH libraries by sequencing and alignment. The known genes were categorized into cellular processes and signaling information storage and processing, and metabolism. Three genes (FTH1, GH, and SAA) were selected to validate the SSH results by quantitative real-time PCR; all three were up-regulated in the corresponding tissues in the tester group indicating that these are candidate genes associated with the large litter size of Jining Grey goats. Several other identified genes may affect embryo survival, follicular development, and health during pregnancy. This study provides insights into the mechanistic basis by which the caprine hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis affects reproductive traits and provides a theoretical basis for goat production and breeding. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Differential gene expression in whitefly Bemisia tabaci-infested tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants at progressing developmental stages of the insect's life cycle.

PubMed

Estrada-Hernández, María Gloria; Valenzuela-Soto, José Humberto; Ibarra-Laclette, Enrique; Délano-Frier, John Paul

2009-09-01

A suppression-subtractive-hybridization (SSH) strategy was used to identify genes whose expression was modified in response to virus-free whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Bt, biotype A) infestation in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants. Thus, forward and reverse SSH gene libraries were generated at four points in the whitefly's life cycle, namely at (1) 2 days (adult feeding and oviposition: phase I); (2) 7 days (mobile crawler stage: phase II); (3) 12 days (second to third instar nymphal transition: phase III) and (4) 18 days (fourth instar nymphal stage: phase IV). The 169 genes with altered expression (up and downregulated) that were identified in the eight generated SSH libraries, together with 75 additional genes that were selected on the basis of their involvement in resistance responses against phytofagous insects and pathogens, were printed on a Nexterion(®) Slide MPX 16 to monitor their pattern of expression at the above phases. The results indicated that Bt infestation in tomato led to distinctive phase-specific expression/repression patterns of several genes associated predominantly with photosynthesis, senescence, secondary metabolism and (a)biotic stress. Most of the gene expression modifications were detected in phase III, coinciding with intense larval feeding, whereas fewer changes were detected in phases I and IV. These results complement previously reported gene expression profiles in Bt-infested tomato and Arabidopisis, and support and expand the opinion that Bt infestation leads to the downregulation of specific defense responses in addition to those controlled by jasmonic acid. Copyright © Physiologia Plantarum 2009.

Social Security.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Social and Labour Bulletin, 1983

1983-01-01

This group of articles discusses a variety of studies related to social security and retirement benefits. These studies are related to both developing and developed nations and are also concerned with studying work conditions and government role in administering a democratic social security system. (SSH)

Identification and computational annotation of genes differentially expressed in pulp development of Cocos nucifera L. by suppression subtractive hybridization

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is one of the world’s most versatile, economically important tropical crops. Little is known about the physiological and molecular basis of coconut pulp (endosperm) development and only a few coconut genes and gene product sequences are available in public databases. This study identified genes that were differentially expressed during development of coconut pulp and functionally annotated these identified genes using bioinformatics analysis. Results Pulp from three different coconut developmental stages was collected. Four suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) libraries were constructed (forward and reverse libraries A and B between stages 1 and 2, and C and D between stages 2 and 3), and identified sequences were computationally annotated using Blast2GO software. A total of 1272 clones were obtained for analysis from four SSH libraries with 63% showing similarity to known proteins. Pairwise comparing of stage-specific gene ontology ids from libraries B-D, A-C, B-C and A-D showed that 32 genes were continuously upregulated and seven downregulated; 28 were transiently upregulated and 23 downregulated. KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) analysis showed that 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (LPAAT), phospholipase D, acetyl-CoA carboxylase carboxyltransferase beta subunit, 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA hydrolase-like and pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 β subunit were associated with fatty acid biosynthesis or metabolism. Triose phosphate isomerase, cellulose synthase and glucan 1,3-β-glucosidase were related to carbohydrate metabolism, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase was related to both fatty acid and carbohydrate metabolism. Of 737 unigenes, 103 encoded enzymes were involved in fatty acid and carbohydrate biosynthesis and metabolism, and a number of transcription factors and other interesting genes with stage-specific expression were confirmed by real-time PCR, with validation of the SSH results as high as 66.6%. Based on determination of coconut endosperm fatty acids content by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, a number of candidate genes in fatty acid anabolism were selected for further study. Conclusion Functional annotation of genes differentially expressed in coconut pulp development helped determine the molecular basis of coconut endosperm development. The SSH method identified genes related to fatty acids, carbohydrate and secondary metabolites. The results will be important for understanding gene functions and regulatory networks in coconut fruit. PMID:25084812

Identification and computational annotation of genes differentially expressed in pulp development of Cocos nucifera L. by suppression subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Liang, Yuanxue; Yuan, Yijun; Liu, Tao; Mao, Wei; Zheng, Yusheng; Li, Dongdong

2014-08-02

Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is one of the world's most versatile, economically important tropical crops. Little is known about the physiological and molecular basis of coconut pulp (endosperm) development and only a few coconut genes and gene product sequences are available in public databases. This study identified genes that were differentially expressed during development of coconut pulp and functionally annotated these identified genes using bioinformatics analysis. Pulp from three different coconut developmental stages was collected. Four suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) libraries were constructed (forward and reverse libraries A and B between stages 1 and 2, and C and D between stages 2 and 3), and identified sequences were computationally annotated using Blast2GO software. A total of 1272 clones were obtained for analysis from four SSH libraries with 63% showing similarity to known proteins. Pairwise comparing of stage-specific gene ontology ids from libraries B-D, A-C, B-C and A-D showed that 32 genes were continuously upregulated and seven downregulated; 28 were transiently upregulated and 23 downregulated. KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) analysis showed that 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (LPAAT), phospholipase D, acetyl-CoA carboxylase carboxyltransferase beta subunit, 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA hydrolase-like and pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 β subunit were associated with fatty acid biosynthesis or metabolism. Triose phosphate isomerase, cellulose synthase and glucan 1,3-β-glucosidase were related to carbohydrate metabolism, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase was related to both fatty acid and carbohydrate metabolism. Of 737 unigenes, 103 encoded enzymes were involved in fatty acid and carbohydrate biosynthesis and metabolism, and a number of transcription factors and other interesting genes with stage-specific expression were confirmed by real-time PCR, with validation of the SSH results as high as 66.6%. Based on determination of coconut endosperm fatty acids content by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, a number of candidate genes in fatty acid anabolism were selected for further study. Functional annotation of genes differentially expressed in coconut pulp development helped determine the molecular basis of coconut endosperm development. The SSH method identified genes related to fatty acids, carbohydrate and secondary metabolites. The results will be important for understanding gene functions and regulatory networks in coconut fruit.

Exploratory factor analysis of signalment and conformational measurements in Thoroughbred horses with and without recurrent laryngeal neuropathy.

PubMed

McGivney, C L; Gough, K F; McGivney, B A; Farries, G; Hill, E W; Katz, L M

2018-06-23

Conflicting results have been reported for risk factors for recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) based on resting endoscopic evaluation and comparison of single conformation traits, with many traits correlated to one another. To simplify identification of signalment and conformation traits (i.e. variables) associated with RLN cases and controls diagnosed with exercising overground endoscopy (OGE) using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Prospective cohort. Pearson's rank correlation was used to establish significance and association between variables collected from n = 188 Thoroughbreds from one stable by observers blinded to OGE results. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on 9 variables for cases and controls; common elements between variables developed a factor, with variables grouped into 3 factors for cases and controls, respectively. Correlation (loading) between each variable and factor was calculated to rank relationships between variables and cases/controls, with factors retrospectively named based on their underlying correlations with variables. Numerous inter-correlations were present between variables. Most strongly correlated in cases were wither height with body weight (r = 0.70) and ventral neck length (r = 0.68) and in controls body weight with rostral neck circumference (r = 0.58). Wither height (r = 0.61) significantly loaded the top-ranked factor for cases ('height RLN '), explaining 25% of conformational variance. Ventral neck length (r = 0.69) and age (r = 0.57) significantly loaded the second-ranked factor for cases ('neck length RLN '), explaining 16% of conformational variance. Rostral neck circumference (r = 0.86) and body weight (r = 0.6) significantly loaded the top-ranked factor for controls ('body size CON '), explaining 19% of the variance. Wither height (r = 0.84) significantly loaded the second-ranked factor for controls ('height CON '), explaining 13% of the variance. Horses had not reached skeletal maturity. Exploratory factor analysis allowed weightings to be determined for each variable. Wither height was the predominant conformational feature associated with RLN. Exploratory factor analysis confirms aggregated conformational differences exist between RLN cases and controls, suitable for future evaluations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Geologic Variable Associated with Height of Yellow-Poplar Stand in the Bald Mountains of North Carolina

Treesearch

W. Henry McNab; Carl E. Merschat

1990-01-01

Quartz grain size and mylonitization, geologic variables determined fromrocks on sites, were associated with total height of yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) standsand may be of value as independent variables in modeling tree growth from site characteristics. A predictive model containing quartz grain site and stand age accounted for about 54% of the...

CAN INFANTS BE “TAUGHT” TO ATTEND TO A NEW PHYSICAL VARIABLE IN AN EVENT CATEGORY? THE CASE OF HEIGHT IN COVERING EVENTS

PubMed Central

Wang, Su-hua; Baillargeon, Renée

2009-01-01

As they observe or produce events, infants identify variables that help them predict outcomes in each category of events. How do infants identify a new variable? An explanation-based learning (EBL) account suggests three essential steps: (1) observing contrastive outcomes relevant to the variable; (2) discovering the conditions associated with these outcomes; and (3) generating an explanation for the condition-outcome regularity discovered. In Experiments 1–3, 9-month-old infants watched events designed to “teach” them the variable height in covering events. After watching these events, designed in accord with the EBL account, the infants detected a height violation in a covering event, three months earlier than they ordinarily would have. In Experiments 4–6, the “teaching” events were modified to remove one of the EBL steps, and the infants no longer detected the height violation. The present findings thus support the EBL account and help specify the processes by which infants acquire their physical knowledge. PMID:18177635

Comparative analysis of low-back loading on chiropractors using various workstation table heights and performing various tasks.

PubMed

Lorme, Kenneth J; Naqvi, Syed A

2003-01-01

There is epidemiologic evidence that chiropractors are a high-risk group for low-back disorders. However, to date there are no known biomechanical studies to determine whether their workstations may be a contributing factor. To investigate whether chiropractors' workstation table height or the tasks they perform make them susceptible to low-back strain. As well as investigating low-back strain, a screening was performed to determine whether chiropractors' upper extremities were at risk for undue strain as workstation table height was varied. Experimental pilot study. A university ergonomic laboratory. An adjustable manipulation table was set at 3 different heights: 465 mm, 665 mm and 845 mm. Each of the 7 volunteer chiropractors were fitted with a triaxial electrogoniometer and were videotaped and photographed for analysis while performing spinal manipulation to the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine of a volunteer patient at each workstation table height. Two biomechanical models, one static and one dynamic, were used to record the dependent variables. A screening of various upper extremity variables was also performed with the static model. For the subjects under study, a significant difference was found for the variables maximum sagittal flexion, disk compression force, and ligament strain as table height was varied. For the lumbar and thoracic manipulation tasks, the medium table height (655 mm) was found to create the least low-back strain. For the cervical manipulation task, the high table height (845 mm) was found to be the least straining on the low-back. The low height table (465 mm) was the most straining for all tasks. Upper extremities were not significantly affected by changes to table height. Significant differences were found for the task performed for axial rotational velocity, disk compression force, ligament strain, maximum sagittal flexion, dominant (right) elbow moment, and dominant (right) shoulder moment variables. There was no significant interaction between table height and task performed. Workstation table height was found to have a significant effect on low-back load of subjects under study. The results of this study demonstrate an overall unacceptably high amount of sagittal flexion, ligament strain, and disk compression force on the chiropractor subjects in the tasks performed.

Statistical models for sediment/detritus and dissolved absorption coefficients in coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Rebecca E.; Gould, Richard W., Jr.; Ko, Dong S.

2008-06-01

We developed statistically-based, optical models to estimate tripton (sediment/detrital) and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption coefficients ( a sd, a g) from physical hydrographic and atmospheric properties. The models were developed for northern Gulf of Mexico shelf waters using multi-year satellite and physical data. First, empirical algorithms for satellite-derived a sd and a g were developed, based on comparison with a large data set of cruise measurements from northern Gulf shelf waters; these algorithms were then applied to a time series of ocean color (SeaWiFS) satellite imagery for 2002-2005. Unique seasonal timing was observed in satellite-derived optical properties, with a sd peaking most often in fall/winter on the shelf, in contrast to summertime peaks observed in a g. Next, the satellite-derived values were coupled with the physical data to form multiple regression models. A suite of physical forcing variables were tested for inclusion in the models: discharge from the Mississippi River and Mobile Bay, Alabama; gridded fields for winds, precipitation, solar radiation, sea surface temperature and height (SST, SSH); and modeled surface salinity and currents (Navy Coastal Ocean Model, NCOM). For satellite-derived a sd and a g time series (2002-2004), correlation and stepwise regression analyses revealed the most important physical forcing variables. Over our region of interest, the best predictors of tripton absorption were wind speed, river discharge, and SST, whereas dissolved absorption was best predicted by east-west wind speed, river discharge, and river discharge lagged by 1 month. These results suggest the importance of vertical mixing (as a function of winds and thermal stratification) in controlling a sd distribution patterns over large regions of the shelf, in comparison to advection as the most important control on a g. The multiple linear regression models for estimating a sd and a g were applied on a pixel-by-pixel basis and results were compared to monthly SeaWiFS composite imagery. The models performed well in resolving seasonal and interannual optical variability in model development years (2002-2004) (mean error of 32% for a sd and 29% for a g) and in predicting shelfwide optical patterns in a year independent of model development (2005; mean error of 41% for a sd and 46% for a g). The models provide insight into the dominant processes controlling optical distributions in this region, and they can be used to predict the optical fields from the physical properties at monthly timescales.

The relationship of Polish students' height, weight and BMI with some socioeconomic variables.

PubMed

Krzyzanowska, Monika; Umławska, Wioleta

2010-09-01

The aim of this study was to assess the variation in student body height, weight and BMI in relation to several socioeconomic factors. Data (collected in 1998) were obtained through a structured questionnaire from 2800 students (1023 men and 1777 women) from Wrocław Universities, Poland. Information on students' age, reported height and weight and their place of residence prior to starting university, the number of siblings and parents' education were collected. Students with mothers or fathers with higher education had, on average, higher mean heights, but after correcting for other socioeconomic variables only place of residence showed a significant association with height and BMI, with those living in medium or large urban centres having a higher mean height and those living in small or medium urban areas having a lower mean BMI.

Robotics: A New Challenge For Industrial Arts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lovedahl, Gerald G.

1983-01-01

The author argues that jobs in the future will depend less on manual skill and more on perceptual aptitude, formal knowledge, and precision. Industrial arts classes must include robotics in their curriculum if they intend to reflect accurately American industry. (Author/SSH)

Genetic influences on the difference in variability of height, weight and body mass index between Caucasian and East Asian adolescent twins.

PubMed

Hur, Y-M; Kaprio, J; Iacono, W G; Boomsma, D I; McGue, M; Silventoinen, K; Martin, N G; Luciano, M; Visscher, P M; Rose, R J; He, M; Ando, J; Ooki, S; Nonaka, K; Lin, C C H; Lajunen, H R; Cornes, B K; Bartels, M; van Beijsterveldt, C E M; Cherny, S S; Mitchell, K

2008-10-01

Twin studies are useful for investigating the causes of trait variation between as well as within a population. The goals of the present study were two-fold: First, we aimed to compare the total phenotypic, genetic and environmental variances of height, weight and BMI between Caucasians and East Asians using twins. Secondly, we intended to estimate the extent to which genetic and environmental factors contribute to differences in variability of height, weight and BMI between Caucasians and East Asians. Height and weight data from 3735 Caucasian and 1584 East Asian twin pairs (age: 13-15 years) from Australia, China, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States were used for analyses. Maximum likelihood twin correlations and variance components model-fitting analyses were conducted to fulfill the goals of the present study. The absolute genetic variances for height, weight and BMI were consistently greater in Caucasians than in East Asians with corresponding differences in total variances for all three body measures. In all 80 to 100% of the differences in total variances of height, weight and BMI between the two population groups were associated with genetic differences. Height, weight and BMI were more variable in Caucasian than in East Asian adolescents. Genetic variances for these three body measures were also larger in Caucasians than in East Asians. Variance components model-fitting analyses indicated that genetic factors contributed to the difference in variability of height, weight and BMI between the two population groups. Association studies for these body measures should take account of our findings of differences in genetic variances between the two population groups.

Genetic influences on the difference in variability of height, weight and body mass index between Caucasian and East Asian adolescent twins

PubMed Central

Hur, Y-M; Kaprio, J; Iacono, WG; Boomsma, DI; McGue, M; Silventoinen, K; Martin, NG; Luciano, M; Visscher, PM; Rose, RJ; He, M; Ando, J; Ooki, S; Nonaka, K; Lin, CCH; Lajunen, HR; Cornes, BK; Bartels, M; van Beijsterveldt, CEM; Cherny, SS; Mitchell, K

2008-01-01

Objective Twin studies are useful for investigating the causes of trait variation between as well as within a population. The goals of the present study were two-fold: First, we aimed to compare the total phenotypic, genetic and environmental variances of height, weight and BMI between Caucasians and East Asians using twins. Secondly, we intended to estimate the extent to which genetic and environmental factors contribute to differences in variability of height, weight and BMI between Caucasians and East Asians. Design Height and weight data from 3735 Caucasian and 1584 East Asian twin pairs (age: 13–15 years) from Australia, China, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States were used for analyses. Maximum likelihood twin correlations and variance components model-fitting analyses were conducted to fulfill the goals of the present study. Results The absolute genetic variances for height, weight and BMI were consistently greater in Caucasians than in East Asians with corresponding differences in total variances for all three body measures. In all 80 to 100% of the differences in total variances of height, weight and BMI between the two population groups were associated with genetic differences. Conclusion Height, weight and BMI were more variable in Caucasian than in East Asian adolescents. Genetic variances for these three body measures were also larger in Caucasians than in East Asians. Variance components model-fitting analyses indicated that genetic factors contributed to the difference in variability of height, weight and BMI between the two population groups. Association studies for these body measures should take account of our findings of differences in genetic variances between the two population groups. PMID:18779828

Small scale currents and ocean wave heights: from today's models to future satellite observations with CFOSAT and SKIM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ardhuin, Fabrice; Gille, Sarah; Menemenlis, Dimitris; Rocha, Cesar; Rascle, Nicolas; Gula, Jonathan; Chapron, Bertrand

2017-04-01

Tidal currents and large oceanic currents, such as the Agulhas, Gulf Stream and Kuroshio, are known to modify ocean wave properties, causing extreme sea states that are a hazard to navigation. Recent advances in the understanding and modeling capability of ocean currents at scales of 10 km or less have revealed the ubiquitous presence of fronts and filaments. Based on realistic numerical models, we show that these structures can be the main source of variability in significant wave heights at scales less than 200 km, including important variations at 10 km. This current-induced variability creates gradients in wave heights that were previously overlooked and are relevant for extreme wave heights and remote sensing. The spectrum of significant wave heights is found to be of the order of 70⟨Hs ⟩2/(g2⟨Tm0,-1⟩2) times the current spectrum, where ⟨Hs ⟩ is the spatially-averaged significant wave height, ⟨Tm0,-1⟩ is the average energy period, and g is the gravity acceleration. This small scale variability is consistent with Jason-3 and SARAL along-track variability. We will discuss how future satellite mission with wave spectrometers can help observe these wave-current interactions. CFOSAT is due for launch in 2018, and SKIM is a proposal for ESA Earth Explorer 9.

Quantifying cambial activity of high-elevation conifers in the Great Basin, Nevada, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziaco, E.; Biondi, F.; Rossi, S.; Deslauriers, A.

2013-12-01

Understanding the physiological mechanisms that control the formation of tree rings provides the necessary biological basis for developing dendroclimatic reconstructions and dendroecological histories. Studies of wood formation in the Great Basin are now being conducted in connection with the Nevada Climate-ecohydrological Assessment Network (NevCAN), a recently established transect of valley-to-mountaintop instrumented stations in the Snake and Sheep Ranges of the Great Basin. Automated sensors record meteorological, soil, and vegetational variables at these sites, providing unique opportunities for ecosystem science, and are being used to investigate the ecological implications of xylogenesis. We present here an initial study based on microcores collected during summer 2013 from mountain and subalpine conifers (including Great Basin bristlecone pine, Pinus longaeva) growing on the west slope of Mt. Washington. Samples were taken from the mountain west (SM; 2810 m elevation) and the subalpine west (SS, 3355 m elevation) NevCAN sites on June 16th and 27th, 2013. The SS site was further subdivided in a high (SSH) and a low (SSL) group of trees, separated by about 10 m in elevation. Microscopic analyses showed the effect of elevation on cambial activity, as annual ring formation was more advanced at the lower (mountain) site compared to the higher (subalpine) one. At all sites cambium size showed little variations between the two sampling dates. The number of xylem cells in the radial enlargement phase decreased between the two sampling dates at the mountain site but increased at the subalpine site, confirming a delayed formation of wood at the higher elevations. Despite relatively high within-site variability, a general trend of increasing number of cells in the lignification phase was found at all sites. Mature cells were present only at the mountain site on June 27th. Spatial differences in the xylem formation process emerged at the species level and, within species, at different locations. In particular, bristlecone pines growing at SSL showed slightly more advanced tree-ring formation compared to those growing at SSH. These results highlight differences in xylogenesis related to elevation, a clear proxy for climate in this region, and further analyses will focus on understanding the climatic factors that drive wood formation in Great Basin conifers. Fig.1 Boxplot summary of cell types found at the study sites during two sampling dates.

Neural network-based estimates of Southern Ocean net community production from in-situ O2 / Ar and satellite observation: a methodological study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, C.-H.; Johnson, N. C.; Cassar, N.

2013-10-01

Southern Ocean organic carbon export plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, yet its basin-scale climatology and variability are uncertain due to limited coverage of in situ observations. In this study, a neural network approach based on the self-organizing map (SOM) is adopted to construct weekly gridded (1° × 1°) maps of organic carbon export for the Southern Ocean from 1998 to 2009. The SOM is trained with in situ measurements of O2 / Ar-derived net community production (NCP) that are tightly linked to the carbon export in the mixed layer on timescales of 1-2 weeks, and six potential NCP predictors: photosynthetically available radiation (PAR), particulate organic carbon (POC), chlorophyll (Chl), sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), and mixed layer depth (MLD). This non-parametric approach is based entirely on the observed statistical relationships between NCP and the predictors, and therefore is strongly constrained by observations. A thorough cross-validation yields three retained NCP predictors, Chl, PAR, and MLD. Our constructed NCP is further validated by good agreement with previously published independent in situ derived NCP of weekly or longer temporal resolution through real-time and climatological comparisons at various sampling sites. The resulting November-March NCP climatology reveals a pronounced zonal band of high NCP roughly following the subtropical front in the Atlantic, Indian and western Pacific sectors, and turns southeastward shortly after the dateline. Other regions of elevated NCP include the upwelling zones off Chile and Namibia, Patagonian Shelf, Antarctic coast, and areas surrounding the Islands of Kerguelen, South Georgia, and Crozet. This basin-scale NCP climatology closely resembles that of the satellite POC field and observed air-sea CO2 flux. The long-term mean area-integrated NCP south of 50° S from our dataset, 14 mmol C m-2 d-1, falls within the range of 8.3-24 mmol C m-2 d-1 from other model estimates. A broad agreement is found in the basin-wide NCP climatology among various models but with significant spatial variations, particularly in the Patagonian Shelf. Our approach provides a comprehensive view of the Southern Ocean NCP climatology and a potential opportunity to further investigate interannual and intraseasonal variability.

Neural network-based estimates of Southern Ocean net community production from in situ O2 / Ar and satellite observation: a methodological study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, C.-H.; Johnson, N. C.; Cassar, N.

2014-06-01

Southern Ocean organic carbon export plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, yet its basin-scale climatology and variability are uncertain due to limited coverage of in situ observations. In this study, a neural network approach based on the self-organizing map (SOM) is adopted to construct weekly gridded (1° × 1°) maps of organic carbon export for the Southern Ocean from 1998 to 2009. The SOM is trained with in situ measurements of O2 / Ar-derived net community production (NCP) that are tightly linked to the carbon export in the mixed layer on timescales of one to two weeks and with six potential NCP predictors: photosynthetically available radiation (PAR), particulate organic carbon (POC), chlorophyll (Chl), sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), and mixed layer depth (MLD). This nonparametric approach is based entirely on the observed statistical relationships between NCP and the predictors and, therefore, is strongly constrained by observations. A thorough cross-validation yields three retained NCP predictors, Chl, PAR, and MLD. Our constructed NCP is further validated by good agreement with previously published, independent in situ derived NCP of weekly or longer temporal resolution through real-time and climatological comparisons at various sampling sites. The resulting November-March NCP climatology reveals a pronounced zonal band of high NCP roughly following the Subtropical Front in the Atlantic, Indian, and western Pacific sectors, and turns southeastward shortly after the dateline. Other regions of elevated NCP include the upwelling zones off Chile and Namibia, the Patagonian Shelf, the Antarctic coast, and areas surrounding the Islands of Kerguelen, South Georgia, and Crozet. This basin-scale NCP climatology closely resembles that of the satellite POC field and observed air-sea CO2 flux. The long-term mean area-integrated NCP south of 50° S from our dataset, 17.9 mmol C m-2 d-1, falls within the range of 8.3 to 24 mmol C m-2 d-1 from other model estimates. A broad agreement is found in the basin-wide NCP climatology among various models but with significant spatial variations, particularly in the Patagonian Shelf. Our approach provides a comprehensive view of the Southern Ocean NCP climatology and a potential opportunity to further investigate interannual and intraseasonal variability.

Automated detection of Lagrangian eddies and coherent transport of heat and salinity in the Agulhas leakage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huhn, Florian; Haller, George

2014-05-01

Haller and Beron-Vera(2013) have recently introduced a new objective method to detect coherent Lagrangian eddies in turbulence. They find that closed null-geodesics of a generalized Green-Lagrange strain tensor act as coherent Lagrangian eddy boundaries, showing near-zero and uniform material stretching. We make use of this method to develop an automated detection procedure for coherent Lagrangian eddies in large-scale ocean data. We apply our results to a recent 3D general circulation model, the Southern Ocean State Estimate (SOSE), with focus on the South Atlantic Ocean and the inter-ocean exchange between the Indian and Atlantic ocean. We detect a large number of coherent Lagrangian eddies and present statistics of their properties. The largest and most circular eddy boundaries represent Lagrangian Agulhas rings. Circular regions inside these rings with higher temperature and salinity than the surrounding waters can be explained by the coherent eddy boundaries that enclose and isolate the eddy interiors. We compare eddy boundaries at different depths with eddy boundaries obtained from geostrophic velocities derived from the model's sea surface height (SSH). The transport of mass, heat and salinity enclosed by coherent eddies through a section in the Cape basin is quantified and compared to the non-coherent transport by the background flow.

The Occurrence of Tidal Hybrid Kelvin-Edge Waves in the Global Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, H.; Buijsman, M. C.; Yankovsky, A. E.; Zhang, T.; Jeon, C. H.

2017-12-01

This study presents the analysis of hybrid Kelvin-edge waves on the continental shelves in a global ocean model. Our objective is to find areas where the transition occurs from Kelvin waves to hybrid Kelvin-edge waves. The change in continental shelf width may convert a Kelvin wave into a hybrid Kelvin-edge wave. In this process the group velocity reaches a minimum and tidal energy is radiated on and/or offshore [Zhang 2016]. We extract M2 SSH (Sea Surface Height) and velocity from the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) and calculate barotropic energy fluxes. We analyze these three areas: the Bay of Biscay, the Amazon Shelf and North West Africa. In these three regions, the continental shelf widens in the propagation direction and the alongshore flux changes its direction towards the coast. A transect is taken at different points in these areas to compute the dispersion relations of the waves on the continental shelf. In model simulations, we change the bathymetry of the Bay of Biscay to study the behavior of the hybrid Kelvin-edge waves. BibliographyZhang, T., and A. E Yankovsky. (2016), On the nature of cross-isobath energy fluxes in topographically modified barotropic semidiurnal Kelvin waves, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 121, 3058-3074, doi:10.1002/2015JC011617.

The impact of wave-induced Coriolis-Stokes forcing on satellite-derived ocean surface currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hui, Zhenli; Xu, Yongsheng

2016-01-01

Ocean surface currents estimated from the satellite data consist of two terms: Ekman currents from the wind stress and geostrophic currents from the sea surface height (SSH). But the classical Ekman model does not consider the wave effects. By taking the wave-induced Coriolis-Stokes forcing into account, the impact of waves (primarily the Stokes drift) on ocean surface currents is investigated and the wave-modified currents are formed. The products are validated by comparing with OSCAR currents and Lagrangian drifter velocity. The result shows that our products with the Stokes drift are better adapted to the in situ Lagrangian drifter currents. Especially in the Southern Ocean region (40°S-65°S), 90% (91%) of the zonal (meridional) currents have been improved compared with currents that do not include Stokes drift. The correlation (RMSE) in the Southern Ocean has also increased (decreased) from 0.78 (13) to 0.81 (10.99) for the zonal component and 0.76 (10.87) to 0.79 (10.09) for the meridional component. This finding provides the evidence that waves indeed play an important role in the ocean circulation, and need to be represented in numerical simulations of the global ocean circulation. This article was corrected on 10 FEB 2016. See the end of the full text for details.

Neural network models - a novel tool for predicting the efficacy of growth hormone (GH) therapy in children with short stature.

PubMed

Smyczynska, Joanna; Hilczer, Maciej; Smyczynska, Urszula; Stawerska, Renata; Tadeusiewicz, Ryszard; Lewinski, Andrzej

2015-01-01

The leading method for prediction of growth hormone (GH) therapy effectiveness are multiple linear regression (MLR) models. Best of our knowledge, we are the first to apply artificial neural networks (ANN) to solve this problem. For ANN there is no necessity to assume the functions linking independent and dependent variables. The aim of study is to compare ANN and MLR models of GH therapy effectiveness. Analysis comprised the data of 245 GH-deficient children (170 boys) treated with GH up to final height (FH). Independent variables included: patients' height, pre-treatment height velocity, chronological age, bone age, gender, pubertal status, parental heights, GH peak in 2 stimulation tests, IGF-I concentration. The output variable was FH. For testing dataset, MLR model predicted FH SDS with average error (RMSE) 0.64 SD, explaining 34.3% of its variability; ANN model derived on the same pre-processed data predicted FH SDS with RMSE 0.60 SD, explaining 42.0% of its variability; ANN model derived on raw data predicted FH with RMSE 3.9 cm (0.63 SD), explaining 78.7% of its variability. ANN seem to be valuable tool in prediction of GH treatment effectiveness, especially since they can be applied to raw clinical data.

RanBP9 at the intersection between cofilin and Aβ pathologies: rescue of neurodegenerative changes by RanBP9 reduction.

PubMed

Woo, J A; Boggess, T; Uhlar, C; Wang, X; Khan, H; Cappos, G; Joly-Amado, A; De Narvaez, E; Majid, S; Minamide, L S; Bamburg, J R; Morgan, D; Weeber, E; Kang, D E

2015-03-05

Molecular pathways underlying the neurotoxicity and production of amyloid β protein (Aβ) represent potentially promising therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's disease (AD). We recently found that overexpression of the scaffolding protein RanBP9 increases Aβ production in cell lines and in transgenic mice while promoting cofilin activation and mitochondrial dysfunction. Translocation of cofilin to mitochondria and induction of cofilin-actin pathology require the activation/dephosphorylation of cofilin by Slingshot homolog 1 (SSH1) and cysteine oxidation of cofilin. In this study, we found that endogenous RanBP9 positively regulates SSH1 levels and mediates Aβ-induced translocation of cofilin to mitochondria and induction of cofilin-actin pathology in cultured cells, primary neurons, and in vivo. Endogenous level of RanBP9 was also required for Aβ-induced collapse of growth cones in immature neurons (days in vitro 9 (DIV9)) and depletion of synaptic proteins in mature neurons (DIV21). In vivo, amyloid precursor protein (APP)/presenilin-1 (PS1) mice exhibited 3.5-fold increased RanBP9 levels, and RanBP9 reduction protected against cofilin-actin pathology, synaptic damage, gliosis, and Aβ accumulation associated with APP/PS1 mice. Brains slices derived from APP/PS1 mice showed significantly impaired long-term potentiation (LTP), and RanBP9 reduction significantly enhanced paired pulse facilitation and LTP, as well as partially rescued contextual memory deficits associated with APP/PS1 mice. Therefore, these results underscore the critical importance of endogenous RanBP9 not only in Aβ accumulation but also in mediating the neurotoxic actions of Aβ at the level of synaptic plasticity, mitochondria, and cofilin-actin pathology via control of the SSH1-cofilin pathway in vivo.

Identification of transcripts involved in meiosis and follicle formation during ovine ovary development.

PubMed

Baillet, Adrienne; Mandon-Pépin, Béatrice; Cabau, Cédric; Poumerol, Elodie; Pailhoux, Eric; Cotinot, Corinne

2008-09-23

The key steps in germ cell survival during ovarian development are the entry into meiosis of oogonies and the formation of primordial follicles, which then determine the reproductive lifespan of the ovary. In sheep, these steps occur during fetal life, between 55 and 80 days of gestation, respectively. The aim of this study was to identify differentially expressed ovarian genes during prophase I meiosis and early folliculogenesis in sheep. In order to elucidate the molecular events associated with early ovarian differentiation, we generated two ovary stage-specific subtracted cDNA libraries using SSH. Large-scale sequencing of these SSH libraries identified 6,080 ESTs representing 2,535 contigs. Clustering and assembly of these ESTs resulted in a total of 2,101 unique sequences depicted in 1,305 singleton (62.11%) and 796 contigs (37.9%) ESTs (clusters). BLASTX evaluation indicated that 99% of the ESTs were homologous to various known genes/proteins in a broad range of organisms, especially ovine, bovine and human species. The remaining 1% which exhibited any homology to known gene sequences was considered as novel. Detailed study of the expression patterns of some of these genes using RT-PCR revealed new promising candidates for ovary differentiation genes in sheep. We showed that the SSH approach was relevant to determining new mammalian genes which might be involved in oogenesis and early follicle development, and enabled the discovery of new potential oocyte and granulosa cell markers for future studies. These genes may have significant implications regarding our understanding of ovarian function in molecular terms, and for the development of innovative strategies to both promote and control fertility.

Altered regulation of renal sodium transporters in salt-sensitive hypertensive rats induced by uninephrectomy.

PubMed

Jung, Ji Yong; Lee, Jay Wook; Kim, Sejoong; Jung, Eun Sook; Jang, Hye Ryoun; Han, Jin Suk; Joo, Kwon Wook

2009-12-01

Uninephrectomy (uNx) in young rats causes salt-sensitive hypertension (SSH). Alterations of sodium handling in residual nephrons may play a role in the pathogenesis. Therefore, we evaluated the adaptive alterations of renal sodium transporters according to salt intake in uNx-SSH rats. uNx or sham operations were performed in male Sprague-Dawley rats, and normal-salt diet was fed for 4 weeks. Four experimental groups were used: sham-operated rats raised on a high-salt diet for 2 weeks (CHH) or on a low-salt diet for 1 week after 1 week's high-salt diet (CHL) and uNx rats fed on the same diet (NHH, NHL) as the sham-operated rats were fed. Expression of major renal sodium transporters were determined by semiquantitative immunoblotting. Systolic blood pressure was increased in NHH and NHL groups, compared with CHH and CHL, respectively. Protein abundances of Na(+)/K(+)/2Cl(-) cotransporter (NKCC2) and Na(+)/Cl(-) cotransporter (NCC) in the CHH group were lower than the CHL group. Expression of epithelial sodium channel (ENaC)-γ increased in the CHH group. In contrast, expressions of NKCC2 and NCC in the NHH group didn't show any significant alterations, compared to the NHL group. Expressions of ENaC-α and ENaC-β in the NHH group were higher than the CHH group. Adaptive alterations of NKCC2 and NCC to changes of salt intake were different in the uNx group, and changes in ENaC-α and ENaC-β were also different. These altered regulations of sodium transporters may be involved in the pathogenesis of SSH in the uNx rat model.

Understanding controls of hydrologic processes across two monolithological catchments using model-data integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, D.; Shi, Y.; Li, L.

2016-12-01

Field measurements are important to understand the fluxes of water, energy, sediment, and solute in the Critical Zone however are expensive in time, money, and labor. This study aims to assess the model predictability of hydrological processes in a watershed using information from another intensively-measured watershed. We compare two watersheds of different lithology using national datasets, field measurements, and physics-based model, Flux-PIHM. We focus on two monolithological, forested watersheds under the same climate in the Shale Hills Susquehanna CZO in central Pennsylvania: the Shale-based Shale Hills (SSH, 0.08 km2) and the sandstone-based Garner Run (GR, 1.34 km2). We firstly tested the transferability of calibration coefficients from SSH to GR. We found that without any calibration the model can successfully predict seasonal average soil moisture and discharge which shows the advantage of a physics-based model, however, cannot precisely capture some peaks or the runoff in summer. The model reproduces the GR field data better after calibrating the soil hydrology parameters. In particular, the percentage of sand turns out to be a critical parameter in reproducing data. With sandstone being the dominant lithology, GR has much higher sand percentage than SSH (48.02% vs. 29.01%), leading to higher hydraulic conductivity, lower overall water storage capacity, and in general lower soil moisture. This is consistent with area averaged soil moisture observations using the cosmic-ray soil moisture observing system (COSMOS) at the two sites. This work indicates that some parameters, including evapotranspiration parameters, are transferrable due to similar climatic and land cover conditions. However, the key parameters that control soil moisture, including the sand percentage, need to be recalibrated, reflecting the key role of soil hydrological properties.

Extent of height variability explained by known height-associated genetic variants in an isolated population of the Adriatic coast of Croatia.

PubMed

Zhang, Ge; Karns, Rebekah; Sun, Guangyun; Indugula, Subba Rao; Cheng, Hong; Havas-Augustin, Dubravka; Novokmet, Natalija; Rudan, Dusko; Durakovic, Zijad; Missoni, Sasa; Chakraborty, Ranajit; Rudan, Pavao; Deka, Ranjan

2011-01-01

Human height is a classical example of a polygenic quantitative trait. Recent large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 200 height-associated loci, though these variants explain only 2∼10% of overall variability of normal height. The objective of this study was to investigate the variance explained by these loci in a relatively isolated population of European descent with limited admixture and homogeneous genetic background from the Adriatic coast of Croatia. In a sample of 1304 individuals from the island population of Hvar, Croatia, we performed genome-wide SNP typing and assessed the variance explained by genetic scores constructed from different panels of height-associated SNPs extracted from five published studies. The combined information of the 180 SNPs reported by Lango Allen el al. explained 7.94% of phenotypic variation in our sample. Genetic scores based on 20~50 SNPs reported by the remaining individual GWA studies explained 3~5% of height variance. These percentages of variance explained were within ranges comparable to the original studies and heterogeneity tests did not detect significant differences in effect size estimates between our study and the original reports, if the estimates were obtained from populations of European descent. We have evaluated the portability of height-associated loci and the overall fitting of estimated effect sizes reported in large cohorts to an isolated population. We found proportions of explained height variability were comparable to multiple reference GWAS in cohorts of European descent. These results indicate similar genetic architecture and comparable effect sizes of height loci among populations of European descent. © 2011 Zhang et al.

Modernization in Bali, Indonesia and the influence of socio-economic factors on the nutritional status of preschool children in 1989/1990: an anthropometric study.

PubMed

Huntsman, A C; White, N G

2007-01-01

Bali has undergone rapid economic modernization over the past 30 years, however, very few anthropometric studies have examined the impact of modernization variables on the nutritional status of Balinese children. The study examined the relationships between variables associated with the modernization process on the nutritional status of Balinese children in 1989/1990, as assessed by anthropometrics. The mean height-for-age, weight-for-height and weight-for-age of 691 preschool children from nine localities across Bali were reported by age group and gender and related to the degree of modernization (using such parameters as household wealth and education level of the mother) and other variables such as the age, weight and height of the mother. Using the CDC/WHO 1978 growth references (Dibley et al. 1978), overall 35% of children were stunted (height-for-age <-2 SD), 22% were underweight (weight-for-age <-2 SD), 5% were wasted (weight-for-height <-2 SD) and 6% were overweight (weight-for-height >2 SD). The nutritional status of infants was significantly better than that of older children with growth faltering most evident during the second year of life. Maternal height and weight, the age of the child and wealth index were significantly associated with height-for-age of children, while the age of the child, maternal weight and family size were significantly associated with weight-for-height and weight-for-age of children. Maternal height and weight, wealth index and the age of the child were key factors influencing the body size for age of Balinese children. The strong association between maternal and child nutritional status was most likely due to environmental rather than genetic factors.

Combined Studies

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-08-31

SSH, (1-1) where H viands for conjugate transpose, and S is the total signal vector recorded at an array of sensors, defined by: S...time delay, and a = a scale constant (for convenience, yet without loss of gen- erality, les us assume (|a(<l) ), The complex cepstrum x(n

XENOBIOTIC INDUCED ORGAN-SPECIFIC GENE EXPRESSION AND MACRO/MICROARRAY DEVELOPMENT IN MEDAKA (ORYZIAS LATIPES)

EPA Science Inventory

As part of an ongoing effort to understand and address the short and long-term consequences of increasing levels of environmental contaminants, we used suppressive subtractive hydridization (SSH) to develop gene expression profiles from Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) exposed ...

Suppression subtractive hybridization as a tool to identify anthocyanin metabolism-related genes in apple skin.

PubMed

Ban, Yusuke; Moriguchi, Takaya

2010-01-01

The pigmentation of anthocyanins is one of the important determinants for consumer preference and marketability in horticultural crops such as fruits and flowers. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the physiological process leading to the pigmentation of anthocyanins, identification of the genes differentially expressed in response to anthocyanin accumulation is a useful strategy. Currently, microarrays have been widely used to isolate differentially expressed genes. However, the use of microarrays is limited by its high cost of special apparatus and materials. Therefore, availability of microarrays is limited and does not come into common use at present. Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) is an alternative tool that has been widely used to identify differentially expressed genes due to its easy handling and relatively low cost. This chapter describes the procedures for SSH, including RNA extraction from polysaccharides and polyphenol-rich samples, poly(A)+ RNA purification, evaluation of subtraction efficiency, and differential screening using reverse northern in apple skin.

Thrombospondin Type-1 Repeat Domain-Containing Proteins Are Strongly Expressed in the Head Region of Hydra

PubMed Central

Hamaguchi-Hamada, Kayoko; Kurumata-Shigeto, Mami; Minobe, Sumiko; Fukuoka, Nozomi; Sato, Manami; Matsufuji, Miyuki; Koizumi, Osamu; Hamada, Shun

2016-01-01

The head region of Hydra, the hypostome, is a key body part for developmental control and the nervous system. We herein examined genes specifically expressed in the head region of Hydra oligactis using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cloning. A total of 1414 subtracted clones were sequenced and found to be derived from at least 540 different genes by BLASTN analyses. Approximately 25% of the subtracted clones had sequences encoding thrombospondin type-1 repeat (TSR) domains, and were derived from 17 genes. We identified 11 TSR domain-containing genes among the top 36 genes that were the most frequently detected in our SSH library. Whole-mount in situ hybridization analyses confirmed that at least 13 out of 17 TSR domain-containing genes were expressed in the hypostome of Hydra oligactis. The prominent expression of TSR domain-containing genes suggests that these genes play significant roles in the hypostome of Hydra oligactis. PMID:27043211

[Construction of fetal mesenchymal stem cell cDNA subtractive library].

PubMed

Yang, Li; Wang, Dong-Mei; Li, Liang; Bai, Ci-Xian; Cao, Hua; Li, Ting-Yu; Pei, Xue-Tao

2002-04-01

To identify differentially expressed genes between fetal mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) and adult MSC, especially specified genes expressed in fetal MSC, a cDNA subtractive library of fetal MSC was constructed using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique. At first, total RNA was isolated from fetal and adult MSC. Using SMART PCR synthesis method, single-strand and double-strand cDNAs were synthesized. After Rsa I digestion, fetal MSC cDNAs were divided into two groups and ligated to adaptor 1 and adaptor 2 respectively. Results showed that the amplified library contains 890 clones. Analysis of 890 clones with PCR demonstrated that 768 clones were positive. The positive rate is 86.3%. The size of inserted fragments in these positive clones was between 0.2 - 1 kb, with an average of 400 - 600 bp. SSH is a convenient and effective method for screening differentially expressed genes. The constructed cDNA subtractive library of fetal MSC cDNA lays solid foundation for screening and cloning new and specific function related genes of fetal MSC.

Time evolution of atmospheric parameters and their influence on sea level pressure over the head Bay of Bengal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patra, Anindita; Bhaskaran, Prasad K.; Jose, Felix

2018-06-01

A zonal dipole in the observed trends of wind speed and significant wave height over the Head Bay of Bengal region was recently reported in the literature attributed due to the variations in sea level pressure (SLP). The SLP in turn is governed by prevailing atmospheric conditions such as local temperature, humidity, rainfall, atmospheric pressure, wind field distribution, formation of tropical cyclones, etc. The present study attempts to investigate the inter-annual variability of atmospheric parameters and its role on the observed zonal dipole trend in sea level pressure, surface wind speed and significant wave height. It reports on the aspects related to linear trend as well as its spatial variability for several atmospheric parameters: air temperature, geopotential height, omega (vertical velocity), and zonal wind, over the head Bay of Bengal, by analyzing National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Reanalysis 2 dataset covering a period of 38 years (1979-2016). Significant warming from sea level to 200 mb pressure level and thereafter cooling above has been noticed during all the seasons. Warming within the troposphere exhibits spatial difference between eastern and western side of the domain. This led to fall in lower tropospheric geopotential height and its east-west variability, exhibiting a zonal dipole pattern across the Head Bay. In the upper troposphere, uplift in geopotential height was found as a result of cooling in higher levels (10-100 mb). Variability in omega also substantiated the observed variations in geopotential height. The study also finds weakening in the upper level westerlies and easterlies. Interestingly, a linear trend in lower tropospheric u-wind component also reveals an east-west dipole pattern over the study region. Further, the study corroborates the reported dipole in trends of sea level pressure, wind speed and significant wave height by evaluating the influence of atmospheric variability on these parameters.

Rock Erodibility as a Dynamic Variable Driven by the Interplay between Erosion and Weathering in Bedrock Channels: Examples from Great Falls, Virginia, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hancock, G. S.; Huettenmoser, J.; Shobe, C. M.; Eppes, M. C.

2016-12-01

Rock erodibility in channels is a primary control on the stresses required to erode bedrock (e.g., Sklar and Dietrich, 2001). Erodibility tends to be treated as a uniform and fixed variable at the scale of channel cross-sections, particularly in models of channel profile evolution. Here we present field data supporting the hypothesis (Hancock et al., 2011) that erodibility is a dynamic variable, driven by the interplay between erosion rate and weathering processes within cross-sections. We hypothesize that rock weathering varies in cross-sections from virtually unweathered in the thalweg, where frequent stripping removes weathered rock, to a degree of weathering determined by the frequency of erosive events higher on the channel margin. We test this hypothesis on three tributaries to the Potomac River underlain by similar bedrock but with varying erosion rates ( 0.01 to 0.8 m/ky). At multiple heights within three cross-sections on three tributaries, we measured compressive strength with a Schmidt hammer, surface roughness with a contour gage, and density and length of visible cracks. Compressive strength decreased with height in all nine cross-sections by 10% to 50%, and surface roughness increased with height in seven cross-sections by 25% - 45%, with the remaining two showing minimal change. Crack density increased with height in the three cross-sections measured. Taken together these data demonstrate increases in weathering intensity, and presumably, rock erodibility, with height. The y-intercept of the relation between height and the three measured variables were nearly identical, suggesting that thalweg erodibility was similar on each channel, as predicted, even though erodibility higher in the cross-section were markedly different. The rate at which the three variables changed with height in each cross-section is strongly related to stream power. Assuming stream power is a reasonable surrogate for erosion rate, this result implies that erosion rate can be a primary influence on the distribution of erodibility within channel cross-sections. We conclude that the interplay between rates of erosion and weathering produces spatial as well as temporal variability in erodibility which, in turn, influences channel form and gradient.

Hydrological signals in height and gravity in northeastern Italy inferred from principal components analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zerbini, S.; Raicich, F.; Richter, B.; Gorini, V.; Errico, M.

2010-04-01

This work describes a study of GPS heights, gravity and hydrological time series collected by stations located in northeastern Italy. During the last 12 years, changes in the long-term behaviors of the GPS heights and gravity time series are observed. In particular, starting in 2004-2005, a height increase is observed over the whole area. The temporal and spatial variability of these parameters has been studied as well as those of key hydrological variables, namely precipitation, hydrological balance and water table by using the Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOF) analysis. The coupled variability between the GPS heights and the hydrological balance and precipitation data has been investigated by means of the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) approach. Significant common patterns in the spatial and temporal variability of these parameters have been recognized. In particular, hydrology-induced variations are clearly observable starting in 2002-2003 in the southern part of the Po Plain for the longest time series, and from 2004-2005 over the whole area. These findings, obtained by means of purely mathematical approaches, are supported by sound physical interpretation suggesting that the climate-related fluctuations in the regional/local hydrological regime are one of the main contributors to the observed variations. A regional scale signal has been identified in the GPS station heights; it is characterized by the opposite behavior of the southern and northern stations in response to the hydrological forcing. At Medicina, in the southern Po Plain, the EOF analysis has shown a marked common signal between the GPS heights and the Superconducting Gravimeter (SG) data both over the long and the short period.

Five-class height-weight mean and SD system applying Estonian reference values of height-weight mean and SD for systematization of seventeen-year-old conscripts' anthropometric data.

PubMed

Lintsi, Mart; Kaarma, Helje; Aunapuu, Marina; Arend, Andres

2007-03-01

A study of 739 conscripts aged 17 years from the town of Tartu and from the Tartu county was performed. Height, weight, 33 anthropometric measurements and 12 skinfolds were measured. The data were classified into five height-weight mean and SD-classes applying the Estonian reference values for this age and sex (Grünberg et al. 1998). There were 3 classes with conformity between height and weight class: 1--small (small height and small weight), 2--medium (medium height and medium weight), 3--large (large height and large weight), 4--weight class dominating (pyknomorphic) and 5--height class dominating (leptomorphic). It was found, that in classes 1, 2 and 3 the height and weight increase was in accordance with the increase in all heights, breadths and depths, circumferences, skinfolds, body fat, muscle and bone mass. In class 4 circumferences, skinfolds, body fat and muscle mass were bigger. In class 5 all heights and the relative bone mass were bigger. The present investigation confirms the assumption that the five height-weight mean and SD five-class system applying the Estonian reference values for classifying the anthropometric variables is suitable for seventeen-year-old conscripts. As well the border values of 5%, 50% and 95% for every anthropometrical variable in the five-classes were calculated, which may be helpful for practical classifying.

Research study on neutral thermodynamic atmospheric model. [for space shuttle mission and abort trajectory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hargraves, W. R.; Delulio, E. B.; Justus, C. G.

1977-01-01

The Global Reference Atmospheric Model is used along with the revised perturbation statistics to evaluate and computer graph various atmospheric statistics along a space shuttle reference mission and abort trajectory. The trajectory plots are height vs. ground range, with height from ground level to 155 km and ground range along the reentry trajectory. Cross sectional plots, height vs. latitude or longitude, are also generated for 80 deg longitude, with heights from 30 km to 90 km and latitude from -90 deg to +90 deg, and for 45 deg latitude, with heights from 30 km to 90 km and longitudes from 180 deg E to 180 deg W. The variables plotted are monthly average pressure, density, temperature, wind components, and wind speed and standard deviations and 99th inter-percentile range for each of these variables.

The Aging of the U.S. Population: Human Resource Implications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, Malcolm H.

1983-01-01

This article argues that in the upcoming decades, older workers will be competing against the largest cohort of middle-aged workers in our country's history. In the absence of other options, the elderly may feel increased pressure to retire or work part time. (Author/SSH)

Relationship between food insecurity and nutritional status of Brazilian children under the age of five.

PubMed

Santos, Leonardo Pozza dos; Gigante, Denise Petrucci

2013-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between food insecurity and nutritional status of Brazilian children. The National Demographic and Health Survey 2006 database is available on the worldwide web. Thus, the analyzed variables were obtained in this study, including nutritional indices, food insecurity and other socioeconomic and demographic variables. The height-for-age, weight-for-age and weight-for-height indices were evaluated as the Z-score of the World Health Organization reference curves. Food insecurity was defined by using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Averages of three indices according to the presence of food insecurity were analyzed, including other variables. Linear regression evaluated the effect of food insecurity on the Z-score of the three nutritional indices. The sample included 4,817 children, out of whom 7% had deficit in height, 7% were overweight and 47% had food insecurity. It was found that the average of height-for-age, weight-for-age and weight-for-height were -0.31, 0.12 and 0.40, respectively, being lower among children with food insecurity. The regression analysis showed that children living with some level of food insecurity have worse rates of height-for-age, even controlling for demographic and socioeconomic factors.

Vertical Jump Height is more Strongly Associated with Velocity and Work Performed Prior to Take-off

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bentley, J. R.; Loehr, J. A.; DeWitt, J. K.; Lee, S. M. C.; English, K. L.; Nash, R. E.; Leach, M. A.; Hagan, R. D.

2008-01-01

Vertical jump (VJ) height is commonly used as a measure of athletic capability in strength and power sports. Although VJ has been shown to be a predictor of athletic performance, it is not clear which kinetic ground reaction force (GRF) variables, such as peak force (PF), peak power (PP), peak velocity (PV), total work (TW) or impulse (Imp) are the best correlates. To determine which kinetic variables (PF, PP, PV, TW, and Imp) best correlate with VJ height. Twenty subjects (14 males, 6 females) performed three maximal countermovement VJs on a force platform (Advanced Mechanical Technology, Inc., Watertown, MA, USA). VJ jump height was calculated as the difference between standing reach and the highest reach point measured using a Vertec. PF, PP, PV, TW, and Imp were calculated using the vertical GRF data sampled at 1000 Hz from the lowest point in the countermovement through the concentric portion until take-off. GRF data were normalized to body mass measured using a standard scale (Detecto, Webb City, MO, USA). Correlation coefficients were computed between each GRF variable and VJ height using a Pearson correlation. VJ height (43.4 plus or minus 9.1 cm) was significantly correlated (p less than 0.001) with PF (998 plus or minus 321 N; r=0.51), PP (1997 plus or minus 772 W; r=0.69), PV (2.66 plus or minus 0.40 m (raised dot) s(sup -1); r=0.85), TW (259 plus or minus 93.0 kJ; r=0.82), and Imp (204 plus or minus 51.1 N(raised dot)s; r=0.67). Although all variables were correlated to VJ height, PV and TW were more strongly correlated to VJ height than PF, PP, and Imp. Therefore, since TW is equal to force times displacement, the relative displacement of the center of mass along with the forces applied during the upward movement of the jump are critical determinants of VJ height. PV and TW are key determinants of VJ height, and therefore successful training programs to increase VJ height should focus on rapid movement (PV) and TW by increasing power over time rather than focusing on PF alone.

Using a Bayesian network to predict barrier island geomorphologic characteristics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gutierrez, Ben; Plant, Nathaniel G.; Thieler, E. Robert; Turecek, Aaron

2015-01-01

Quantifying geomorphic variability of coastal environments is important for understanding and describing the vulnerability of coastal topography, infrastructure, and ecosystems to future storms and sea level rise. Here we use a Bayesian network (BN) to test the importance of multiple interactions between barrier island geomorphic variables. This approach models complex interactions and handles uncertainty, which is intrinsic to future sea level rise, storminess, or anthropogenic processes (e.g., beach nourishment and other forms of coastal management). The BN was developed and tested at Assateague Island, Maryland/Virginia, USA, a barrier island with sufficient geomorphic and temporal variability to evaluate our approach. We tested the ability to predict dune height, beach width, and beach height variables using inputs that included longer-term, larger-scale, or external variables (historical shoreline change rates, distances to inlets, barrier width, mean barrier elevation, and anthropogenic modification). Data sets from three different years spanning nearly a decade sampled substantial temporal variability and serve as a proxy for analysis of future conditions. We show that distinct geomorphic conditions are associated with different long-term shoreline change rates and that the most skillful predictions of dune height, beach width, and beach height depend on including multiple input variables simultaneously. The predictive relationships are robust to variations in the amount of input data and to variations in model complexity. The resulting model can be used to evaluate scenarios related to coastal management plans and/or future scenarios where shoreline change rates may differ from those observed historically.

[Final size attained in type 1 diabetes children].

PubMed

Galera Martínez, R; García García, E; Gámez Gómez, M D; Gómez Llorente, J L; Garrido Fernández, P; Bonillo Perales, A

2009-03-01

To describe the final height and height-gain in relation to target height, in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus, and analyse their relationship to different variables. Retrospective analysis of the growth data of 52 children (27 girls) diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus before 14 years old, and followed up until their final height was attained. final height, target height, illness duration, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), insulin dose, BMI, and other autoimmune diseases. The height SDS (standard deviation scale) at diagnosis was slightly higher (0.734 in boys and 0.563 in girls). During the development of the disease, a growth reduction was seen, which was significantly higher in boys of prepubertal age (p = 0.016). The mean final height attained was 173.14 +/- 5.28 cm in boys and 161.9 +/- 6.97 cm in girls. Height gain was 1.56 +/- 3.66 in boys (SDS = -0.034) and 2.26 +/- 6.13 in girls (SDS = 0.385). The only variable significantly related to height gain was mean glycated-haemoglobin (growth reduction of 2 cm for every increment of 1% in mean glycated-haemoglobin). At onset, diabetic children were slightly taller than the general population. A growth reduction was shown as the disease developed, significantly higher in boys of prepubertal age. The final height in boys was slightly lower than the mean, but in girls was similar to the general population. Both sexes attained their target height, although the height gain was less in boys. Poorer metabolic control was associated with reduced height gain.

Height loss in elderly women is preceded by osteoporosis and is associated with digestive problems and urinary incontinence.

PubMed

Berecki-Gisolf, J; Spallek, M; Hockey, R; Dobson, A

2010-03-01

This study explores risk factors for height loss and consequences in terms of health and wellbeing, in older women. Osteoporosis, low body-mass index, being born in Europe and using medications for both sleep and anxiety were risk factors for height loss. Height loss was associated with digestive problems; excessive height loss was also associated with urinary stress-incontinence and a decline in self-rated health. Height loss is associated with osteoporosis, but little is known about its consequences. We aimed to examine the risk factors for height loss and the symptoms associated with height loss. Elderly participants of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (aged 70-75 in 1996) who provided data on height at any two consecutive surveys (held in 1996, 1999, 2002, and 2005) were included (N = 9,852). A regression model was fitted with height loss as the outcome and sociodemographics, osteoporosis, and other risk factors as explanatory variables. Symptoms related to postural changes or raised intra-abdominal pressure were analyzed using height loss as an explanatory variable. Over 9 years, average height loss per year was -0.12% (95% confidence intervals [95% CI] = -0.13 to -0.12) of height at baseline. Height loss was greater among those with osteoporosis and low body mass index and those taking medications for sleep and anxiety. After adjusting for confounders, symptoms associated with height loss of > or =2% were heartburn/indigestion (odds ratio [OR] = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.40), constipation (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.37), and urinary stress incontinence (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.02 to 1.41). These findings highlight the importance of monitoring height among the elderly in general practice and targeting associated symptoms.

Tree volume and biomass equations for the Lake States.

Treesearch

Jerold T. Hahn

1984-01-01

Presents species specific equations and methods for computing tree height, cubic foot, and board foot volume, and biomass for the Lake States (Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin). Height equations compute either total or merchantable height to a variable top d.o.b. from d.b.h., site index, and basal area. Volumes and biomass are computed from d.b.h. and height.

Integrating disparate lidar data at the national scale to assess the relationships between height above ground, land cover and ecoregions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stoker, Jason M.; Cochrane, Mark A.; Roy, David P.

2013-01-01

With the acquisition of lidar data for over 30 percent of the US, it is now possible to assess the three-dimensional distribution of features at the national scale. This paper integrates over 350 billion lidar points from 28 disparate datasets into a national-scale database and evaluates if height above ground is an important variable in the context of other nationalscale layers, such as the US Geological Survey National Land Cover Database and the US Environmental Protection Agency ecoregions maps. While the results were not homoscedastic and the available data did not allow for a complete height census in any of the classes, it does appear that where lidar data were used, there were detectable differences in heights among many of these national classification schemes. This study supports the hypothesis that there were real, detectable differences in heights in certain national-scale classification schemes, despite height not being a variable used in any of the classification routines.

Experimental investigation of terahertz quantum cascade laser with variable barrier heights

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

Jiang, Aiting; Vijayraghavan, Karun; Belkin, Mikhail A., E-mail: mbelkin@ece.utexas.edu

2014-04-28

We report an experimental study of terahertz quantum cascade lasers with variable barrier heights based on the Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1–x}As/GaAs material system. Two new designs are developed based on semiclassical ensemble Monte Carlo simulations using state-of-the-art Al{sub 0.15}Ga{sub 0.85}As/GaAs three-quantum-well resonant phonon depopulation active region design as a reference. The new designs achieved maximum lasing temperatures of 188 K and 172 K, as compared to the maximum lasing temperature of 191 K for the reference structure. These results demonstrate that terahertz quantum cascade laser designs with variable barrier heights provide a viable alternative to the traditional active region designs with fixed barrier composition.more » Additional design space offered by using variable barriers may lead to future improvements in the terahertz quantum cascade laser performance.« less

The Correlation of Learning Styles with Student Performance In Academic and Clinical Course Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunningham, M. Jo; Trickey, Becki A.

1983-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine any correlation between learning styles and performance in the academic and clinical course work of occupational therapy students at the Medical University of South Carolina. (Availability: RAM Associates LTD., P.O. Box N, Laurel, MD 20707) (SSH)

Testing the Shallow Structure Hypothesis in L2 Japanese

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Megan

2016-01-01

Language processing heuristics are one of the possible sources of divergence between first and second language systems. The Shallow Structure Hypothesis (SSH) (Clahsen and Felser, 2006) proposes that non-native language processing relies primarily on semantic, and not syntactic, information, and that second language (L2) processing is therefore…

Application of Competency Testing Mandates to Handicapped Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Martha M.

1983-01-01

The author considers the legality of minimum competency testing diploma requirements applied to the handicapped in light of (1) their constitutional and statutory rights to nondiscriminatory treatment, (2) their statutory right to an appropriate education, and (3) their constitutional right to substantive and procedural due process. (Author/SSH)

Current Developments in DETER Cybersecurity Testbed Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-08

management on PlanetLab [12], such as Plush and Nebula [4], PlMan [19], Stork [20], pShell [21], Planetlab Application Manager [22], parallel open...SSH tools [23], plDist [24], Nixes [25], PLDeploy [26] and vxargs [27]. With the exception of Plush and Nebula , these tools are all low-level

Operations Management and Curriculum Design.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slack, Nigel

1983-01-01

The last few years have seen developments in the academic treatment of operations management which both broaden the subject to include a much wider range of industries in the nonmanufacturing sectors and place the operations function in a more strategic context. (MEAD Subscriptions, CSML, University of Lancaster, Lancaster LA1 4YX, England) (SSH)

Identifying differentially expressed genes in leaves of Glycine tomentella in the presence of the fungal pathogen Phakopsora pachyrhizi

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Transcription profiles of Glycine tomentella genotypes having different responses to soybean rust, caused by the fungal pathogen Phakopsora pachyrhizi, were compared using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Four cDNA libraries were constructed from infected and non-infected leaves of resis...

Productivity Increased in 1981 in Most Industries Measured.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Arthur S.

1982-01-01

Although productivity growth slowed during 1976-81 for most of the industries surveyed, a majority of significant industries showed advances in output per employee hour in 1981. The growth in industry productivity was consistent with the gain in the nonfarm business sector of the economy, which grew 1.4 percent. (SSH)

Ethical Problems in the Practice of Organization Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wooten, Kevin C.; White, Louis P.

1983-01-01

This article discusses forces that affect the professional ethics of organizational development (OD). Both driving forces and restraining forces have influenced the current status of OD ethics. These forces have operated since the emergence of OD itself, and their fluctuating intensity results in the dynamic nature of the OD profession. (SSH)

Education and Training: Have the Japanese Beaten Us Again?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rehder, Robert R.

1983-01-01

Japan is often likened to a giant corporation--Japan Inc.--in which the educational credentials of its employees largely determine their social and economic status. This first international report of 1983 discusses why the U.S. should study the pros and cons of the Japanese educational system. (SSH)

Time-Series Evidence of the Effect of the Minimum Wage on Youth Employment and Unemployment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Charles; And Others

1983-01-01

The study finds that a 10 percent increase in the federal minimum wage (or the coverage rate) would reduce teenage (16-19) employment by about one percent, which is at the lower end of the range of estimates from previous studies. (Author/SSH)

Occupational Safety and Health Systems: A Three-Country Comparison.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singleton, W. T.

1983-01-01

This article compares the occupational safety and health systems of Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, looking at the origins of their legislation and its effects on occupational safety and health, with a view to determining what lessons may emerge, particularly for developing countries. (Author/SSH)

Ventilation Processes in a Three-Dimensional Street Canyon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nosek, Štěpán; Kukačka, Libor; Kellnerová, Radka; Jurčáková, Klára; Jaňour, Zbyněk

2016-05-01

The ventilation processes in three different street canyons of variable roof geometry were investigated in a wind tunnel using a ground-level line source. All three street canyons were part of an urban-type array formed by courtyard-type buildings with pitched roofs. A constant roof height was used in the first case, while a variable roof height along the leeward or windward walls was simulated in the two other cases. All street-canyon models were exposed to a neutrally stratified flow with two approaching wind directions, perpendicular and oblique. The complexity of the flow and dispersion within the canyons of variable roof height was demonstrated for both wind directions. The relative pollutant removals and spatially-averaged concentrations within the canyons revealed that the model with constant roof height has higher re-emissions than models with variable roof heights. The nomenclature for the ventilation processes according to quadrant analysis of the pollutant flux was introduced. The venting of polluted air (positive fluctuations of both concentration and velocity) from the canyon increased when the wind direction changed from perpendicular to oblique, irrespective of the studied canyon model. Strong correlations (>0.5) between coherent structures and ventilation processes were found at roof level, irrespective of the canyon model and wind direction. This supports the idea that sweep and ejection events of momentum bring clean air in and detrain the polluted air from the street canyon, respectively.

Gender differences in foot shape: a study of Chinese young adults.

PubMed

Hong, Youlian; Wang, Lin; Xu, Dong Qing; Li, Jing Xian

2011-06-01

One important extrinsic factor that causes foot deformity and pain in women is footwear. Women's sports shoes are designed as smaller versions of men's shoes. Based on this, the current study aims to identify foot shape in 1,236 Chinese young adult men and 1,085 Chinese young adult women. Three-dimensional foot shape data were collected through video filming. Nineteen foot shape variables were measured, including girth (4 variables), length (4 variables), width (3 variables), height (7 variables), and angle (1 variable). A comparison of foot measures within the range of the common foot length (FL) categories indicates that women showed significantly smaller values of foot measures in width, height, and girth than men. Three foot types were classified, and distributions of different foot shapes within the same FL were found between women and men. Foot width, medial ball length, ball angle, and instep height showed significant differences among foot types in the same FL for both genders. There were differences in the foot shape between Chinese young women and men, which should be considered in the design of Chinese young adults' sports shoes.

Normative data for IQ, height and head circumference for children in Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Batterjee, Adel A; Khaleefa, Omar; Ashaer, Khalil; Lynn, Richard

2013-07-01

Normative data are reported for intelligence, height and head circumference for a sample of 1553 6- to 15-year-olds in Saudi Arabia, and for the correlations between these variables. Intelligence was tested with the Standard Progressive Matrices, on which the Saudi sample obtained a British IQ of 76.2. There were no significant differences in means between boys and girls and differences in variability were inconsistent. The heights of the Saudi sample were generally lower than those of the American norms. The differences in head circumferences between the Saudi children and the American norms were inconsistent. Correlations between IQ and height were weaker than those found in other studies but correlations between IQ and head circumference were positive.

Comparison of yellow poplar growth models on the basis of derived growth analysis variables

Treesearch

Keith F. Jensen; Daniel A. Yaussy

1986-01-01

Quadratic and cubic polynomials, and Gompertz and Richards asymptotic models were fitted to yellow poplar growth data. These data included height, leaf area, leaf weight and new shoot height for 23 weeks. Seven growth analysis variables were estimated from each function. The Gompertz and Richards models fitted the data best and provided the most accurate derived...

[Nutritional status in children with intellectual disabilities based on anthropometric profile].

PubMed

Cossio-Bolaños, Marco; Vidal-Espinoza, Rubén; Lagos-Luciano, Juan; Gómez-Campos, Rossana

2015-01-01

Anthropometric variables such as weight, height and body length in children and adolescents with and without intellectual disabilities should be studied in connection with nutritional status, physical growth and biological maturation. a) to analyze the anthropometric profile based on nutritional status, b) to determine the prevalence of overweight and short stature c) to propose equations for predicting height from anthropometric variables. A total of 49 children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities, and from a special education school were studied (30 boys and 19 girls). Weight, height, trunk-cephalic height, forearm and foot length were evaluated. The calculation of nutritional status resulted in the establishment of nutritional categories: underweight, normal and overweight. The anthropometric profile of males varies significantly when classified according to nutritional categories (P<.05); however no variations were observed in the girls (P>.05). Also, high values of overweight prevalence were observed in both genders (43% of boys and 26% of girls). Variables such as age, weight, length of the forearm in females, and foot length in males are good predictors of height (R(2) = 91-94% males and R(2) = 87% females). A high percentage of overweight cases were observed; therefore, rigorous control and monitoring of nutritional status are suggested. The proposed regression equations could be an option in schools to easily and simply predict height. Copyright © 2015. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

Correlation between morphological characteristics in spectral-domain-optical coherence tomography, different functional tests and a patient's subjective handicap in acute central serous chorioretinopathy.

PubMed

Gerendas, Bianca S; Kroisamer, Julia-Sophie; Buehl, Wolf; Rezar-Dreindl, Sandra M; Eibenberger, Katharina M; Pablik, Eleonore; Schmidt-Erfurth, Ursula; Sacu, Stefan

2018-01-16

The purpose of this study was to identify quantitatively measurable morphologic optical coherence tomography (OCT) characteristics in patients with an acute episode of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) and evaluate their correlation to functional and psychological variables for their use in daily clinical practice. Retinal thickness (RT), the height, area and volume of subretinal fluid (SRF)/pigment epithelium detachments were evaluated using the standardized procedures of the Vienna Reading Center. These morphologic characteristics were compared with functional variables [best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), contrast sensitivity (CS), retinal sensitivity/microperimetry, fixation stability], and patients' subjective handicap from CSC using the National Eye Institute 25-item Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25). Data from 39 CSC patients were included in this analysis. Three different SRF height measures showed a high negative correlation (r = -0.7) to retinal sensitivity within the central 9°, which was also negatively correlated with SRF area and volume (r = -0.6). The CS score and fixation stability (fixation points within 2°) showed a moderate negative correlation (r = -0.4) with SRF height variables. Comparison of the subjective handicap with morphological characteristics in spectral-domain (SD)-OCT showed SRF height had the highest correlation (r = -0.4) with the subjective problems reported and overall NEI VFQ-25 score. In conclusion, SRF height measured in SD-OCT showed the best correlation with functional variables and patients' subjective handicap caused by the disease and therefore seems to be the best variable to look at in daily clinical routine. Even though area and volume also show a correlation, these cannot be so easily measured as height and are therefore not suggested for daily clinical routine. © 2018 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Hierarchical control of ride height system for electronically controlled air suspension based on variable structure and fuzzy control theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xing; Zhou, Kongkang; Zou, Nannan; Jiang, Hong; Cui, Xiaoli

2015-09-01

The current research of air suspension mainly focuses on the characteristics and design of the air spring. In fact, electronically controlled air suspension (ECAS) has excellent performance in flexible height adjustment during different driving conditions. However, the nonlinearity of the ride height adjusting system and the uneven distribution of payload affect the control accuracy of ride height and the body attitude. Firstly, the three-point measurement system of three height sensors is used to establish the mathematical model of the ride height adjusting system. The decentralized control of ride height and the centralized control of body attitude are presented to design the ride height control system for ECAS. The exact feedback linearization method is adopted for the nonlinear mathematical model of the ride height system. Secondly, according to the hierarchical control theory, the variable structure control (VSC) technique is used to design a controller that is able to adjust the ride height for the quarter-vehicle anywhere, and each quarter-vehicle height control system is independent. Meanwhile, the three-point height signals obtained by three height sensors are tracked to calculate the body pitch and roll attitude over time, and then by calculating the deviation of pitch and roll and its rates, the height control correction is reassigned based on the fuzzy algorithm. Finally, to verify the effectiveness and performance of the proposed combined control strategy, a validating test of ride height control system with and without road disturbance is carried out. Testing results show that the height adjusting time of both lifting and lowering is over 5 s, and the pitch angle and the roll angle of body attitude are less than 0.15°. This research proposes a hierarchical control method that can guarantee the attitude stability, as well as satisfy the ride height tracking system.

Comparative analysis of 2 glenoid version measurement methods in variable axial slices on 3-dimensionally reconstructed computed tomography scans.

PubMed

Cunningham, Gregory; Freebody, John; Smith, Margaret M; Taha, Mohy E; Young, Allan A; Cass, Benjamin; Giuffre, Bruno

2018-05-16

Most glenoid version measurement methods have been validated on 3-dimensionally corrected axial computed tomography (CT) slices at the mid glenoid. Variability of the vault according to slice height and angulation has not yet been studied and is crucial for proper surgical implant positioning. The aim of this study was to analyze the variation of the glenoid vault compared with the Friedman angle according to different CT slice heights and angulations. The hypothesis was that the Friedman angle would show less variability. Sixty shoulder CT scans were retrieved from a hospital imaging database and were reconstructed in the plane of the scapula. Seven axial slices of different heights and coronal angulations were selected, and measurements were carried out by 3 observers. Mid-glenoid mean version was -8.0° (±4.9°; range, -19.6° to +7.0°) and -2.1° (±4.7°; range, -13.0° to +10.3°) using the vault method and Friedman angle, respectively. For both methods, decreasing slice height or angulation did not significantly alter version. Increasing slice height or angulation significantly increased anteversion for the vault method (P < .001). Both interobserver reliability and intraobserver reliability were significantly higher using the Friedman angle. Version at the mid and lower glenoid is similar using either method. The vault method shows less reliability and more variability according to slice height or angulation. Yet, as it significantly differs from the Friedman angle, it should still be used in situations where maximum bone purchase is sought with glenoid implants. For any other situation, the Friedman angle remains the method of choice. Copyright © 2018 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Early Student Support for SST Control by Subsurface Mixing during Indian Ocean Monsoons

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-30

Lee and Rainville), and NRL (Wijesekera). OBJECTIVES The objectives of this project are to: 1. use satellite-measured SSS , SST, and SSH to...forcing, and 5. synthesize the above information and products to examine links and feedbacks between the SST and SSS of the SLD and local precipitation

Adult Education in the People's Republic of China.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sidel, Mark

1982-01-01

This report was based on the author's study in China in 1980-81 and on the findings of other observers, Chinese data, and analyses of the post-Mao adult education system (1977-1982). It focuses particularly on the shifts in adult education priorities and programs and on the political and pedagogical debates. (SSH)

International Trends in Productivity and Labor Costs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capdevielle, Patricia; And Others

1982-01-01

Productivity increased in 1981 in the United States, Japan, and European countries studied. Gains ranged from 2 to 4 percent in the US, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, to 6 percent in England and Denmark, and more than 7 percent in Belgium. In Canada and Sweden, productivity remained essentially unchanged. (SSH)

The Robots Are Coming! Training Tomorrow's High-Tech Workers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zemke, Ron

1983-01-01

The United States, running second to Japan in the robot race, is employing 19 percent of the world's robots. This article presents six classes of robots that were defined by the Japanese trade association. All are multifunctional, equipped with a memory device, capable of rotation, and able to replace human workers. (SSH)

Non-local electron transport through normal and topological ladder-like atomic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurzyna, Marcin; Kwapiński, Tomasz

2018-05-01

We propose a locally protected ladder-like atomic system (nanoconductor) on a substrate that is insensitive to external perturbations. The system corresponds to coupled atomic chains fabricated on different surfaces. Electron transport properties of such conductors are studied theoretically using the model tight-binding Su-Schriffer-Hegger (SSH) Hamiltonian and Green's function formalism. We have found that the conductance of the system is almost insensitive to single adatoms and oscillates as a function of the side chain length with very large periods. Non-local character of the electron transport was observed also for topological SSH chains where nontrivial end states survive in the presence of disturbances as well as for different substrates. We have found that the careful inspection of the density of states or charge waves can provide the information about the atom energy levels and hopping amplitudes. Moreover, the ladder-like geometry allows one to distinguish between normal and topological zero-energy states. It is important that topological chains do not reveal Friedel oscillations which are observed in non-topological chains.

Regulating ehrlich and demethiolation pathways for alcohols production by the expression of ubiquitin-protein ligase gene HUWE1.

PubMed

Zhang, Quan; Jia, Kai-Zhi; Xia, Shi-Tao; Xu, Yang-Hua; Liu, Rui-Sang; Li, Hong-Mei; Tang, Ya-Jie

2016-02-10

Ehrlich and demethiolation pathways as two competing branches converted amino acid into alcohols. Controlling both pathways offers considerable potential for industrial applications including alcohols overproduction, flavor-quality control and developing new flavors. While how to regulate ehrlich and demethiolation pathways is still not applicable. Taking the conversion of methionine into methionol and methanethiol for example, we constructed two suppression subtractive cDNA libraries of Clonostachys rosea by using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technology for screening regulators controlling the conversion. E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase gene HUWE1 screened from forward SSH library was validated to be related with the biosynthesis of end products. Overexpressing HUWE1 in C. rosea and S. cerevisiae significantly increased the biosynthesis of methanethiol and its derivatives in demethiolation pathway, while suppressed the biosynthesis of methional and methionol in ehrlich pathway. These results attained the directional regulation of both pathways by overexpressing HUWE1. Thus, HUWE1 has potential to be a key target for controlling and enhancing alcohols production by metabolic engineering.

An SSH library responsive to azadirachtin A constructed in Spodoptera litura Fabricius cell lines.

PubMed

Yan, Chao; Zhang, Zhi-Xiang; Xu, Han-Hong

2012-05-31

The present study revealed differentially expressed genes responsive to azadirachtin A (Aza) in Spodoptera litura cell line through suppression subtractive hybridization. In the Aza-responsive SSH library, approximately 270 sequences represent 53 different identified genes encoding proteins with various predicted functions, and the percentages of the gene clusters were 26.09% (genetic information processing), 11.41% (cell growth and death), 7.07% (metabolism), 6.52% (signal transduction/transport) and 2.72% (immunity), respectively. Eleven clones homologous to identified genes were selected to be confirmed through quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. Among the eleven clones validated, all but one transcript of lipase showed an increase in SL cell line collected from ETA, whereas the transcripts of other genes were lower in the SL cell line collected from ETA compared with that of UETA. These genes were considered to be related to the response of SL cell line to Aza. These will provide a new clue to uncover the molecular mechanisms of Aza acting on SL cell line. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Access and accounting schemes of wireless broadband

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jian; Huang, Benxiong; Wang, Yan; Yu, Xing

2004-04-01

In this paper, two wireless broadband access and accounting schemes were introduced. There are some differences in the client and the access router module between them. In one scheme, Secure Shell (SSH) protocol is used in the access system. The SSH server makes the authentication based on private key cryptography. The advantage of this scheme is the security of the user's information, and we have sophisticated access control. In the other scheme, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol is used the access system. It uses the technology of public privacy key. Nowadays, web browser generally combines HTTP and SSL protocol and we use the SSL protocol to implement the encryption of the data between the clients and the access route. The schemes are same in the radius sever part. Remote Authentication Dial in User Service (RADIUS), as a security protocol in the form of Client/Sever, is becoming an authentication/accounting protocol for standard access to the Internet. It will be explained in a flow chart. In our scheme, the access router serves as the client to the radius server.

SSH2S: Hydrogen storage in complex hydrides for an auxiliary power unit based on high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baricco, Marcello; Bang, Mads; Fichtner, Maximilian; Hauback, Bjorn; Linder, Marc; Luetto, Carlo; Moretto, Pietro; Sgroi, Mauro

2017-02-01

The main objective of the SSH2S (Fuel Cell Coupled Solid State Hydrogen Storage Tank) project was to develop a solid state hydrogen storage tank based on complex hydrides and to fully integrate it with a High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (HT-PEM) fuel cell stack. A mixed lithium amide/magnesium hydride system was used as the main storage material for the tank, due to its high gravimetric storage capacity and relatively low hydrogen desorption temperature. The mixed lithium amide/magnesium hydride system was coupled with a standard intermetallic compound to take advantage of its capability to release hydrogen at ambient temperature and to ensure a fast start-up of the system. The hydrogen storage tank was designed to feed a 1 kW HT-PEM stack for 2 h to be used for an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). A full thermal integration was possible thanks to the high operation temperature of the fuel cell and to the relative low temperature (170 °C) for hydrogen release from the mixed lithium amide/magnesium hydride system.

Climate and Edaphic Controls on Humid Tropical Forest Tree Height

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Y.; Saatchi, S. S.; Xu, L.

2014-12-01

Uncertainty in the magnitude and spatial variations of forest carbon density in tropical regions is due to under sampling of forest structure from inventory plots and the lack of regional allometry to estimate the carbon density from structure. Here we quantify the variation of tropical forest structure by using more than 2.5 million measurements of canopy height from systematic sampling of Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) satellite observations between 2004 to 2008 and examine the climate and edaphic variables influencing the variations. We used top canopy height of GLAS footprints (~ 0.25 ha) to grid the statistical mean and 90 percentile of samples at 0.5 degrees to capture the regional variability of large trees in tropics. GLAS heights were also aggregated based on a stratification of tropical regions using soil, elevation, and forest types. Both approaches provided consistent patterns of statistically dominant large trees and the least heterogeneity, both as strong drivers of distribution of high biomass forests. Statistical models accounting for spatial autocorrelation suggest that climate, soil and spatial features together can explain more than 60% of the variations in observed tree height information, while climate-only variables explains about one third of the first-order changes in tree height. Soil basics, including physical compositions such as clay and sand contents, chemical properties such as PH values and cation-exchange capacity, as well as biological variables such as organic matters, all present independent but statistically significant relationships to tree height variations. The results confirm other landscape and regional studies that soil fertility, geology and climate may jointly control a majority of the regional variations of forest structure in pan-tropics and influencing both biomass stocks and dynamics. Consequently, other factors such as biotic and disturbance regimes, not included in this study, may have less influence on regional variations but strongly mediate landscape and small-scale forest structure and dynamics.

Bilateral contact ground reaction forces and contact times during plyometric drop jumping.

PubMed

Ball, Nick B; Stock, Christopher G; Scurr, Joanna C

2010-10-01

Drop jumping (DJ) is used in training programs aimed to improve lower extremity explosive power. When performing double-leg drop jumps, it is important to provide an equal stimulus to both legs to ensure balanced development of the lower legs. The aim of this study was to bilaterally analyze the ground reactions forces and temporal components of drop jumping from 3 heights. Ten recreationally active male subjects completed 3 bounce-drop jumps from 3 starting heights (0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 m). Two linked force platforms were used to record left- and right-leg peak vertical force, time to peak force, average force, ground contact time, impulse and time differential. Between-height and between-leg comparisons for each variable were made using a multivariate analysis of variance with post hoc Wilcoxon tests (p < 0.05). Results indicated that force and time variables increased as drop jump height increased (p < 0.0001). Post hoc analyses showed that at 0.2- and 0.4-m bilateral differences were present in the time to peak force, average force, and impulse. No bilateral differences for any variables were shown at 0.6-m starting height. The contact time for all jumps was <0.26 seconds. At 0.2 m, only 63% of the subjects had a starting time differential of <0.01 seconds, rising to 96.3% at 0.6 m. The results indicated that 0.6 m is the suggested drop jump height to ensure that no bilateral differences in vertical forces and temporal components occur; however, shorter contact times were found at the lower heights.

[Normal pressure hydrocephalus: prognostic value of height in patients treated with an identical shunt system].

PubMed

Aguas, Jesús; Rodrigo, Victor; Estupiñan, Francisco; Nogues, Pere; Villalba, Gloria; Villagrasa, Javier; Caral, Luis

2013-01-01

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a clinical entity frequently managed by means of a cerebrospinal fluid shunt. Hydrodynamic hypotheses consider hydrostatic pressure (as well as height) a very important variable for shunt system function. However, we did not find empirical studies supporting the influence of height on clinical response in the literature. Our objective was to study the prognostic value of height, as a variable related to hydrostatic pressure, when an identical shunt system is used. A prospective series of 61 idiopathic NPH cases was analyzed. All cases were shunted by means of a ventricle-peritoneal system with a 100mmH2O opening pressure valve. Anthropometric, clinical, radiological and pressure variables were registered, as well as delay for treatment, improvement and complications. 78.7% of cases improved after shunting. This group of patients was significantly taller (P=.005) than the group without response (median value 165cm versus 152cm). There was also a significant correlation between height and ventricular size decrease after the shunt. In our series opening valve pressure was a constant (100mmHg) and we could consequently focus on the effect of hydrostatic pressure (height). Moreover, we found a positive predictive value for taller patients, probably because we had selected an opening pressure especially suitable for them. Current gravitational valve shunt systems also recommend considering patient height when customising the system. Our study empirically supports this idea. Copyright © 2012 Sociedad Española de Neurocirugía. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Response of Douglas-fir advance regeneration to overstory removal

Treesearch

J. Chris Maranto; Dennis E. Ferguson; David L. Adams

2008-01-01

A statistical model is presented that predicts periodic height growth for released Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca [Beissn.] Franco advance regeneration in central Idaho. Individual tree and site variables were used to construct a model that predicts 5-year height growth for years 6 through 10 after release. Habitat type and height growth prior to...

On the contribution of height to predict lung volumes, capacities and diffusion in healthy school children of 10-17 years.

PubMed

Gupta, C K; Mishra, G; Mehta, S C; Prasad, J

1993-01-01

Lung volumes, capacities, diffusion and alveolar volumes with physical characteristics (age, height and weight) were recorded for 186 healthy school children (96 boys and 90 girls) of 10-17 years age group. The objective was to study the relative importance of physical characteristics as regressor variables in regression models to estimate lung functions. We observed that height is best correlated with all the lung functions. Inclusion of all physical characteristics in the models have little gain compared to the ones having just height as regressor variable. We also find that exponential models were not only statistically valid but fared better compared to the linear ones. We conclude that lung functions covary with height and other physical characteristics but do not depend upon them. The rate of increase in the functions depend upon initial lung functions. Further, we propose models and provide ready reckoners to give estimates of lung functions with 95 per cent confidence limits based on heights from 125 to 170 cm for the age group of 10 to 17 years.

New non-invasive method for early detection of metabolic syndrome in the working population.

PubMed

Romero-Saldaña, Manuel; Fuentes-Jiménez, Francisco J; Vaquero-Abellán, Manuel; Álvarez-Fernández, Carlos; Molina-Recio, Guillermo; López-Miranda, José

2016-12-01

We propose a new method for the early detection of metabolic syndrome in the working population, which was free of biomarkers (non-invasive) and based on anthropometric variables, and to validate it in a new working population. Prevalence studies and diagnostic test accuracy to determine the anthropometric variables associated with metabolic syndrome, as well as the screening validity of the new method proposed, were carried out between 2013 and 2015 on 636 and 550 workers, respectively. The anthropometric variables analysed were: blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference, waist-height ratio, body fat percentage and waist-hip ratio. We performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis and obtained receiver operating curves to determine the predictive ability of the variables. The new method for the early detection of metabolic syndrome we present is based on a decision tree using chi-squared automatic interaction detection methodology. The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 14.9%. The area under the curve for waist-height ratio and waist circumference was 0.91 and 0.90, respectively. The anthropometric variables associated with metabolic syndrome in the adjusted model were waist-height ratio, body mass index, blood pressure and body fat percentage. The decision tree was configured from the waist-height ratio (⩾0.55) and hypertension (blood pressure ⩾128/85 mmHg), with a sensitivity of 91.6% and a specificity of 95.7% obtained. The early detection of metabolic syndrome in a healthy population is possible through non-invasive methods, based on anthropometric indicators such as waist-height ratio and blood pressure. This method has a high degree of predictive validity and its use can be recommended in any healthcare context. © The European Society of Cardiology 2016.

The countermovement jump to monitor neuromuscular status: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Claudino, João Gustavo; Cronin, John; Mezêncio, Bruno; McMaster, Daniel Travis; McGuigan, Michael; Tricoli, Valmor; Amadio, Alberto Carlos; Serrão, Julio Cerca

2017-04-01

The primary objective of this meta-analysis was to compare countermovement jump (CMJ) performance in studies that reported the highest value as opposed to average value for the purposes of monitoring neuromuscular status (i.e., fatigue and supercompensation). The secondary aim was to determine the sensitivity of the dependent variables. Systematic review with meta-analysis. The meta-analysis was conducted on the highest or average of a number of CMJ variables. Multiple literature searches were undertaken in Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science to identify articles utilizing CMJ to monitor training status. Effect sizes (ES) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated using the mean and standard deviation of the pre- and post-testing data. The coefficient of variation (CV) with 95% CI was also calculated to assess the level of instability of each variable. Heterogeneity was assessed using a random-effects model. 151 articles were included providing a total of 531 ESs for the meta-analyses; 85.4% of articles used highest CMJ height, 13.2% used average and 1.3% used both when reporting changes in CMJ performance. Based on the meta-analysis, average CMJ height was more sensitive than highest CMJ height in detecting CMJ fatigue and supercompensation. Furthermore, other CMJ variables such as peak power, mean power, peak velocity, peak force, mean impulse, and power were sensitive in tracking the supercompensation effects of training. The average CMJ height was more sensitive than highest CMJ height in monitoring neuromuscular status; however, further investigation is needed to determine the sensitivity of other CMJ performance variables. Copyright © 2016 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Run-Up Velocity on Performance, Kinematics, and Energy Exchanges in The Pole Vault

PubMed Central

Linthorne, Nicholas P.; Weetman, A. H. Gemma

2012-01-01

This study examined the effect of run-up velocity on the peak height achieved by the athlete in the pole vault and on the corresponding changes in the athlete's kinematics and energy exchanges. Seventeen jumps by an experienced male pole vaulter were video recorded in the sagittal plane and a wide range of run-up velocities (4.5-8.5 m/s) was obtained by setting the length of the athlete's run-up (2-16 steps). A selection of performance variables, kinematic variables, energy variables, and pole variables were calculated from the digitized video data. We found that the athlete's peak height increased linearly at a rate of 0.54 m per 1 m/s increase in run-up velocity and this increase was achieved through a combination of a greater grip height and a greater push height. At the athlete's competition run-up velocity (8.4 m/s) about one third of the rate of increase in peak height arose from an increase in grip height and about two thirds arose from an increase in push height. Across the range of run-up velocities examined here the athlete always performed the basic actions of running, planting, jumping, and inverting on the pole. However, he made minor systematic changes to his jumping kinematics, vaulting kinematics, and selection of pole characteristics as the run-up velocity increased. The increase in run-up velocity and changes in the athlete's vaulting kinematics resulted in substantial changes to the magnitudes of the energy exchanges during the vault. A faster run-up produced a greater loss of energy during the take-off, but this loss was not sufficient to negate the increase in run-up velocity and the increase in work done by the athlete during the pole support phase. The athlete therefore always had a net energy gain during the vault. However, the magnitude of this gain decreased slightly as run-up velocity increased. Key pointsIn the pole vault the optimum technique is to run-up as fast as possible.The athlete's vault height increases at a rate of about 0.5 m per 1 m/s increase in run-up velocity.The increase in vault height is achieved through a greater grip height and a greater push height. At the athlete's competition run-up velocity about one third of the rate of increase in vault height arises from an increase in grip height and two thirds arises from an increase in push height.The athlete has a net energy gain during the vault. A faster run-up velocity produces a greater loss of energy during the take-off but this loss of energy is not sufficient to negate the increase in run-up velocity and the increase in the work done by the athlete during the pole support phase. PMID:24149197

A comparison of remote vs. local influence of El Niño on the coastal circulation of the northeast Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hermann, Albert J.; Curchitser, Enrique N.; Haidvogel, Dale B.; Dobbins, Elizabeth L.

2009-12-01

A set of spatially nested circulation models is used to explore interannual change in the northeast Pacific (NEP) during 1997-2002, and remote vs. local influence of the 1997-1998 El Niño on this region. Our nested set is based on the primitive equations of motion, and includes a basin-scale model of the north Pacific at ˜40-km resolution (NPac), and a regional model of the Northeast Pacific at ˜10-km resolution. The NEP model spans an area from Baja California through the Bering Sea, from the coast to ˜2000-km offshore. In this context, "remote influence" refers to effects driven by changes in ocean velocity and temperature outside of the NEP domain; "local influence" refers to direct forcing by winds and runoff within the NEP domain. A base run of this model using hindcast winds and runoff for 1996-2002 replicates the dominant spatial modes of sea-surface height anomalies from satellite data, and coastal sea level from tide gauges. We have performed a series of sensitivity runs with the NEP model for 1997-1998, which analyze the response of coastal sea level to: (1) hindcast winds and coastal runoff, as compared to their monthly climatologies and (2) hindcast boundary conditions (from the NPac model), as compared to their monthly climatologies. Results indicate penetration of sea-surface height (SSH) from the basin-scale model into the NEP domain (e.g., remote influence), with propagation as coastal trapped waves from Baja up through Alaska. Most of the coastal sea-level anomaly off Alaska in El Niño years appears due to direct forcing by local winds and runoff (local influence), and such anomalies are much stronger than those produced off California. We quantify these effects as a function of distance along the coastline, and consider how they might impact the coastal ecosystems of the NEP.

Coastal Application of Altimetric Measurement using Wideband Signals of Opportunity Reflectometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, R.; Garrison, J. L.; Li, Z.; Ho, S. C.

2017-12-01

The majority of the world's population live in coastal regions, making this region subject to growing stress from resource exploitation, marine operations, and other human activities. The coastal ocean is also a highly dynamic region driven by the interfaces between land, sea, and air. Understanding the evolution over short temporal and small spatial scales of the coastal ocean environment is a complex and long-standing challenge. Over the last decade, it has been well established that submesoscale processes are highly energetic and have a temporal scale of hours at a 10-km of spatial scale. These processes fundamentally impact ocean dynamics, biological processes, trace gas mixing and transport. Satellite altimeters, which have played a significant role in mapping the variability of the Earth's open ocean, have known limitations in coastal areas resulting from land contamination and rapid variations due to tides and atmospheric effects. This study will evaluate the potential application of an emerging remote sensing technology (Signals of Opportunity Reflectometry: SoOp-R) to the problem of resolving submesoscale processes in the coastal regions, with spatial scales on the order of 10 km and temporal scales on the order of 1 day. SoOp-R reutilizes existing powerful communication satellite transmissions as illumination sources in a bistatic radar configuration. A number of direct broadcast satellites (DBS), currently operating in geostationary orbit, occupy very large bandwidth (400-500 MHz) spectral allocations in the Ku- and Ka- bands. Theoretically, sea surface height (SSH) can be estimated by measuring the reflected path delay of these signals with very high precision (on the order of 4-5 cm) due to the large bandwidth and high signal- to-noise ratio. SoOp-R instruments are passive, requiring only low-power receivers which could be launched on constellations of small satellites. The distribution of altimetry measurements, combined with the off-nadir geometry, will enable high temporal coverage. This study will assess the potential of resolving coastal processes using wideband SoOp-R. Theoretical predictions will be compared to results from an ongoing experimental campaign and evaluated against science-driven requirements.

Web-based Altimeter Service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Callahan, P. S.; Wilson, B. D.; Xing, Z.; Raskin, R. G.

2010-12-01

We have developed a web-based system to allow updating and subsetting of TOPEX data. The Altimeter Service will be operated by PODAAC along with their other provision of oceanographic data. The Service could be easily expanded to other mission data. An Altimeter Service is crucial to the improvement and expanded use of altimeter data. A service is necessary for altimetry because the result of most interest - sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) - is composed of several components that are updated individually and irregularly by specialized experts. This makes it difficult for projects to provide the most up-to-date products. Some components are the subject of ongoing research, so the ability for investigators to make products for comparison or sharing is important. The service will allow investigators/producers to get their component models or processing into widespread use much more quickly. For coastal altimetry, the ability to subset the data to the area of interest and insert specialized models (e.g., tides) or data processing results is crucial. A key part of the Altimeter Service is having data producers provide updated or local models and data. In order for this to succeed, producers need to register their products with the Altimeter Service and to provide the product in a form consistent with the service update methods. We will describe the capabilities of the web service and the methods for providing new components. Currently the Service is providing TOPEX GDRs with Retracking (RGDRs) in netCDF format that has been coordinated with Jason data. Users can add new orbits, tide models, gridded geophysical fields such as mean sea surface, and along-track corrections as they become available and are installed by PODAAC. The updated fields are inserted into the netCDF files while the previous values are retained for comparison. The Service will also generate SSH and SSHA. In addition, the Service showcases a feature that plots any variable from files in netCDF. The research described here was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Rain, temperature, and child-adolescent height among Native Amazonians in Bolivia.

PubMed

Godoy, R; Goodman, E; Reyes-Garcia, V; Eisenberg, D T A; Leonard, W R; Huanca, T; McDade, T W; Tanner, S; Jha, N

2008-01-01

Global climate change and recent studies on early-life origins of well-being suggest that climate events early in life might affect health later in life. The study tested hypotheses about the association between the level and variability of rain and temperature early in life on the height of children and adolescents in a foraging-farming society of native Amazonians in Bolivia (Tsimane'). Measurements were taken for 525 children aged 2-12 and 218 adolescents aged 13-23 in 13 villages in 2005. Log of standing height was regressed on mean annual level and mean intra-annual monthly coefficient of variation (CV) of rain and mean annual level of temperature during gestation, birth year, and ages 2-4. Controls include age, quinquennium and season of birth, parent's attributes, and dummy variables for surveyors and villages. Climate variables were only related with the height of boys age 2-12. The level and CV of rain during birth year and the CV of rain and level of temperature during ages 2-4 were associated with taller stature. There were no secular changes in temperature (1973-2005) or rain (1943-2005). The height of young females and males is well protected from climate events, but protection works less well for boys ages 2-12.

Neuromuscular and technical abilities related to age in water-polo players.

PubMed

De Siati, Fabio; Laffaye, Guillaume; Gatta, Giorgio; Dello Iacono, Antonio; Ardigò, Luca Paolo; Padulo, Johnny

2016-08-01

Testing is one of the important tasks in any multi-step sport programme. In most ball games, coaches assess motor, physical and technical skills on a regular basis in early stages of talent identification in order to further athletes' development. The purpose of the study was to investigate anthropometric variables and vertical jump heights as a free throw effectiveness predictor in water-polo players of different age groups. Two hundred and thirty-six young (10-18 years) male water-polo players partitioned into three age groups underwent anthropometric variables' measures and squat- and countermovement-jump tests, and performed water-polo free throws. Anthropometric variables, vertical jump heights and throw speed - as a proxy for free throw effectiveness - resulted different over age groups. Particularly, throw speed changed from 9.28 to 13.70 m · s(-1) (+48%) from younger to older players. A multiple-regression model indicated that body height, squat-jump height and throw time together explain 52% of variance of throw speed. In conclusion, tall height, high lower limb power and throwing quickness appeared to be relevant determinants for effective free throws. Such indications can help coaches during talent identification and development processes, even by means of novel training strategies. Further research is needed over different maturity statuses.

The Impact of Variable Wind Shear Coefficients on Risk Reduction of Wind Energy Projects

PubMed Central

Thomson, Allan; Yoonesi, Behrang; McNutt, Josiah

2016-01-01

Estimation of wind speed at proposed hub heights is typically achieved using a wind shear exponent or wind shear coefficient (WSC), variation in wind speed as a function of height. The WSC is subject to temporal variation at low and high frequencies, ranging from diurnal and seasonal variations to disturbance caused by weather patterns; however, in many cases, it is assumed that the WSC remains constant. This assumption creates significant error in resource assessment, increasing uncertainty in projects and potentially significantly impacting the ability to control gird connected wind generators. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge relating to the evaluation and assessment of wind speed, with particular emphasis on the development of techniques to improve the accuracy of estimated wind speed above measurement height. It presents an evaluation of the use of a variable wind shear coefficient methodology based on a distribution of wind shear coefficients which have been implemented in real time. The results indicate that a VWSC provides a more accurate estimate of wind at hub height, ranging from 41% to 4% reduction in root mean squared error (RMSE) between predicted and actual wind speeds when using a variable wind shear coefficient at heights ranging from 33% to 100% above the highest actual wind measurement. PMID:27872898

Variability in early height growth rate of forest trees: implications for retrospective studies of stand dynamics

Treesearch

Brain J. Palik; Kurt S. Pregitzer

1995-01-01

Retrospective studies of forest stand dynamics may rely on estimates of tree ages. In some of these studies, trees are aged near the stem base, while in other studies trees may be aged at breast height. An age correction may be added to breast-height ages in an attempt to account for average time to reach breast height and thus provide better estimates of total ages....

Collar height and heel counter-stiffness for ankle stability and athletic performance in basketball.

PubMed

Liu, Hui; Wu, Zitian; Lam, Wing-Kai

2017-01-01

This study examined the effects of collar height and heel counter-stiffness of basketball shoes on ankle stability during sidestep cutting and athletic performance. 15 university basketball players wore customized shoes with different collar heights (high and low) and heel counter-stiffness (regular, stiffer and stiffest) for this study. Ankle stability was evaluated in sidestep cutting while athletic performance evaluated in jumping and agility tasks. All variables were analysed using two-way repeated ANOVA. Results showed shorter time to peak ankle inversion for both high collar and stiff heel counter conditions (P < 0.05), while smaller initial ankle inversion angle, peak inversion velocity and total range of inversion for wearing high collar shoes (P < 0.05). No shoe differences were found for performance variables. These findings imply that the collar height might play a larger role in lateral stability than heel counter-stiffness, while both collar height and counter-stiffness have no effect on athletic performance.

A rigorous assessment of tree height measurements obtained using airborne LIDAR and conventional field methods.

Treesearch

Hans-Erik Andersen; Stephen E. Reutebuch; Robert J. McGaughey

2006-01-01

Tree height is an important variable in forest inventory programs but is typically time-consuming and costly to measure in the field using conventional techniques. Airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) provides individual tree height measurements that are highly correlated with field-derived measurements, but the imprecision of conventional field techniques does...

Prediction of height increment for models of forest growth

Treesearch

Albert R. Stage

1975-01-01

Functional forms of equations were derived for predicting 10-year periodic height increment of forest trees from height, diameter, diameter increment, and habitat type. Crown ratio was considered as an additional variable for prediction, but its contribution was negligible. Coefficients of the function were estimated for 10 species of trees growing in 10 habitat types...

Long-term trends in height growth of jack pine in North Central Ontario

Treesearch

J.C.G. Goelz; T.E. Burk

1998-01-01

Although most investigations of long-term growth trends of trees involve description of radial growth of trees, investigation of height growth of dominant and codominant trees also warrants attention for two significant reasons -- the dependent variable is largely independent of stand density and it represents an index of stand productivity. Residuals from a height...

Interannual hydroclimatic variability and the 2009-2011 extreme ENSO phases in Colombia: from Andean glaciers to Caribbean lowlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedoya-Soto, Juan Mauricio; Poveda, Germán; Trenberth, Kevin E.; Vélez-Upegui, Jorge Julián

2018-03-01

During 2009-2011, Colombia experienced extreme hydroclimatic events associated with the extreme phases of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Here, we study the dynamics of diverse land-atmosphere phenomena involved in such anomalous events at continental, regional, and local scales. Standardized anomalies of precipitation, 2-m temperature, total column water (TCW), volumetric soil water (VSW), temperature at 925 hPa, surface sensible heat (SSH), latent heat (SLH), evaporation (EVP), and liquid water equivalent thickness (LWET) are analyzed to assess atmosphere-land controls and relationships over tropical South America (TropSA) during 1986-2013 (long term) and 2009-2011 (ENSO extreme phases). An assessment of the interannual covariability between precipitation and 2-m temperature is performed using singular value decomposition (SVD) to identify the dominant spatiotemporal modes of hydroclimatic variability over the region's largest river basins (Amazon, Orinoco, Tocantins, Magdalena-Cauca, and Essequibo). ENSO, its evolution in time, and strong and consistent spatial structures emerge as the dominant mode of variability. In situ anomalies during both extreme phases of ENSO 2009-2011 over the Magdalena-Cauca River basins are linked at the continental scale. The ENSO-driven hydroclimatic effects extend from the diurnal cycle to interannual timescales, as reflected in temperature data from tropical glaciers and the rain-snow boundary in the highest peaks of the Central Andes of Colombia to river levels along the Caribbean lowlands of the Magdalena-Cauca River basin.

Noise Removal on Ocean Scalars by Means of Singularity-Based Fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umbert, M.; Turiel, A.; Hoareau, N.; Ballabrera, J.; Martinez, J.; guimbard, S.; Font, J.

2013-12-01

Thanks to new remote sensing platforms as SMOS and Aquarius we have now access to synoptic maps of Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) at global scale. Both missions require a non-negligible amount of development in order to meet pre-launch requirements on the quality of the retrieved variables. Development efforts have been so far mainly concentrated in improving the accuracy of the acquired signals from the radiometric point of view, which is a point-wise characteristic, that is, the qualities of each point in the snapshot or swath are considered separately. However, some spatial redundancy (i.e., spatial correlation) is implicit in geophysical signals, and particularly in SSS. This redundancy is known since the beginning of the remote sensing age: eddies and fronts are visually evident in images of different variables, including Sea Surface Temperature (SST), Sea Surface Height (SSH), Ocean Color (OC), Synthetic Aperture Radars (SAR) and Brightness Temperatures (BT) at different bands. An assessment on the quality of SSS products accounting for this kind of spatial redundancy would be very interesting. So far, the structure of those correlations have been evidenced using correlation functions, but correlation functions vary from one variable to other; additionally, they are not characteristic to the points of the image but to a given large enough area. The introduction of singularity analysis for remote sensing maps of the ocean has shown that the correspondence among different scalars can be rigorously stated in terms of the correspondence of the values of their associated singularity exponents. The singularity exponents of a scalar at a given point is a unitless measure of the degree of regularity or irregularity of this function at that given point. Hence, singularity exponents can be directly compared disregarding the physical meaning of the variable from which they were derived. Using singularity analysis we can assess the quality of any scalar, as singularity exponents align in fronts following the streamlines of the flow, while noise breaks up the coherence of singularity fronts. The analysis of the output of numerical models show that up to the numerical accuracy singularity exponents of different scalars take the same values at every point. Taking the correspondence of the singularity exponents into account, it can be proved that two scalars having the same singularity exponents have a relation of functional dependence (a matricial identity involving their gradients). That functional relation can be approximated by a local linear regression under some hypothesis, which simplifies and speeds up the calculations and leads to a simple algorithm to reduce noise on a given ocean scalar using another higher- quality variable as template. This simple algorithm has been applied to SMOS data with a considerable quality gain. As a template, high-level SST maps from different sources have been used, while SMOS L2 and L3 SSS maps, and even brightness temperature maps play the role of the noisy data to be corrected. In all instances the noise level is divided by a factor of two at least. This quality gain opens the use of SMOS data for new applications, including the instant identification of ocean fronts, rain lenses, hurricane tracks, etc.

Malnutrition in school children in an urban-rural region of the extreme South of São Paulo city.

PubMed

Pandolfi, Marcela Maria; Sandrini, Fabio; Oliveira, Maurício Rocco de; Armond, Jane de Eston; Zöllner, Ana Cristina Ribeiro; Juliano, Yara; Souza, Patrícia Colombo de

2011-12-01

To evaluate the persistence of nutritional deficit in a sample of schoolchildren. A cross-sectional study of 1,761 schoolchildren between 6 and 10 years from 3 schools. They were assessed by Z scores of weight for height and height for age, according to the World Health Organization. The variables studied were gender, age, grade and school year. The χ² test was used to relate the nutritional deficit with the variables. Of all children 8.5% were malnourished according to the weight for height Z score, 21.6%, according to height for age. The analysis of the weight for height Z score revealed that 59.7% were male and 40.3% female. The mean age was 8.9 years. As to the Z score of height for age, 53.9% were males and 46.1% females. The risk of malnutrition was higher among boys: 59.7% for the weight for height index and 53.9% for height for age. There was no statistical difference between schools, gender and school year. As to nutritional status, school period (p < 0.0001) and students' grade (p = 0.0105), we observed statistical significance. Malnutrition still persists among the low-income population and males had a higher percentage of malnutrition. Nutritional evaluation of students is an extremely important tool for understanding the dynamics of child nutrition and development.

Effects of box handle position and carrying range on bi-manual carrying capacity for females.

PubMed

Wu, Swei-Pi; Loiu, Yi; Chien, Te Hong

2015-01-01

This study utilizes a psychophysical approach to examine the effects on carrying capacity for bi-manual carrying tasks involving different handle positions and carrying ranges. A total of 16 female subjects participated in the experiment in groups of two people, and each group of subjects performed the tasks in a random order with 12 different combinations of carrying task. The independent variables are handle position (upper, middle, lower) and carrying range (F-F: floor height carried to floor height, F-W: floor height carried to waist height, W-W: waist height carried to waist height, W-F: waist height carried to floor height), the dependent variable is the maximum acceptable carried weight (MAWC), heart rate (HR), and the rating of perceived exertion (RPE). The results show that the handle position has a significant effect on MAWC and overall RPE but no significant effect on HR. Carrying range has a significant effect on the MAWC and HR, but no significant effect on overall HR. The handle position and carrying range have a significant interaction on the MAWC and HR. The RPE for different body parts shows significant differences, and the hands feel the most tired. Overall, this study confirms that the lower handle position with the W-W carrying range is the best combination for a two-person carrying task.

Peregrine System User Basics | High-Performance Computing | NREL

Science.gov Websites

peregrine.hpc.nrel.gov or to one of the login nodes. Example commands to access Peregrine from a Linux or Mac OS X system Code Example Create a file called hello.F90 containing the following code: program hello write(6 information by enclosing it in brackets < >. For example: $ ssh -Y

Running STAR-CCM+ Software on the Peregrine System | High-Performance

Science.gov Websites

/bin/lmutil lmstat -c 1999@wind-lms.nrel.gov -a module load star-ccm export TMPDIR="/scratch/$USER + -power -rsh "ssh -oStrictHostKeyChecking=no" -machinefile nodelist -np $(($nodes*$cores , type the commands from the SLURM script and make sure the job runs: module load star-ccm export TMPDIR

Characterization and expression analysis of two cDNAs encoding Xa1 and oxysterol binding proteins in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and subsequent microarray analysis, expression profiles of sorghum genes responsive to greenbug phloem-feeding were obtained and identified. Among the profiles, two cDNAs designated to MM73 and MM95 were identified to encode Xa1 (Xa1) and oxysterol ...

How long bones grow children: Mechanistic paths to variation in human height growth.

PubMed

Lampl, Michelle; Schoen, Meriah

2017-03-01

Eveleth and Tanner's descriptive documentation of worldwide variability in human growth provided evidence of the interaction between genetics and environment during development that has been foundational to the science of human growth. There remains a need, however, to describe the mechanistic foundations of variability in human height growth patterns. A review of research documenting cellular activities at the endochondral growth plate aims to show how the unique microenvironment and cell functions during the sequential phases of the chondrocyte lifecycle affect long bone elongation, a fundamental source of height growth. There are critical junctures within the chondrocytic differentiation cascade at which environmental influences are integrated and have the ability to influence progression to the hypertrophic chondrocyte phase, the primary driver of long bone elongation. Phenotypic differences in height growth patterns reflect variability in amplitude and frequency of discretely timed hypertrophic cellular expansion events, the cellular basis of saltation and stasis growth biology. Final height is a summary of the dynamic processes carried out by the growth plate cellular machinery. As these cell-level mechanisms unfold in an individual, time-specific manner, there are many critical points at which a genetic growth program can be enhanced or perturbed. Recognizing both the complexity and fluidity of this adaptive system questions the likelihood of a single, optimal growth pattern and instead identifies a larger bandwidth of saltatory frequencies for "normal" growth. Further inquiry into mechanistic sources of variability acting at critical organizational points of chondrogenesis can provide new opportunities for growth interventions. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Comparing the accuracy of terrestrial laser scanner in measuring forest inventory variables to enhance better decision making for potential fire hazards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghimire, Suman; Xystrakis, Fotios; Koutsias, Nikos

2017-04-01

Forest inventory variables are essential in accessing the potential of wildfire hazard, obtaining above ground biomass and carbon sequestration which helps developing strategies for sustainable management of forests. Effective management of forest resources relies on the accuracy of such inventory variables. This study aims to compare the accuracy in obtaining the forest inventory variables like diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree height from Terrestrial Laser Scanner (Faro Focus 3D X 330) with that from the traditional forest inventory techniques in the Mediterranean forests of Greece. The data acquisition was carried out on an area of 9,539.8 m2 with six plots each of radius 6 m. Computree algorithm was applied for automatic detection of DBH from terrestrial laser scanner data. Similarly, tree height was estimated manually using CloudCompare software for the terrestrial laser scanner data. The field estimates of DBH and tree height was carried out using calipers and Nikon Forestry 550 Laser Rangefinder. The comparison of DBH measured between field estimates and Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS), resulted in R squared values ranging from 0.75 to 0.96 at the plot level. An average R2 and RMSE value of 0.80 and 1.07 m respectively was obtained when comparing the tree height between TLS and field data. Our results confirm that terrestrial laser scanner can provide nondestructive, high-resolution, and precise determination of forest inventory for better decision making in sustainable forest management and assessing potential of forest fire hazards.

Sex-specific differences of craniofacial traits in Croatia: the impact of environment in a small geographic area.

PubMed

Buretic-Tomljanovic, Alena; Giacometti, Jasminka; Ostojic, Sasa; Kapovic, Miljenko

2007-01-01

Craniometric variation in humans reflects different genetic and environmental influences. Long-term climatic adaptation is less likely to show an impact on size and shape variation in a small local area than at the global level. The aim of this work was to assess the contribution of the particular environmental factors to body height and craniofacial variability in a small geographic area of Croatia. A total of 632 subjects, aged 18-21, participated in the survey. Body height, head length, head breadth, head height, head circumference, cephalic index, morphological face height, face breadth, and facial index were analysed regarding geographic, climatic and dietary conditions in different regions of the country, and correlated with the specific climatic variables (cumulative multiyear sunshine duration, cumulative multiyear average precipitation, multiyear average air temperatures) and calcium concentrations in drinking water. Significant differences between groups classified according to geographic, climatic or dietary affiliation, and the impact of the environmental predictors on the variation in the investigated traits were assessed using multiple forward stepwise regression analyses. Higher body height measures in both sexes were significantly correlated with Mediterranean diet type. Mediterranean diet type also contributed to higher head length and head circumference measures in females. Cephalic index values correlated to geographic regions in both sexes, showing an increase from southern to eastern Croatia. In the same direction, head length significantly decreased in males and head breadth increased in females. Mediterranean climate was associated with higher and narrower faces in females. The analysis of the particular climatic variables did not reveal a significant influence on body height in either sex. Concurrently, climatic features influenced all craniofacial traits in females and only head length and facial index in males. Mediterranean climate, characterized by higher average sunshine duration, higher average precipitation and higher average air temperatures, was associated with longer, higher and narrower skulls, higher head circumference, lower cephalic index, and higher and narrower faces (lower facial index). Calcium concentrations in drinking water did not correlate significantly with any dependent variable. A significant effect of environmental factors on body height and craniofacial variability was found in Croatian young adult population. This effect was more pronounced in females, revealing sex-specific craniofacial differentiation. However, the impact of environment was low and may explain only 1.0-7.32% variation of the investigated traits.

Datasets on hub-height wind speed comparisons for wind farms in California.

PubMed

Wang, Meina; Ullrich, Paul; Millstein, Dev

2018-08-01

This article includes the description of data information related to the research article entitled "The future of wind energy in California: Future projections with the Variable-Resolution CESM"[1], with reference number RENE_RENE-D-17-03392. Datasets from the Variable-Resolution CESM, Det Norske Veritas Germanischer Lloyd Virtual Met, MERRA-2, CFSR, NARR, ISD surface observations, and upper air sounding observations were used for calculating and comparing hub-height wind speed at multiple major wind farms across California. Information on hub-height wind speed interpolation and power curves at each wind farm sites are also presented. All datasets, except Det Norske Veritas Germanischer Lloyd Virtual Met, are publicly available for future analysis.

Estimation procedures for understory biomass and fuel loads in sagebrush steppe invaded by woodlands

Treesearch

Alicia L. Reiner; Robin J. Tausch; Roger F. Walker

2010-01-01

Regression equations were developed to predict biomass for 9 shrubs, 9 grasses, and 10 forbs that generally dominate sagebrush ecosystems in central Nevada. Independent variables included percent cover, average height, and plant volume. We explored 2 ellipsoid volumes: one with maximum plant height and 2 crown diameters and another with live crown height and 2 crown...

Study for Air Vehicles at High Speeds, Identifying the Potential Benefits to Transport Aircraft of a Continuously Variable Geometry Trailing-Edge Structure that can be Utilized for Aircraft Control, Trim, Load-Alleviation, and High Lift

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-01

Field Length is defined as the total distance from brake release to the point at which the aircraft clears a height of 35 ft. The clearance height is...height clearance. The AEFL comprises two parts, the ground roll from brake release to lift-off (GR) plus the distance from lift-off to 35 ft height

Neural network cloud top pressure and height for MODIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Håkansson, Nina; Adok, Claudia; Thoss, Anke; Scheirer, Ronald; Hörnquist, Sara

2018-06-01

Cloud top height retrieval from imager instruments is important for nowcasting and for satellite climate data records. A neural network approach for cloud top height retrieval from the imager instrument MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is presented. The neural networks are trained using cloud top layer pressure data from the CALIOP (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) dataset. Results are compared with two operational reference algorithms for cloud top height: the MODIS Collection 6 Level 2 height product and the cloud top temperature and height algorithm in the 2014 version of the NWC SAF (EUMETSAT (European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) Satellite Application Facility on Support to Nowcasting and Very Short Range Forecasting) PPS (Polar Platform System). All three techniques are evaluated using both CALIOP and CPR (Cloud Profiling Radar for CloudSat (CLOUD SATellite)) height. Instruments like AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) and VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) contain fewer channels useful for cloud top height retrievals than MODIS, therefore several different neural networks are investigated to test how infrared channel selection influences retrieval performance. Also a network with only channels available for the AVHRR1 instrument is trained and evaluated. To examine the contribution of different variables, networks with fewer variables are trained. It is shown that variables containing imager information for neighboring pixels are very important. The error distributions of the involved cloud top height algorithms are found to be non-Gaussian. Different descriptive statistic measures are presented and it is exemplified that bias and SD (standard deviation) can be misleading for non-Gaussian distributions. The median and mode are found to better describe the tendency of the error distributions and IQR (interquartile range) and MAE (mean absolute error) are found to give the most useful information of the spread of the errors. For all descriptive statistics presented MAE, IQR, RMSE (root mean square error), SD, mode, median, bias and percentage of absolute errors above 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 km the neural network perform better than the reference algorithms both validated with CALIOP and CPR (CloudSat). The neural networks using the brightness temperatures at 11 and 12 µm show at least 32 % (or 623 m) lower MAE compared to the two operational reference algorithms when validating with CALIOP height. Validation with CPR (CloudSat) height gives at least 25 % (or 430 m) reduction of MAE.

Countermovement depth - a variable which clarifies the relationship between the maximum power output and height of a vertical jump.

PubMed

Gajewski, Jan; Michalski, Radosław; Buśko, Krzysztof; Mazur-Różycka, Joanna; Staniak, Zbigniew

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to identify the determinants of peak power achieved during vertical jumps in order to clarify relationship between the height of jump and the ability to exert maximum power. One hundred young (16.8±1.8 years) sportsmen participated in the study (body height 1.861 ± 0.109 m, body weight 80.3 ± 9.2 kg). Each participant performed three jump tests: countermovement jump (CMJ), akimbo countermovement jump (ACMJ), and spike jump (SPJ). A force plate was used to measure ground reaction force and to determine peak power output. The following explanatory variables were included in the model: jump height, body mass, and the lowering of the centre of mass before launch (countermovement depth). A model was created using multiple regression analysis and allometric scaling. The model was used to calculate the expected power value for each participant, which correlated strongly with real values. The value of the coefficient of determination R2 equalled 0.89, 0.90 and 0.98, respectively, for the CMJ, ACMJ, and SPJ jumps. The countermovement depth proved to be a variable strongly affecting the maximum power of jump. If the countermovement depth remains constant, the relative peak power is a simple function of jump height. The results suggest that the jump height of an individual is an exact indicator of their ability to produce maximum power. The presented model has a potential to be utilized under field condition for estimating the maximum power output of vertical jumps.

Comparisons of chewing rhythm, craniomandibular morphology, body mass and height between mothers and their biological daughters.

PubMed

Cho, Catherine; Louie, Ke'ale; Maawadh, Ahmed; Gerstner, Geoffrey E

2015-11-01

To study and compare the relationships between mean chewing cycle duration, selected cephalometric variables representing mandibular length, face height, etc., measured in women and in their teenage or young-adult biological daughters. Daughters were recruited from local high schools and the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. Selection criteria included healthy females with full dentition, 1st molar occlusion, no active orthodontics, no medical conditions nor medication use that could interfere with normal masticatory motor function. Mothers had to be biologically related to their daughters. All data were obtained in the School of Dentistry. Measurements obtained from lateral cephalograms included: two "jaw length" measures, condylion-gnathion and gonion-gnathion, and four measures of facial profile including lower anterior face height, and angles sella-nasion-A point (SNA), sella-nasion-B point (SNB) and A point-nasion-B point (ANB). Mean cycle duration was calculated from 60 continuous chewing cycles, where a cycle was defined as the time between two successive maximum jaw openings in the vertical dimension. Other variables included subject height and weight. Linear and logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the mother-daughter relationships and to study the relationships between cephalometric variables and chewing cycle duration. Height, weight, Co-Gn and Go-Gn were significantly correlated between mother-daughter pairs; however, mean cycle duration was not (r(2)=0.015). Mean cycle duration was positively correlated with ANB and height in mothers, but negatively correlated with Co-Gn in daughters. Chewing rate is not correlated between mothers and daughters in humans. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Judgements about the relation between force and trajectory variables in verbally described ballistic projectile motion.

PubMed

White, Peter A

2013-01-01

How accurate are explicit judgements about familiar forms of object motion, and how are they made? Participants judged the relations between force exerted in kicking a soccer ball and variables that define the trajectory of the ball: launch angle, maximum height attained, and maximum distance reached. Judgements tended to conform to a simple heuristic that judged force tends to increase as maximum height and maximum distance increase, with launch angle not being influential. Support was also found for the converse prediction, that judged maximum height and distance tend to increase as the amount of force described in the kick increases. The observed judgemental tendencies did not resemble the objective relations, in which force is a function of interactions between the trajectory variables. This adds to a body of research indicating that practical knowledge based on experiences of actions on objects is not available to the processes that generate judgements in higher cognition and that such judgements are generated by simple rules that do not capture the objective interactions between the physical variables.

Variability in English vowels is comparable in articulation and acoustics

PubMed Central

Noiray, Aude; Iskarous, Khalil; Whalen, D. H.

2014-01-01

The nature of the links between speech production and perception has been the subject of longstanding debate. The present study investigated the articulatory parameter of tongue height and the acoustic F1-F0 difference for the phonological distinction of vowel height in American English front vowels. Multiple repetitions of /i, ɪ, e, ε, æ/ in [(h)Vd] sequences were recorded in seven adult speakers. Articulatory (ultrasound) and acoustic data were collected simultaneously to provide a direct comparison of variability in vowel production in both domains. Results showed idiosyncratic patterns of articulation for contrasting the three front vowel pairs /i-ɪ/, /e-ε/ and /ε-æ/ across subjects, with the degree of variability in vowel articulation comparable to that observed in the acoustics for all seven participants. However, contrary to what was expected, some speakers showed reversals for tongue height for /ɪ/-/e/ that was also reflected in acoustics with F1 higher for /ɪ/ than for /e/. The data suggest the phonological distinction of height is conveyed via speaker-specific articulatory-acoustic patterns that do not strictly match features descriptions. However, the acoustic signal is faithful to the articulatory configuration that generated it, carrying the crucial information for perceptual contrast. PMID:25101144

Long-term variability of wind patterns at hub-height over Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, J.; Jeon, W.; Choi, Y.; Souri, A.

2017-12-01

Wind energy is getting more attention because of its environmentally friendly attributes. Texas is a state with significant capacity and number of wind turbines. Wind power generation is significantly affected by wind patterns, and it is important to understand this seasonal and decadal variability for long-term power generation from wind turbines. This study focused on the trends of changes in wind pattern and its strength at two hub-heights (80 m and 110 m) over 30-years (1986 to 2015). We only analyzed summer data(June to September) because of concentrated electricity usage in Texas. We extracted hub-height wind data (U and V components) from the three-hourly National Centers for Environmental Prediction-North American Regional Reanalysis (NCEP-NARR) and classified wind patterns properly by using nonhierarchical K-means method. Hub-height wind patterns in summer seasons of 1986 to 2015 were classified in six classes at day and seven classes at night. Mean wind speed was 4.6 ms-1 at day and 5.4 ms-1 at night, but showed large variability in time and space. We combined each cluster's frequencies and wind speed tendencies with large scale atmospheric circulation features and quantified the amount of wind power generation.

Analysis of vegetation changes in Rock Creek Park, 1991-2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hatfield, Jeff S.; Krafft, Cairn

2009-01-01

Vegetation data collected at Rock Creek Park every 4 years during 1991-2007 were analyzed for differences among 3 regions within the park and among years. The variables measured and analyzed were percentage of twigs browsed, percentage of canopy cover, species richness of herbaceous plants, number of tree seedlings in each of 7 height classes, tree seedling stocking rate for low deer density and high deer density areas, percentage of tree and shrub cover < 2 m in height, mean diameter at breast height (DBH) of trees > 1 cm DBH, number of tree stems > 1 cm DBH, species richness of trees and shrubs, and mean height of the 5 tallest trees in each plot quadrant. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for differences and, except for some differences in tree species composition among the 3 regions, no differences (P > 0.01) were found among the 3 regions in the variables discussed above. Many of the variables showed very significant differences (P < 0.01) among years, and causative factors should be investigated further. In addition, importance values were calculated for the 10 most important tree species in each region and changes over time were reported. Future sampling recommendations are also discussed.

Predictive equations for dimensions and leaf area of coastal Southern California street trees

Treesearch

P.J. Peper; E.G. McPherson; S.M. Mori

2001-01-01

Tree height, crown height, crown width, diameter at breast height (dbh), and leaf area were measured for 16 species of commonly planted street trees in the coastal southern California city of Santa Monica, USA. The randomly sampled trees were planted from 1 to 44 years ago. Using number of years after planting or dbh as explanatory variables, mean values of dbh, tree...

Predicting height increment of young-growth red fir in California and southern Oregon

Treesearch

K. Leroy Dolph

1992-01-01

An equation is given to estimate 10-year height increment for young-growth red fir trees in California and southern Oregon. The independent variables are the individual tree, stand, and site characteristics significantly related to a tree's height growth. Data used to develop the equation came from stem analysis of 492 trees sampled from 56 stands in the study...

Ecological adaptations in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca) populations: I. North Idaho and North-East Washington

Treesearch

Gerald E. Rehfeldt

1979-01-01

Growth, phenology and frost tolerance of seedlings from 50 populations of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca) were compared in 12 environments. Statistical analyses of six variables (bud burst, bud set, 3-year height, spring and fall frost injuries, and deviation from regression of 3-year height on 2-year height) showed that populations not only differed in...

Corrective Equations to Self-Reported Height and Weight for Obesity Estimates among U.S. Adults: NHANES 1999-2008

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mozumdar, Arupendra; Liguori, Gary

2016-01-01

Purpose: Estimating obesity prevalence using self-reported height and weight is an economic and effective method and is often used in national surveys. However, self-reporting of height and weight can involve misreporting of those variables and has been found to be associated to the size of the individual. This study investigated the biases in…

Wood Specific Gravity Variation with Height and Its Implications for Biomass Estimation

Treesearch

Michael C. Wiemann; G. Bruce Williamson

2014-01-01

Wood specific gravity (SG) is widely employed by ecologists as a key variable in estimates of biomass. When it is important to have nondestructive methods for sampling wood for SG measurements, cores are extracted with an increment borer. While boring is a relatively difficult task even at breast height sampling, it is impossible at ground level and arduous at heights...

Workload-Driven Design and Evaluation of Large-Scale Data-Centric Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-09

in the batch zone in and out of a low-power state, e.g., sending a “ hibernate ” command via ssh and using Wake-on-LAN or related technologies [85]. If...parameter values for experiments with stand-alone jobs. The mapred.child.java.opts parameter sets the maximum virtual memory of the Java child pro- cesses

Using ANSYS Fluent on the Peregrine System | High-Performance Computing |

Science.gov Websites

two ways to run ANSYS CFD interactively on NREL HPC systems. When graphics rendering is not a critical when used as above is quite low (e.g., windows take a long time to come up). For small tasks, it may be , go to Category/Connection/SSH, and check off the box "enable compression". When graphics

The Implications of the Concept of Lifelong Education for the Secondary School in the United Kingdom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fincham, David

1982-01-01

Rapid changes in social circumstances and conditions will have a profound effect on ideas and attitudes concerning the role of the school. Schools ought to take account of these considerations and to examine critically their relationship with the wider society. (Falmer Press, Falmer House, Barcombe, Nr Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 5DL, UK) (SSH)

Planning Continuing Education to Meet the Needs of Nurses: Diabetes Mellitus Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heller, Debbie Ransom; Brown, Sylvia J.

1983-01-01

It is critical for nurses to be aware of changing treatment strategies and new research developments in the field of diabetes. This is important so that nurses can respond to patient questions as well as, in some cases, modify their actual patient care approach. Thus, nurses are a vital target group for diabetes continuing education programs. (SSH)

Processing of Tense Morphology and Filler-Gap Dependencies by Chinese Second Language Speakers of English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dong, Zhiyin Renee

2014-01-01

There is an ongoing debate in the field of Second Language Acquisition concerning whether a fundamental difference exists between the native language (L1) and adult second language (L2) online processing of syntax and morpho-syntax. The Shallow Structure Hypothesis (SSH) (Clahsen and Felser, 2006a, b) states that L2 online parsing is qualitatively…

The relationships between height and arm span, mid-upper arm and waist circumferences and sum of four skinfolds in Ellisras rural children aged 8-18 years.

PubMed

Monyeki, Kotsedi Daniel; Sekhotha, Michael Matome

2016-05-01

Height is required for the assessment of growth and nutritional status, as well as for predictions and standardization of physiological parameters. To determine whether arm span, mid-upper arm and waist circumferences and sum of four skinfolds can be used to predict height, the relationships between these anthropometric variables were assessed among Ellisras rural children aged 8-18 years. The following parameters were measured according to the International Society for the Advancement of Kinathropometry: height, arm span, mid-upper arm circumference, waist circumference and four skinfolds (suprailiac, subscapular, triceps and biceps). Associations between the variables were assessed using Pearson correlation coefficients and linear regression models. Ellisras Longitudinal Study (ELS), Limpopo Province, South Africa. Boys (n 911) and girls (n 858) aged 8-18 years. Mean height was higher than arm span, with differences ranging from 4 cm to 11·5 cm between boys and girls. The correlation between height and arm span was high (ranging from 0·74 to 0·91) with P<0·001. The correlation between height and mid-upper arm circumference, waist circumference and sum of four skinfolds was low (ranging from 0·15 to 0·47) with P<0·00 among girls in the 15-18 years age group. Arm span was found to be a good predictor of height. The sum of four skinfolds was significantly associated with height in the older age groups for girls, while waist circumference showed a negative significant association in the same groups.

Comparison study of noise reduction algorithms in dual energy chest digital tomosynthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, D.; Kim, Y.-S.; Choi, S.; Lee, H.; Choi, S.; Kim, H.-J.

2018-04-01

Dual energy chest digital tomosynthesis (CDT) is a recently developed medical technique that takes advantage of both tomosynthesis and dual energy X-ray images. However, quantum noise, which occurs in dual energy X-ray images, strongly interferes with diagnosis in various clinical situations. Therefore, noise reduction is necessary in dual energy CDT. In this study, noise-compensating algorithms, including a simple smoothing of high-energy images (SSH) and anti-correlated noise reduction (ACNR), were evaluated in a CDT system. We used a newly developed prototype CDT system and anthropomorphic chest phantom for experimental studies. The resulting images demonstrated that dual energy CDT can selectively image anatomical structures, such as bone and soft tissue. Among the resulting images, those acquired with ACNR showed the best image quality. Both coefficient of variation and contrast to noise ratio (CNR) were the highest in ACNR among the three different dual energy techniques, and the CNR of bone was significantly improved compared to the reconstructed images acquired at a single energy. This study demonstrated the clinical value of dual energy CDT and quantitatively showed that ACNR is the most suitable among the three developed dual energy techniques, including standard log subtraction, SSH, and ACNR.

Generation of multivariate near shore extreme wave conditions based on an extreme value copula for offshore boundary conditions.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leyssen, Gert; Mercelis, Peter; De Schoesitter, Philippe; Blanckaert, Joris

2013-04-01

Near shore extreme wave conditions, used as input for numerical wave agitation simulations and for the dimensioning of coastal defense structures, need to be determined at a harbour entrance situated at the French North Sea coast. To obtain significant wave heights, the numerical wave model SWAN has been used. A multivariate approach was used to account for the joint probabilities. Considered variables are: wind velocity and direction, water level and significant offshore wave height and wave period. In a first step a univariate extreme value distribution has been determined for the main variables. By means of a technique based on the mean excess function, an appropriate member of the GPD is selected. An optimal threshold for peak over threshold selection is determined by maximum likelihood optimization. Next, the joint dependency structure for the primary random variables is modeled by an extreme value copula. Eventually the multivariate domain of variables was stratified in different classes, each of which representing a combination of variable quantiles with a joint probability, which are used for model simulation. The main variable is the wind velocity, as in the area of concern extreme wave conditions are wind driven. The analysis is repeated for 9 different wind directions. The secondary variable is water level. In shallow waters extreme waves will be directly affected by water depth. Hence the joint probability of occurrence for water level and wave height is of major importance for design of coastal defense structures. Wind velocity and water levels are only dependent for some wind directions (wind induced setup). Dependent directions are detected using a Kendall and Spearman test and appeared to be those with the longest fetch. For these directions, wind velocity and water level extreme value distributions are multivariately linked through a Gumbel Copula. These distributions are stratified into classes of which the frequency of occurrence can be calculated. For the remaining directions the univariate extreme wind velocity distribution is stratified, each class combined with 5 high water levels. The wave height at the model boundaries was taken into account by a regression with the extreme wind velocity at the offshore location. The regression line and the 95% confidence limits where combined with each class. Eventually the wave period is computed by a new regression with the significant wave height. This way 1103 synthetic events were selected and simulated with the SWAN wave model, each of which a frequency of occurrence is calculated for. Hence near shore significant wave heights are obtained with corresponding frequencies. The statistical distribution of the near shore wave heights is determined by sorting the model results in a descending order and accumulating the corresponding frequencies. This approach allows determination of conditional return periods. For example, for the imposed univariate design return periods of 100 years for significant wave height and 30 years for water level, the joint return period for a simultaneous exceedance of both conditions can be computed as 4000 years. Hence, this methodology allows for a probabilistic design of coastal defense structures.

Monitoring small pioneer trees in the forest-tundra ecotone: using multi-temporal airborne laser scanning data to model height growth.

PubMed

Hauglin, Marius; Bollandsås, Ole Martin; Gobakken, Terje; Næsset, Erik

2017-12-08

Monitoring of forest resources through national forest inventory programmes is carried out in many countries. The expected climate changes will affect trees and forests and might cause an expansion of trees into presently treeless areas, such as above the current alpine tree line. It is therefore a need to develop methods that enable the inclusion of also these areas into monitoring programmes. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) is an established tool in operational forest inventories, and could be a viable option for monitoring tasks. In the present study, we used multi-temporal ALS data with point density of 8-15 points per m 2 , together with field measurements from single trees in the forest-tundra ecotone along a 1500-km-long transect in Norway. The material comprised 262 small trees with an average height of 1.78 m. The field-measured height growth was derived from height measurements at two points in time. The elapsed time between the two measurements was 4 years. Regression models were then used to model the relationship between ALS-derived variables and tree heights as well as the height growth. Strong relationships between ALS-derived variables and tree heights were found, with R 2 values of 0.93 and 0.97 for the two points in time. The relationship between the ALS data and the field-derived height growth was weaker, with R 2 values of 0.36-0.42. A cross-validation gave corresponding results, with root mean square errors of 19 and 11% for the ALS height models and 60% for the model relating ALS data to single-tree height growth.

Within-field variability of plant and soil parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ulaby, F. T. (Principal Investigator); Brisco, B.; Dobson, C.

1981-01-01

The variability of ground truth data collected for vegetation experiments was investigated. Two fields of wheat and one field of corn were sampled on two different dates. The variability of crop and soil parameters within a field, between two fields of the same type, and within a field over time were compared statistically. The number of samples from each test site required in order to be able to determine with confidence the mean and standard deviations for a given variable was determined. Eight samples were found to be adequate for plant height determinations, while twenty samples were required for plant moisture and soil moisture characterization. Eighteen samples were necessary for detecting within field variability over time and for between field variability for the same crop. The necessary sample sites vary according to the physiological growth stage of the crop and recent weather events that affect the moisture and/or height characteristics of the field in question.

The Influence of a Western Boundary Current on Continental Shelf Processes Along Southeastern Australia.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roughan, M.

2016-02-01

The East Australian Current (EAC) flows as a jet over the narrow shelf of southeastern Australia, dominating shelf circulation, and shedding vast eddies at the highly variable separation point. These characteristics alone make it a dynamically challenging region to measure, model and predict. In recent years a significant effort has been placed on understanding continental shelf processes along the coast of SE Australia, adjacent to the EAC, our major Western Boundary Current. We have used a multi-pronged approach by combining state of the art in situ observations and data assimilation modelling. Observations are obtained from a network of moorings, HF Radar and ocean gliders deployed in shelf waters along SE Australia, made possible through Australia's Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS). In addition, we have developed a high resolution reanalysis of the East Australian Current using ROMS and 4DVar data Assimilation. In addition to the traditional data streams (SST, SSH and ARGO) we assimilate the newly available IMOS observations in the region. These include velocity and hydrographic observations from the EAC transport array, 1km HF radar measurements of surface currents, CTD casts from ocean gliders, and temperature, salinity and velocity measurements from a network of shelf mooring arrays. We use these vast data sets and numerical modelling tools combined with satellite remote sensed data to understand spatio-temporal variability of shelf processes and water mass distributions on synoptic, seasonal and inter-annual timescales. We have quantified the cross shelf transport variability inshore of the EAC, the driving mechanisms, the seasonal cycles in shelf waters and to some extent variability in the biological (phytoplankton) response. I will present a review of some of the key results from a number of recent studies.

Age at menarche in urban Argentinian girls: association with biological and socioeconomic factors.

PubMed

Orden, Alicia B; Vericat, Agustina; Apezteguía, Maria C

2011-01-01

Age at menarche is regarded as a sensitive indicator of physical, biological, and psychosocial environment. The aim of this study was to determine the age at menarche and its association with biological and socioeconomic factors in girls from Santa Rosa (La Pampa, Argentina). An observational cross-sectional study was carried out on 1,221 schoolgirls aged 9-15 years. Menarche data were obtained by the status-quo method. Height, sitting height, weight, arm circumference, tricipital and subscapular skinfolds were measured. We also calculated body mass index, measures of body composition and proportions, and fat distribution. To assess socioeconomic factors, parents completed a self-administered questionnaire about their occupation and education, family size, household, and other family characteristics. The median age at menarche - estimated by the logit method--was 12.84 years (95% CI: 12.71, 12.97). Compared with their premenarcheal age peers, postmenarcheal girls had greater anthropometric dimensions through age 12. After this age, only height was higher in the latter group. Data were processed by fitting two logistic regressions, both including age. The first model included anthropometric variables and birth weight, while the second model included the socioeconomic variables. The significant variables derived from each model were incorporated into a new regression: height, sitting height ratio (first model), and maternal education (second model). These three variables remained significantly associated with menarche. The results suggest a relationship between linear growth and menarche and agree with those found in other populations where the advancement of menarche is associated with improved living conditions. In relatively uniform urban contexts, maternal education may be a good proxy for the standard of living.

On measuring bird habitat: influence of observer variability and sample size

Treesearch

William M. Block; Kimberly A. With; Michael L. Morrison

1987-01-01

We studied the effects of observer variability when estimating vegetation characteristics at 75 0.04-ha bird plots. Observer estimates were significantly different for 31 of 49 variables. Multivariate analyses showed significant interobserver differences for five of the seven classes of variables studied. Variable classes included the height, number, and diameter of...

Results on SSH neural network forecasting in the Mediterranean Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rixen, Michel; Beckers, Jean-Marie; Alvarez, Alberto; Tintore, Joaquim

2002-01-01

Nowadays, satellites are the only monitoring systems that cover almost continuously all possible ocean areas and are now an essential part of operational oceanography. A novel approach based on artificial intelligence (AI) concepts, exploits pasts time series of satellite images to infer near future ocean conditions at the surface by neural networks and genetic algorithms. The size of the AI problem is drastically reduced by splitting the spatio-temporal variability contained in the remote sensing data by using empirical orthogonal function (EOF) decomposition. The problem of forecasting the dynamics of a 2D surface field can thus be reduced by selecting the most relevant empirical modes, and non-linear time series predictors are then applied on the amplitudes only. In the present case study, we use altimetric maps of the Mediterranean Sea, combining TOPEX-POSEIDON and ERS-1/2 data for the period 1992 to 1997. The learning procedure is applied to each mode individually. The final forecast is then reconstructed form the EOFs and the forecasted amplitudes and compared to the real observed field for validation of the method.

Hip and knee extensor moments predict vertical jump height in adolescent girls.

PubMed

Ford, Kevin R; Myer, Gregory D; Brent, Jensen L; Hewett, Timothy E

2009-07-01

Biomechanical factors, such as hip and knee extensor moments, related to drop jump (DJ) performance have not been investigated in adolescent girls. The purpose of this study was to determine the key independent biomechanical variables that predict overall vertical jump performance in adolescent girls. Sixteen high school adolescent girls from club-sponsored and high school-sponsored volleyball teams performed DJ at 3 different drop heights (15, 30, and 45 cm). A motion analysis system consisting of 10 digital cameras and a force platform was used to calculate vertical jump height, joint angles, and joint moments during the tasks. A multiple linear regression was used to determine the biomechanical parameters that were best predictive of vertical jump height at each box drop distance. The 2 predictor variables in all 3 models were knee and hip extensor moments. The models predicted 82.9, 81.9, and 88% of the vertical jump height variance in the 15, 30, and 45 cm trials, respectively. The results of the investigation indicate that knee and hip joint moments are the main contributors to vertical jump height during the DJ in adolescent girls. Strength and conditioning specialists attempting to improve vertical jump performance should target power and strength training to the hip and knee extensors in their athletes.

Climatology and inter-annual variability of the polar mesospheric winds inferred from meteor radar observations over Sodankylä (67N, 26E) during solar cycle 24

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukianova, Renata; Kozlovsky, Alexander; Lester, Mark

2018-06-01

The inter-annual variability, climatological mean wind and tide fields in the northern polar mesosphere/lower thermosphere region of 82-98 km height are studied using observations by the meteor radar which has operated continuously during solar cycle 24 (from December 2008 onward) at the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory (67N, 26E). Summer mean zonal winds are characterized by westward flow, up to 25 m/s, at lower heights and eastward flow, up to 30 m/s, at upper heights. In the winter an eastward flow, up to 10 m/s, dominates at all heights. The meridional winds are characterized by a relatively weak poleward flow (few m/s) in the winter and equatorward flow in the summer, with a jet core (∼15 m/s) located slightly below 90 km. These systematically varying winds are dominated by the semidiurnal tides. The largest amplitudes, up to 30 m/s, are observed at higher altitudes in winter and a secondary maximum is seen in August-September. The diurnal tides are almost a factor of two weaker and peak in summer. The variability of individual years is dominated by the winter perturbations. During the period of observations major sudden stratospheric warmings (SSW) occurred in January 2009 and 2013. During these events the wind fields were strongly modified. The lowest altitude eastward winds maximized up to 25 m/s, that is by more twice that of the non-SSW years. The poleward flow considerably increases (up 10 m/s) and extends from the lower heights throughout the whole altitude range. The annual pattern in temperature at ∼90 km height over Sodankyla consists of warm winters (up to 200 K) and cold summers (∼120 K).

Mitral valve morphology assessed by three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography in healthy dogs and dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.

PubMed

Menciotti, G; Borgarelli, M; Aherne, M; Wesselowski, S; Häggström, J; Ljungvall, I; Lahmers, S M; Abbott, J A

2017-04-01

To assess differences in morphology of the mitral valve (MV) between healthy dogs and dogs affected by myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) using real-time transthoracic three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE). Thirty-four were normal dogs and 79 dogs were affected by MMVD. Real-time transthoracic three-dimensional echocardiography mitral datasets were digitally recorded and analyzed using dedicated software. The following variables were obtained and compared between healthy dogs and dogs with MMVD at different stages: antero-posterior annulus diameter, anterolateral-posteromedial annulus diameter, commissural diameter, annulus height, annulus circumference, annulus area, anterior leaflet length, anterior leaflet area, posterior leaflet length, posterior leaflet area, non-planar angle, annulus sphericity index, tenting height, tenting area, tenting volume, the ratio of annulus height and commissural diameter. Dogs with MMVD had a more circular MV annulus compared to healthy dogs as demonstrated by an increased annulus sphericity index (p=0.0179). Affected dogs had a less saddle-shaped MV manifest as a decreased annulus height to commissural width ratio (p=0.0004). Tenting height (p<0.0001), area (p<0.0001), and volume (p<0.0001) were less in affected dogs. Real-time transthoracic three-dimensional echocardiography analysis demonstrated that dogs affected by MMVD had a more circular and less saddle-shaped MV annulus, as well as reduced tenting height area and volume, compared to healthy dogs. Multiple variables differed between dogs at different stages of MMVD. Diagnostic and prognostic utility of these variables, and the significance of these changes in the pathogenesis and natural history of MMVD, require further attention. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nutritional status of preschool children attending kindergartens in Kosovo.

PubMed

Rysha, Agim; Gjergji, Tahire M; Ploeger, Angelika

2017-06-02

There is very limited data on malnutrition of preschool children in Kosovo. The main objective of the study is to provide a nutritional status profile of preschool children attending kindergartens in Kosovo. Cross-sectional study of children aged 12-59 months (n = 352 children) and children aged 60-83 months (n = 134) enrolled in public and private kindergartens of Kosovo. Anthropometric measurements used for this study are weight and height of the preschoolers (12-83 months). A measuring board was used for measuring the length/height of children younger than 2 years, while digital weight and height scale Seca 763 was used for measuring of preschool children taller than 110 and Seca 213 was used for measuring the height for children who were shorter than 110 cm. Statistical analyses of underweight and overweight trends across sex and age groups as well as between children from public and private kindergartens were carried out. Qualitative variables were tested with a chi-square test. The differences between groups were assessed with a Student t test for normally distributed variables and a Mann-Whitney test for abnormally distributed numerical variables. The mean z-scores for weight-for-age, height-for-age, weight-for-height, and BMI-for-age largely fell within 0.0 and 1.0. The percentage of stunted children is 3%, whereas child wasting is 1.9%. The overall percentage of obese children is 2.3%; furthermore, 8.9% are overweight and 27.3% have a possible risk of being overweight. The incidence of children underweight is slightly decreasing. The prevalence of overweight and obese children in sample chosen is evident.

Interannual Variability in Amundsen Sea Ice-Shelf Height Change Linked to ENSO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paolo, F. S.; Fricker, H. A.; Padman, L.

2015-12-01

Atmospheric and sea-ice conditions around Antarctica, particularly in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen seas, respond to climate dynamics in the tropical Pacific Ocean on interannual time scales including the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). It has been hypothesized that the mass balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, including its floating ice shelves, also responds to this climate signal; however, this has not yet been unambiguously demonstrated. We apply multivariate singular spectrum analysis (MSSA) to our 18-year (1994-2012) time series of ice-shelf height in the Amundsen Sea (AS) region. This advanced spectral method distinguishes between regular deterministic behavior ("cycles") at sub-decadal time scale and irregular behavior ("noise") at shorter time scales. Although the long-term trends of AS ice-shelf height changes are much larger than the range of interannual variability, the short-term rate of change dh/dt can vary about the trend by more than 50%. The mode of interannual variability in the AS ice-shelf height is strongly correlated with the low-frequency mode of ENSO (periodicity of ~4.5 years) as represented by the Southern Oscillation Index. The ice-shelf height in the AS is expected to respond to changes in precipitation and inflows of warm subsurface Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) into the ocean cavities under the ice shelves, altering basal melt rates. Since both of these processes affecting ice-shelf mass balance respond to changes in wind fields for different ENSO states, we expect some correlation between them. We will describe the spatial structure of AS ice-shelf height response to ENSO, and attempt to distinguish the precipitation signal from basal mass balance due to changing CDW inflows.

Decadal variability of extreme wave height representing storm severity in the northeast Atlantic and North Sea since the foundation of the Royal Society.

PubMed

Santo, H; Taylor, P H; Gibson, R

2016-09-01

Long-term estimation of extreme wave height remains a key challenge because of the short duration of available wave data, and also because of the possible impact of climate variability on ocean waves. Here, we analyse storm-based statistics to obtain estimates of extreme wave height at locations in the northeast Atlantic and North Sea using the NORA10 wave hindcast (1958-2011), and use a 5 year sliding window to examine temporal variability. The decadal variability is correlated to the North Atlantic oscillation and other atmospheric modes, using a six-term predictor model incorporating the climate indices and their Hilbert transforms. This allows reconstruction of the historic extreme climate back to 1661, using a combination of known and proxy climate indices. Significant decadal variability primarily driven by the North Atlantic oscillation is observed, and this should be considered for the long-term survivability of offshore structures and marine renewable energy devices. The analysis on wave climate reconstruction reveals that the variation of the mean, 99th percentile and extreme wave climates over decadal time scales for locations close to the dominant storm tracks in the open North Atlantic are comparable, whereas the wave climates for the rest of the locations including the North Sea are rather different.

Decadal variability of extreme wave height representing storm severity in the northeast Atlantic and North Sea since the foundation of the Royal Society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santo, H.; Taylor, P. H.; Gibson, R.

2016-09-01

Long-term estimation of extreme wave height remains a key challenge because of the short duration of available wave data, and also because of the possible impact of climate variability on ocean waves. Here, we analyse storm-based statistics to obtain estimates of extreme wave height at locations in the northeast Atlantic and North Sea using the NORA10 wave hindcast (1958-2011), and use a 5 year sliding window to examine temporal variability. The decadal variability is correlated to the North Atlantic oscillation and other atmospheric modes, using a six-term predictor model incorporating the climate indices and their Hilbert transforms. This allows reconstruction of the historic extreme climate back to 1661, using a combination of known and proxy climate indices. Significant decadal variability primarily driven by the North Atlantic oscillation is observed, and this should be considered for the long-term survivability of offshore structures and marine renewable energy devices. The analysis on wave climate reconstruction reveals that the variation of the mean, 99th percentile and extreme wave climates over decadal time scales for locations close to the dominant storm tracks in the open North Atlantic are comparable, whereas the wave climates for the rest of the locations including the North Sea are rather different.

The Effect of Variability of Practice at Execution Redundancy Level in Skilled and Novice Basketball Players.

PubMed

Taheri, Hamidreza; Fazeli, Davoud; Poureghbali, Sogand

2017-04-01

We investigated the effect of practice variability through execution redundancy in skilled and novice basketball players on free throw skills. Twelve skilled basketball players and 12 novices (mean age = 25.4 years, SD = 4.3) were divided into four groups (skilled constant, skilled variable, novice constant, and novice variable). After a pretest, participants practiced free throw action. The variable groups threw the ball over an obstacle of varying heights on each trial in random order, whereas the obstacle's height was fixed for the constant groups. After 7 and 14 consecutive days of practice, participants performed two posttests with constant and variable distances from the basket. The results showed that practicing different solutions of a task did not affect the performance of skilled players but had an immediate negative effect on the performance of novice players. Learning a complex task is the result of learning task-related parameters, and practice variability can create a mismatch between task difficulty and new learner skill levels.

Ecology of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus in the Coastal and Estuarine Waters of Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, and Washington (United States)

PubMed Central

Bowers, John C.; Griffitt, Kimberly J.; Molina, Vanessa; Clostio, Rachel W.; Pei, Shaofeng; Laws, Edward; Paranjpye, Rohinee N.; Strom, Mark S.; Chen, Arlene; Hasan, Nur A.; Huq, Anwar; Noriea, Nicholas F.; Grimes, D. Jay; Colwell, Rita R.

2012-01-01

Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus, which are native to estuaries globally, are agents of seafood-borne or wound infections, both potentially fatal. Like all vibrios autochthonous to coastal regions, their abundance varies with changes in environmental parameters. Sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), and chlorophyll have been shown to be predictors of zooplankton and thus factors linked to vibrio populations. The contribution of salinity, conductivity, turbidity, and dissolved organic carbon to the incidence and distribution of Vibrio spp. has also been reported. Here, a multicoastal, 21-month study was conducted to determine relationships between environmental parameters and V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus populations in water, oysters, and sediment in three coastal areas of the United States. Because ecologically unique sites were included in the study, it was possible to analyze individual parameters over wide ranges. Molecular methods were used to detect genes for thermolabile hemolysin (tlh), thermostable direct hemolysin (tdh), and tdh-related hemolysin (trh) as indicators of V. parahaemolyticus and the hemolysin gene vvhA for V. vulnificus. SST and suspended particulate matter were found to be strong predictors of total and potentially pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus. Other predictors included chlorophyll a, salinity, and dissolved organic carbon. For the ecologically unique sites included in the study, SST was confirmed as an effective predictor of annual variation in vibrio abundance, with other parameters explaining a portion of the variation not attributable to SST. PMID:22865080

Spectral Interpretation of Wave-vortex Duality in Northern South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, H.; Jing, Z.; Yan, T.

2017-12-01

The mesoscale to submesocale oceanic dynamics are characterized by a joint effect of vortex and wave component, which primarily declares the partition between geostrophic balanced and unbalanced flows. The spectral method is a favorable approach that can afford the muti-scale analysis. This study investigates the characteristics of horizontal wavenumber spectra in Nothern South China Sea using orbital altimeter data (SARA/AltiKa), 13-yr shipboard ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) measurements (2014-2016), and a high-resolution numerical simulation (llc4320 Mitgcm). The observed SSH (sea surface height) spectrum presents a conspicuous transition at scales of 50-100 km, which clearly shows the inconsistency with geostrophic balance. The Helmholtz decomposition separating the wave and vortex energy for the spectra of ADCP and numerical model data shows that ageostrophic flows should be responsible for the spectral discrepancy with the QG (qusi-geostrophic) turbulence theory. Generally, it is found that inertia-gravity waves (including internal tides) govern the significant kinetic energy in the submesoscale range in Northern South China Sea. More specific analysis suggests that the wave kinetic energy can extend to a large scale of 500 km or more from the zonal velocity spectra at the left-center of Luzon Strait, which appears to be dominated by inertia-gravity waves likely emitted by the intrusion of the west pacific at Luzon Strait. Instead, the development of eddy kinetic energy at this place is strictly constrained by the width of the strait.

Wind-tunnel Modelling of Dispersion from a Scalar Area Source in Urban-Like Roughness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pascheke, Frauke; Barlow, Janet F.; Robins, Alan

2008-01-01

A wind-tunnel study was conducted to investigate ventilation of scalars from urban-like geometries at neighbourhood scale by exploring two different geometries a uniform height roughness and a non-uniform height roughness, both with an equal plan and frontal density of λ p = λ f = 25%. In both configurations a sub-unit of the idealized urban surface was coated with a thin layer of naphthalene to represent area sources. The naphthalene sublimation method was used to measure directly total area-averaged transport of scalars out of the complex geometries. At the same time, naphthalene vapour concentrations controlled by the turbulent fluxes were detected using a fast Flame Ionisation Detection (FID) technique. This paper describes the novel use of a naphthalene coated surface as an area source in dispersion studies. Particular emphasis was also given to testing whether the concentration measurements were independent of Reynolds number. For low wind speeds, transfer from the naphthalene surface is determined by a combination of forced and natural convection. Compared with a propane point source release, a 25% higher free stream velocity was needed for the naphthalene area source to yield Reynolds-number-independent concentration fields. Ventilation transfer coefficients w T / U derived from the naphthalene sublimation method showed that, whilst there was enhanced vertical momentum exchange due to obstacle height variability, advection was reduced and dispersion from the source area was not enhanced. Thus, the height variability of a canopy is an important parameter when generalising urban dispersion. Fine resolution concentration measurements in the canopy showed the effect of height variability on dispersion at street scale. Rapid vertical transport in the wake of individual high-rise obstacles was found to generate elevated point-like sources. A Gaussian plume model was used to analyse differences in the downstream plumes. Intensified lateral and vertical plume spread and plume dilution with height was found for the non-uniform height roughness.

Influence of anthropometry on race performance in extreme endurance triathletes: World Challenge Deca Iron Triathlon 2006

PubMed Central

Knechtle, Beat; Knechtle, Patrizia; Andonie, Jorge Luis; Kohler, Götz

2007-01-01

Objective To investigate the influence of anthropometric variables on race performance in ultra‐endurance triathletes in an ultra‐triathlon. Design Descriptive field study. Setting The “World Challenge Deca Iron Triathlon 2006” in Monterrey, Mexico, in which everyday for 10 consecutive days athletes had to perform the distance of one Ironman triathlon of 3.8 km swimming, 180 km cycling and 42.195 km running. Subjects Eight male ultra‐endurance athletes (mean (SD) age 40.6 (10.7) years, weight 76.4 (8.4) kg, height 175 (4) cm and body mass index (BMI) 24.7 (2.2) kg/m2). Interventions None. Main outcome measures Direct measurement of body mass, height, leg length, skinfold thicknesses, limb circumference and calculation of BMI, skeletal muscle mass (SM), percentage SM (%SM) and percentage body fat (%BF) in order to correlate measured and calculated anthropometric variables with race performance. Results Race time was not significantly (p>0.05) influenced by the directly measured variables, height, leg length, body mass, average skinfold thicknesses, or circumference of thigh, calf or upper arm. Furthermore, no significant (p>0.05) correlation was observed between race time and the calculated variables, BMI, %SM and %BF. Conclusions In a multistage ultra‐triathlon over 10 Ironman triathlon distances in 10 consecutive days, there was no effect of body mass, height, leg length, skinfold thicknesses, limb circumference, BMI, %SM or %BF on race performance in the only eight finishers. PMID:17556527

Variability of the Mixed-Layer Height Over Mexico City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Franco, J. L.; Stremme, W.; Bezanilla, A.; Ruiz-Angulo, A.; Grutter, M.

2018-02-01

The diurnal and seasonal variability of the mixed-layer height in urban areas has implications for ground-level air pollution and the meteorological conditions. Measurements of the backscatter of light pulses with a commercial lidar system were performed for a continuous period of almost six years between 2011 and 2016 in the southern part of Mexico City. The profiles were temporally and vertically smoothed, clouds were filtered out, and the mixed-layer height was determined with an ad hoc treatment of both the filtered and unfiltered profiles. The results are in agreement when compared with values of mixed-layer height reconstructed from, (i) radiosonde data, and (ii) surface and vertical column densities of a trace gas. The daily maxima of the mean mixed-layer height reach values > 3 km above ground level in the months of March-April, and are clearly lower (< 2.7 km ) during the colder months from September-December. Mean daily minima are typically observed at 0700 local time (UTC - 6h), and are lowest during the winter months with values on average below 500 m. The data presented here show an anti-correlation between high-pollution episodes and the height of the mixed layer. The growth rate of the convective mixed-layer height has a seasonal behaviour, which is characterized together with the mixed-layer-height anomalies. A clear residual layer is evident from the backscattered signals recorded in days with specific atmospheric conditions, but also from the cloud-filtered mean diurnal profiles. The occasional presence of a residual layer results in an overestimation of the reported mixed-layer height during the night and early morning hours.

Coupling centennial-scale shoreline change to sea-level rise and coastal morphology in the Gulf of Mexico using a Bayesian network

USGS Publications Warehouse

Plant, Nathaniel G.

2016-01-01

Predictions of coastal evolution driven by episodic and persistent processes associated with storms and relative sea-level rise (SLR) are required to test our understanding, evaluate our predictive capability, and to provide guidance for coastal management decisions. Previous work demonstrated that the spatial variability of long-term shoreline change can be predicted using observed SLR rates, tide range, wave height, coastal slope, and a characterization of the geomorphic setting. The shoreline is not suf- ficient to indicate which processes are important in causing shoreline change, such as overwash that depends on coastal dune elevations. Predicting dune height is intrinsically important to assess future storm vulnerability. Here, we enhance shoreline-change predictions by including dune height as a vari- able in a statistical modeling approach. Dune height can also be used as an input variable, but it does not improve the shoreline-change prediction skill. Dune-height input does help to reduce prediction uncer- tainty. That is, by including dune height, the prediction is more precise but not more accurate. Comparing hindcast evaluations, better predictive skill was found when predicting dune height (0.8) compared with shoreline change (0.6). The skill depends on the level of detail of the model and we identify an optimized model that has high skill and minimal overfitting. The predictive model can be implemented with a range of forecast scenarios, and we illustrate the impacts of a higher future sea-level. This scenario shows that the shoreline change becomes increasingly erosional and more uncertain. Predicted dune heights are lower and the dune height uncertainty decreases.

Variability of the Mixed-Layer Height Over Mexico City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Franco, J. L.; Stremme, W.; Bezanilla, A.; Ruiz-Angulo, A.; Grutter, M.

2018-06-01

The diurnal and seasonal variability of the mixed-layer height in urban areas has implications for ground-level air pollution and the meteorological conditions. Measurements of the backscatter of light pulses with a commercial lidar system were performed for a continuous period of almost six years between 2011 and 2016 in the southern part of Mexico City. The profiles were temporally and vertically smoothed, clouds were filtered out, and the mixed-layer height was determined with an ad hoc treatment of both the filtered and unfiltered profiles. The results are in agreement when compared with values of mixed-layer height reconstructed from, (i) radiosonde data, and (ii) surface and vertical column densities of a trace gas. The daily maxima of the mean mixed-layer height reach values > 3 km above ground level in the months of March-April, and are clearly lower (< 2.7 km) during the colder months from September-December. Mean daily minima are typically observed at 0700 local time (UTC - 6h), and are lowest during the winter months with values on average below 500 m. The data presented here show an anti-correlation between high-pollution episodes and the height of the mixed layer. The growth rate of the convective mixed-layer height has a seasonal behaviour, which is characterized together with the mixed-layer-height anomalies. A clear residual layer is evident from the backscattered signals recorded in days with specific atmospheric conditions, but also from the cloud-filtered mean diurnal profiles. The occasional presence of a residual layer results in an overestimation of the reported mixed-layer height during the night and early morning hours.

Applications That Participate in Their Own Defense (APOD)

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-05-01

bandwidth requirements from multiple applications and uses ssh to directly login the RSVP routers to reconfigure the priority queues. This approach...detect flooding. 3 Emerald makes use of some signature matching techniques on BSM logs, but the unique strength of Emerald technology is in event...mechanisms that provide awareness, and IDSs form an important class of these4. We investigated several COTS and research IDSs including Emerald

A Technique for Presenting a Deceptive Dynamic Network Topology

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

Comment RIP Routing Information Protocol SNOS Systemic Network Obfuscation System SSH Secure Shell TCP Transmission Control Protocol TTL time to live...because it sacrifices elements available in Transmission Control Protocol ( TCP ) such as ordered delivery of packets, delivery confirmation and duplication...avoidance [4]. Of note, some traceroute implementations use TCP packets since they are able to pass through firewalls which are typically configured

Similarities and Differences in Patterns and Geolocation of SSH Attack Data

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

failed inputs. ..................................................................................14  Figure 7.  Latest “ passwd ” commands entered by...also has fake file contents to allow an attacker to “cat” files like /etc/ passwd [12]. Kippo saves all downloaded files for later inspection. The...overall post-compromise activity, human activity inside the honeypot, top 10 inputs (overall), top 10 successful inputs, top 10 failed inputs, passwd

Characterization of resistance to pine wood nematode infection in Pinus thunbergii using suppression subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Hirao, Tomonori; Fukatsu, Eitaro; Watanabe, Atsushi

2012-01-24

Pine wilt disease is caused by the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, which threatens pine forests and forest ecosystems worldwide and causes serious economic losses. In the 40 years since the pathogen was identified, the physiological changes occurring as the disease progresses have been characterized using anatomical and biochemical methods, and resistant trees have been selected via breeding programs. However, no studies have assessed the molecular genetics, e.g. transcriptional changes, associated with infection-induced physiological changes in resistant or susceptible trees. We constructed seven subtractive suppression hybridization (SSH) cDNA libraries using time-course sampling of trees inoculated with pine wood nematode at 1, 3, or 7 days post-inoculation (dpi) in susceptible trees and at 1, 3, 7, or 14 dpi in resistant trees. A total of 3,299 sequences was obtained from these cDNA libraries, including from 138 to 315 non-redundant sequences in susceptible SSH libraries and from 351 to 435 in resistant SSH libraries. Using Gene Ontology hierarchy, those non-redundant sequences were classified into 15 subcategories of the biological process Gene Ontology category and 17 subcategories of the molecular function category. The transcriptional components revealed by the Gene Ontology classification clearly differed between resistant and susceptible libraries. Some transcripts were discriminative: expression of antimicrobial peptide and putative pathogenesis-related genes (e.g., PR-1b, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) was much higher in susceptible trees than in resistant trees at every time point, whereas expression of PR-9, PR-10, and cell wall-related genes (e.g., for hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein precursor and extensin) was higher in resistant trees than in susceptible trees at 7 and 14 dpi. Following inoculation with pine wood nematode, there were marked differences between resistant and susceptible trees in transcript diversity and the timing and level of transcripts expressed in common; in particular, expression of stress response and defense genes differed. This study provided new insight into the differences in the physiological changes between resistant and susceptible trees that have been observed in anatomical and biochemical studies.

Real-time Assimilation of Altimeter Derived Synthetic Profiles Into a Global version of the Naval Research Laboratory's Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhodes, R. C.; Barron, C. N.; Fox, D. N.; Smedstad, L. F.

2001-12-01

A global implementation of the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM), developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) at Stennis Space Center is currently running in real-time and is planned for transition to the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) in 2002. The model encompasses the open ocean to 5 m depth on a curvilinear global model grid with 1/8 degree grid spacing at 45N, extending from 80 S to a complete arctic cap with grid singularities mapped into Canada and Russia. Vertically, the model employs 41 sigma-z levels with sigma in the upper-ocean and coastal regions and z in the deeper ocean. The Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) provides 6-hourly wind stresses and heat fluxes for forcing, while the operational Modular Ocean Data Assimilation System (MODAS) provides the background climatology and tools for data pre-processing. Operationally available sea surface temperature (SST) and altimetry (SSH) data are assimilated into the NAVOCEANO global 1/8 degree MODAS 2-D analysis and the 1/16 degree Navy Layered Ocean Model (NLOM) to provide analyses and forecasts of SSH and SST. The 2-D SSH and SST nowcast fields are used as input to the MODAS synthetic climatology database to yield three-dimensional fields of synthetic temperature and salinity for assimilation into global NCOM. The synthetic profiles are weighted higher at depth in the assimilation process to allow the numerical model to properly develop the mixed-layer structure driven by the real-time atmospheric forcing. Global NCOM nowcasts and forecasts provide a valuable resource for rapid response to the varied and often unpredictable operational requests for 3-dimensional fields of ocean temperature, salinity, and currents. In some cases, the resolution of the global product is sufficient for guidance. In cases requiring higher resolution, the global product offers a quick overview of local circulation and provides initial and boundary conditions for higher resolution coastal models that may be more specialized for a particular task or domain. Nowcast and forecast results are presented globally and in selected areas of interest and model results are compared with historical and concurrent observations and analyses.

An investigation of ionospheric upper transition height variations at low and equatorial latitudes deduced from combined COSMIC and C/NOFS measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Changjun; Zhao, Biqiang; Zhu, Jie; Yue, Xinan; Wan, Weixing

2017-10-01

In this study we propose the combination of topside in-situ ion density data from the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecast System (C/NOFS) along with the electron density profile measurement from Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere & Climate (COSMIC) satellites Radio Occultation (RO) for studying the spatial and temporal variations of the ionospheric upper transition height (hT) and the oxygen ion (O+) density scale height. The latitudinal, local time and seasonal distributions of upper transition height show more consistency between hT re-calculated by the profile of the O+ using an α-Chapman function with linearly variable scale height and that determined from direct in-situ ion composition measurements, than with constant scale height and only the COSMIC data. The discrepancy in the values of hT between the C/NOFS measurement and that derived by the combination of COSMIC and C/NOFS satellites observations with variable scale height turns larger as the solar activity decreases, which suggests that the photochemistry and the electrodynamics of the equatorial ionosphere during the extreme solar minimum period produce abnormal structures in the vertical plasma distribution. The diurnal variation of scale heights (Hm) exhibits a minimum after sunrise and a maximum around noon near the geomagnetic equator. Further, the values of Hm exhibit a maximum in the summer hemisphere during daytime, whereas in the winter hemisphere the maximum is during night. Those features of Hm consistently indicate the prominent role of the vertical electromagnetic (E × B) drift in the equatorial ionosphere.

An investigation of ionospheric upper transition height variations at low and equatorial latitudes deduced from combined COSMIC and C/NOFS measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Biqiang

2017-04-01

In this study we propose the combination of topside in-situ ion density data from the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecast System (C/NOFS) along with the electron density profile measurement from Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere & Climate (COSMIC) satellites Radio Occultation (RO) for studying the spatial and temporal variations of the ionospheric upper transition height (hT) and the oxygen ion (O+) density scale height. The latitudinal, local time and seasonal distributions of upper transition height show more consistency between hT re-calculated by the profile of the O+ using an a-Chapman function with linearly variable scale height and that determined from direct in-situ ion composition measurements, than with constant scale height and only the COSMIC data. The discrepancy in the values of hT between the C/NOFS measurement and that derived by the combination of COSMIC and C/NOFS satellites observations with variable scale height turns larger as the solar activity decreases, which suggests that the photochemistry and the electrodynamics of the equatorial ionosphere during the extreme solar minimum period produce abnormal structures in the vertical plasma distribution. The diurnal variation of scale heights (Hm) exhibits a minimum after sunrise and a maximum around noon near the geomagnetic equator. Further, the values of Hm exhibit a maximum in the summer hemisphere during daytime, whereas in the winter hemisphere the maximum is during night. Those features of Hm consistently indicate the prominent role of the vertical electromagnetic (E×B) drift in the equatorial ionosphere.

Board-Foot and cubic-foot volume tables for Alaska-cedar in southeast Alaska.

Treesearch

Donald J. DeMars

1996-01-01

Four tables give cubic-foot and board-foot volume estimates for Alaska-cedar given breast-height diameter outside bark (DBHOB) and either total tree height or number of logs to a 6-inch top. The values for DBHOB and total tree height (or number of logs in the tree) that are in the tables have been limited to the ranges these variables had in the sample data.

Board-foot and cubic-foot volume tables for western red cedar in southeast Alaska.

Treesearch

Donald J. DeMars

1996-01-01

Four tables give cubic-foot and board-foot volume estimates for western redcedar given breast height diameter outside bark (DBHOB) and either total tree height or number of logs to a 6-inch top. The values for DBHOB and total tree height (or number of logs in the tree) that are in the tables have been limited to the ranges these variables had in the sample data.

Height and body mass influence on human body outlines: a quantitative approach using an elliptic Fourier analysis.

PubMed

Courtiol, Alexandre; Ferdy, Jean Baptiste; Godelle, Bernard; Raymond, Michel; Claude, Julien

2010-05-01

Many studies use representations of human body outlines to study how individual characteristics, such as height and body mass, affect perception of body shape. These typically involve reality-based stimuli (e.g., pictures) or manipulated stimuli (e.g., drawings). These two classes of stimuli have important drawbacks that limit result interpretations. Realistic stimuli vary in terms of traits that are correlated, which makes it impossible to assess the effect of a single trait independently. In addition, manipulated stimuli usually do not represent realistic morphologies. We describe and examine a method based on elliptic Fourier descriptors to automatically predict and represent body outlines for a given set of predicted variables (e.g., sex, height, and body mass). We first estimate whether these predictive variables are significantly related to human outlines. We find that height and body mass significantly influence body shape. Unlike height, the effect of body mass on shape differs between sexes. Then, we show that we can easily build a regression model that creates hypothetical outlines for an arbitrary set of covariates. These statistically computed outlines are quite realistic and may be used as stimuli in future studies.

Mechanisms of the 40-70 Day Variability in the Yucatan Channel Volume Transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Westen, René M.; Dijkstra, Henk A.; Klees, Roland; Riva, Riccardo E. M.; Slobbe, D. Cornelis; van der Boog, Carine G.; Katsman, Caroline A.; Candy, Adam S.; Pietrzak, Julie D.; Zijlema, Marcel; James, Rebecca K.; Bouma, Tjeerd J.

2018-02-01

The Yucatan Channel connects the Caribbean Sea with the Gulf of Mexico and is the main outflow region of the Caribbean Sea. Moorings in the Yucatan Channel show high-frequent variability in kinetic energy (50-100 days) and transport (20-40 days), but the physical mechanisms controlling this variability are poorly understood. In this study, we show that the short-term variability in the Yucatan Channel transport has an upstream origin and arises from processes in the North Brazil Current. To establish this connection, we use data from altimetry and model output from several high resolution global models. A significant 40-70 day variability is found in the sea surface height in the North Brazil Current retroflection region with a propagation toward the Lesser Antilles. The frequency of variability is generated by intrinsic processes associated with the shedding of eddies, rather than by atmospheric forcing. This sea surface height variability is able to pass the Lesser Antilles, it propagates westward with the background ocean flow in the Caribbean Sea and finally affects the variability in the Yucatan Channel volume transport.

Love and fear of heights: the pathophysiology and psychology of height imbalance.

PubMed

Salassa, John R; Zapala, David A

2009-01-01

Individual psychological responses to heights vary on a continuum from acrophobia to height intolerance, height tolerance, and height enjoyment. This paper reviews the English literature and summarizes the physiologic and psychological factors that generate different responses to heights while standing still in a static or motionless environment. Perceptual cues to height arise from vision. Normal postural sway of 2 cm for peripheral objects within 3 m increases as eye-object distance increases. Postural sway >10 cm can result in a fall. A minimum of 20 minutes of peripheral retinal arc is required to detect motion. Trigonometry dictates that a 20-minute peripheral retinal arch can no longer be achieved in a standing position at an eye-object distance of >20 m. At this distance, visual cues conflict with somatosensory and vestibular inputs, resulting in variable degrees of imbalance. Co-occurring deficits in the visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems can significantly increase height imbalance. An individual's psychological makeup, influenced by learned and genetic factors, can influence reactions to height imbalance. Enhancing peripheral vision and vestibular, proprioceptive, and haptic functions may improve height imbalance. Psychotherapy may improve the troubling subjective sensations to heights.

Estimating stand structure using discrete-return lidar: an example from low density, fire prone ponderosa pine forests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hall, S. A.; Burke, I.C.; Box, D. O.; Kaufmann, M. R.; Stoker, Jason M.

2005-01-01

The ponderosa pine forests of the Colorado Front Range, USA, have historically been subjected to wildfires. Recent large burns have increased public interest in fire behavior and effects, and scientific interest in the carbon consequences of wildfires. Remote sensing techniques can provide spatially explicit estimates of stand structural characteristics. Some of these characteristics can be used as inputs to fire behavior models, increasing our understanding of the effect of fuels on fire behavior. Others provide estimates of carbon stocks, allowing us to quantify the carbon consequences of fire. Our objective was to use discrete-return lidar to estimate such variables, including stand height, total aboveground biomass, foliage biomass, basal area, tree density, canopy base height and canopy bulk density. We developed 39 metrics from the lidar data, and used them in limited combinations in regression models, which we fit to field estimates of the stand structural variables. We used an information–theoretic approach to select the best model for each variable, and to select the subset of lidar metrics with most predictive potential. Observed versus predicted values of stand structure variables were highly correlated, with r2 ranging from 57% to 87%. The most parsimonious linear models for the biomass structure variables, based on a restricted dataset, explained between 35% and 58% of the observed variability. Our results provide us with useful estimates of stand height, total aboveground biomass, foliage biomass and basal area. There is promise for using this sensor to estimate tree density, canopy base height and canopy bulk density, though more research is needed to generate robust relationships. We selected 14 lidar metrics that showed the most potential as predictors of stand structure. We suggest that the focus of future lidar studies should broaden to include low density forests, particularly systems where the vertical structure of the canopy is important, such as fire prone forests.

The influence of recent climate change on tree height growth differs with species and spatial environment.

PubMed

Messaoud, Yassine; Chen, Han Y H

2011-02-16

Tree growth has been reported to increase in response to recent global climate change in controlled and semi-controlled experiments, but few studies have reported response of tree growth to increased temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration in natural environments. This study addresses how recent global climate change has affected height growth of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx) and black spruce (Picea mariana Mill B.S.) in their natural environments. We sampled 145 stands dominated by aspen and 82 dominated by spruce over the entire range of their distributions in British Columbia, Canada. These stands were established naturally after fire between the 19th and 20th centuries. Height growth was quantified as total heights of sampled dominant and co-dominant trees at breast-height age of 50 years. We assessed the relationships between 50-year height growth and environmental factors at both spatial and temporal scales. We also tested whether the tree growth associated with global climate change differed with spatial environment (latitude, longitude and elevation). As expected, height growth of both species was positively related to temperature variables at the regional scale and with soil moisture and nutrient availability at the local scale. While height growth of trembling aspen was not significantly related to any of the temporal variables we examined, that of black spruce increased significantly with stand establishment date, the anomaly of the average maximum summer temperature between May-August, and atmospheric CO₂ concentration, but not with the Palmer Drought Severity Index. Furthermore, the increase of spruce height growth associated with recent climate change was higher in the western than in eastern part of British Columbia. This study demonstrates that the response of height growth to recent climate change, i.e., increasing temperature and atmospheric CO₂ concentration, did not only differ with tree species, but also their growing spatial environment.

Simulation of Groundwater Mounding Beneath Hypothetical Stormwater Infiltration Basins

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carleton, Glen B.

2010-01-01

Groundwater mounding occurs beneath stormwater management structures designed to infiltrate stormwater runoff. Concentrating recharge in a small area can cause groundwater mounding that affects the basements of nearby homes and other structures. Methods for quantitatively predicting the height and extent of groundwater mounding beneath and near stormwater Finite-difference groundwater-flow simulations of infiltration from hypothetical stormwater infiltration structures (which are typically constructed as basins or dry wells) were done for 10-acre and 1-acre developments. Aquifer and stormwater-runoff characteristics in the model were changed to determine which factors are most likely to have the greatest effect on simulating the maximum height and maximum extent of groundwater mounding. Aquifer characteristics that were changed include soil permeability, aquifer thickness, and specific yield. Stormwater-runoff variables that were changed include magnitude of design storm, percentage of impervious area, infiltration-structure depth (maximum depth of standing water), and infiltration-basin shape. Values used for all variables are representative of typical physical conditions and stormwater management designs in New Jersey but do not include all possible values. Results are considered to be a representative, but not all-inclusive, subset of likely results. Maximum heights of simulated groundwater mounds beneath stormwater infiltration structures are the most sensitive to (show the greatest change with changes to) soil permeability. The maximum height of the groundwater mound is higher when values of soil permeability, aquifer thickness, or specific yield are decreased or when basin depth is increased or the basin shape is square (and values of other variables are held constant). Changing soil permeability, aquifer thickness, specific yield, infiltration-structure depth, or infiltration-structure shape does not change the volume of water infiltrated, it changes the shape or height of the groundwater mound resulting from the infiltration. An aquifer with a greater soil permeability or aquifer thickness has an increased ability to transmit water away from the source of infiltration than aquifers with lower soil permeability; therefore, the maximum height of the groundwater mound will be lower, and the areal extent of mounding will be larger. The maximum height of groundwater mounding is higher when values of design storm magnitude or percentage of impervious cover (from which runoff is captured) are increased (and other variables are held constant) because the total volume of water to be infiltrated is larger. The larger the volume of infiltrated water the higher the head required to move that water away from the source of recharge if the physical characteristics of the aquifer are unchanged. The areal extent of groundwater mounding increases when soil permeability, aquifer thickness, design-storm magnitude, or percentage of impervious cover are increased (and values of other variables are held constant). For 10-acre sites, the maximum heights of the simulated groundwater mound range from 0.1 to 18.5 feet (ft). The median of the maximum-height distribution from 576 simulations is 1.8 ft. The maximum areal extent (measured from the edge of the infiltration basins) of groundwater mounding of 0.25-ft ranges from 0 to 300 ft with a median of 51 ft for 576 simulations. Stormwater infiltration at a 1-acre development was simulated, incorporating the assumption that the hypothetical infiltration structure would be a pre-cast concrete dry well having side openings and an open bottom. The maximum heights of the simulated groundwater-mounds range from 0.01 to 14.0 ft. The median of the maximum-height distribution from 432 simulations is 1.0 ft. The maximum areal extent of groundwater mounding of 0.25-ft ranges from 0 to 100 ft with a median of 10 ft for 432 simulations. Simulated height and extent of groundwater mounding associ

Functional Capacity Evaluation in Different Societal Contexts: Results of a Multicountry Study.

PubMed

Ansuategui Echeita, Jone; Bethge, Matthias; van Holland, Berry J; Gross, Douglas P; Kool, Jan; Oesch, Peter; Trippolini, Maurizio A; Chapman, Elizabeth; Cheng, Andy S K; Sellars, Robert; Spavins, Megan; Streibelt, Marco; van der Wurff, Peter; Reneman, Michiel F

2018-05-25

Purpose To examine factors associated with Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) results in patients with painful musculoskeletal conditions, with focus on social factors across multiple countries. Methods International cross-sectional study was performed within care as usual. Simple and multiple multilevel linear regression analyses which considered measurement's dependency within clinicians and country were conducted: FCE characteristics and biopsychosocial variables from patients and clinicians as independent variables; and FCE results (floor-to-waist lift, six-minute walk, and handgrip strength) as dependent variables. Results Data were collected for 372 patients, 54 clinicians, 18 facilities and 8 countries. Patients' height and reported pain intensity were consistently associated with every FCE result. Patients' sex, height, reported pain intensity, effort during FCE, social isolation, and disability, clinician's observed physical effort, and whether FCE test was prematurely ended were associated with lift. Patient's height, Body Mass Index, post-test heart-rate, reported pain intensity and effort during FCE, days off work, and whether FCE test was prematurely ended were associated with walk. Patient's age, sex, height, affected body area, reported pain intensity and catastrophizing, and physical work demands were associated with handgrip. Final regression models explained 38‒65% of total variance. Clinician and country random effects composed 1-39% of total residual variance in these models. Conclusion Biopsychosocial factors were associated with every FCE result across multiple countries; specifically, patients' height, reported pain intensity, clinician, and measurement country. Social factors, which had been under-researched, were consistently associated with FCE performances. Patients' FCE results should be considered from a biopsychosocial perspective, including different social contexts.

Variation in Anthropometric Status and Growth Failure in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

PubMed

Mejía-Guevara, Iván; Corsi, Daniel J; Perkins, Jessica M; Kim, Rockli; Subramanian, S V

2018-02-22

Addressing anthropometric failure in low- and middle-income countries can have 2 targets of inference: addressing differences between individuals within populations (W pop ) or differences between populations (B pop ). We present a multilevel framework to apply both targets of inference simultaneously and quantify the extent to which variation in anthropometric status and growth failure is reflective of undernourished children or undernourished populations. Cross-sectional data originated from the Demographic and Health Surveys program, covering children under age 5 from 57 countries surveyed between 2001 and 2015. A majority of variation in child anthropometric status and growth failure was attributable to W pop -associated differences, accounting for 89%, 83%, and 85% of the variability in z scores for height for age, weight for age, and weight for height. B pop -associated differences (communities, regions, and countries combined) were associated with 11%, 17%, and 15% of the variation in height-for-age z score, weight-for-age z score, and weight-for-height z score. Prevalence of anthropometric failure was closely correlated with mean levels of height and weight. Approximately 1% of W pop variability, compared with 30% to 50% of the B pop variability, was explained by mean values of maternal correlates of anthropometric status and failure. Although there is greater explanatory power B pop , this varied because of modifiability of what constitutes population. Our results suggest that universal strategies to prevent future anthropometric failure in populations combined with targeted strategies to address both the impending and existing burden among children are needed. Copyright © 2018 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Assessment of vertical changes during maxillary expansion using quad helix or bonded rapid maxillary expander.

PubMed

Conroy-Piskai, Cara; Galang-Boquiren, Maria Therese S; Obrez, Ales; Viana, Maria Grace Costa; Oppermann, Nelson; Sanchez, Flavio; Edgren, Bradford; Kusnoto, Budi

2016-11-01

To determine if there is a significantly different effect on vertical changes during phase I palatal expansion treatment using a quad helix and a bonded rapid maxillary expander in growing skeletal Class I and Class II patients. This retrospective study looked at 2 treatment groups, a quad helix group and a bonded rapid maxillary expander group, before treatment (T1) and at the completion of phase I treatment (T2). Each treatment group was compared to an untreated predicted growth model. Lateral cephalograms at T1 and T2 were traced and analyzed for changes in vertical dimension. No differences were found between the treatment groups at T1, but significant differences at T2 were found for convexity, lower facial height, total facial height, facial axis, and Frankfort Mandibular Plane Angle (FMA) variables. A comparison of treatment groups at T2 to their respective untreated predicted growth models found a significant difference for the lower facial height variable in the quad helix group and for the upper first molar to palatal plane (U6-PP) variable in the bonded expander group. Overall, both the quad helix expander and the bonded rapid maxillary expander showed minimal vertical changes during palatal expansion treatment. The differences at T2 suggested that the quad helix expander had more control over skeletal vertical measurements. When comparing treatment results to untreated predicted growth values, the quad helix expander appeared to better maintain lower facial height and the bonded rapid maxillary expander appeared to better maintain the maxillary first molar vertical height.

Systematic Assessment of the Impact of User Roles on Network Flow Patterns

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-01

Protocol SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol SQL Structured Query Language SSH Secure Shell SYN TCP Sync Flag SVDD Support Vector Data Description SVM...and evaluating users based on roles provide the best approach for defining normal digital behaviors? People are individuals, with different interests...activities on the network. We evaluate the assumption that users sharing similar roles exhibit similar network behaviors, and contrast the level of similarity

Hardware Assisted Stealthy Diversity (CHECKMATE)

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

applicable across multiple architectures. Figure 29 shows an example an attack against an interpreted environment with a Java executable. CHECKMATE can...Architectures ARM PPCx86 Java VM Java VMJava VM Java Executable Attack APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED 33 a user executes “/usr/bin/wget...Server 1 - Administration Server 2 – Database ( mySQL ) Server 3 – Web server (Mongoose) Server 4 – File server (SSH) Server 5 – Email server

Setting Up Git Software Tool on Linux | High-Performance Computing | NREL

Science.gov Websites

system. Before you can get started using the github.nrel.gov git repos, you'll have to do some basic shell (SSH) keys created on those systems. If this is the case, for more information, see using the git Steps - Using a Remote Git Repository Now you have all the basic configuration for using git with a

Identification of genes differentially expressed by calorie restriction in the rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis).

PubMed

Oo, Aung Kyaw Swar; Kaneko, Gen; Hirayama, Makoto; Kinoshita, Shigeharu; Watabe, Shugo

2010-01-01

A monogonont rotifer Brachionus plicatilis has been widely used as a model organism for physiological, ecological studies and for ecotoxicology. Because of the availability of parthenogenetic mode of reproduction as well as its versatility to be used as live food in aquaculture, the population dynamic studies using the rotifer have become more important and acquired the priority over those using other species. Although many studies have been conducted to identify environmental factors that influence rotifer populations, the molecular mechanisms involved still remain to be elucidated. In this study, gene(s) differentially expressed by calorie restriction in the rotifer was analyzed, where a calorie-restricted group was fed 3 h day(-1) and a well-fed group fed ad libitum. A subtracted cDNA library from the calorie-restricted rotifer was constructed using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). One hundred sixty-three expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were identified, which included 109 putative genes with a high identity to known genes in the publicly available database as well as 54 unknown ESTs. After assembling, a total of 38 different genes were obtained among 109 ESTs. Further validation of expression by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-PCR showed that 29 out of the 38 genes obtained by SSH were up regulated by calorie restriction.

Identification of genes differentially expressed in association with acquired cisplatin resistance

PubMed Central

Johnsson, A; Zeelenberg, I; Min, Y; Hilinski, J; Berry, C; Howell, S B; Los, G

2000-01-01

The goal of this study was to identify genes whose mRNA levels are differentially expressed in human cells with acquired cisplatin (cDDP) resistance. Using the parental UMSCC10b head and neck carcinoma cell line and the 5.9-fold cDDP-resistant subline, UMSCC10b/Pt-S15, two suppressive subtraction hybridization (SSH) cDNA libraries were prepared. One library represented mRNAs whose levels were increased in the cDDP resistant variant (the UP library), the other one represented mRNAs whose levels were decreased in the resistant cells (the DOWN library). Arrays constructed with inserts recovered from these libraries were hybridized with SSH products to identify truly differentially expressed elements. A total of 51 cDNA fragments present in the UP library and 16 in the DOWN library met the criteria established for differential expression. The sequences of 87% of these cDNA fragments were identified in Genbank. Among the mRNAs in the UP library that were frequently isolated and that showed high levels of differential expression were cytochrome oxidase I, ribosomal protein 28S, elongation factor 1α, α-enolase, stathmin, and HSP70. The approach taken in this study permitted identification of many genes never before linked to the cDDP-resistant phenotype. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign PMID:10993653

Contributing opportunistic resources to the grid with HTCondor-CE-Bosco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weitzel, Derek; Bockelman, Brian

2017-10-01

The HTCondor-CE [1] is the primary Compute Element (CE) software for the Open Science Grid. While it offers many advantages for large sites, for smaller, WLCG Tier-3 sites or opportunistic clusters, it can be a difficult task to install, configure, and maintain the HTCondor-CE. Installing a CE typically involves understanding several pieces of software, installing hundreds of packages on a dedicated node, updating several configuration files, and implementing grid authentication mechanisms. On the other hand, accessing remote clusters from personal computers has been dramatically improved with Bosco: site admins only need to setup SSH public key authentication and appropriate accounts on a login host. In this paper, we take a new approach with the HTCondor-CE-Bosco, a CE which combines the flexibility and reliability of the HTCondor-CE with the easy-to-install Bosco. The administrators of the opportunistic resource are not required to install any software: only SSH access and a user account are required from the host site. The OSG can then run the grid-specific portions from a central location. This provides a new, more centralized, model for running grid services, which complements the traditional distributed model. We will show the architecture of a HTCondor-CE-Bosco enabled site, as well as feedback from multiple sites that have deployed it.

Genes up-regulated during red coloration in UV-B irradiated lettuce leaves.

PubMed

Park, Jong-Sug; Choung, Myoung-Gun; Kim, Jung-Bong; Hahn, Bum-Soo; Kim, Jong-Bum; Bae, Shin-Chul; Roh, Kyung-Hee; Kim, Yong-Hwan; Cheon, Choong-Ill; Sung, Mi-Kyung; Cho, Kang-Jin

2007-04-01

Molecular analysis of gene expression differences between green and red lettuce leaves was performed using the SSH method. BlastX comparisons of subtractive expressed sequence tags (ESTs) indicated that 7.6% of clones encoded enzymes involved in secondary metabolism. Such clones had a particularly high abundance of flavonoid-metabolism proteins (6.5%). Following SSH, 566 clones were rescreened for differential gene expression using dot-blot hybridization. Of these, 53 were found to overexpressed during red coloration. The up-regulated expression of six genes was confirmed by Northern blot analyses. The expression of chalcone synthase (CHS), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H), and dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) genes showed a positive correlation with anthocyanin accumulation in UV-B-irradiated lettuce leaves; flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylase (F3',5'H) and anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) were expressed continuously in both samples. These results indicated that the genes CHS, F3H, and DFR coincided with increases in anthocyanin accumulation during the red coloration of lettuce leaves. This study show a relationship between red coloration and the expression of up-regulated genes in lettuce. The subtractive cDNA library and EST database described in this study represent a valuable resource for further research for secondary metabolism in the vegetable crops.

Anthropometric and craniofacial patterns in mentally retarded males with emphasis on the fragile X syndrome.

PubMed

Butler, M G; Pratesi, R; Watson, M S; Breg, W R; Singh, D N

1993-09-01

Anthropometric and craniofacial profile patterns indicating the percent difference from the overall mean were developed on 34 physical parameters with 31 white, mentally retarded males (23 adults and 8 children) with the fra(X) syndrome matched for age with 31 white, mentally retarded males without a known cause of their retardation. The fra(X) syndrome males consistently showed larger dimensions for all anthropometric variables, with significant differences for height, sitting height, arm span, hand length, middle finger length, hand breadth, foot length, foot breadth, and testicular volume. A craniofacial pattern did emerge between the two groups of mentally retarded males, but with overlap of several variables. Significant differences were noted for head circumference, head breadth, lower face height, bizygomatic diameter, inner canthal distance, ear length and ear width, with the fra(X) syndrome males having larger head dimensions (head circumference, head breadth, head length, face height and lower face height), but smaller measurements for minimal frontal diameter, bizygomatic diameter, bigonial diameter, and inner canthal distance. Several significant correlations were found with the variables for both mentally retarded males with and without the fra(X) syndrome. In a combined anthropometric and craniofacial profile of 19 variables comparing 26 white fra(X) syndrome males (13 with high expression (> 30%) and 13 with low expression (< 30%), but matched for age), a relatively flat profile was observed with no significant differences for any of the variables. Generally, fra(X) syndrome males with increased fragile X chromosome expression have larger amplifications of the CGG trinucleotide repeat of the FMR-1 gene. No physical differences were detectable in our study between fra(X) males with high expression and apparently larger amplifications of the CGG trinucleotide repeats compared with those patients with low expression. Our research illustrates the use of anthropometry in identifying differences between mentally retarded males with or without the fra(X) syndrome and offers a comprehensive approach for screening males for the fra(X) syndrome and selecting those individuals for cytogenetic and/or molecular genetic testing.

Anthropometric and craniofacial patterns in mentally retarded males with emphasis on the fragile X syndrome

PubMed Central

Butler, Merlin G.; Pratesi, Riccardo; Watson, Michael S.; Breg, W. Roy; Singh, Dharmdeo N.

2017-01-01

Anthropometric and craniofacial profile patterns indicating the percent difference from the overall mean were developed on 34 physical parameters with 31 white, mentally retarded males (23 adults and 8 children) with the fra(X) syndrome matched for age with 31 white, mentally retarded males without a known cause of their retardation. The fra(X) syndrome males consistently showed larger dimensions for all anthropometric variables, with significant differences for height, sitting height, arm span, hand length, middle finger length, hand breadth, foot length, foot breadth, and testicular volume. A craniofacial pattern did emerge between the two groups of mentally retarded males, but with overlap of several variables. Significant differences were noted for head circumference, head breadth, lower face height, bizygomatic diameter, inner canthal distance, ear length and ear width, with the fra(X) syndrome males having larger head dimensions (head circumference, head breadth, head length, face height and lower face height), but smaller measurements for minimal frontal diameter, bizygomatic diameter, bigonial diameter, and inner canthal distance. Several significant correlations were found with the variables for both mentally retarded males with and without the fra(X) syndrome. In a combined anthropometric and craniofacial profile of 19 variables comparing 26 white fra(X) syndrome males (13 with high expression (>30%) and 13 with low expression (< 30%), but matched for age), a relatively flat profile was observed with no significant differences for any of the variables. Generally, fra(X) syndrome males with increased fragile X chromosome expression have larger amplifications of the CGG trinucleotide repeat of the FMR-1 gene. No physical differences were detectable in our study between fra(X) males with high expression and apparently larger amplifications of the CGG trinucleotide repeats compared with those patients with low expression. Our research illustrates the use of anthropometry in identifying differences between mentally retarded males with or without the fra(X) syndrome and offers a comprehensive approach for screening males for the fra(X) syndrome and selecting those individuals for cytogenetic and/or molecular genetic testing. PMID:8275570

Decadal variability of extreme wave height representing storm severity in the northeast Atlantic and North Sea since the foundation of the Royal Society

PubMed Central

Taylor, P. H.; Gibson, R.

2016-01-01

Long-term estimation of extreme wave height remains a key challenge because of the short duration of available wave data, and also because of the possible impact of climate variability on ocean waves. Here, we analyse storm-based statistics to obtain estimates of extreme wave height at locations in the northeast Atlantic and North Sea using the NORA10 wave hindcast (1958–2011), and use a 5 year sliding window to examine temporal variability. The decadal variability is correlated to the North Atlantic oscillation and other atmospheric modes, using a six-term predictor model incorporating the climate indices and their Hilbert transforms. This allows reconstruction of the historic extreme climate back to 1661, using a combination of known and proxy climate indices. Significant decadal variability primarily driven by the North Atlantic oscillation is observed, and this should be considered for the long-term survivability of offshore structures and marine renewable energy devices. The analysis on wave climate reconstruction reveals that the variation of the mean, 99th percentile and extreme wave climates over decadal time scales for locations close to the dominant storm tracks in the open North Atlantic are comparable, whereas the wave climates for the rest of the locations including the North Sea are rather different. PMID:27713662

Accuracy of Jump-Mat Systems for Measuring Jump Height.

PubMed

Pueo, Basilio; Lipinska, Patrycja; Jiménez-Olmedo, José M; Zmijewski, Piotr; Hopkins, Will G

2017-08-01

Vertical-jump tests are commonly used to evaluate lower-limb power of athletes and nonathletes. Several types of equipment are available for this purpose. To compare the error of measurement of 2 jump-mat systems (Chronojump-Boscosystem and Globus Ergo Tester) with that of a motion-capture system as a criterion and to determine the modifying effect of foot length on jump height. Thirty-one young adult men alternated 4 countermovement jumps with 4 squat jumps. Mean jump height and standard deviations representing technical error of measurement arising from each device and variability arising from the subjects themselves were estimated with a novel mixed model and evaluated via standardization and magnitude-based inference. The jump-mat systems produced nearly identical measures of jump height (differences in means and in technical errors of measurement ≤1 mm). Countermovement and squat-jump height were both 13.6 cm higher with motion capture (90% confidence limits ±0.3 cm), but this very large difference was reduced to small unclear differences when adjusted to a foot length of zero. Variability in countermovement and squat-jump height arising from the subjects was small (1.1 and 1.5 cm, respectively, 90% confidence limits ±0.3 cm); technical error of motion capture was similar in magnitude (1.7 and 1.6 cm, ±0.3 and ±0.4 cm), and that of the jump mats was similar or smaller (1.2 and 0.3 cm, ±0.5 and ±0.9 cm). The jump-mat systems provide trustworthy measurements for monitoring changes in jump height. Foot length can explain the substantially higher jump height observed with motion capture.

The linkage between geopotential height and monthly precipitation in Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirvani, Amin; Fadaei, Amir Sabetan; Landman, Willem A.

2018-04-01

This paper investigates the linkage between large-scale atmospheric circulation and monthly precipitation during November to April over Iran. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) is used to set up the statistical linkage between the 850 hPa geopotential height large-scale circulation and monthly precipitation over Iran for the period 1968-2010. The monthly precipitation dataset for 50 synoptic stations distributed in different climate regions of Iran is considered as the response variable in the CCA. The monthly geopotential height reanalysis dataset over an area between 10° N and 60° N and from 20° E to 80° E is utilized as the explanatory variable in the CCA. Principal component analysis (PCA) as a pre-filter is used for data reduction for both explanatory and response variables before applying CCA. The optimal number of principal components and canonical variables to be retained in the CCA equations is determined using the highest average cross-validated Kendall's tau value. The 850 hPa geopotential height pattern over the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, and Persian Gulf is found to be the major pattern related to Iranian monthly precipitation. The Pearson correlation between the area averaged of the observed and predicted precipitation over the study area for Jan, Feb, March, April, November, and December months are statistically significant at the 5% significance level and are 0.78, 0.80, 0.82, 0.74, 0.79, and 0.61, respectively. The relative operating characteristic (ROC) indicates that the highest scores for the above- and below-normal precipitation categories are, respectively, for February and April and the lowest scores found for December.

Global Forest Canopy Height Maps Validation and Calibration for The Potential of Forest Biomass Estimation in The Southern United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ku, N. W.; Popescu, S. C.

2015-12-01

In the past few years, three global forest canopy height maps have been released. Lefsky (2010) first utilized the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) on the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data to generate a global forest canopy height map in 2010. Simard et al. (2011) integrated GLAS data and other ancillary variables, such as MODIS, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (STRM), and climatic data, to generate another global forest canopy height map in 2011. Los et al. (2012) also used GLAS data to create a vegetation height map in 2012.Several studies attempted to compare these global height maps to other sources of data., Bolton et al. (2013) concluded that Simard's forest canopy height map has strong agreement with airborne lidar derived heights. Los map is a coarse spatial resolution vegetation height map with a 0.5 decimal degrees horizontal resolution, around 50 km in the US, which is not feasible for the purpose of our research. Thus, Simard's global forest canopy height map is the primary map for this research study. The main objectives of this research were to validate and calibrate Simard's map with airborne lidar data and other ancillary variables in the southern United States. The airborne lidar data was collected between 2010 and 2012 from: (1) NASA LiDAR, Hyperspectral & Thermal Image (G-LiHT) program; (2) National Ecological Observatory Network's (NEON) prototype data sharing program; (3) NSF Open Topography Facility; and (4) the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at Texas A&M University. The airborne lidar study areas also cover a wide variety of vegetation types across the southern US. The airborne lidar data is post-processed to generate lidar-derived metrics and assigned to four different classes of point cloud data. The four classes of point cloud data are the data with ground points, above 1 m, above 3 m, and above 5 m. The root mean square error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R2) are used for examining the discrepancies of the canopy heights between the airborne lidar-derived metrics and global forest canopy height map, and the regression and random forest approaches are used to calibrate the global forest canopy height map. In summary, the research shows a calibrated forest canopy height map of the southern US.

Seasonal variability of the Red Sea, from GRACE time-variable gravity and altimeter sea surface height measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahr, John; Smeed, David; Leuliette, Eric; Swenson, Sean

2014-05-01

Seasonal variability of sea surface height and mass within the Red Sea, occurs mostly through the exchange of heat with the atmosphere and wind-driven inflow and outflow of water through the strait of Bab el Mandab that opens into the Gulf of Aden to the south. The seasonal effects of precipitation and evaporation, of water exchange through the Suez Canal to the north, and of runoff from the adjacent land, are all small. The flow through the Bab el Mandab involves a net mass transfer into the Red Sea during the winter and a net transfer out during the summer. But that flow has a multi-layer pattern, so that in the summer there is actually an influx of cool water at intermediate (~100 m) depths. Thus, summer water in the southern Red Sea is warmer near the surface due to higher air temperatures, but cooler at intermediate depths (especially in the far south). Summer water in the northern Red Sea experiences warming by air-sea exchange only. The temperature profile affects the water density, which impacts the sea surface height but has no effect on vertically integrated mass. Here, we study this seasonal cycle by combining GRACE time-variable mass estimates, altimeter (Jason-1, Jason-2, and Envisat) measurements of sea surface height, and steric sea surface height contributions derived from depth-dependent, climatological values of temperature and salinity obtained from the World Ocean Atlas. We find good consistency, particularly in the northern Red Sea, between these three data types. Among the general characteristics of our results are: (1) the mass contributions to seasonal SSHT variations are much larger than the steric contributions; (2) the mass signal is largest in winter, consistent with winds pushing water into the Red Sea through the Strait of Bab el Mandab in winter, and out during the summer; and (3) the steric signal is largest in summer, consistent with summer sea surface warming.

Run-up Variability due to Source Effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Giudice, Tania; Zolezzi, Francesca; Traverso, Chiara; Valfrè, Giulio; Poggi, Pamela; Parker, Eric J.

2010-05-01

This paper investigates the variability of tsunami run-up at a specific location due to uncertainty in earthquake source parameters. It is important to quantify this 'inter-event' variability for probabilistic assessments of tsunami hazard. In principal, this aspect of variability could be studied by comparing field observations at a single location from a number of tsunamigenic events caused by the same source. As such an extensive dataset does not exist, we decided to study the inter-event variability through numerical modelling. We attempt to answer the question 'What is the potential variability of tsunami wave run-up at a specific site, for a given magnitude earthquake occurring at a known location'. The uncertainty is expected to arise from the lack of knowledge regarding the specific details of the fault rupture 'source' parameters. The following steps were followed: the statistical distributions of the main earthquake source parameters affecting the tsunami height were established by studying fault plane solutions of known earthquakes; a case study based on a possible tsunami impact on Egypt coast has been set up and simulated, varying the geometrical parameters of the source; simulation results have been analyzed deriving relationships between run-up height and source parameters; using the derived relationships a Monte Carlo simulation has been performed in order to create the necessary dataset to investigate the inter-event variability of the run-up height along the coast; the inter-event variability of the run-up height along the coast has been investigated. Given the distribution of source parameters and their variability, we studied how this variability propagates to the run-up height, using the Cornell 'Multi-grid coupled Tsunami Model' (COMCOT). The case study was based on the large thrust faulting offshore the south-western Greek coast, thought to have been responsible for the infamous 1303 tsunami. Numerical modelling of the event was used to assess the impact on the North African coast. The effects of uncertainty in fault parameters were assessed by perturbing the base model, and observing variation on wave height along the coast. The tsunami wave run-up was computed at 4020 locations along the Egyptian coast between longitudes 28.7 E and 33.8 E. To assess the effects of fault parameters uncertainty, input model parameters have been varied and effects on run-up have been analyzed. The simulations show that for a given point there are linear relationships between run-up and both fault dislocation and rupture length. A superposition analysis shows that a linear combination of the effects of the different source parameters (evaluated results) leads to a good approximation of the simulated results. This relationship is then used as the basis for a Monte Carlo simulation. The Monte Carlo simulation was performed for 1600 scenarios at each of the 4020 points along the coast. The coefficient of variation (the ratio between standard deviation of the results and the average of the run-up heights along the coast) is comprised between 0.14 and 3.11 with an average value along the coast equal to 0.67. The coefficient of variation of normalized run-up has been compared with the standard deviation of spectral acceleration attenuation laws used for probabilistic seismic hazard assessment studies. These values have a similar meaning, and the uncertainty in the two cases is similar. The 'rule of thumb' relationship between mean and sigma can be expressed as follows: ?+ σ ≈ 2?. The implication is that the uncertainty in run-up estimation should give a range of values within approximately two times the average. This uncertainty should be considered in tsunami hazard analysis, such as inundation and risk maps, evacuation plans and the other related steps.

Effect of acid mist and air pollutants on yellow-poplar seedling height and leaf growth

Treesearch

Leon S. Dochinger; Keith F. Jensen; Keith F. Jensen

1985-01-01

One-year-old yellow-poplar seedlings were treated with acid mist at pH 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, and 5.5 either alone or in combination with 0.1 ppm 03, S02, and NO2 or NO2 plus S02. After 4 and 8 weeks of treatment, height, leaf area, and leaf and new shoot weight were determined and growth analysis variables calculated. Height, leaf area, and dry weight decreased with...

Genome-wide association and longitudinal analyses reveal genetic loci linking pubertal height growth, pubertal timing and childhood adiposity.

PubMed

Cousminer, Diana L; Berry, Diane J; Timpson, Nicholas J; Ang, Wei; Thiering, Elisabeth; Byrne, Enda M; Taal, H Rob; Huikari, Ville; Bradfield, Jonathan P; Kerkhof, Marjan; Groen-Blokhuis, Maria M; Kreiner-Møller, Eskil; Marinelli, Marcella; Holst, Claus; Leinonen, Jaakko T; Perry, John R B; Surakka, Ida; Pietiläinen, Olli; Kettunen, Johannes; Anttila, Verneri; Kaakinen, Marika; Sovio, Ulla; Pouta, Anneli; Das, Shikta; Lagou, Vasiliki; Power, Chris; Prokopenko, Inga; Evans, David M; Kemp, John P; St Pourcain, Beate; Ring, Susan; Palotie, Aarno; Kajantie, Eero; Osmond, Clive; Lehtimäki, Terho; Viikari, Jorma S; Kähönen, Mika; Warrington, Nicole M; Lye, Stephen J; Palmer, Lyle J; Tiesler, Carla M T; Flexeder, Claudia; Montgomery, Grant W; Medland, Sarah E; Hofman, Albert; Hakonarson, Hakon; Guxens, Mònica; Bartels, Meike; Salomaa, Veikko; Murabito, Joanne M; Kaprio, Jaakko; Sørensen, Thorkild I A; Ballester, Ferran; Bisgaard, Hans; Boomsma, Dorret I; Koppelman, Gerard H; Grant, Struan F A; Jaddoe, Vincent W V; Martin, Nicholas G; Heinrich, Joachim; Pennell, Craig E; Raitakari, Olli T; Eriksson, Johan G; Smith, George Davey; Hyppönen, Elina; Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta; McCarthy, Mark I; Ripatti, Samuli; Widén, Elisabeth

2013-07-01

The pubertal height growth spurt is a distinctive feature of childhood growth reflecting both the central onset of puberty and local growth factors. Although little is known about the underlying genetics, growth variability during puberty correlates with adult risks for hormone-dependent cancer and adverse cardiometabolic health. The only gene so far associated with pubertal height growth, LIN28B, pleiotropically influences childhood growth, puberty and cancer progression, pointing to shared underlying mechanisms. To discover genetic loci influencing pubertal height and growth and to place them in context of overall growth and maturation, we performed genome-wide association meta-analyses in 18 737 European samples utilizing longitudinally collected height measurements. We found significant associations (P < 1.67 × 10(-8)) at 10 loci, including LIN28B. Five loci associated with pubertal timing, all impacting multiple aspects of growth. In particular, a novel variant correlated with expression of MAPK3, and associated both with increased prepubertal growth and earlier menarche. Another variant near ADCY3-POMC associated with increased body mass index, reduced pubertal growth and earlier puberty. Whereas epidemiological correlations suggest that early puberty marks a pathway from rapid prepubertal growth to reduced final height and adult obesity, our study shows that individual loci associating with pubertal growth have variable longitudinal growth patterns that may differ from epidemiological observations. Overall, this study uncovers part of the complex genetic architecture linking pubertal height growth, the timing of puberty and childhood obesity and provides new information to pinpoint processes linking these traits.

Genome-wide association and longitudinal analyses reveal genetic loci linking pubertal height growth, pubertal timing and childhood adiposity

PubMed Central

Cousminer, Diana L.; Berry, Diane J.; Timpson, Nicholas J.; Ang, Wei; Thiering, Elisabeth; Byrne, Enda M.; Taal, H. Rob; Huikari, Ville; Bradfield, Jonathan P.; Kerkhof, Marjan; Groen-Blokhuis, Maria M.; Kreiner-Møller, Eskil; Marinelli, Marcella; Holst, Claus; Leinonen, Jaakko T.; Perry, John R.B.; Surakka, Ida; Pietiläinen, Olli; Kettunen, Johannes; Anttila, Verneri; Kaakinen, Marika; Sovio, Ulla; Pouta, Anneli; Das, Shikta; Lagou, Vasiliki; Power, Chris; Prokopenko, Inga; Evans, David M.; Kemp, John P.; St Pourcain, Beate; Ring, Susan; Palotie, Aarno; Kajantie, Eero; Osmond, Clive; Lehtimäki, Terho; Viikari, Jorma S.; Kähönen, Mika; Warrington, Nicole M.; Lye, Stephen J.; Palmer, Lyle J.; Tiesler, Carla M.T.; Flexeder, Claudia; Montgomery, Grant W.; Medland, Sarah E.; Hofman, Albert; Hakonarson, Hakon; Guxens, Mònica; Bartels, Meike; Salomaa, Veikko; Murabito, Joanne M.; Kaprio, Jaakko; Sørensen, Thorkild I.A.; Ballester, Ferran; Bisgaard, Hans; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Koppelman, Gerard H.; Grant, Struan F.A.; Jaddoe, Vincent W.V.; Martin, Nicholas G.; Heinrich, Joachim; Pennell, Craig E.; Raitakari, Olli T.; Eriksson, Johan G.; Smith, George Davey; Hyppönen, Elina; Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta; McCarthy, Mark I.; Ripatti, Samuli; Widén, Elisabeth

2013-01-01

The pubertal height growth spurt is a distinctive feature of childhood growth reflecting both the central onset of puberty and local growth factors. Although little is known about the underlying genetics, growth variability during puberty correlates with adult risks for hormone-dependent cancer and adverse cardiometabolic health. The only gene so far associated with pubertal height growth, LIN28B, pleiotropically influences childhood growth, puberty and cancer progression, pointing to shared underlying mechanisms. To discover genetic loci influencing pubertal height and growth and to place them in context of overall growth and maturation, we performed genome-wide association meta-analyses in 18 737 European samples utilizing longitudinally collected height measurements. We found significant associations (P < 1.67 × 10−8) at 10 loci, including LIN28B. Five loci associated with pubertal timing, all impacting multiple aspects of growth. In particular, a novel variant correlated with expression of MAPK3, and associated both with increased prepubertal growth and earlier menarche. Another variant near ADCY3-POMC associated with increased body mass index, reduced pubertal growth and earlier puberty. Whereas epidemiological correlations suggest that early puberty marks a pathway from rapid prepubertal growth to reduced final height and adult obesity, our study shows that individual loci associating with pubertal growth have variable longitudinal growth patterns that may differ from epidemiological observations. Overall, this study uncovers part of the complex genetic architecture linking pubertal height growth, the timing of puberty and childhood obesity and provides new information to pinpoint processes linking these traits. PMID:23449627

Southern Ocean monthly wave fields for austral winters 1985-1988 by Geosat radar altimeter

USGS Publications Warehouse

Josberger, E.G.; Mognard, N.M.

1996-01-01

Four years of monthly averaged wave height fields for the austral winters 19851988 derived from the Geosat altimeter data show a spatial variability of the scale of 500-1000 km that varies monthly and annually. This variability is superimposed on the zonal patterns surrounding the Antarctic continent and characteristic of the climatology derived from the U.S. Navy [1992] Marine Climatic Atlas of the World. The location and the intensity of these large-scale features, which are not found in the climatological fields, exhibit strong monthly and yearly variations. A global underestimation of the climatological mean wave heights by more than l m is also found over large regions of the Southern Ocean. The largest monthly averaged significant wave heights are above 5 m and are found during August of every year in the Indian Ocean, south of 40??S. The monthly wave fields show more variability in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans than in the Indian Ocean. The Seasat data from 1978 and the Geosat data from 1985 and 1988 show an eastward rotation of the largest wave heights. However, this rotation is absent in 1986 and 1987; the former was a year of unusually low sea states, and the latter was a year of unusually high sea states, which suggests a link to the El Nin??o-Southern Oscillation event of 1986. Copyright 1996 by the American Geophysical Union.

Metocean design parameter estimation for fixed platform based on copula functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhai, Jinjin; Yin, Qilin; Dong, Sheng

2017-08-01

Considering the dependent relationship among wave height, wind speed, and current velocity, we construct novel trivariate joint probability distributions via Archimedean copula functions. Total 30-year data of wave height, wind speed, and current velocity in the Bohai Sea are hindcast and sampled for case study. Four kinds of distributions, namely, Gumbel distribution, lognormal distribution, Weibull distribution, and Pearson Type III distribution, are candidate models for marginal distributions of wave height, wind speed, and current velocity. The Pearson Type III distribution is selected as the optimal model. Bivariate and trivariate probability distributions of these environmental conditions are established based on four bivariate and trivariate Archimedean copulas, namely, Clayton, Frank, Gumbel-Hougaard, and Ali-Mikhail-Haq copulas. These joint probability models can maximize marginal information and the dependence among the three variables. The design return values of these three variables can be obtained by three methods: univariate probability, conditional probability, and joint probability. The joint return periods of different load combinations are estimated by the proposed models. Platform responses (including base shear, overturning moment, and deck displacement) are further calculated. For the same return period, the design values of wave height, wind speed, and current velocity obtained by the conditional and joint probability models are much smaller than those by univariate probability. Considering the dependence among variables, the multivariate probability distributions provide close design parameters to actual sea state for ocean platform design.

Height as a Determinant of Submission and the Assignment of Responsibility.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hess, Harrie F.

Height is one important variable among many in the elicitation of the submissive response. In addition to overt behavioral components, the submissive response involves a cognitive component, in which oneself is perceived as smaller and weaker, and an affective component, consisting of a feeling of intimidation by the other. Submission is a…

Child height, health and human capital: Evidence using genetic markers

PubMed Central

von Hinke Kessler Scholder, Stephanie; Davey Smith, George; Lawlor, Debbie A.; Propper, Carol; Windmeijer, Frank

2013-01-01

Height has long been recognized as being associated with better outcomes: the question is whether this association is causal. We use children's genetic variants as instrumental variables to deal with possible unobserved confounders and examine the effect of child/adolescent height on a wide range of outcomes: academic performance, IQ, self-esteem, depression symptoms and behavioral problems. OLS findings show that taller children have higher IQ, perform better in school, and are less likely to have behavioral problems. The IV results differ: taller girls (but not boys) have better cognitive performance and, in contrast to the OLS, greater height appears to increase behavioral problems. PMID:25673883

Child height, health and human capital: Evidence using genetic markers.

PubMed

von Hinke Kessler Scholder, Stephanie; Davey Smith, George; Lawlor, Debbie A; Propper, Carol; Windmeijer, Frank

2013-01-01

Height has long been recognized as being associated with better outcomes: the question is whether this association is causal. We use children's genetic variants as instrumental variables to deal with possible unobserved confounders and examine the effect of child/adolescent height on a wide range of outcomes: academic performance, IQ, self-esteem, depression symptoms and behavioral problems. OLS findings show that taller children have higher IQ, perform better in school, and are less likely to have behavioral problems. The IV results differ: taller girls (but not boys) have better cognitive performance and, in contrast to the OLS, greater height appears to increase behavioral problems.

Radar topography of domes on planetary surfaces

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neish, Catherine D.; Lorenz, R.D.; Kirk, R.L.

2008-01-01

We investigate the possibility of measuring the heights and morphology of viscously emplaced domes using radar imagery. We accurately reproduce the known height and shape of a terrestrial salt dome, and estimate the heights of several venusian pancake domes to within a factor of two. The terrestrial salt dome is consistent with a Bingham flow, while the much larger venusian pancake domes are consistent with a Newtonian flow. Applying the same techniques to Ganesa Macula, a potential cryovolcanic dome on Titan, we estimate a height between 2.0-4.9 km. Additional factors such as variable roughness and composition might account for some of the discrepancies observed. ?? 2008 Elsevier Inc.

Jumping to (fatal) conclusions? An analysis of video film on a social networking web site of recreational jumping from height into water.

PubMed

Moran, Kevin

2014-01-01

In high-income countries, death as a consequence of recreational jumping into water from height has not been well investigated partly because it traditionally has been a covert activity within youth culture. An observational study of video recordings posted on the YouTube web site was used to gather data on the nature of jumping activity in New Zealand and Australia. An analytical framework was developed to identify site- participant- social characteristics (10 variables) and online feedback (4 variables). Of the 389 videos recorded in New Zealand (n = 210) and Australia (n = 179), 929 jumpers were observed, and rivers were the most frequently reported site of jumping activity (New Zealand 47%; Australia 35%). One fifth (20%) of the jumps in New Zealand and one third (33%) in Australia were from heights estimated to be more than 12 m. The YouTube website portraying jumps from height were visited almost half a million times (495,686 hits). Ways of reducing recreational jumping risk via targeted education interventions may be best directed at young male adults. Use of social network sites to foster safe behaviours may be an effective way to educate young people of the inherent risks of jumping from height into water.

Growth hormone treatment of early growth failure in toddlers with Turner syndrome: a randomized, controlled, multicenter trial.

PubMed

Davenport, Marsha L; Crowe, Brenda J; Travers, Sharon H; Rubin, Karen; Ross, Judith L; Fechner, Patricia Y; Gunther, Daniel F; Liu, Chunhua; Geffner, Mitchell E; Thrailkill, Kathryn; Huseman, Carol; Zagar, Anthony J; Quigley, Charmian A

2007-09-01

Typically, growth failure in Turner syndrome (TS) begins prenatally, and height sd score (SDS) declines progressively from birth. This study aimed to determine whether GH treatment initiated before 4 yr of age in girls with TS could prevent subsequent growth failure. Secondary objectives were to identify factors associated with treatment response, to determine whether outcome could be predicted by a regression model using these factors, and to assess the safety of GH treatment in this young cohort. This study was a prospective, randomized, controlled, open-label, multicenter clinical trial (Toddler Turner Study, August 1999 to August 2003). The study was conducted at 11 U.S. pediatric endocrine centers. Eighty-eight girls with TS, aged 9 months to 4 yr, were enrolled. Interventions comprised recombinant GH (50 mug/kg.d; n = 45) or no treatment (n = 43) for 2 yr. The main outcome measure was baseline-to-2-yr change in height SDS. Short stature was evident at baseline (mean length/height SDS = -1.6 +/- 1.0 at mean age 24.0 +/- 12.1 months). Mean height SDS increased in the GH group from -1.4 +/- 1.0 to -0.3 +/- 1.1 (1.1 SDS gain), whereas it decreased in the control group from -1.8 +/- 1.1 to -2.2 +/- 1.2 (0.5 SDS decline), resulting in a 2-yr between-group difference of 1.6 +/- 0.6 SDS (P < 0.0001). The baseline variable that correlated most strongly with 2-yr height gain was the difference between mid-parental height SDS and subjects' height SDS (r = 0.32; P = 0.04). Although attained height SDS at 2 yr could be predicted with good accuracy using baseline variables alone (R(2) = 0.81; P < 0.0001), prediction of 2-yr change in height SDS required inclusion of initial treatment response data (4-month or 1-yr height velocity) in the model (R(2) = 0.54; P < 0.0001). No new or unexpected safety signals associated with GH treatment were detected. Early GH treatment can correct growth failure and normalize height in infants and toddlers with TS.

Variation of Marine Geoid Due to Ocean Circulation and Sea Level Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, P. C.

2017-12-01

Sea level (S) change and ocean circulation largely affect the gravity field and in turns the marine geoid (N). Difference between the two, D = S - N, is the dynamic ocean topography (DOT), whose gradient represents the large-scale surface geostrophic circulations. Thus, temporal variability of marine geoid (δN) is caused by the sea level change (δS) and the DOT variation (δD), δN = δS - δD. Here, δS is identified from temporally varying satellite altimeter measures; δD is calculated from the change of DOT. For large-scale processes with conservation of potential vorticity, the geostrophic flows take minimum energy state. Based on that, a new elliptic equation is derived in this study to determine D. Here, H is the water depth; and (X, Y) are forcing functions calculated from the in-situ density. The well-posed elliptic equation is integrated numerically on 1o grids for the world oceans with the boundary values taken from the mean DOT (1993-2006) field at the NASA/JPL website: https://grace.jpl.nasa.gov/data/get-data/dynamic-ocean-typography/, the forcing function F calculated from the three-dimensional temperature and salinity of the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) World Ocean Atlas 2013 version 2, and sea-floor topography (H) from the NOAA ETOPO5. The numerical solution compares reasonably well (relative root mean square difference of 0.09) with the NASA/JPL satellite observation of the difference between the time-averaged sea surface height and the geoid. In-situ ocean measurements of temperature, salinity, and velocity have also rapidly advanced such that the global ocean is now continuously monitored by near 4,000 free-drifting profiling floats (called Argo) from the surface to 2000 m depth with all data being relayed and made publicly available within hours after collection (http://www.argo.ucsd.edu/). This provides a huge database of temperature and salinity and in turns the forcing function F for the governing elliptic equation of DOT. Along with satellite altimetry data, the marine geoid (N) can be updated in a short time period. Further application of this elliptic equation method on the high-precision altimetry measurements of SSH such as the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) is also presented.

Nitrogen deposition outweighs climatic variability in driving annual growth rate of canopy beech trees: Evidence from long-term growth reconstruction across a geographic gradient.

PubMed

Gentilesca, Tiziana; Rita, Angelo; Brunetti, Michele; Giammarchi, Francesco; Leonardi, Stefano; Magnani, Federico; van Noije, Twan; Tonon, Giustino; Borghetti, Marco

2018-07-01

In this study, we investigated the role of climatic variability and atmospheric nitrogen deposition in driving long-term tree growth in canopy beech trees along a geographic gradient in the montane belt of the Italian peninsula, from the Alps to the southern Apennines. We sampled dominant trees at different developmental stages (from young to mature tree cohorts, with tree ages spanning from 35 to 160 years) and used stem analysis to infer historic reconstruction of tree volume and dominant height. Annual growth volume (G V ) and height (G H ) variability were related to annual variability in model simulated atmospheric nitrogen deposition and site-specific climatic variables, (i.e. mean annual temperature, total annual precipitation, mean growing period temperature, total growing period precipitation, and standard precipitation evapotranspiration index) and atmospheric CO 2 concentration, including tree cambial age among growth predictors. Generalized additive models (GAM), linear mixed-effects models (LMM), and Bayesian regression models (BRM) were independently employed to assess explanatory variables. The main results from our study were as follows: (i) tree age was the main explanatory variable for long-term growth variability; (ii) GAM, LMM, and BRM results consistently indicated climatic variables and CO 2 effects on G V and G H were weak, therefore evidence of recent climatic variability influence on beech annual growth rates was limited in the montane belt of the Italian peninsula; (iii) instead, significant positive nitrogen deposition (N dep ) effects were repeatedly observed in G V and G H ; the positive effects of N dep on canopy height growth rates, which tended to level off at N dep values greater than approximately 1.0 g m -2  y -1 , were interpreted as positive impacts on forest stand above-ground net productivity at the selected study sites. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sensitivity of ring growth and carbon allocation to climatic variation vary within ponderosa pine trees.

PubMed

Kerhoulas, Lucy P; Kane, Jeffrey M

2012-01-01

Most dendrochronological studies focus on cores sampled from standard positions (main stem, breast height), yet vertical gradients in hydraulic constraints and priorities for carbon allocation may contribute to different growth sensitivities with position. Using cores taken from five positions (coarse roots, breast height, base of live crown, mid-crown branch and treetop), we investigated how radial growth sensitivity to climate over the period of 1895-2008 varies by position within 36 large ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa Dougl.) in northern Arizona. The climate parameters investigated were Palmer Drought Severity Index, water year and monsoon precipitation, maximum annual temperature, minimum annual temperature and average annual temperature. For each study tree, we generated Pearson correlation coefficients between ring width indices from each position and six climate parameters. We also investigated whether the number of missing rings differed among positions and bole heights. We found that tree density did not significantly influence climatic sensitivity to any of the climate parameters investigated at any of the sample positions. Results from three types of analyses suggest that climatic sensitivity of tree growth varied with position height: (i) correlations of radial growth and climate variables consistently increased with height; (ii) model strength based on Akaike's information criterion increased with height, where treetop growth consistently had the highest sensitivity and coarse roots the lowest sensitivity to each climatic parameter; and (iii) the correlation between bole ring width indices decreased with distance between positions. We speculate that increased sensitivity to climate at higher positions is related to hydraulic limitation because higher positions experience greater xylem tensions due to gravitational effects that render these positions more sensitive to climatic stresses. The low sensitivity of root growth to all climatic variables measured suggests that tree carbon allocation to coarse roots is independent of annual climate variability. The greater number of missing rings in branches highlights the fact that canopy development is a low priority for carbon allocation during poor growing conditions.

Influence of Structural Parameters on the Performance of Vortex Valve Variable-Thrust Solid Rocket Motor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Xianggeng; Li, Jiang; He, Guoqiang

2017-04-01

The vortex valve solid variable thrust motor is a new solid motor which can achieve Vehicle system trajectory optimization and motor energy management. Numerical calculation was performed to investigate the influence of vortex chamber diameter, vortex chamber shape, and vortex chamber height of the vortex valve solid variable thrust motor on modulation performance. The test results verified that the calculation results are consistent with laboratory results with a maximum error of 9.5%. The research drew the following major conclusions: the optimal modulation performance was achieved in a cylindrical vortex chamber, increasing the vortex chamber diameter improved the modulation performance of the vortex valve solid variable thrust motor, optimal modulation performance could be achieved when the height of the vortex chamber is half of the vortex chamber outlet diameter, and the hot gas control flow could result in an enhancement of modulation performance. The results can provide the basis for establishing the design method of the vortex valve solid variable thrust motor.

An Analysis of the Computer Security Ramifications of Weakened Asymmetric Cryptographic Algorithms

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

OpenVPN (Yonan). TLS (and by extension SSL) obviously rely on encryption to provide the confidentiality, integrity and authentication services it...Secure Shell (SSH) Transport Layer Protocol.” IETF, Jan. 2006. <tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4253> Yonan, James, and Mattock. " OpenVPN ." SourceForge...11 May 2012. <http://sourceforge.net/projects/ openvpn /> 92 REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 074-0188 The public reporting

Dynamic Policy Evaluation for Containing Network Attacks (DEFCN)

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-01

API reads policy information from the target users ".ssh" directory and applies those policies to determine whether remote login is allowed to a...types of events that can be controlled by the threshold detectors and reported by the GAA-API include the number of failed login attempts within a given...other uses of the system. Emerald architecture [2] includes a data- collection module integrated with Apache Web server. The module extracts the request

Methods for monitoring multiple gene expression

DOEpatents

Berka, Randy; Bachkirova, Elena; Rey, Michael

2013-10-01

The present invention relates to methods for monitoring differential expression of a plurality of genes in a first filamentous fungal cell relative to expression of the same genes in one or more second filamentous fungal cells using microarrays containing Trichoderma reesei ESTs or SSH clones, or a combination thereof. The present invention also relates to computer readable media and substrates containing such array features for monitoring expression of a plurality of genes in filamentous fungal cells.

System Connection via SSH Gateway | High-Performance Computing | NREL

Science.gov Websites

;@peregrine.hpc.nrel.gov First time logging in? If this is the first time you've logged in with your new account, you will password. You will be prompted to enter it a second time, then you will be logged off. Just reconnect with your HPC password at any time, you can simply use the passwd command. Remote Users If you're connecting

Trans-polyacetylene within the extended tight-binding picture and evidence for next-nearest neighbour hopping from the dispersion of interband transition edges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drechsler, S. L.; Heiner, E.; Osipov, V. A.

1986-11-01

The influence of additional non-nearest neighbour hopping processes is investigated in a SSH-like model. The enhanced splitting of absorption peaks due to Π-Π ∗ interband transitions (deduced from new electron loss data of Fink and Leising /17/) can be explained by a reasonable value of the next-nearest neighbour hopping integral |t 2| ≈0.05 t 0.

Methods for monitoring multiple gene expression

DOEpatents

Berka, Randy [Davis, CA; Bachkirova, Elena [Davis, CA; Rey, Michael [Davis, CA

2012-05-01

The present invention relates to methods for monitoring differential expression of a plurality of genes in a first filamentous fungal cell relative to expression of the same genes in one or more second filamentous fungal cells using microarrays containing Trichoderma reesei ESTs or SSH clones, or a combination thereof. The present invention also relates to computer readable media and substrates containing such array features for monitoring expression of a plurality of genes in filamentous fungal cells.

Methods for monitoring multiple gene expression

DOEpatents

Berka, Randy [Davis, CA; Bachkirova, Elena [Davis, CA; Rey, Michael [Davis, CA

2008-06-01

The present invention relates to methods for monitoring differential expression of a plurality of genes in a first filamentous fungal cell relative to expression of the same genes in one or more second filamentous fungal cells using microarrays containing Trichoderma reesei ESTs or SSH clones, or a combination thereof. The present invention also relates to computer readable media and substrates containing such array features for monitoring expression of a plurality of genes in filamentous fungal cells.

Influence of vegetation structure on lidar-derived canopy height and fractional cover in forested riparian buffers during leaf-off and leaf-on conditions.

PubMed

Wasser, Leah; Day, Rick; Chasmer, Laura; Taylor, Alan

2013-01-01

Estimates of canopy height (H) and fractional canopy cover (FC) derived from lidar data collected during leaf-on and leaf-off conditions are compared with field measurements from 80 forested riparian buffer plots. The purpose is to determine if existing lidar data flown in leaf-off conditions for applications such as terrain mapping can effectively estimate forested riparian buffer H and FC within a range of riparian vegetation types. Results illustrate that: 1) leaf-off and leaf-on lidar percentile estimates are similar to measured heights in all plots except those dominated by deciduous compound-leaved trees where lidar underestimates H during leaf off periods; 2) canopy height models (CHMs) underestimate H by a larger margin compared to percentile methods and are influenced by vegetation type (conifer needle, deciduous simple leaf or deciduous compound leaf) and canopy height variability, 3) lidar estimates of FC are within 10% of plot measurements during leaf-on periods, but are underestimated during leaf-off periods except in mixed and conifer plots; and 4) depth of laser pulse penetration lower in the canopy is more variable compared to top of the canopy penetration which may influence within canopy vegetation structure estimates. This study demonstrates that leaf-off lidar data can be used to estimate forested riparian buffer canopy height within diverse vegetation conditions and fractional canopy cover within mixed and conifer forests when leaf-on lidar data are not available.

Influence of Vegetation Structure on Lidar-derived Canopy Height and Fractional Cover in Forested Riparian Buffers During Leaf-Off and Leaf-On Conditions

PubMed Central

Wasser, Leah; Day, Rick; Chasmer, Laura; Taylor, Alan

2013-01-01

Estimates of canopy height (H) and fractional canopy cover (FC) derived from lidar data collected during leaf-on and leaf-off conditions are compared with field measurements from 80 forested riparian buffer plots. The purpose is to determine if existing lidar data flown in leaf-off conditions for applications such as terrain mapping can effectively estimate forested riparian buffer H and FC within a range of riparian vegetation types. Results illustrate that: 1) leaf-off and leaf-on lidar percentile estimates are similar to measured heights in all plots except those dominated by deciduous compound-leaved trees where lidar underestimates H during leaf off periods; 2) canopy height models (CHMs) underestimate H by a larger margin compared to percentile methods and are influenced by vegetation type (conifer needle, deciduous simple leaf or deciduous compound leaf) and canopy height variability, 3) lidar estimates of FC are within 10% of plot measurements during leaf-on periods, but are underestimated during leaf-off periods except in mixed and conifer plots; and 4) depth of laser pulse penetration lower in the canopy is more variable compared to top of the canopy penetration which may influence within canopy vegetation structure estimates. This study demonstrates that leaf-off lidar data can be used to estimate forested riparian buffer canopy height within diverse vegetation conditions and fractional canopy cover within mixed and conifer forests when leaf-on lidar data are not available. PMID:23382966

Determinants of nutritional status of pre-school children in India.

PubMed

Bharati, Susmita; Pal, Manoranjan; Bharati, Premananda

2008-11-01

The aim of this paper is to assess the spatial distribution of nutritional status of children of less than three years through Z-scores of weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for-height using data collected by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-2, 1998-99), India. The nutritional status of pre-school children was regressed on different socio-demographic factors after eliminating the effect of age. The data show that there are gender differences and spatial variations in the nutritional status of children in India. Gender difference is not very pronounced and almost disappears when the effects of age and socio-demographic variables are removed. The spatial difference, especially the rural-urban difference, was found to be very large and decreased substantially when the effects of age and socioeconomic variables were removed. However, the differences were not close to zero. All the variables were found to affect significantly the nutritional status of children. However, the literacy of mothers did not affect height-for-age significantly. The weight-for-age and height-for-age scores showed a dismal picture of the health condition of children in almost all states in India. The worst affected states are Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh. Assam and Rajasthans are also lagging behind. Weight-for-height scores do not give a clear picture of state-wise variation. Goa, Kerala and Punjab are the three most developed states in India and also have the lowest percentages of underweight children according to the Z-scores. Along with these three states come the north-eastern states where women are well educated. Thus overall development, enhancement of level of education and low gender inequality are the key factors for improvement in the health status of Indian children.

Statistical assessment of normal mitral annular geometry using automated three-dimensional echocardiographic analysis.

PubMed

Pouch, Alison M; Vergnat, Mathieu; McGarvey, Jeremy R; Ferrari, Giovanni; Jackson, Benjamin M; Sehgal, Chandra M; Yushkevich, Paul A; Gorman, Robert C; Gorman, Joseph H

2014-01-01

The basis of mitral annuloplasty ring design has progressed from qualitative surgical intuition to experimental and theoretical analysis of annular geometry with quantitative imaging techniques. In this work, we present an automated three-dimensional (3D) echocardiographic image analysis method that can be used to statistically assess variability in normal mitral annular geometry to support advancement in annuloplasty ring design. Three-dimensional patient-specific models of the mitral annulus were automatically generated from 3D echocardiographic images acquired from subjects with normal mitral valve structure and function. Geometric annular measurements including annular circumference, annular height, septolateral diameter, intercommissural width, and the annular height to intercommissural width ratio were automatically calculated. A mean 3D annular contour was computed, and principal component analysis was used to evaluate variability in normal annular shape. The following mean ± standard deviations were obtained from 3D echocardiographic image analysis: annular circumference, 107.0 ± 14.6 mm; annular height, 7.6 ± 2.8 mm; septolateral diameter, 28.5 ± 3.7 mm; intercommissural width, 33.0 ± 5.3 mm; and annular height to intercommissural width ratio, 22.7% ± 6.9%. Principal component analysis indicated that shape variability was primarily related to overall annular size, with more subtle variation in the skewness and height of the anterior annular peak, independent of annular diameter. Patient-specific 3D echocardiographic-based modeling of the human mitral valve enables statistical analysis of physiologically normal mitral annular geometry. The tool can potentially lead to the development of a new generation of annuloplasty rings that restore the diseased mitral valve annulus back to a truly normal geometry. Copyright © 2014 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The response of the southwest Western Australian wave climate to Indian Ocean climate variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wandres, Moritz; Pattiaratchi, Charitha; Hetzel, Yasha; Wijeratne, E. M. S.

2018-03-01

Knowledge of regional wave climates is critical for coastal planning, management, and protection. In order to develop a regional wave climate, it is important to understand the atmospheric systems responsible for wave generation. This study examines the variability of the southwest Western Australian (SWWA) shelf and nearshore wind wave climate and its relationship to southern hemisphere climate variability represented by various atmospheric indices: the southern oscillation index (SOI), the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), the Indian Ocean Dipole Mode Index (DMI), the Indian Ocean Subtropical Dipole (IOSD), the latitudinal position of the subtropical high-pressure ridge (STRP), and the corresponding intensity of the subtropical ridge (STRI). A 21-year wave hindcast (1994-2014) of the SWWA continental shelf was created using the third generation wave model Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN), to analyse the seasonal and inter-annual wave climate variability and its relationship to the atmospheric regime. Strong relationships between wave heights and the STRP and the STRI, a moderate correlation between the wave climate and the SAM, and no significant correlation between SOI, DMI, and IOSD and the wave climate were found. Strong spatial, seasonal, and inter-annual variability, as well as seasonal longer-term trends in the mean wave climate were studied and linked to the latitudinal changes in the subtropical high-pressure ridge and the Southern Ocean storm belt. As the Southern Ocean storm belt and the subtropical high-pressure ridge shifted southward (northward) wave heights on the SWWA shelf region decreased (increased). The wave height anomalies appear to be driven by the same atmospheric conditions that influence rainfall variability in SWWA.

Message valence, familiarity, sex, and personality effects on the perceptual distortion of height.

PubMed

Hensley, W E; Angoli, M

1980-03-01

The perceptual distortion of height was examined in a group of American male and female college student volunteers (n = 139). A message which announced either good or bad news was delivered by a familiar or unfamiliar person who was either male or female. After hearing the message, the students were asked to estimate the height of the communicator. Additionally, the variables of self-esteem and independence of judgment were measured. Results indicated that familiarity with the message source (p less than .0025) as well as sex of the communicator (p less than .024) were predictors of the perceptual distortion of height, but message valence was not. Neither self-esteem nor independence of judgment was functionally related to the proclivity to distort the heights of the communicators.

The shallow water equation and the vorticity equation for a change in height of the topography.

PubMed

Da, ChaoJiu; Shen, BingLu; Yan, PengCheng; Ma, DeShan; Song, Jian

2017-01-01

We consider the shallow water equation and the vorticity equations for a variable height of topography. On the assumptions that the atmosphere is incompressible and a constant density, we simplify the coupled dynamic equations. The change in topographic height is handled as the sum of the inherent and changing topography using the perturbation method, together with appropriate boundary conditions of the atmosphere, to obtain the relationship between the relative height of the flow, the inherent topography and the changing topography. We generalize the conservation of the function of relative position, and quantify the relationship between the height of the topography and the relative position of a fluid element. If the height of the topography increases (decreases), the relative position of a fluid element descends (ascends). On this basis, we also study the relationship between the vorticity and the topography to find the vorticity decreasing (increasing) for an increasing (decreasing) height of the topography.

The shallow water equation and the vorticity equation for a change in height of the topography

PubMed Central

Shen, BingLu; Yan, PengCheng; Ma, DeShan; Song, Jian

2017-01-01

We consider the shallow water equation and the vorticity equations for a variable height of topography. On the assumptions that the atmosphere is incompressible and a constant density, we simplify the coupled dynamic equations. The change in topographic height is handled as the sum of the inherent and changing topography using the perturbation method, together with appropriate boundary conditions of the atmosphere, to obtain the relationship between the relative height of the flow, the inherent topography and the changing topography. We generalize the conservation of the function of relative position, and quantify the relationship between the height of the topography and the relative position of a fluid element. If the height of the topography increases (decreases), the relative position of a fluid element descends (ascends). On this basis, we also study the relationship between the vorticity and the topography to find the vorticity decreasing (increasing) for an increasing (decreasing) height of the topography. PMID:28591129

Correlations of TOMS total ozone data (Nimbus-7 satellite) with tropopause height

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Munteanu, Marie-Jeanne

1987-01-01

Two correlation studies of Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) data with tropopause height from radiosondes performed over Europe showed a correlation coefficient of 0.94 and 0.96. As a result, the rms error in the prediction of tropopause height from total ozone was found to be 20 mb. Correlation between tropopause height and TOMS data was the highest of all the other correlations with variables directly derived from radiosondes or simulated thermal radiances over the location of radiosondes. Comparing the two dimensional fields of TOMS, tropopause height from radiosondes and tropopause height field from TIROS-N retrievals, we can say that the first field is much closer to the true field from radiosondes than the third. The correlation coefficient for a ten-day study between TOMS data and tropopause height from radiosondes is between 0.85 and 0.9 for 30-70N. Tropopause analysis provided by GLA model also shows a very high correlation with TOMS data.

Inheritance of quantitative traits in crosses between two Pisum sativum subspecies with particular reference to their breeding value.

PubMed

Kosev, V; Pachev, I; Angelova, S; Mikić, A

2012-01-01

The experimental study was conducted during the period of 2008-2010 at the experimental field of the Institute of Forage Crops in Pleven. The hybridization scheme included direct and back crosses covering four varieties of forage pea (Pisum sativum L.), namely two spring ones, Usatii 90 and Kamerton from Ukraine, and a winter one from Bulgaria, Pleven 10. There was analyzed the inheritance of quantitative traits such as plant height, height to first pod, pod number per plant, seed number per plant, seed number per pod, seed weight per plant and number of fertile nodes per plant of parental components (P1 and P2) and both first (F1) and second (F2) hybrid generations. The cross Usatii 90 x Pleven 10 showed the highest real heterosis effect for plant height (8.26%), pods per plant (158.79%), seeds per plant (272.16%), seeds per pod (42.09%), seed weight per plant (432.43%) and number of fertile nodes per plant (117.14%). The cross Pleven 10 x Usatii 90 had the highest real heterosis effect height to first pod (11.06%). In F2 plants, the strongest depression for plant height (5.88%), seeds per plant (57.88%), seeds per pod (55.93%) and seed weight per plant (55.99%) was in the cross Usatii 90 x Pleven 10, for height to first pod (1.47%) in the cross Kamerton x Pleven 10 and for number of fertile nodes per plant (15.91%) in the cross Pleven 10 x Usatii 90. The highest positive degree of transgression for number of fertile nodes per plant (165.64%) and seed weight per plant (162.10%) was in the cross Pleven 10 x Kamerton and for pod number per plant (102.54%) and seeds per plant (99.13%) in Kamerton x Pleven 10. The stability of the characters was determined. Low variability in F1 and F2 was found in plant height (3.97-6.85%). Variability of number seeds per plant in F1 was highest (11.86-33.23%). For all other traits, the variability varied from average to high. A lower narrow-sense heritability coefficient was observed for plant height, height to first pod, pods per plant, seeds per plant and seed weight per plant (from 0.001 to 0.230). In few cases, such as in fertile nodes per plant (0.39 and 0.81) and seeds per pod (0.44), the coefficients ofbroad-sense heritability were higher.

Seasonal, interannual and long-term variabilities and tendencies of water vapour in the upper stratosphere and mesospheric region over tropics (30°N-30°S)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nath, Oindrila; Sridharan, S.; Naidu, C. V.

2018-01-01

Tropical water vapour volume mixing ratio (WVMR) data for October 2004-September 2015 obtained from the Microwave Limb Sounder are used to study its long-term variabilities and tendencies in the height region 12.1-0.002 hPa. Above 0.01 hPa, the WVMR shows minimum March-May and September-November (∼0.7-0.8 ppmv) and maximum during June-August. It shows a large interannual variability at 31-64 km. The results from multivariate regression analysis show an increasing trend with maximum value of ∼0.045 ppmv/yr at 1.21-0.41 hPa. It shows a significant negative solar cycle response at mesospheric heights.

Momentum, sensible heat and CO2 correlation coefficient variability: what can we learn from 20 years of continuous eddy covariance measurements?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurdebise, Quentin; Heinesch, Bernard; De Ligne, Anne; Vincke, Caroline; Aubinet, Marc

2017-04-01

Long-term data series of carbon dioxide and other gas exchanges between terrestrial ecosystems and atmosphere become more and more numerous. Long-term analyses of such exchanges require a good understanding of measurement conditions during the investigated period. Independently of climate drivers, measurements may indeed be influenced by measurement conditions themselves subjected to long-term variability due to vegetation growth or set-up changes. The present research refers to the Vielsalm Terrestrial Observatory (VTO) an ICOS candidate site located in a mixed forest (beech, silver fir, Douglas fir, Norway spruce) in the Belgian Ardenne. Fluxes of momentum, carbon dioxide and sensible heat have been continuously measured there by eddy covariance for more than 20 years. During this period, changes in canopy height and measurement height occurred. The correlation coefficients (for momemtum, sensible heat and CO2) and the normalized standard deviations measured for the past 20 years at the Vielsalm Terrestrial Observatory (VTO) were analysed in order to define how the fluxes, independently of climate conditions, were affected by the surrounding environment evolution, including tree growth, forest thinning and tower height change. A relationship between canopy aerodynamic distance and the momentum correlation coefficient was found which is characteristic of the roughness sublayer, and suggests that momentum transport processes were affected by z-d. In contrast, no relationship was found for sensible heat and CO2 correlation coefficients, suggesting that the z-d variability observed did not affect their turbulent transport. There were strong differences in these coefficients, however, between two wind sectors, characterized by contrasted stands (height differences, homogeneity) and different hypotheses were raised to explain it. This study highlighted the importance of taking the surrounding environment variability into account in order to ensure the spatio-temporal consistency of datasets.

The AGT Gene M235T Polymorphism and Response of Power-Related Variables to Aerobic Training.

PubMed

Aleksandra, Zarębska; Zbigniew, Jastrzębski; Waldemar, Moska; Agata, Leońska-Duniec; Mariusz, Kaczmarczyk; Marek, Sawczuk; Agnieszka, Maciejewska-Skrendo; Piotr, Żmijewski; Krzysztof, Ficek; Grzegorz, Trybek; Ewelina, Lulińska-Kuklik; Semenova, Ekaterina A; Ahmetov, Ildus I; Paweł, Cięszczyk

2016-12-01

The C allele of the M235T (rs699) polymorphism of the AGT gene correlates with higher levels of angiotensin II and has been associated with power and strength sport performance. The aim of the study was to investigate whether or not selected power-related variables and their response to a 12-week program of aerobic dance training are modulated by the AGT M235T genotype in healthy participants. Two hundred and one Polish Caucasian women aged 21 ± 1 years met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. All women completed a 12-week program of low and high impact aerobics. Wingate peak power and total work capacity, 5 m, 10 m, and 30 m running times and jump height and jump power were determined before and after the training programme. All power-related variables improved significantly in response to aerobic dance training. We found a significant association between the M235T polymorphism and jump-based variables (squat jump (SJ) height, p = 0.005; SJ power, p = 0.015; countermovement jump height, p = 0.025; average of 10 countermovement jumps with arm swing (ACMJ) height, p = 0.001; ACMJ power, p = 0.035). Specifically, greater improvements were observed in the C allele carriers in comparison with TT homozygotes. In conclusion, aerobic dance, one of the most commonly practiced adult fitness activities in the world, provides sufficient training stimuli for augmenting the explosive strength necessary to increase vertical jump performance. The AGT gene M235T polymorphism seems to be not only a candidate gene variant for power/strength related phenotypes, but also a genetic marker for predicting response to training.

Alternative metrics for real-ear-to-coupler difference average values in children.

PubMed

Blumsack, Judith T; Clark-Lewis, Sandra; Watts, Kelli M; Wilson, Martha W; Ross, Margaret E; Soles, Lindsey; Ennis, Cydney

2014-10-01

Ideally, individual real-ear-to-coupler difference (RECD) measurements are obtained for pediatric hearing instrument-fitting purposes. When RECD measurements cannot be obtained, age-related average RECDs based on typically developing North American children are used. Evidence suggests that these values may not be appropriate for populations of children with retarded growth patterns. The purpose of this study was to determine if another metric, such as head circumference, height, or weight, can be used for prediction of RECDs in children. Design was a correlational study. For all participants, RECD values in both ears, head circumference, height, and weight were measured. The sample consisted of 68 North American children (ages 3-11 yr). Height, weight, head circumference, and RECDs were measured and were analyzed for both ears at 500, 750, 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 6000 Hz. A backward elimination multiple-regression analysis was used to determine if age, height, weight, and/or head circumference are significant predictors of RECDs. For the left ear, head circumference was retained as the only statistically significant variable in the final model. For the right ear, head circumference was retained as the only statistically significant independent variable at all frequencies except at 2000 and 4000 Hz. At these latter frequencies, weight was retained as the only statistically significant independent variable after all other variables were eliminated. Head circumference can be considered as a metric for RECD prediction in children when individual measurements cannot be obtained. In developing countries where equipment is often unavailable and stunted growth can reduce the value of using age as a metric, head circumference can be considered as an alternative metric in the prediction of RECDs. American Academy of Audiology.

Height and seasonal growth pattern of jack pine full-sib families

Treesearch

Don E. Riemenschneider

1981-01-01

Total tree height, seasonal shoot elongation, dates of growth initiation and cessation, and mean daily growth rate were measured and analyzed for a population of jack pine full-sib families derived from inter-provenance crosses. Parental provenance had no effect on these variables although this may have been due to small sample size. Progenies differed significantly...

Diameter and height growth of suppressed grand fir saplings after overstory removal.

Treesearch

K.W. Seidel

1980-01-01

The 2- and 5-year diameter and height growth of suppressed grand fir (Abies grandis (Dougl. ex D. Don) Lindl.) advance reproduction was measured in central Oregon after the overstory was removed. Multiple regression analyses were used to predict growth response as a function of individual tree variables. The resulting equations, although highly...

Section Height Determination Methods of the Isotopographic Surface in a Complex Terrain Relief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Syzdykova, Guldana D.; Kurmankozhaev, Azimhan K.

2016-01-01

A new method for determining the vertical interval of isotopographic surfaces on rugged terrain was developed. The method is based on the concept of determining the differentiated size of the vertical interval using spatial-statistical properties inherent in the modal characteristic, the degree of variability of apical heights and the chosen map…

A merchantable and total height model for tree species in Maine

Treesearch

James A. Westfall; Kenneth M. Laustsen

2006-01-01

A model for predicting merchantable and total tree height for 18 species groups in Maine is presented. Only tree-level predictor variables are used, so stand-level attributes, such as age and site quality, are not required. A mixed-effects modeling approach accounts for the correlated within-tree measurements. Data-collection protocols encompass situations in which...

Bark Thickness of 17-Year-Old Loblolly Pine Planted at Different Spacings

Treesearch

Donald P. Feduccia; William F. Mann

1975-01-01

Diameter at breast height was the only variable affecting double bark thickness at d.b.h. and midpoint of the merchantable stem for young loblolly pine planted at five initial spacings on plots with site indices of 77 to 111 feet. Bark thickness at the 4-inch top was not correlated with breast-height diameter.

Maps and models of density and stiffness within individual Douglas-fir trees

Treesearch

Christine L. Todoroki; Eini C. Lowell; Dennis P. Dykstra; David G. Briggs

2012-01-01

Spatial maps of density and stiffness patterns within individual trees were developed using two methods: (1) measured wood properties of veneer sheets; and (2) mixed effects models, to test the hypothesis that within-tree patterns could be predicted from easily measurable tree variables (height, taper, breast-height diameter, and acoustic velocity). Sample trees...

SIGNIFICANCE OF PREOPERATIVE EXTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE HEIGHT ON VISUAL PROGNOSIS IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING MACULAR HOLE SURGERY.

PubMed

Geenen, Caspar; Murphy, Declan C; Sandinha, Maria T; Rees, Jon; Steel, David H W

2018-03-05

To investigate the association between the vertical elevation of the external limiting membrane (ELM) and visual outcome in patients undergoing surgery for idiopathic full-thickness macular hole. Retrospective observational study of a consecutive cohort of patients undergoing vitrectomy to treat macular hole. The greatest vertical height of the central ELM above the retinal pigment epithelium (ELM height) was measured on spectral domain optical coherence tomography preoperatively. The relationship of ELM height to other preoperative and postoperative variables, including macular hole width and height, and visual acuity was analyzed. Data from 91 eyes of 91 patients who had undergone successful hole closure were included. The mean ELM height was 220 μm (range 100-394). There were significant correlations between the ELM height and the diameter of the hole, hole height, and worsening preoperative visual acuity. For holes less than 400 μm in width, better postoperative visual acuity was significantly predicted by a lower ELM height. The ELM height varies widely in idiopathic macular hole. It is higher in eyes where the hole is wider and also when the hole itself is higher. For holes of less than 400 μm in width, a lower ELM height is a strong independent predictor of a good postoperative outcome.

Intrasexual Competition and Height in Adolescents and Adults.

PubMed

Polo, P; Fernandez, A; Muñoz-Reyes, J A; Dufey, M; Buunk, A P

2018-01-01

Intrasexual competition can be defined as the struggle between members of one sex to increase their access to members of the other sex as sexual partners. In our species, height is a sexually dimorphic trait probably involved in both intrasexual and intersexual selective processes. In the present research, we examined the relationship between height and individual differences in intrasexual competitiveness (i.e., the tendency to view same-sex interactions in general in competitive terms) in two populations of adolescents and adults of both sexes in Chile. According to our first prediction, among both adolescent and adult men, height was negatively associated with intrasexual competitiveness. In contrast, among women, height was not linearly nor quadratically related with intrasexual competitiveness as previously reported. Finally, adolescent men and women showed increased levels of intrasexual competitiveness compared to adult same-sex counterparts. Our results suggest that height is a relevant trait in mating competition among men. The lack of relationship between height and intrasexual competitiveness in women may suggest that the role of height in women mating competition may be more complex and mediated by other variables.

Methane Seeps in the Gulf of Mexico: repeat acoustic surveying shows highly temporally and spatially variable venting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaumont, B. C.; Raineault, N.

2016-02-01

Scientists have recognized that natural seeps account for a large amount of methane emissions. Despite their widespread occurrence in areas like the Gulf of Mexico, little is known about the temporal variability and site-scale spatial variability of venting over time. We used repeat acoustic surveys to compare multiple days of seep activity and determine the changes in the locus of methane emission and plume height. The Sleeping Dragon site was surveyed with an EM302 multibeam sonar on three consecutive days in 2014 and 4 days within one week in 2015. The data revealed three distinctive plume regions. The locus of venting varied by 10-60 meters at each site. The plume that exhibited the least spatial variability in venting, was also the most temporally variable. This seep was present in one-third of survey dates in 2014 and three quarters of survey dates in 2015, showing high day-to-day variability. The plume height was very consistent for this plume, whereas the other plumes were more consistent temporally, but varied in maximum plume height detection by 25-85 m. The single locus of emission at the site that had high day-to-day variability may be due to a single conduit for methane release, which is sometimes closed off by carbonate or clathrate hydrate formation. In addition to day-to-day temporal variability, the locus of emission at one site was observed to shift from a point-source in 2014 to a diffuse source in 2015 at a nearby location. ROV observations showed that one of the seep sites that closed off temporarily, experienced an explosive breakthrough of gas, releasing confined methane and blowing out rock. The mechanism that causes on/off behavior of certain plumes, combined with the spatial variability of the locus of methane release shown in this study may point to carbonate or hydrate formation in the seep plumbing system and should be further investigated.

Assessment of Global Forecast Ocean Assimilation Model (FOAM) using new satellite SST data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ascione Kenov, Isabella; Sykes, Peter; Fiedler, Emma; McConnell, Niall; Ryan, Andrew; Maksymczuk, Jan

2016-04-01

There is an increased demand for accurate ocean weather information for applications in the field of marine safety and navigation, water quality, offshore commercial operations, monitoring of oil spills and pollutants, among others. The Met Office, UK, provides ocean forecasts to customers from governmental, commercial and ecological sectors using the Global Forecast Ocean Assimilation Model (FOAM), an operational modelling system which covers the global ocean and runs daily, using the NEMO (Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean) ocean model with horizontal resolution of 1/4° and 75 vertical levels. The system assimilates salinity and temperature profiles, sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), and sea ice concentration observations on a daily basis. In this study, the FOAM system is updated to assimilate Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) and the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) SST data. Model results from one month trials are assessed against observations using verification tools which provide a quantitative description of model performance and error, based on statistical metrics, including mean error, root mean square error (RMSE), correlation coefficient, and Taylor diagrams. A series of hindcast experiments is used to run the FOAM system with AMSR2 and SEVIRI SST data, using a control run for comparison. Results show that all trials perform well on the global ocean and that largest SST mean errors were found in the Southern hemisphere. The geographic distribution of the model error for SST and temperature profiles are discussed using statistical metrics evaluated over sub-regions of the global ocean.

Geodesic detection of Agulhas rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beron-Vera, F. J.; Wang, Y.; Olascoaga, M. J.; Goni, G. J.; Haller, G.

2012-12-01

Mesoscale oceanic eddies are routinely detected from instantaneous velocities. While simple to implement, this Eulerian approach gives frame-dependent results and often hides true material transport by eddies. Building on the recent geodesic theory of transport barriers, we develop an objective (i.e., frame-independent) method for accurately locating coherent Lagrangian eddies. These eddies act as compact water bodies, with boundaries showing no leakage or filamentation over long periods of time. Applying the algorithm to altimetry-derived velocities in the South Atlantic, we detect, for the first time, Agulhas rings that preserve their material coherence for several months, while eddy candidates yielded by other approaches tend to disperse or leak within weeks. These findings suggest that current Eulerian estimates of the Agulhas leakage need significant revision.Temporal evolution of fluid patches identified as eddies by different methods. First column: eddies extracted using geodesic eddy identification [1,2]. Second column: eddies identified from sea surface height (SSH) using the methodology of Chelton et al. [2] with U/c > 1. Third column: eddies identified as elliptic regions by the Okubo-Weiss (OW) criterion [e.g., 3]. Fourth column: eddies identified as mesoelliptic (ME) regions by Mezic et al.'s [4] criterion. References: [1] Beron-Vera et al. (2012). Geodesic eddy detection suggests reassessment of Agulhas leakage. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, submitted. [2] Haller & Beron-Vera (2012). Geodesic theory of transport barriers in two-dimensional flows. Physica D, in press. [2] Chelton et al. (2011). Prog. Oceanog. 91, 167. [3] Chelton et al. (2007). Geophys. Res. Lett. 34, L5606. [4] Mezic et al. (2010). Science 330, 486.

The concurrent validity and reliability of a low-cost, high-speed camera-based method for measuring the flight time of vertical jumps.

PubMed

Balsalobre-Fernández, Carlos; Tejero-González, Carlos M; del Campo-Vecino, Juan; Bavaresco, Nicolás

2014-02-01

Flight time is the most accurate and frequently used variable when assessing the height of vertical jumps. The purpose of this study was to analyze the validity and reliability of an alternative method (i.e., the HSC-Kinovea method) for measuring the flight time and height of vertical jumping using a low-cost high-speed Casio Exilim FH-25 camera (HSC). To this end, 25 subjects performed a total of 125 vertical jumps on an infrared (IR) platform while simultaneously being recorded with a HSC at 240 fps. Subsequently, 2 observers with no experience in video analysis analyzed the 125 videos independently using the open-license Kinovea 0.8.15 software. The flight times obtained were then converted into vertical jump heights, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland-Altman plot, and Pearson correlation coefficient were calculated for those variables. The results showed a perfect correlation agreement (ICC = 1, p < 0.0001) between both observers' measurements of flight time and jump height and a highly reliable agreement (ICC = 0.997, p < 0.0001) between the observers' measurements of flight time and jump height using the HSC-Kinovea method and those obtained using the IR system, thus explaining 99.5% (p < 0.0001) of the differences (shared variance) obtained using the IR platform. As a result, besides requiring no previous experience in the use of this technology, the HSC-Kinovea method can be considered to provide similarly valid and reliable measurements of flight time and vertical jump height as more expensive equipment (i.e., IR). As such, coaches from many sports could use the HSC-Kinovea method to measure the flight time and height of their athlete's vertical jumps.

Application and Limitations of GPS Radio Occultation (GPS-RO) Data for Atmospheric Boundary Layer Height Detection over the Arctic.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganeshan, M.; Wu, D. L.

2014-12-01

Due to recent changes in the Arctic environment, it is important to monitor the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) properties over the Arctic Ocean, especially to explore the variability in ABL clouds (such as sensitivity and feedback to sea ice loss). For example, radiosonde and satellite observations of the Arctic ABL height (and low-cloud cover) have recently suggested a positive response to sea ice loss during October that may not occur during the melt season (June-September). Owing to its high vertical and spatiotemporal resolution, an independent ABL height detection algorithm using GPS Radio Occultation (GPS-RO) refractivity in the Arctic is explored. Similar GPS-RO algorithms developed previously typically define the level of the most negative moisture gradient as the ABL height. This definition is favorable for subtropical oceans where a stratocumulus-topped ABL is often capped by a layer of sharp moisture lapse rate (coincident with the temperature inversion). The Arctic Ocean is also characterized by stratocumulus cloud cover, however, the specific humidity does not frequently decrease in the ABL capping inversion. The use of GPS-RO refractivity for ABL height retrieval therefore becomes more complex. During winter months (December-February), when the total precipitable water in the troposphere is a minimum, a fairly straightforward algorithm for ABL height retrieval is developed. The applicability and limitations of this method for other seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall) is determined. The seasonal, interannual and spatial variability in the GPS-derived ABL height over the Arctic Ocean, as well as its relation to the underlying surface (ice vs. water), is investigated. The GPS-RO profiles are also explored for the evidence of low-level moisture transport in the cold Arctic environment.

The Effects of Caffeine on Vertical Jump Height and Execution in Collegiate Athletes.

PubMed

Bloms, Lucas P; Fitzgerald, John S; Short, Martin W; Whitehead, James R

2016-07-01

Bloms, LP, Fitzgerald, JS, Short, MW, and Whitehead, JR. The effects of caffeine on vertical jump height and execution in collegiate athletes. J Strength Cond Res 30(7): 1855-1861, 2016-Caffeine ingestion elicits a variety of physiological effects that may be beneficial to maximal-intensity exercise performance, although its effectiveness and physical mechanism of action enhancing ballistic task performance are unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of caffeine ingestion on vertical jump height and jump execution in Division I collegiate athletes. The study used a single-blind, randomized, crossover design. Athletes (n = 25) consumed either caffeine (5 mg·kg) or placebo. After a 60-minute waiting period, athletes performed 3 squat jumps (SJ) and 3 countermovement jumps (CMJ) while standing on a force platform. Jump height and execution variables were calculated from mechanography data. In comparison with placebo, caffeine increased SJ height (32.8 ± 6.2 vs. 34.5 ± 6.7 cm; p = 0.001) and CMJ height (36.4 ± 6.9 vs. 37.9 ± 7.4 cm; p = 0.001). Peak force (p = 0.032) and average rate of force development (p = 0.037) were increased during the CMJ in the caffeine trail compared with the control. Time to half peak force was the only execution variable improved with caffeine (p = 0.019) during the SJ. It seems that caffeine affects both height and execution of jumping. Our data indicate that the physical mechanism of jump enhancement is increased peak force production or rate of force development during jumping depending on technique. The physical mechanism of jump enhancement suggests that the ergogenic effects of caffeine may transfer to other ballistic tasks involving the lower-body musculature in collegiate athletes.

Can Infants Be "Taught" to Attend to a New Physical Variable in an Event Category? The Case of Height in Covering Events

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Su-hua; Baillargeon, Renee

2008-01-01

As they observe or produce events, infants identify variables that help them predict outcomes in each category of events. How do infants identify a new variable? An explanation-based learning (EBL) account suggests three essential steps: (1) observing contrastive outcomes relevant to the variable; (2) discovering the conditions associated with…

Salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) showing varying emamectin benzoate susceptibilities differ in neuronal acetylcholine receptor and GABA-gated chloride channel mRNA expression

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Caligid copepods, also called sea lice, are fish ectoparasites, some species of which cause significant problems in the mariculture of salmon, where the annual cost of infection is in excess of €300 million globally. At present, caligid control on farms is mainly achieved using medicinal treatments. However, the continued use of a restricted number of medicine actives potentially favours the development of drug resistance. Here, we report transcriptional changes in a laboratory strain of the caligid Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer, 1837) that is moderately (~7-fold) resistant to the avermectin compound emamectin benzoate (EMB), a component of the anti-salmon louse agent SLICE® (Merck Animal Health). Results Suppression subtractive hybridisation (SSH) was used to enrich transcripts differentially expressed between EMB-resistant (PT) and drug-susceptible (S) laboratory strains of L. salmonis. SSH libraries were subjected to 454 sequencing. Further L. salmonis transcript sequences were available as expressed sequence tags (EST) from GenBank. Contiguous sequences were generated from both SSH and EST sequences and annotated. Transcriptional responses in PT and S salmon lice were investigated using custom 15 K oligonucleotide microarrays designed using the above sequence resources. In the absence of EMB exposure, 359 targets differed in transcript abundance between the two strains, these genes being enriched for functions such as calcium ion binding, chitin metabolism and muscle structure. γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-gated chloride channel (GABA-Cl) and neuronal acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits showed significantly lower transcript levels in PT lice compared to S lice. Using RT-qPCR, the decrease in mRNA levels was estimated at ~1.4-fold for GABA-Cl and ~2.8-fold for nAChR. Salmon lice from the PT strain showed few transcriptional responses following acute exposure (1 or 3 h) to 200 μg L-1 of EMB, a drug concentration tolerated by PT lice, but toxic for S lice. Conclusions Avermectins are believed to exert their toxicity to invertebrates through interaction with glutamate-gated and GABA-gated chloride channels. Further potential drug targets include other Cys-loop ion channels such as nAChR. The present study demonstrates decreased transcript abundances of GABA-Cl and nAChR subunits in EMB-resistant salmon lice, suggesting their involvement in avermectin toxicity in caligids. PMID:23773482

Salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) showing varying emamectin benzoate susceptibilities differ in neuronal acetylcholine receptor and GABA-gated chloride channel mRNA expression.

PubMed

Carmichael, Stephen N; Bron, James E; Taggart, John B; Ireland, Jacqueline H; Bekaert, Michaël; Burgess, Stewart Tg; Skuce, Philip J; Nisbet, Alasdair J; Gharbi, Karim; Sturm, Armin

2013-06-18

Caligid copepods, also called sea lice, are fish ectoparasites, some species of which cause significant problems in the mariculture of salmon, where the annual cost of infection is in excess of €300 million globally. At present, caligid control on farms is mainly achieved using medicinal treatments. However, the continued use of a restricted number of medicine actives potentially favours the development of drug resistance. Here, we report transcriptional changes in a laboratory strain of the caligid Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer, 1837) that is moderately (~7-fold) resistant to the avermectin compound emamectin benzoate (EMB), a component of the anti-salmon louse agent SLICE® (Merck Animal Health). Suppression subtractive hybridisation (SSH) was used to enrich transcripts differentially expressed between EMB-resistant (PT) and drug-susceptible (S) laboratory strains of L. salmonis. SSH libraries were subjected to 454 sequencing. Further L. salmonis transcript sequences were available as expressed sequence tags (EST) from GenBank. Contiguous sequences were generated from both SSH and EST sequences and annotated. Transcriptional responses in PT and S salmon lice were investigated using custom 15 K oligonucleotide microarrays designed using the above sequence resources. In the absence of EMB exposure, 359 targets differed in transcript abundance between the two strains, these genes being enriched for functions such as calcium ion binding, chitin metabolism and muscle structure. γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-gated chloride channel (GABA-Cl) and neuronal acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits showed significantly lower transcript levels in PT lice compared to S lice. Using RT-qPCR, the decrease in mRNA levels was estimated at ~1.4-fold for GABA-Cl and ~2.8-fold for nAChR. Salmon lice from the PT strain showed few transcriptional responses following acute exposure (1 or 3 h) to 200 μg L-1 of EMB, a drug concentration tolerated by PT lice, but toxic for S lice. Avermectins are believed to exert their toxicity to invertebrates through interaction with glutamate-gated and GABA-gated chloride channels. Further potential drug targets include other Cys-loop ion channels such as nAChR. The present study demonstrates decreased transcript abundances of GABA-Cl and nAChR subunits in EMB-resistant salmon lice, suggesting their involvement in avermectin toxicity in caligids.

Identification and Functional Annotation of Genes Differentially Expressed in the Reproductive Tissues of the Olive Tree (Olea europaea L.) through the Generation of Subtractive Libraries

PubMed Central

Zafra, Adoración; Carmona, Rosario; Traverso, José A.; Hancock, John T.; Goldman, Maria H. S.; Claros, M. Gonzalo; Hiscock, Simon J.; Alche, Juan D.

2017-01-01

The olive tree is a crop of high socio-economical importance in the Mediterranean area. Sexual reproduction in this plant is an essential process, which determines the yield. Successful fertilization is mainly favored and sometimes needed of the presence of pollen grains from a different cultivar as the olive seizes a self-incompatibility system allegedly determined of the sporophytic type. The purpose of the present study was to identify key gene products involved in the function of olive pollen and pistil, in order to help elucidate the events and signaling processes, which happen during the courtship, pollen grain germination, and fertilization in olive. The use of subtractive SSH libraries constructed using, on the one hand one specific stage of the pistil development with germinating pollen grains, and on the other hand mature pollen grains may help to reveal the specific transcripts involved in the cited events. Such libraries have also been created by subtracting vegetative mRNAs (from leaves), in order to identify reproductive sequences only. A variety of transcripts have been identified in the mature pollen grains and in the pistil at the receptive stage. Among them, those related to defense, transport and oxidative metabolism are highlighted mainly in the pistil libraries where transcripts related to stress, and response to biotic and abiotic stimulus have a prominent position. Extensive lists containing information as regard to the specific transcripts determined for each stage and tissue are provided, as well as functional classifications of these gene products. Such lists were faced up to two recent datasets obtained in olive after transcriptomic and genomic approaches. The sequences and the differential expression level of the SSH-transcripts identified here, highly matched the transcriptomic information. Moreover, the unique presence of a representative number of these transcripts has been validated by means of qPCR approaches. The construction of SSH libraries using pistil and pollen, considering the high interaction between male-female counterparts, allowed the identification of transcripts with important roles in stigma physiology. The functions of many of the transcripts obtained are intimately related, and most of them are of pivotal importance in defense, pollen-stigma interaction and signaling. PMID:28955364

ESD practice through global approach -7-year practices of developing science lessen modules and fostering integrated decision making ability-

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kajiyama, Kosei

2016-04-01

Hiroshima University High School (HUHS) has devised and carried out overseas exchange programs on ESD issues for 7 years. These programs have been carried out as a part of a government-aided project called SSH (Super Science High School) *1. To start with, we had cooperative study program with a school in Germany in 2009, and next year with a school in Korea, and then gradually have expanded the cooperative schools. Since 2013, we have worked with schools in four countries; Korea, Thailand, Czech and Germany. Science lesson modules here refers to an assembly of a set of lessons, newly developed and improved for the project. These modules characteristically require the students to make decisions by themselves on given problems. In the course of the decision making, students learn what kind of data or facts should be presented as evidence and how they can make their decisions known to others. Among several modules we have designed, the one introduced here deals with the use of solar energy, which we carried out with a school in Korea in 2014-2015. It also includes lessons of the fuel cells using energy from hydrogen gas generated by solar cells. It aims to develop global human resources through carefully planned activities. First, the students of both schools make mixed groups and conduct experiments in physics, chemistry or biology on a given problem related to solar energy. Then they discuss in groups using data obtained from the experiments and through the Internet as evidence. After the thorough discussion, each group gives a presentation on their decision. The analysis of the presentations and the questionnaire to the students revealed the following points: 1) Students have come to have multidimensional perspectives on the utilization of solar energy. 2) Students have come to combine the results of different experiments when making decisions. 3) Students have developed flexible attitudes toward other cultures. 4) Students have developed communication skills in English. *1 SSH: Since 2002, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) have designated schools that focus their education on science and math as Super Science High Schools and our school has been designated as one of SSH schools since 2003

What is the normal small bowel length in humans? first donor-based cohort analysis.

PubMed

Gondolesi, G; Ramisch, D; Padin, J; Almau, H; Sandi, M; Schelotto, P B; Fernandez, A; Rumbo, C; Solar, H

2012-12-01

Normal small bowel length (SBL) has been reported within a wide range, but never studied in a cohort of either pediatric or adult deceased donors. Between 5/2006 and 2/2011, SBL was measured in all grafts procured for intestinal transplantation at a single center and used for either isolated intestinal transplant (15) or multiorgan transplants (5) employing a standardized method. SBL was the only not significantly different variable among pediatric and adult donors divided by age 16. Furthermore, donors were classified in 3 groups: group 1: Height < 70 cm, group 2: 71-150 cm and group 3: ≥ 151 cm. Mean age was: 0.58, 5.6, 22.01 years, respectively. Mean height and weight were 65.8, 123.2, 166.1 cm (p = 0.001) and 6.9, 23.8, 65.2 kg (p = 0.001), for each group. The SBL by group was: 283.0, 324.7, 356.0 cm, remaining as the only nonsignificant variable (p = 0.06), in contrast to BMI, BSA (p = 0.001). The SBL/height ratio: 4.24, 2.7, 2.12 (p = 0.001; rho: -0.623) or SBL/BSA ratio was 8.36, 3.7, and 2.03, respectively (p : 0.0001; rho: -0.9). SBL does not increase with growth like other anthropometric variables. The SBL/height ratio significantly decreases with growth; however, bowel diameter increases, which needs further evaluation. © Copyright 2012 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

A variable mixing-length ratio for convection theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chan, K. L.; Wolff, C. L.; Sofia, S.

1981-01-01

It is argued that a natural choice for the local mixing length in the mixing-length theory of convection has a value proportional to the local density scale height of the convective bubbles. The resultant variable mixing-length ratio (the ratio between the mixing length and the pressure scale height) of this theory is enhanced in the superadiabatic region and approaches a constant in deeper layers. Numerical tests comparing the new mixing length successfully eliminate most of the density inversion that typically plagues conventional results. The new approach also seems to indicate the existence of granular motion at the top of the convection zone.

Analysis of positive control STR experiments reveals that results obtained for FGA, D3S1358, and D13S317 condition the success rate of the analysis of routine reference samples.

PubMed

Murigneux, Valentine; Dufour, Anne-Béatrice; Lobry, Jean R; Pène, Laurent

2014-07-01

About 120,000 reference samples are analyzed each year in the Forensic Laboratory of Lyon. A total of 1640 positive control experiments used to validate and optimize the analytical method in the routine process were submitted to a multivariate exploratory data analysis approach with the aim of better understanding the underlying sources of variability. The peak heights of the 16 genetic markers targeted by the AmpFℓSTR(®) Identifiler(®) STR kit were used as variables of interest. Six different 3130xl genetic analyzers located in the same controlled environment were involved. Two major sources of variability were found: (i) the DNA load of the sample modulates all peak heights in a similar way so that the 16 markers are highly correlated, (ii) the genetic analyzer used with a locus-specific response for peak height and a better sensitivity for the most recently acquired. Three markers (FGA, D3S1358, and D13S317) were found to be of special interest to predict the success rate observed in the routine process. © 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Multicollinearity in canonical correlation analysis in maize.

PubMed

Alves, B M; Cargnelutti Filho, A; Burin, C

2017-03-30

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of multicollinearity under two methods of canonical correlation analysis (with and without elimination of variables) in maize (Zea mays L.) crop. Seventy-six maize genotypes were evaluated in three experiments, conducted in a randomized block design with three replications, during the 2009/2010 crop season. Eleven agronomic variables (number of days from sowing until female flowering, number of days from sowing until male flowering, plant height, ear insertion height, ear placement, number of plants, number of ears, ear index, ear weight, grain yield, and one thousand grain weight), 12 protein-nutritional variables (crude protein, lysine, methionine, cysteine, threonine, tryptophan, valine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, histidine, and arginine), and 6 energetic-nutritional variables (apparent metabolizable energy, apparent metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen, ether extract, crude fiber, starch, and amylose) were measured. A phenotypic correlation matrix was first generated among the 29 variables for each of the experiments. A multicollinearity diagnosis was later performed within each group of variables using methodologies such as variance inflation factor and condition number. Canonical correlation analysis was then performed, with and without the elimination of variables, among groups of agronomic and protein-nutritional, and agronomic and energetic-nutritional variables. The canonical correlation analysis in the presence of multicollinearity (without elimination of variables) overestimates the variability of canonical coefficients. The elimination of variables is an efficient method to circumvent multicollinearity in canonical correlation analysis.

Open Source Software Projects Needing Security Investments

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-19

modtls, BouncyCastle, gpg, otr, axolotl. 7. Static analyzers: Clang, Frama-C. 8. Nginx. 9. OpenVPN . It was noted that the funding model may be similar...to OpenSSL, where consulting funds the company. It was also noted that OpenVPN needs to correctly use OpenSSL in order to be secure, so focusing on...Dovecot 4. Other high-impact network services: OpenSSH, OpenVPN , BIND, ISC DHCP, University of Delaware NTPD 5. Core infrastructure data parsers

SSH gene expression profile of Eisenia andrei exposed in situ to a naturally contaminated soil from an abandoned uranium mine.

PubMed

Lourenço, Joana; Pereira, Ruth; Gonçalves, Fernando; Mendo, Sónia

2013-02-01

The effects of the exposure of earthworms (Eisenia andrei) to contaminated soil from an abandoned uranium mine, were assessed through gene expression profile evaluation by Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH). Organisms were exposed in situ for 56 days, in containers placed both in a contaminated and in a non-contaminated site (reference). Organisms were sampled after 14 and 56 days of exposure. Results showed that the main physiological functions affected by the exposure to metals and radionuclides were: metabolism, oxireductase activity, redox homeostasis and response to chemical stimulus and stress. The relative expression of NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 and elongation factor 1 alpha was also affected, since the genes encoding these enzymes were significantly up and down-regulated, after 14 and 56 days of exposure, respectively. Also, an EST with homology for SET oncogene was found to be up-regulated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that this gene was identified in earthworms and thus, further studies are required, to clarify its involvement in the toxicity of metals and radionuclides. Considering the results herein presented, gene expression profiling proved to be a very useful tool to detect earthworms underlying responses to metals and radionuclides exposure, pointing out for the detection and development of potential new biomarkers. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Construction and analysis of an SSH cDNA library of early heat-induced genes of Vigna aconitifolia variety RMO-40.

PubMed

Rampuria, Sakshi; Joshi, Uma; Palit, Paramita; Deokar, Amit A; Meghwal, Raju R; Mohapatra, T; Srinivasan, R; Bhatt, K V; Sharma, Ramavtar

2012-11-01

Moth bean ( Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Marechal) is an important grain legume crop grown in rain fed areas of hot desert regions of Thar, India, under scorching sun rays with very little supplementation of water. An SSH cDNA library was generated from leaf tissues of V. aconitifolia var. RMO-40 exposed to an elevated temperature of 42 °C for 5 min to identify early-induced genes. A total of 488 unigenes (114 contigs and 374 singletons) were derived by cluster assembly and sequence alignment of 738 ESTs; out of 206 ESTs (28%) of unknown proteins, 160 ESTs (14%) were found to be novel to moth bean. Only 578 ESTs (78%) showed significant BLASTX similarity (<1 × 10(-6)) in the NCBI non-redundant database. Gene ontology functional classification terms were retrieved for 479 (65%) sequences, and 339 sequences were annotated with 165 EC codes and mapped to 68 different KEGG pathways. Four hundred and fifty-two ESTs were further annotated with InterProScan (IPS), and no IPS was assigned to 153 ESTs. In addition, the expression level of 27 ESTs in response to heat stress was evaluated through semiquantitative RT-PCR assay. Approximately 20 different signaling genes and 16 different transcription factors have been shown to be associated with heat stress in moth bean for the first time.

Transcriptional Analysis of Drought-Induced Genes in the Roots of a Tolerant Genotype of the Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

PubMed Central

Recchia, Gustavo Henrique; Caldas, Danielle Gregorio Gomes; Beraldo, Ana Luiza Ahern; da Silva, Márcio José; Tsai, Siu Mui

2013-01-01

In Brazil, common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) productivity is severely affected by drought stress due to low technology cultivation systems. Our purpose was to identify differentially expressed genes in roots of a genotype tolerant to water deficit (BAT 477) when submitted to an interruption of irrigation during its development. A SSH library was constructed taking as “driver” the genotype Carioca 80SH (susceptible to drought). After clustering and data mining, 1572 valid reads were obtained, resulting in 1120 ESTs (expressed sequence tags). We found sequences for transcription factors, carbohydrates metabolism, proline-rich proteins, aquaporins, chaperones and ubiquitins, all of them organized according to their biological processes. Our suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) library was validated through RT-qPCR experiment by assessing the expression patterns of 10 selected genes in both genotypes under stressed and control conditions. Finally, the expression patterns of 31 ESTs, putatively related to drought responses, were analyzed in a time-course experiment. Our results confirmed that such genes are more expressed in the tolerant genotype during stress; however, they are not exclusive, since different levels of these transcripts were also detected in the susceptible genotype. In addition, we observed a fluctuation in gene regulation over time for both the genotypes, which seem to adopt and adapt different strategies in order to develop tolerance against this stress. PMID:23538843

A case report of rapid spontaneous redistribution of acute supratentorial subdural hematoma to the entire spinal subdural space presenting as a Pourfour du Petit syndrome and review of the literature.

PubMed

Balik, Vladimir; Kolembus, Petr; Svajdler, Marian; Sulla, Igor; Vaverka, Miroslav; Hrabalek, Lumir

2013-07-01

This report illustrates the rare rapid spontaneous redistribution of an acute intracranial supratentorial subdural hematoma (AISSDH) to the entire spinal subdural space (SSS). The study is also unique in that the spinal subdural hematoma (SSH) manifested by the extremely rare Pourfour du Petit Syndrome (PPS). A 66-year-old man sustained blunt head trauma. On admission to the regional hospital, he scored 6 on GCS and his pupils were of equal size reacting to light. Initial computed tomography (CT) scan showed a unilateral AISSDH. The patient was referred to our department and arrived 16 h following the accident, at which time a repeat CT scan revealed almost complete resolution of the AISSDH without clinical improvement. On the 9th postinjury day transient anisocoria and tachycardia without spinal symptomatology developed. Since neither neurological examination nor follow-up CT scans showed intracranial pathology explaining the anisocoria, the patient was treated further conservatively. During the next 3 days circulatory instability developed and the patient succumbed to primary traumatic injury. Autopsy revealed a SSH occupying the entire SSS. This case calls attention to the unique combination of the displacement of an AISSDH to the SSS and the presentation of this clinical entity by the PPS. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Molecular characterization of Brucella abortus chromosome II recombination.

PubMed

Tsoktouridis, Georgios; Merz, Christian A; Manning, Simon P; Giovagnoli-Kurtz, Renée; Williams, Leanne E; Mujer, Cesar V; Hagius, Sue; Elzer, Philip; Redkar, Rajendra J; Patra, Guy; DelVecchio, Vito G

2003-10-01

Large-scale genomic rearrangements including inversions, deletions, and duplications are significant in bacterial evolution. The recently completed Brucella melitensis 16M and Brucella suis 1330 genomes have facilitated the investigation of such events in the Brucella spp. Suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) was employed in identifying genomic differences between B. melitensis 16M and Brucella abortus 2308. Analysis of 45 SSH clones revealed several deletions on chromosomes of B. abortus and B. melitensis that encoded proteins of various metabolic pathways. A 640-kb inversion on chromosome II of B. abortus has been reported previously (S. Michaux Charachon, G. Bourg, E. Jumas Bilak, P. Guigue Talet, A. Allardet Servent, D. O'Callaghan, and M. Ramuz, J. Bacteriol. 179:3244-3249, 1997) and is further described in this study. One end of the inverted region is located on a deleted TATGC site between open reading frames BMEII0292 and BMEII0293. The other end inserted at a GTGTC site of the cyclic-di-GMP phosphodiesterase A (PDEA) gene (BMEII1009), dividing PDEA into two unequal DNA segments of 160 and 977 bp. As a consequence of inversion, the 160-bp segment that encodes the N-terminal region of PDEA was relocated at the opposite end of the inverted chromosomal region. The splitting of the PDEA gene most likely inactivated the function of this enzyme. A recombination mechanism responsible for this inversion is proposed.

Molecular Characterization of Brucella abortus Chromosome II Recombination

PubMed Central

Tsoktouridis, Georgios; Merz, Christian A.; Manning, Simon P.; Giovagnoli-Kurtz, Renée; Williams, Leanne E.; Mujer, Cesar V.; Hagius, Sue; Elzer, Philip; Redkar, Rajendra J.; Patra, Guy; DelVecchio, Vito G.

2003-01-01

Large-scale genomic rearrangements including inversions, deletions, and duplications are significant in bacterial evolution. The recently completed Brucella melitensis 16M and Brucella suis 1330 genomes have facilitated the investigation of such events in the Brucella spp. Suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) was employed in identifying genomic differences between B. melitensis 16M and Brucella abortus 2308. Analysis of 45 SSH clones revealed several deletions on chromosomes of B. abortus and B. melitensis that encoded proteins of various metabolic pathways. A 640-kb inversion on chromosome II of B. abortus has been reported previously (S. Michaux Charachon, G. Bourg, E. Jumas Bilak, P. Guigue Talet, A. Allardet Servent, D. O'Callaghan, and M. Ramuz, J. Bacteriol. 179:3244-3249, 1997) and is further described in this study. One end of the inverted region is located on a deleted TATGC site between open reading frames BMEII0292 and BMEII0293. The other end inserted at a GTGTC site of the cyclic-di-GMP phosphodiesterase A (PDEA) gene (BMEII1009), dividing PDEA into two unequal DNA segments of 160 and 977 bp. As a consequence of inversion, the 160-bp segment that encodes the N-terminal region of PDEA was relocated at the opposite end of the inverted chromosomal region. The splitting of the PDEA gene most likely inactivated the function of this enzyme. A recombination mechanism responsible for this inversion is proposed. PMID:14526025

Identification of differentially expressed genes in human lung squamous cell carcinoma using suppression subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Sun, Wenyue; Zhang, Kaitai; Zhang, Xinyu; Lei, Wendong; Xiao, Ting; Ma, Jinfang; Guo, Suping; Shao, Shujuan; Zhang, Husheng; Liu, Yan; Yuan, Jinsong; Hu, Zhi; Ma, Ying; Feng, Xiaoli; Hu, Songnian; Zhou, Jun; Cheng, Shujun; Gao, Yanning

2004-08-20

Lung cancer is one of the major causes of cancer-related deaths. Over the past decade, much has been known about the molecular changes associated with lung carcinogenesis; however, our understanding to lung tumorigenesis is still incomplete. To identify genes that are differentially expressed in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung, we compared the expression profiles between primarily cultured SCC tumor cells and bronchial epithelial cells derived from morphologically normal bronchial epithelium of the same patient. Using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), two cDNA libraries containing up- and down-regulated genes in the tumor cells were constructed, named as LCTP and LCBP. The two libraries comprise 258 known genes and 133 unknown genes in total. The known up-regulated genes in the library LCTP represented a variety of functional groups; including metabolism-, cell adhesion and migration-, signal transduction-, and anti-apoptosis-related genes. Using semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, seven genes chosen randomly from the LCTP were analyzed in the tumor tissue paired with its corresponding adjacent normal lung tissue derived from 16 cases of the SCC. Among them, the IQGAP1, RAP1GDS1, PAICS, MLF1, and MARK1 genes showed a consistent expression pattern with that of the SSH analysis. Identification and further characterization of these genes may allow a better understanding of lung carcinogenesis.

Motivation and motor control: hemispheric specialization for approach motivation reverses with handedness.

PubMed

Brookshire, Geoffrey; Casasanto, Daniel

2012-01-01

According to decades of research on affective motivation in the human brain, approach motivational states are supported primarily by the left hemisphere and avoidance states by the right hemisphere. The underlying cause of this specialization, however, has remained unknown. Here we conducted a first test of the Sword and Shield Hypothesis (SSH), according to which the hemispheric laterality of affective motivation depends on the laterality of motor control for the dominant hand (i.e., the "sword hand," used preferentially to perform approach actions) and the nondominant hand (i.e., the "shield hand," used preferentially to perform avoidance actions). To determine whether the laterality of approach motivation varies with handedness, we measured alpha-band power (an inverse index of neural activity) in right- and left-handers during resting-state electroencephalography and analyzed hemispheric alpha-power asymmetries as a function of the participants' trait approach motivational tendencies. Stronger approach motivation was associated with more left-hemisphere activity in right-handers, but with more right-hemisphere activity in left-handers. The hemispheric correlates of approach motivation reversed between right- and left-handers, consistent with the way they typically use their dominant and nondominant hands to perform approach and avoidance actions. In both right- and left-handers, approach motivation was lateralized to the same hemisphere that controls the dominant hand. This covariation between neural systems for action and emotion provides initial support for the SSH.

[Differential gene expression in incompatible interaction between Lilium regale Wilson and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lilii revealed by combined SSH and microarray analysis].

PubMed

Rao, J; Liu, D; Zhang, N; He, H; Ge, F; Chen, C

2014-01-01

Fusarium wilt, caused by a soilborne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lilii, is the major disease of lily (Lilium L.). In order to isolate the genes differentially expressed in a resistant reaction to F. oxysporum in L. regale Wilson, a cDNA library was constructed with L. regale root during F. oxysporum infection using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), and a total of 585 unique expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were obtained. Furthermore, the gene expression profiles in the incompatible interaction between L. regale and F. oxysporum were revealed by oligonucleotide microarray analysis of 585 unique ESTs comparison to the compatible interaction between a susceptible Lilium Oriental Hybrid 'Siberia' and F. oxysporum. The result of expression profile analysis indicated that the genes encoding pathogenesis-related proteins (PRs), antioxidative stress enzymes, secondary metabolism enzymes, transcription factors, signal transduction proteins as well as a large number of unknown genes were involved in early defense response of L. regale to F. oxysporum infection. Moreover, the following quantitative reverse transcription PCR (QRT-PCR) analysis confirmed reliability of the oligonucleotide microarray data. In the present study, isolation of differentially expressed genes in L. regale during response to F. oxysporum helped to uncover the molecular mechanism associated with the resistance of L. regale against F. oxysporum.

The sensitivity of derived estimates to the measurment quality objectives for independent variables

Treesearch

Francis A. Roesch

2002-01-01

The effect of varying the allowed measurement error for individual tree variables upon county estimates of gross cubic-foot volume was examined. Measurement Quality Ob~ectives (MQOs) for three forest tree variables (biological identity, diameter, and height) used in individual tree gross cubic-foot volume equations were varied from the current USDA Forest Service...

The Sensitivity of Derived Estimates to the Measurement Quality Objectives for Independent Variables

Treesearch

Francis A. Roesch

2005-01-01

The effect of varying the allowed measurement error for individual tree variables upon county estimates of gross cubic-foot volume was examined. Measurement Quality Objectives (MQOs) for three forest tree variables (biological identity, diameter, and height) used in individual tree gross cubic-foot volume equations were varied from the current USDA Forest Service...

Kinetic analysis of downward step posture according to the foothold heights and visual information blockage in cargo truck

PubMed Central

Hyun, Seung-Hyun; Ryew, Che-Cheong

2018-01-01

The study was undertaken to compare and analyze kinetic variables during downward foot-on according to the foothold heights under interrupted-visual information on 25-t cargo truck. Skilled adult male drivers (n=10) engaged in cargo truck driving over 1 year participated in the experiment. The results obtained from cinematographic and ground reaction force data during downward foot-on as follows; First, leg stiffness, peak vertical force (PVF) and loading rate showed significant difference as an increase of foothold heights, that is, interrupted-visual information showed greater impulse force than as was not. Second, variables of center of pressure (COP) with interrupted-visual information did not showed difference, but anterior-posterior COP and COP area showed an increasing tendency as an increase of foothold heights. Third, dynamic posture stability index (overall, medial-lateral, anterior-posterior, and vertical) showed significant difference as an increase of foothold height, that is, interrupted-visual information showed lower index than as was not. Therefore it will be possible to control successfully the leg stiffness, loading rate, and PVF when preparing an estimate for air phase time and impulse force through habitual cognition and confirmation at landing during downward foot-on from cargo truck. Identifying these potential differences may enable clinicians to assess type of injury and design exercise rehabilitation protocols specific. PMID:29740569

Multiple regression analysis of anthropometric measurements influencing the cephalic index of male Japanese university students.

PubMed

Hossain, Md Golam; Saw, Aik; Alam, Rashidul; Ohtsuki, Fumio; Kamarul, Tunku

2013-09-01

Cephalic index (CI), the ratio of head breadth to head length, is widely used to categorise human populations. The aim of this study was to access the impact of anthropometric measurements on the CI of male Japanese university students. This study included 1,215 male university students from Tokyo and Kyoto, selected using convenient sampling. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the effect of anthropometric measurements on CI. The variance inflation factor (VIF) showed no evidence of a multicollinearity problem among independent variables. The coefficients of the regression line demonstrated a significant positive relationship between CI and minimum frontal breadth (p < 0.01), bizygomatic breadth (p < 0.01) and head height (p < 0.05), and a negative relationship between CI and morphological facial height (p < 0.01) and head circumference (p < 0.01). Moreover, the coefficient and odds ratio of logistic regression analysis showed a greater likelihood for minimum frontal breadth (p < 0.01) and bizygomatic breadth (p < 0.01) to predict round-headedness, and morphological facial height (p < 0.05) and head circumference (p < 0.01) to predict long-headedness. Stepwise regression analysis revealed bizygomatic breadth, head circumference, minimum frontal breadth, head height and morphological facial height to be the best predictor craniofacial measurements with respect to CI. The results suggest that most of the variables considered in this study appear to influence the CI of adult male Japanese students.

Identification and detection of simple 3D objects with severely blurred vision.

PubMed

Kallie, Christopher S; Legge, Gordon E; Yu, Deyue

2012-12-05

Detecting and recognizing three-dimensional (3D) objects is an important component of the visual accessibility of public spaces for people with impaired vision. The present study investigated the impact of environmental factors and object properties on the recognition of objects by subjects who viewed physical objects with severely reduced acuity. The experiment was conducted in an indoor testing space. We examined detection and identification of simple convex objects by normally sighted subjects wearing diffusing goggles that reduced effective acuity to 20/900. We used psychophysical methods to examine the effect on performance of important environmental variables: viewing distance (from 10-24 feet, or 3.05-7.32 m) and illumination (overhead fluorescent and artificial window), and object variables: shape (boxes and cylinders), size (heights from 2-6 feet, or 0.61-1.83 m), and color (gray and white). Object identification was significantly affected by distance, color, height, and shape, as well as interactions between illumination, color, and shape. A stepwise regression analysis showed that 64% of the variability in identification could be explained by object contrast values (58%) and object visual angle (6%). When acuity is severely limited, illumination, distance, color, height, and shape influence the identification and detection of simple 3D objects. These effects can be explained in large part by the impact of these variables on object contrast and visual angle. Basic design principles for improving object visibility are discussed.

Risk factors correlated with plantar pressure in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Qiu, Xuan; Tian, De-Hu; Han, Chang-Ling; Chen, Wei; Wang, Zhan-Jian; Mu, Zhen-Yun; Li, Xu; Liu, Kuan-Zhi

2013-12-01

Plantar pressure is a key factor for predicting ulceration in the foot of a diabetes patient. We recruited a group of 100 Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes and an age-, sex-, weight-, and height-matched group of 100 Chinese subjects without diabetes. We obtained plantar pressure data using a Footscan(®) gait system (RsScan International, Olen, Belgium) when the subjects with and without diabetes walked barefoot across a sensor platform. We recorded the maximum force, maximum pressure, impulse, pressure-time integral, and loading rate from 10 regions of the foot. We collected the data of 11 history-based variables, 10 anthropometric variables, and three metabolic variables regarding the clinical characteristics of the diabetes patients. Weight was identified as a determining factor for high plantar pressure. Height, the Neuropathy Symptom Score (NSS), and ankle-brachial index (ABI) were correlated positively with plantar pressure measurements, respectively. The sex, history of ulcer and callus, intima-media membrane of the lower limb blood vessels, and fasting blood glucose (FBG) could also explain a portion of the variability of the plantar pressure measurements. However, the correlations were low or weak. High plantar pressure in diabetes patients could be predicted, in part, based on weight, height, NSS, ABI, sex, history of ulcer and callus, intima-media membrane of the lower limb blood vessels, and FBG. Therefore, interventions should be taken specifically before high plantar pressure emerges.

Malnutrition among vaccinated children aged 0-5 years in Batouri, Republic of Cameroon.

PubMed

Nagahori, Chikako; Kinjo, Yoshihide; Tchuani, Jean Paul; Yamauchi, Taro

2017-12-01

Malnutrition continues to contribute to a high infant mortality rate. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of malnutrition and its potential association with the time at which complementary feeding was introduced among children aged 0-5 years in Batouri, Republic of Cameroon. Mothers (n=212) were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Child height or length, and weight measurements were determined and the appropriate Z -scores calculated. Multiple regression analysis was performed with the values of all nutritional status indicators as dependent variables and the time of commencing complementary feeding, and the child's age and sex, as independent variables. The prevalence of stunting (height/length for age<-2 standard deviation [SD]), underweight (weight for age<-2SD), and wasting (weight for height/length<-2SD) was 45.8%, 30.2%, and 11.3%, respectively. Even taking into consideration the biological variables, there was a significant association in the effects of time of starting complementary foods on the nutritional status indicators. Furthermore, adding socio-economic variables did not produce a rise in adjusted R 2 values for all age group models concerned. Approximately 30% of the children in the study region were underweight, and approximately half of the children exhibited stunting, indicating chronic malnutrition. Commencing complementary feeding at an appropriate time had a positive effect on nutritional status from approximately 2 years of age.

Deriving Surface NO2 Mixing Ratios from DISCOVER-AQ ACAM Observations: A Method to Assess Surface NO2 Spatial Variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silverman, M. L.; Szykman, J.; Chen, G.; Crawford, J. H.; Janz, S. J.; Kowalewski, M. G.; Lamsal, L. N.; Long, R.

2015-12-01

Studies have shown that satellite NO2 columns are closely related to ground level NO2 concentrations, particularly over polluted areas. This provides a means to assess surface level NO2 spatial variability over a broader area than what can be monitored from ground stations. The characterization of surface level NO2 variability is important to understand air quality in urban areas, emissions, health impacts, photochemistry, and to evaluate the performance of chemical transport models. Using data from the NASA DISCOVER-AQ campaign in Baltimore/Washington we calculate NO2 mixing ratios from the Airborne Compact Atmospheric Mapper (ACAM), through four different methods to derive surface concentration from column measurements. High spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) mixed layer heights, vertical P3B profiles, and CMAQ vertical profiles are used to scale ACAM vertical column densities. The derived NO2 mixing ratios are compared to EPA ground measurements taken at Padonia and Edgewood. We find similar results from scaling with HSRL mixed layer heights and normalized P3B vertical profiles. The HSRL mixed layer heights are then used to scale ACAM vertical column densities across the DISCOVER-AQ flight pattern to assess spatial variability of NO2 over the area. This work will help define the measurement requirements for future satellite instruments.

Retransformation bias in a stem profile model

Treesearch

Raymond L. Czaplewski; David Bruce

1990-01-01

An unbiased profile model, fit to diameter divided by diameter at breast height, overestimated volume of 5.3-m log sections by 0.5 to 3.5%. Another unbiased profile model, fit to squared diameter divided by squared diameter at breast height, underestimated bole diameters by 0.2 to 2.1%. These biases are caused by retransformation of the predicted dependent variable;...

Field Research Validation Sites | Wind | NREL

Science.gov Websites

, independent pitch control of the Controls Advanced Research Turbine (CART) blades Variable-speed or constant CART2 600-kW Turbine Model: Westinghouse Blades: 2 Hub height: 36.6 m Rotor diameter: 42.6 m Extensively instrumented CART3 600-kW Turbine Model: Westinghouse Blades: 3 Hub height: 36.6 m Rotor diameter: 42.6 m

Stepping over obstacles: anticipatory modifications in children with and without Down syndrome.

PubMed

Virji-Babul, Naznin; Brown, Michelle

2004-12-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanism of anticipatory control of gait in relation to the perception of an obstacle. Typically developing (TD) children (4-7 years of age) and children with Down syndrome (5-6 years of age) walked and stepped over obstacles of two different heights-a "subtle" obstacle that was placed at a very low distance from the floor (1% of total body height) and an "obvious" obstacle that was placed at a much higher distance from the floor (15% of total body height). Spatial and temporal measures of the gait cycle were analyzed. TD children showed increased variability in pre-obstacle step lengths only in response to the higher obstacle. Children with DS showed a decrease in variability in response to the higher obstacle and marked qualitative changes in their gait cycle. Both groups of children were able to scale toe clearance with obstacle height. These results show that TD young children can make task-specific anticipatory adjustments by modulating step length and toe clearance. Children with DS show appropriate scaling of toe clearance and are beginning to show the emergence of anticipatory responses under specific environmental conditions.