How can we explain the frontal presentation of insular lobe epilepsy? The impact of non-linear analysis of insular seizures.

PubMed

Hagiwara, Koichi; Jung, Julien; Bouet, Romain; Abdallah, Chifaou; Guénot, Marc; Garcia-Larrea, Luis; Mauguière, François; Rheims, Sylvain; Isnard, Jean

2017-05-01

For a decade it has been known that the insular lobe epilepsy can mimic frontal lobe epilepsy. We aimed to clarify the pattern of functional coupling occurring during the frontal presentation. We analyzed five insular lobe epilepsy patients. Frontal semiology was predominant for three of them, whereas insular semiology was predominant for the two others. We applied the non-linear regression analysis to stereoelectroencephalography-recorded seizures. A directed functional coupling index was calculated during clonic discharge periods that were accompanied either with frontal or insular semiology. We found significant functional coupling between the insula and mesial frontal/cingulate regions, with the former being a leader region for seizures propagation. Extra-insular regions showed significantly less or even no coupling with the mesial hemispheric regions. The three patients with frontal semiology showed strong couplings with the mesial frontal as well as cingulate regions, including the medial orbitofrontal cortex, pre-SMA/SMA, and the anterior to posterior cingulate. The two patients with the insular semiology only showed couplings between the insula and cingulate regions. The frontal semiology was expressed by strong functional couplings between the insula and mesial frontal regions. The insular origin of seizure should be considered in cryptogenic mesial frontal epilepsies. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Verbal memory impairment after left insular cortex infarction

PubMed Central

Manes, F.; Springer, J.; Jorge, R.; Robinson, R.

1999-01-01

PET studies have shown an association between changes in blood flow in the insular cortex and verbal memory. This study compared verbal memory profiles between a group of four right handed patients with right insular infarction and a group of six right handed patients with left insular infarction. Patient groups were comparable in age, education, and sex. Patients were administered memory tests about 4-8 weeks poststroke. Patients with left insular lesions showed significantly poorer immediate and delayed verbal memory as measured by story A of the WMS-R logical memory I (t=−2.73, p<0.03) and logical memory II (t=−4.1, p<0.004) subtests as well as the CERAD word list memory (delayed recall) (t=−2.4, p<0.05). These findings indicate that left insular damage is associated with poorer performance on verbal memory tasks. The findings suggest that the insula may be part of a functional network that mediates verbal memory.

 PMID:10486407

Difference in receptive field features of taste neurons in rat granular and dysgranular insular cortices.

PubMed

Ogawa, H; Murayama, N; Hasegawa, K

1992-01-01

Receptive fields (RFs) of 59 cortical taste neurons (35 in the granular insular area, area GI, 21 in the dysgranular insular area, area DI, and 3 in the agranular insular area, area AI) were identified in the oral cavity of the rat. The fraction of the neurons with RFs in the anterior oral cavity only was significantly larger in area GI (74.3%) than in area DI (42.9%). On the other hand, the fraction of neurons with RFs in both the anterior and posterior oral cavity was larger in area DI (42.9%) than in area GI (11.4%). On the whole, it is suggested that area GI is involved in discrimination of several taste stimuli in the oral cavity, whereas in area DI taste information originating from various regions of the oral cavity is integrated. When neurons were classified according to the best stimulus which most excited the neuron among the four basic tastes, different categories of taste neurons had RFs in different parts of the oral cavity. It is suggested that, in either taste area, different categories of taste neurons are involved in different sorts of taste coding. The majority of neurons in both areas had bilateral RFs. In area GI, neurons with RFs on single subpopulations of taste buds were significantly more numerous at the rostral region of the cortex than at the caudal region. There was no such relation between RF types and cortical localization in area DI. Otherwise, topographic representation of the oral cavity by taste neurons on the cortical surface was not obvious. RF features of taste neurons did not differ across layers in either cortical area.

Homeostatic circuits selectively gate food cue responses in insular cortex

PubMed Central

Livneh, Yoav; Ramesh, Rohan n.; Burgess, christian R.; Levandowski, Kirsten M.; Madara, Joseph c.; Fenselau, henning; Goldey, Glenn J.; Diaz, Veronica E.; Jikomes, nick; Resch, Jon M.; Lowell, Bradford B.; Andermann, Mark L.

2017-01-01

Physiological needs bias perception and attention to relevant sensory cues. This process is ‘hijacked’ by drug addiction, causing cue-induced cravings and relapse. Similarly, its dysregulation contributes to failed diets, obesity, and eating disorders. Neuroimaging studies in humans have implicated insular cortex in these phenomena. However, it remains unclear how ‘cognitive’ cortical representations of motivationally relevant cues are biased by subcortical circuits that drive specific motivational states. Here we develop a microprism-based cellular imaging approach to monitor visual cue responses in the insular cortex of behaving mice across hunger states. Insular cortex neurons demonstrate food- cue-biased responses that are abolished during satiety. Unexpectedly, while multiple satiety-related visceral signals converge in insular cortex, chemogenetic activation of hypothalamic ‘hunger neurons’ (expressing agouti-related peptide (AgRP)) bypasses these signals to restore hunger-like response patterns in insular cortex. Circuit mapping and pathway-specific manipulations uncover a pathway from AgRP neurons to insular cortex via the paraventricular thalamus and basolateral amygdala. These results reveal a neural basis for state-specific biased processing of motivationally relevant cues. PMID:28614299

Extreme insular dwarfism evolved in a mammoth.

PubMed

Herridge, Victoria L; Lister, Adrian M

2012-08-22

The insular dwarfism seen in Pleistocene elephants has come to epitomize the island rule; yet our understanding of this phenomenon is hampered by poor taxonomy. For Mediterranean dwarf elephants, where the most extreme cases of insular dwarfism are observed, a key systematic question remains unresolved: are all taxa phyletic dwarfs of a single mainland species Palaeoloxodon antiquus (straight-tusked elephant), or are some referable to Mammuthus (mammoths)? Ancient DNA and geochronological evidence have been used to support a Mammuthus origin for the Cretan 'Palaeoloxodon' creticus, but these studies have been shown to be flawed. On the basis of existing collections and recent field discoveries, we present new, morphological evidence for the taxonomic status of 'P'. creticus, and show that it is indeed a mammoth, most probably derived from Early Pleistocene Mammuthus meridionalis or possibly Late Pliocene Mammuthus rumanus. We also show that Mammuthus creticus is smaller than other known insular dwarf mammoths, and is similar in size to the smallest dwarf Palaeoloxodon species from Sicily and Malta, making it the smallest mammoth species known to have existed. These findings indicate that extreme insular dwarfism has evolved to a similar degree independently in two elephant lineages.

Insular Cortex Metabolite Changes in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

PubMed Central

Yadav, Santosh K.; Kumar, Rajesh; Macey, Paul M.; Woo, Mary A.; Yan-Go, Frisca L.; Harper, Ronald M.

2014-01-01

Study Objective: Adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) show significant autonomic and neuropsychologic deficits, which may derive from damage to insular regions that serve those functions. The aim was to assess glial and neuronal status from anterior insular metabolites in OSA versus controls, using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (PMRS), and thus to provide insights for neuroprotection against tissue changes, and to reduce injury consequences. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: University-based medical center. Participants: Thirty-six patients with OSA, 53 controls. Interventions: None. Measurements and Results: We performed PMRS in bilateral anterior insulae using a 3.0-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanner, calculated N-acetylaspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr), choline/creatine (Cho/Cr), myo-inositol/creatine (MI/Cr), and MI/NAA metabolite ratios, and examined daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale, ESS), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI), and neuropsychologic status (Beck Depression Inventory II [BDI-II] and Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI]). Body mass index, BAI, BDI-II, PSQI, and ESS significantly differed between groups. NAA/ Cr ratios were significantly reduced bilaterally, and left-sided MI/Cr and MI/NAA ratios were increased in OSA over controls. Significant positive correlations emerged between left insular MI/Cr ratios and apnea-hypopnea index values, right insular Cho/Cr ratios and BDI-II and BAI scores, and negative correlations appeared between left insular NAA/Cr ratios and PSQI scores and between right-side MI/Cr ratios and baseline and nadir change in O2 saturation. Conclusions: Adults with obstructive sleep apnea showed bilaterally reduced N-acetylaspartate and left-side increased myo-inositol anterior insular metabolites, indicating neuronal damage and increased glial activation, respectively, which may contribute to abnormal autonomic and neuropsychologic functions in the condition. The activated glial status

Medicaid and CHIP: Opportunities Exist to Improve U.S. Insular Area Demographic Data That Could Be Used to Help Determine Federal Funding. GAO-09-558R

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohn, Linda T.

2009-01-01

The five largest insular areas of the United States--American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands--receive federal funding through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), joint federal-state programs that finance health care for certain low-income…

Insular cortex metabolite changes in obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

Yadav, Santosh K; Kumar, Rajesh; Macey, Paul M; Woo, Mary A; Yan-Go, Frisca L; Harper, Ronald M

2014-05-01

Adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) show significant autonomic and neuropsychologic deficits, which may derive from damage to insular regions that serve those functions. The aim was to assess glial and neuronal status from anterior insular metabolites in OSA versus controls, using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (PMRS), and thus to provide insights for neuroprotection against tissue changes, and to reduce injury consequences. Cross-sectional study. University-based medical center. Thirty-six patients with OSA, 53 controls. None. We performed PMRS in bilateral anterior insulae using a 3.0-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanner, calculated N-acetylaspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr), choline/creatine (Cho/Cr), myo-inositol/creatine (MI/Cr), and MI/NAA metabolite ratios, and examined daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale, ESS), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI), and neuropsychologic status (Beck Depression Inventory II [BDI-II] and Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI]). Body mass index, BAI, BDI-II, PSQI, and ESS significantly differed between groups. NAA/ Cr ratios were significantly reduced bilaterally, and left-sided MI/Cr and MI/NAA ratios were increased in OSA over controls. Significant positive correlations emerged between left insular MI/Cr ratios and apnea-hypopnea index values, right insular Cho/Cr ratios and BDI-II and BAI scores, and negative correlations appeared between left insular NAA/Cr ratios and PSQI scores and between right-side MI/Cr ratios and baseline and nadir change in O2 saturation. Adults with obstructive sleep apnea showed bilaterally reduced N-acetylaspartate and left-side increased myo-inositol anterior insular metabolites, indicating neuronal damage and increased glial activation, respectively, which may contribute to abnormal autonomic and neuropsychologic functions in the condition. The activated glial status likely indicates increased inflammatory action that may induce more neuronal injury, and suggests

The biogeography of threatened insular iguanas and opportunities for invasive vertebrate management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tershy, Bernie R.; Newton, Kelly M.; Spatz, Dena R.; Swinnerton, Kirsty; Iverson, John B.; Fisher, Robert N.; Harlow, Peter S.; Holmes, Nick D.; Croll, Donald A.; Iverson, J.B.; Grant, T. D.; Knapp, C. R.; Pasachnik, S. A.

2016-01-01

Iguanas are a particularly threatened group of reptiles, with 61% of species at risk of extinction. Primary threats to iguanas include habitat loss, direct and indirect impacts by invasive vertebrates, overexploitation, and human disturbance. As conspicuous, charismatic vertebrates, iguanas also represent excellent flagships for biodiversity conservation. To assist planning for invasive vertebrate management and thus benefit threatened iguana recovery, we identified all islands with known extant or extirpated populations of Critically Endangered and Endangered insular iguana taxa as recognized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. For each island, we determined total area, sovereignty, the presence of invasive alien vertebrates, and human population. For the 23 taxa of threatened insular iguanas we identified 230 populations, of which iguanas were extant on 185 islands and extirpated from 45 islands. Twenty-one iguana taxa (91% of all threatened insular iguana taxa) occurred on at least one island with invasive vertebrates present; 16 taxa had 100% of their population(s) on islands with invasive vertebrates present. Rodents, cats, ungulates, and dogs were the most common invasive vertebrates. We discuss biosecurity, eradication, and control of invasive vertebrates to benefit iguana recovery: (1) on islands already free of invasive vertebrates; (2) on islands with high iguana endemicity; and (3) for species and subspecies with small total populations occurring across multiple small islands. Our analyses provide an important first step toward understanding how invasive vertebrate management can be planned effectively to benefit threatened insular iguanas.

CREB regulates memory allocation in the insular cortex

PubMed Central

Sano, Yoshitake; Shobe, Justin L.; Zhou, Miou; Huang, Shan; Shuman, Tristan; Cai, Denise J.; Golshani, Peyman; Kamata, Masakazu; Silva, Alcino J.

2016-01-01

Summary The molecular and cellular mechanisms of memory storage have attracted a great deal of attention. By comparison, little is known about memory allocation, the process that determines which specific neurons in a neural network will store a given memory [1, 2]. Previous studies demonstrated that memory allocation is not random in the amygdala; these studies showed that amygdala neurons with higher levels of the cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) are more likely to be recruited into encoding and storing fear memory [3–6]. To determine whether specific mechanisms also regulate memory allocation in other brain regions, and whether CREB also has a role in this process, we studied insular cortical memory representations for conditioned taste aversion (CTA). In this task, an animal learns to associate a taste (CS) with the experience of malaise (such as that induced by LiCl; US). The insular cortex is required for CTA memory formation and retrieval [7–12]. CTA learning activates a subpopulation of neurons in this structure [13–15], and the insular cortex and the basolateral amygdala (BLA) interact during CTA formation [16, 17]. Here, we used a combination of approaches, including viral vector transfections of insular cortex, arc Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) and Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADD) system, to show that CREB levels determine which insular cortical neurons go on to encode a given conditioned taste memory. PMID:25454591

[Surgical anatomy of the peri-insular association tracts. Part I.The superior longitudinal fascicle system].

PubMed

Bykanov, A E; Pitskhelauri, D I; Batalov, A I; Pronin, I N; Shkarubo, M A; Dobrovol'sky, G F; Kobyakov, G L; Buklina, S B; Puchkov, V L; Zakharova, N E; Smirnov, A S; Sanikidze, A Z; Gol'bin, D A; Pogosbekyan, E L; Kudieva, E S; Shkatova, A M; Potapov, A A

To study the peri-insular association tract anatomy and define the permissible anatomical boundaries for resection of glial insular tumors with allowance for the surgical anatomy of the peri-insular association tracts. In an anatomic study of the superior longitudinal fascicle system (SLF I, SLF II, SLF III, arcuate fascicle), we used 12 anatomical specimens (6 left and 6 right hemispheres) prepared according to the Klingler's fiber dissection technique. To confirm the dissection data, we used MR tractography (HARDI-CSD-tractography) of the conduction tracts, which was performed in two healthy volunteers. Except the SLF I (identified in 7 hemispheres by fiber dissection), all fascicles of the SLF system were found in all investigated hemispheres by both fiber dissection and MR tractography. The transcortical approach to the insula through the frontal and (or) parietal operculum is associated with a significant risk of transverse transection of the SLF III fibers passing in the frontal and parietal opercula. The most optimal area for the transcortical approach to the insula is the anterior third of the superior temporal gyrus that lacks important association tracts and, consequently, a risk of their injury. The superior peri-insular sulcus is an intraoperative landmark for the transsylvian approach, which enables identification of the SLF II and arcuate fascicle in the surgical wound. Detailed knowledge of the peri-insular association tract anatomy is the prerequisite for neurosurgery in the insular region. Our findings facilitate correct identification of both the site for cerebral operculum dissection upon the transcortical approach and the intraoperative landmarks for locating the association tracts in the surgical wound upon the transsylvian approach to the insula.

Cingulo-insular structural alterations associated with psychogenic symptoms, childhood abuse and PTSD in functional neurological disorders.

PubMed

Perez, David L; Matin, Nassim; Barsky, Arthur; Costumero-Ramos, Victor; Makaretz, Sara J; Young, Sigrid S; Sepulcre, Jorge; LaFrance, W Curt; Keshavan, Matcheri S; Dickerson, Bradford C

2017-06-01

Adverse early-life events are predisposing factors for functional neurological disorder (FND) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cingulo-insular regions are implicated in the biology of both conditions and are sites of stress-mediated neuroplasticity. We hypothesised that functional neurological symptoms and the magnitude of childhood abuse would be associated with overlapping anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and insular volumetric reductions, and that FND and PTSD symptoms would map onto distinct cingulo-insular areas. This within-group voxel-based morphometry study probes volumetric associations with self-report measures of functional neurological symptoms, adverse life events and PTSD symptoms in 23 mixed-gender FND patients. Separate secondary analyses were also performed in the subset of 18 women with FND to account for gender-specific effects. Across the entire cohort, there were no statistically significant volumetric associations with self-report measures of functional neurological symptom severity or childhood abuse. In women with FND, however, parallel inverse associations were observed between left anterior insular volume and functional neurological symptoms as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 and the Screening for Somatoform Symptoms Conversion Disorder subscale. Similar inverse relationships were also appreciated between childhood abuse burden and left anterior insular volume. Across all subjects, PTSD symptom severity was inversely associated with dorsal ACC volume, and the magnitude of lifetime adverse events was inversely associated with left hippocampal volume. This study reveals distinct cingulo-insular alterations for FND and PTSD symptoms and may advance our understanding of FND. Potential biological convergence between stress-related neuroplasticity, functional neurological symptoms and reduced insular volume was identified. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017

Multimodal investigation of epileptic networks: The case of insular cortex epilepsy.

PubMed

Zerouali, Y; Ghaziri, J; Nguyen, D K

2016-01-01

The insula is a deep cortical structure sharing extensive synaptic connections with a variety of brain regions, including several frontal, temporal, and parietal structures. The identification of the insular connectivity network is obviously valuable for understanding a number of cognitive processes, but also for understanding epilepsy since insular seizures involve a number of remote brain regions. Ultimately, knowledge of the structure and causal relationships within the epileptic networks associated with insular cortex epilepsy can offer deeper insights into this relatively neglected type of epilepsy enabling the refining of the clinical approach in managing patients affected by it. In the present chapter, we first review the multimodal noninvasive tests performed during the presurgical evaluation of epileptic patients with drug refractory focal epilepsy, with particular emphasis on their value for the detection of insular cortex epilepsy. Second, we review the emerging multimodal investigation techniques in the field of epilepsy, that aim to (1) enhance the detection of insular cortex epilepsy and (2) unveil the architecture and causal relationships within epileptic networks. We summarize the results of these approaches with emphasis on the specific case of insular cortex epilepsy. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrical stimulation of the insular region attenuates nicotine-taking and nicotine-seeking behaviors.

PubMed

Pushparaj, Abhiram; Hamani, Clement; Yu, Wilson; Shin, Damian S; Kang, Bin; Nobrega, José N; Le Foll, Bernard

2013-03-01

Pharmacological inactivation of the granular insular cortex is able to block nicotine-taking and -seeking behaviors in rats. In this study, we explored the potential of modulating activity in the insular region using electrical stimulation. Animals were trained to self-administer nicotine (0.03 mg/kg per infusion) under a fixed ratio-5 (FR-5) schedule of reinforcement followed by a progressive ratio (PR) schedule. Evaluation of the effect of stimulation in the insular region was performed on nicotine self-administration under FR-5 and PR schedules, as well on reinstatement of nicotine-seeking behavior induced by nicotine-associated cues or nicotine-priming injections. The effect of stimulation was also examined in brain slices containing insular neurons. Stimulation significantly attenuated nicotine-taking, under both schedules of reinforcement, as well as nicotine-seeking behavior induced by cues and priming. These effects appear to be specific to nicotine-associated behaviors, as stimulation did not have any effect on food-taking behavior. They appear to be anatomically specific, as stimulation surrounding the insular region had no effect on behavior. Stimulation of brain slices containing the insular region was found to inactivate insular neurons. Our results suggest that deep brain stimulation to modulate insular activity should be further explored.

Thirst-Dependent Activity of the Insular Cortex Reflects its Emotion-Related Subdivision: A Cerebral Blood Flow Study.

PubMed

Meier, Lea; Federspiel, Andrea; Jann, Kay; Wiest, Roland; Strik, Werner; Dierks, Thomas

2018-04-26

Recent studies investigating neural correlates of human thirst have identified various subcortical and telencephalic brain areas. The experience of thirst represents a homeostatic emotion and a state that slowly evolves over time. Therefore, the present study aims at systematically examining cerebral perfusion during the parametric progression of thirst. We measured subjective thirst ratings, serum parameters and cerebral blood flow in 20 healthy subjects across four different thirst stages: intense thirst, moderate thirst, subjective satiation and physiological satiation. Imaging data revealed dehydration-related perfusion differences in previously identified brain areas, such as the anterior cingulate cortex, the middle temporal gyrus and the insular cortex. However, significant differences across all four thirst stages (including the moderate thirst level), were exclusively found in the posterior insular cortex. The subjective thirst ratings over the different thirst stages, however, were associated with perfusion differences in the right anterior insula. These findings add to our understanding of the insular cortex as a key player in human thirst - both on the level of physiological dehydration and the level of the subjective thirst experience. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Insular Alzheimer disease pathology and the psychometric correlates of mortality.

PubMed

Royall, Donald R

2008-03-01

Right hemisphere dysfunction is associated with mortality in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurologic conditions. These associations may be mediated by insular pathology, as insular lesions result in demonstrable changes in cardiovascular and autonomic control. AD affects the insulae at a preclinical stage, and insular AD pathology may be present in up to 40% of nondemented septuagenarians and octogenarians. This pathology can affect in vivo cardiac conduction and thereby dispose to cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death. Thus, AD pathology should be considered as a possible explanation for autonomic morbidity and mortality in nondemented elderly persons.

Effects of insularity on digestion: living on islands induces shifts in physiological and morphological traits in island reptiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sagonas, Kostas; Pafilis, Panayiotis; Valakos, Efstratios D.

2015-10-01

Living on islands entails numerous challenges for animals, among which resource scarcity stands out. In order to survive, animals have to optimize energy acquisition. We examined the impact of insularity on digestion comparing a series of physiological and morphological traits of adult males between insular and mainland populations of the Balkan green lizard. Island lizards had longer gastrointestinal tracts and gut passage times and higher digestive efficiencies. The dissection of the hindgut revealed an unexpected finding, the presence of cecal valves that were more frequent in island lizards. Thanks to all above islanders retain food for longer periods and thus maximize energy income and increase the amount of the extracted nutrients. That way, they secure energy income from the limited, in time and quantity, food resources of the islands.

Functional neuroanatomy of the insular lobe.

PubMed

Stephani, C; Fernandez-Baca Vaca, G; Maciunas, R; Koubeissi, M; Lüders, H O

2011-06-01

The insula is the fifth lobe of the brain and it is the least known. Hidden under the temporal, frontal and parietal opercula, as well as under dense arterial and venous vessels, its accessibility is particularly restricted. Functional data on this region in humans, therefore, are scarce and the existing evidence makes conclusions on its functional and somatotopic organization difficult. 5 patients with intractable epilepsy underwent an invasive presurgical evaluation with implantation of diagnostic invasive-depth electrodes, including insular electrodes that were inserted using a mesiocaudodorsal to laterorostroventral approach. Altogether 113 contacts were found to be in the insula and were stimulated with alternating currents during preoperative monitoring. Different viscerosensitive and somatosensory phenomena were elicited by stimulation of these electrodes. A relatively high density of electrode contacts enabled us to delineate several functionally distinct areas within the insula. We found somatosensory symptoms to be restricted to the posterior insula and a subgroup of warmth or painful sensations in the dorsal posterior insula. Viscerosensory symptoms were elicited by more anterior electrode contacts with a subgroup of gustatory symptoms occurring after stimulation of electrode contacts in the central part of the insula. The anterior insula did not show reproducible responses to stimulation. In line with previous studies, we found evidence for somato- and viscerosensory cortex in the insula. In addition, our results suggest that there is a predominantly posterior and central distribution of these functions in the insular lobe.

Distributed task coding throughout the multiple demand network of the human frontal-insular cortex.

PubMed

Stiers, Peter; Mennes, Maarten; Sunaert, Stefan

2010-08-01

The large variety of tasks that humans can perform is governed by a small number of key frontal-insular regions that are commonly active during task performance. Little is known about how this network distinguishes different tasks. We report on fMRI data in twelve participants while they performed four cognitive tasks. Of 20 commonly active frontal-insular regions in each hemisphere, five showed a BOLD response increase with increased task demands, regardless of the task. Although active in all tasks, each task invoked a unique response pattern across the voxels in each area that proved reliable in split-half multi-voxel correlation analysis. Consequently, voxels differed in their preference for one or more of the tasks. Voxel-based functional connectivity analyses revealed that same preference voxels distributed across all areas of the network constituted functional sub-networks that characterized the task being executed. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Insular cortex activity and the evocation of laughter.

PubMed

Wattendorf, Elise; Westermann, Birgit; Lotze, Martin; Fiedler, Klaus; Celio, Marco R

2016-06-01

The insular cortex is fundamentally involved in the processing of interoceptive information. It has been postulated that the integrative monitoring of the bodily responses to environmental stimuli is crucial for the recognition and experience of emotions. Because emotional arousal is known to be closely coupled to functions of the anterior insula, we suspected laughter to be associated primarily with neuronal activity in this region. An anatomically constrained re-analysis of our imaging data pertaining to ticklish laughter, to inhibited ticklish laughter, and to voluntary laughter revealed regional differences in the levels of neuronal activity in the posterior and mid-/anterior portions of the insula. Ticklish laughter was associated specifically with right ventral anterior insular activity, which was not detected under the other two conditions. Hence, apparently, only laughter that is evoked as an emotional response bears the signature of autonomic arousal in the insular cortex. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Delta and gamma oscillations in operculo-insular cortex underlie innocuous cold thermosensation

PubMed Central

Vinding, Mikkel C.; Allen, Micah; Jensen, Troels Staehelin; Finnerup, Nanna Brix

2017-01-01

Cold-sensitive and nociceptive neural pathways interact to shape the quality and intensity of thermal and pain perception. Yet the central processing of cold thermosensation in the human brain has not been extensively studied. Here, we used magnetoencephalography and EEG in healthy volunteers to investigate the time course (evoked fields and potentials) and oscillatory activity associated with the perception of cold temperature changes. Nonnoxious cold stimuli consisting of Δ3°C and Δ5°C decrements from an adapting temperature of 35°C were delivered on the dorsum of the left hand via a contact thermode. Cold-evoked fields peaked at around 240 and 500 ms, at peak latencies similar to the N1 and P2 cold-evoked potentials. Importantly, cold-related changes in oscillatory power indicated that innocuous thermosensation is mediated by oscillatory activity in the range of delta (1–4 Hz) and gamma (55–90 Hz) rhythms, originating in operculo-insular cortical regions. We suggest that delta rhythms coordinate functional integration between operculo-insular and frontoparietal regions, while gamma rhythms reflect local sensory processing in operculo-insular areas. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Using magnetoencephalography, we identified spatiotemporal features of central cold processing, with respect to the time course, oscillatory profile, and neural generators of cold-evoked responses in healthy human volunteers. Cold thermosensation was associated with low- and high-frequency oscillatory rhythms, both originating in operculo-insular regions. These results support further investigations of central cold processing using magnetoencephalography or EEG and the clinical utility of cold-evoked potentials for neurophysiological assessment of cold-related small-fiber function and damage. PMID:28250150

Differential effects of insular and ventromedial prefrontal cortex lesions on risky decision-making.

PubMed

Clark, L; Bechara, A; Damasio, H; Aitken, M R F; Sahakian, B J; Robbins, T W

2008-05-01

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and insular cortex are implicated in distributed neural circuitry that supports emotional decision-making. Previous studies of patients with vmPFC lesions have focused primarily on decision-making under uncertainty, when outcome probabilities are ambiguous (e.g. the Iowa Gambling Task). It remains unclear whether vmPFC is also necessary for decision-making under risk, when outcome probabilities are explicit. It is not known whether the effect of insular damage is analogous to the effect of vmPFC damage, or whether these regions contribute differentially to choice behaviour. Four groups of participants were compared on the Cambridge Gamble Task, a well-characterized measure of risky decision-making where outcome probabilities are presented explicitly, thus minimizing additional learning and working memory demands. Patients with focal, stable lesions to the vmPFC (n = 20) and the insular cortex (n = 13) were compared against healthy subjects (n = 41) and a group of lesion controls (n = 12) with damage predominantly affecting the dorsal and lateral frontal cortex. The vmPFC and insular cortex patients showed selective and distinctive disruptions of betting behaviour. VmPFC damage was associated with increased betting regardless of the odds of winning, consistent with a role of vmPFC in biasing healthy individuals towards conservative options under risk. In contrast, patients with insular cortex lesions failed to adjust their bets by the odds of winning, consistent with a role of the insular cortex in signalling the probability of aversive outcomes. The insular group attained a lower point score on the task and experienced more 'bankruptcies'. There were no group differences in probability judgement. These data confirm the necessary role of the vmPFC and insular regions in decision-making under risk. Poor decision-making in clinical populations can arise via multiple routes, with functionally dissociable effects of vmPFC and

Extensive Clonality and Strong Differentiation in the Insular Pacific Tree Santalum insulare: Implications for its Conservation

PubMed Central

LHUILLIER, EMELINE; BUTAUD, JEAN-FRANÇOIS; BOUVET, JEAN-MARC

2006-01-01

• Background and Aims The impact of evolutionary forces on insular systems is particularly exacerbated by the remoteness of islands, strong founder effects, small population size and the influence of biotic and abiotic factors. Patterns of molecular diversity were analysed in an island system with Santalum insulare, a sandalwood species endemic to eastern Polynesia. The aims were to evaluate clonality and to study the genetic diversity and structure of this species, in order to understand the evolutionary process and to define a conservation strategy. • Methods Eight nuclear microsatellites were used to investigate clonality, genetic variation and structure of the French Polynesian sandalwood populations found on ten islands distributed over three archipelagos. • Key Results It was found that 58 % of the 384 trees analysed were clones. The real size of the populations is thus dramatically reduced, with sometimes only one genet producing ramets by root suckering. The diversity parameters were low for islands (nA = 1·5–5·0; HE = 0·28–0·49). No departure from Hardy–Weinberg proportion was observed except within Tahiti island, where a significant excess of homozygotes was noted in the highland population. Genetic structure was characterized by high levels of differentiation between archipelagos (27 % of the total variation) and islands (FST = 0·50). The neighbour-joining tree did not discriminate the three archipelagos but separated the Society archipelago from the other two. • Conclusions This study shows that clonality is a frequent phenomenon in S. insulare. The genetic diversity within populations is lower than the values assessed in species distributed on the mainland, as a consequence of insularity. But this can also be explained by the overexploitation of sandalwood. The differentiation between archipelagos and islands within archipelagos is very high because of the limited gene flow due to oceanic barriers. Delineation of evolutionary

Altered Functional Connectivity of Insular Subregions in Alzheimer's Disease.

PubMed

Liu, Xingyun; Chen, Xiaodan; Zheng, Weimin; Xia, Mingrui; Han, Ying; Song, Haiqing; Li, Kuncheng; He, Yong; Wang, Zhiqun

2018-01-01

Recent researches have demonstrated that the insula is the crucial hub of the human brain networks and most vulnerable region of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, little is known about the changes of functional connectivity of insular subregions in the AD patients. In this study, we collected resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data including 32 AD patients and 38 healthy controls (HCs). By defining three subregions of insula, we mapped whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and identified several distinct RSFC patterns of the insular subregions: For positive connectivity, three cognitive-related RSFC patterns were identified within insula that suggest anterior-to-posterior functional subdivisions: (1) an dorsal anterior zone of the insula that exhibits RSFC with executive control network (ECN); (2) a ventral anterior zone of insula, exhibits functional connectivity with the salience network (SN); (3) a posterior zone along the insula exhibits functional connectivity with the sensorimotor network (SMN). In addition, we found significant negative connectivities between the each insular subregion and several special default mode network (DMN) regions. Compared with controls, the AD patients demonstrated distinct disruption of positive RSFCs in the different network (ECN and SMN), suggesting the impairment of the functional integrity. There were no differences of the positive RSFCs in the SN between the two groups. On the other hand, several DMN regions showed increased negative RSFCs to the sub-region of insula in the AD patients, indicating compensatory plasticity. Furthermore, these abnormal insular subregions RSFCs are closely correlated with cognitive performances in the AD patients. Our findings suggested that different insular subregions presented distinct RSFC patterns with various functional networks, which are differently affected in the AD patients.

Differential effects of insular and ventromedial prefrontal cortex lesions on risky decision-making

PubMed Central

Bechara, A.; Damasio, H.; Aitken, M. R. F.; Sahakian, B. J.; Robbins, T. W.

2008-01-01

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and insular cortex are implicated in distributed neural circuitry that supports emotional decision-making. Previous studies of patients with vmPFC lesions have focused primarily on decision-making under uncertainty, when outcome probabilities are ambiguous (e.g. the Iowa Gambling Task). It remains unclear whether vmPFC is also necessary for decision-making under risk, when outcome probabilities are explicit. It is not known whether the effect of insular damage is analogous to the effect of vmPFC damage, or whether these regions contribute differentially to choice behaviour. Four groups of participants were compared on the Cambridge Gamble Task, a well-characterized measure of risky decision-making where outcome probabilities are presented explicitly, thus minimizing additional learning and working memory demands. Patients with focal, stable lesions to the vmPFC (n = 20) and the insular cortex (n = 13) were compared against healthy subjects (n = 41) and a group of lesion controls (n = 12) with damage predominantly affecting the dorsal and lateral frontal cortex. The vmPFC and insular cortex patients showed selective and distinctive disruptions of betting behaviour. VmPFC damage was associated with increased betting regardless of the odds of winning, consistent with a role of vmPFC in biasing healthy individuals towards conservative options under risk. In contrast, patients with insular cortex lesions failed to adjust their bets by the odds of winning, consistent with a role of the insular cortex in signalling the probability of aversive outcomes. The insular group attained a lower point score on the task and experienced more ‘bankruptcies’. There were no group differences in probability judgement. These data confirm the necessary role of the vmPFC and insular regions in decision-making under risk. Poor decision-making in clinical populations can arise via multiple routes, with functionally dissociable effects of vm

Does unilateral insular resection disturb personality? A study with epileptic patients.

PubMed

Hébert-Seropian, Benjamin; Boucher, Olivier; Sénéchal, Carole; Rouleau, Isabelle; Bouthillier, Alain; Lepore, Franco; Nguyen, Dang Khoa

2017-09-01

The insula is now regarded as a potential site of epileptogenesis in drug-resistant epilepsy, and the advent of microsurgical techniques has allowed insular cortectomy to become a treatment of choice when the insular cortex is involved in the seizure focus. However, considering the evidence of an insular role in socio-emotional processing, it remains unknown whether these cortical resections disturb personality and social behavior as experienced in daily life. We examined such changes in a group of patients (n=19) who underwent epilepsy surgery involving partial or complete resection of the insula, and compared them to a group of patients who underwent standard temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) surgery (n=19) as a lesion-control group. Participants were assessed on the Iowa Scales of Personality Change, filled by a close relative at least six months after surgery. While postoperative changes did not significantly differ between groups on any of the ISPC items, insular resections were associated with mild but significant increases in irritability, emotional lability, anxiety, and frugality postoperatively, which, apart from anxiety, were not significant among TLE patients. Our results are congruent with the idea that the insula contributes to emotion processing. To our knowledge, this study is the first to systematically assess personality changes in a consecutive sample of patients with insular resections. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Role of insular cortex in visceral hypersensitivity model in rats subjected to chronic stress.

PubMed

Yi, LiSha; Sun, HuiHui; Ge, Chao; Chen, Ying; Peng, HaiXia; Jiang, YuanXi; Wu, Ping; Tang, YinHan; Meng, QingWei; Xu, ShuChang

2014-12-30

Abnormal processing of visceral sensation at the level of the central nervous system has been proven to be important in the pathophysiologic mechanisms of stress related functional gastrointestinal disorders. However, the specific mechanism is still not clear. The insular cortex (IC) was considered as one important visceral sensory area. Moreover, the IC has been shown to be involved in various neuropsychiatric diseases such as panic disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, whether the IC is important in psychological stress related visceral hypersensitivity has not been studied yet. In our study, through destruction of the bilateral IC, we explored whether the IC played a critical role in the formation of visceral hypersensitivity induced by chronic stress on rats. Chronic partial restraint stress was used to establish viscerally hypersensitive rat model. Bilateral IC lesions were generated by N-methyl-D-day (door) aspartate. After a recovery period of 7 days, 14-day consecutive restraint stress was performed. The visceromotor response to colorectal distension was monitored by recording electromyogram to measure rats׳ visceral sensitivity. We found that bilateral insular cortex lesion could markedly inhibit the formation of visceral hypersensitivity induced by chronic stress. The insular cortex plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of stress-related visceral hypersensitivity.

Energy Vulnerability Assessment for the US Pacific Islands. Technical Appendix 2

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

Fesharaki, F.; Rizer, J.P.; Greer, L.S.

1994-05-01

The study, Energy Vulnerability Assessment of the US Pacific Islands, was mandated by the Congress of the United States as stated in House Resolution 776-220 of 1992, Section 1406. The resolution states that the US Secretary of Energy shall conduct a study of the implications of the unique vulnerabilities of the insular areas to an oil supply disruption. Such study shall outline how the insular areas shall gain access to vital oil supplies during times of national emergency. The resolution defines insular areas as the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,more » and Palau. The US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are not included in this report. The US Department of Energy (USDOE) has broadened the scope of the study contained in the House Resolution to include emergency preparedness and response strategies which would reduce vulnerability to an oil supply disruption as well as steps to ameliorate adverse economic consequences. This includes a review of alternative energy technologies with respect to their potential for reducing dependence on imported petroleum. USDOE has outlined the four tasks of the energy vulnerability assessment as the following: (1) for each island, determine crude oil and refined product demand/supply, and characterize energy and economic infrastructure; (2) forecast global and regional oil trade flow patterns, energy demand/supply, and economic activities; (3) formulate oil supply disruption scenarios and ascertain the general and unique vulnerabilities of these islands to oil supply disruptions; and (4) outline emergency preparedness and response options to secure oil supplies in the short run, and reduce dependence on imported oil in the longer term.« less

27 CFR 479.121 - Insular possessions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Insular possessions. 479.121 Section 479.121 Alcohol, Tobacco Products, and Firearms BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS, AND EXPLOSIVES, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION MACHINE GUNS, DESTRUCTIVE DEVICES, AND CERTAIN...

27 CFR 479.121 - Insular possessions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 3 2011-04-01 2010-04-01 true Insular possessions. 479.121 Section 479.121 Alcohol, Tobacco Products, and Firearms BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS, AND EXPLOSIVES, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION MACHINE GUNS, DESTRUCTIVE DEVICES, AND CERTAIN...

27 CFR 479.121 - Insular possessions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 3 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Insular possessions. 479.121 Section 479.121 Alcohol, Tobacco Products, and Firearms BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS, AND EXPLOSIVES, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION MACHINE GUNS, DESTRUCTIVE DEVICES, AND CERTAIN...

27 CFR 479.121 - Insular possessions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 3 2012-04-01 2010-04-01 true Insular possessions. 479.121 Section 479.121 Alcohol, Tobacco Products, and Firearms BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS, AND EXPLOSIVES, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION MACHINE GUNS, DESTRUCTIVE DEVICES, AND CERTAIN...

27 CFR 479.121 - Insular possessions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 3 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Insular possessions. 479.121 Section 479.121 Alcohol, Tobacco Products, and Firearms BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS, AND EXPLOSIVES, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION MACHINE GUNS, DESTRUCTIVE DEVICES, AND CERTAIN...

Voxel-based morphometry study of the insular cortex in bipolar depression.

PubMed

Tang, Li-Rong; Liu, Chun-Hong; Jing, Bin; Ma, Xin; Li, Hai-Yun; Zhang, Yu; Li, Feng; Wang, Yu-Ping; Yang, Zhi; Wang, Chuan-Yue

2014-11-30

Bipolar depression (BD) is a common psychiatric illness characterized by deficits in emotional and cognitive processing. Abnormalities in the subregions of the insula are common findings in neuroanatomical studies of patients with bipolar disorder. However, the specific relationships between morphometric changes in specific insular subregions and the pathogenesis of BD are not clear. In this study, structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to investigate gray matter volume abnormalities in the insular subregion in 27 patients with BD and in 27 age and sex-matched controls. Using DARTEL (diffeomorphic anatomical registration through exponentiated lie algebra) for voxel-based morphometry (VBM), we examined changes in regional gray matter volumes of the insula in patients with BD. As compared with healthy controls, the BD patients showed decreased gray matter volumes in the right posterior insula and left ventral anterior insula and increased gray matter volumes in the left dorsal anterior insula. Consistent with the emerging theory of insular interference as a contributor to emotional-cognitive dysregulation, the current findings suggest that the insular cortex may be involved in the neural substrates of BD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Altered Functional Connectivity of Insular Subregions in Alzheimer’s Disease

PubMed Central

Liu, Xingyun; Chen, Xiaodan; Zheng, Weimin; Xia, Mingrui; Han, Ying; Song, Haiqing; Li, Kuncheng; He, Yong; Wang, Zhiqun

2018-01-01

Recent researches have demonstrated that the insula is the crucial hub of the human brain networks and most vulnerable region of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, little is known about the changes of functional connectivity of insular subregions in the AD patients. In this study, we collected resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data including 32 AD patients and 38 healthy controls (HCs). By defining three subregions of insula, we mapped whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and identified several distinct RSFC patterns of the insular subregions: For positive connectivity, three cognitive-related RSFC patterns were identified within insula that suggest anterior-to-posterior functional subdivisions: (1) an dorsal anterior zone of the insula that exhibits RSFC with executive control network (ECN); (2) a ventral anterior zone of insula, exhibits functional connectivity with the salience network (SN); (3) a posterior zone along the insula exhibits functional connectivity with the sensorimotor network (SMN). In addition, we found significant negative connectivities between the each insular subregion and several special default mode network (DMN) regions. Compared with controls, the AD patients demonstrated distinct disruption of positive RSFCs in the different network (ECN and SMN), suggesting the impairment of the functional integrity. There were no differences of the positive RSFCs in the SN between the two groups. On the other hand, several DMN regions showed increased negative RSFCs to the sub-region of insula in the AD patients, indicating compensatory plasticity. Furthermore, these abnormal insular subregions RSFCs are closely correlated with cognitive performances in the AD patients. Our findings suggested that different insular subregions presented distinct RSFC patterns with various functional networks, which are differently affected in the AD patients. PMID:29695961

Insular Volume Reduction in Patients with Social Anxiety Disorder

PubMed Central

Kawaguchi, Akiko; Nemoto, Kiyotaka; Nakaaki, Shutaro; Kawaguchi, Takatsune; Kan, Hirohito; Arai, Nobuyuki; Shiraishi, Nao; Hashimoto, Nobuhiko; Akechi, Tatsuo

2016-01-01

Despite the fact that social anxiety disorder (SAD) is highly prevalent, there have been only a few structural imaging studies. Moreover, most of them reported about a volume reduction in amygdale, which plays a key role in the neural function of SAD. Insula is another region of interest. Its hyperactivity in regard to processing negative emotional information or interoceptive awareness has been detected in patients with SAD. Referring to these studies, we hypothesized that insular volumes might reduce in patients with SAD and made a comparison of insular volumes between 13 patients with SAD and 18 healthy controls with matched age and gender using voxel-based morphometry. As a result, we found a significant volume reduction in insula in the SAD group. Our results suggest that the patients with SAD might have an insular volume reduction apart from amygdala. Since insula plays a critical role in the pathology of SAD, more attention should be paid not only to functional study but also morphometrical study of insula. PMID:26834652

Anterior insular cortex mediates bodily sensibility and social anxiety

PubMed Central

Shibata, Midori; Moriguchi, Yoshiya; Umeda, Satoshi

2013-01-01

Studies in psychiatry and cognitive neuroscience have reported an important relationship between individual interoceptive accuracy and anxiety level. This indicates that greater attention to one’s bodily state may contribute to the development of intense negative emotions and anxiety disorders. We hypothesized that reactivity in the anterior insular cortex underlies the intensity of interoceptive awareness and anxiety. To elucidate this triadic mechanism, we conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and mediation analyses to examine the relationship between emotional disposition and activation in the anterior insular cortex while participants evaluated their own emotional and bodily states. Our results indicated that right anterior insular activation was positively correlated with individual levels of social anxiety and neuroticism and negatively correlated with agreeableness and extraversion. The results of the mediation analyses revealed that activity in the right anterior insula mediated the activity of neural correlates of interoceptive sensibility and social fear. Our findings suggest that attention to interoceptive sensation affects personality traits through how we feel emotion subjectively in various situations. PMID:22977199

27 CFR 26.76 - Insular permits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Insular permits. 26.76 Section 26.76 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY ALCOHOL LIQUORS AND ARTICLES FROM PUERTO RICO AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Taxpayment of...

27 CFR 26.76 - Insular permits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Insular permits. 26.76 Section 26.76 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY ALCOHOL LIQUORS AND ARTICLES FROM PUERTO RICO AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Taxpayment of...

Posterior Insular Molecular Changes in Myofascial Pain

PubMed Central

Gerstner, G.E.; Gracely, R.H.; Deebajah, A.; Ichesco, E.; Quintero, A.; Clauw, D.J.; Sundgren, P.C.

2012-01-01

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) include craniocervical pain conditions with unclear etiologies. Central changes are suspected; however, few neuroimaging studies of TMD exist. Single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) was used before and after pressure-pain testing to assess glutamate (Glu), glutamine (Gln), N-acetylaspartate (NAA), and choline (Cho) levels in the right and left posterior insulae of 11 individuals with myofascial TMD and 11 matched control individuals. Glu levels were significantly lower in all individuals after pain testing. Among those with TMD, left-insular Gln levels were related to reported pain, left posterior insular NAA and Cho levels were significantly higher at baseline than in control individuals, and NAA levels were significantly correlated with pain-symptom duration, suggesting adaptive changes. The results suggest that significant central cellular and molecular changes can occur in individuals with TMD. PMID:22451533

27 CFR 26.76 - Insular permits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Insular permits. 26.76 Section 26.76 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT... affecting § 26.76, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the...

27 CFR 26.76 - Insular permits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Insular permits. 26.76 Section 26.76 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT... affecting § 26.76, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the...

27 CFR 26.76 - Insular permits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Insular permits. 26.76 Section 26.76 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT... affecting § 26.76, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the...

Isolated insular strokes and plasma MR-proANP levels are associated with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation: a pilot study.

PubMed

Frontzek, Karl; Fluri, Felix; Siemerkus, Jakob; Müller, Beat; Gass, Achim; Christ-Crain, Mirjam; Katan, Mira

2014-01-01

In this study, we assessed the relationship of insular strokes and plasma MR-proANP levels with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation (NDAF). This study is based on a prospective acute stroke cohort (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00390962). Patient eligibility was dependent on the diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke, absence of previous stroke based on past medical history and MRI, no history of AF and congestive heart failure (cohort A) and, additionally, no stroke lesion size ≥ 20 mL (sub-cohort A*). AF, the primary endpoint, was detected on 24-hour electrocardiography and/or echocardiography. Involvement of the insula was assessed by two experienced readers on MRI blinded to clinical data. MR-proANP levels were obtained through a novel sandwich immunoassay. Logistic-regression-models were fitted to estimate odds ratios for the association of insular strokes and MR-proANP with NDAF. The discriminatory accuracy of insular strokes and MR-proANP was assessed by a model-wise comparison of the area under the receiver-operating-characteristics-curve (AUC) with known predictors of AF. 104 (cohort A) and 83 (cohort A*) patients fulfilled above-mentioned criteria. Patients with isolated insular strokes had a 10.7-fold higher odds of NDAF than patients with a small ischemic stroke at any other location. The AUC of multivariate logistic regression models for the prediction of NDAF improved significantly when adding stroke location and MR-proANP levels. Moreover, MR-proANP levels remained significantly elevated throughout the acute hospitalization period in patients with NDAF compared to those without. Isolated insular strokes and plasma MR-proANP levels on admission are independent predictors of NDAF and significantly improve the prediction accuracy of identifying patients with NDAF compared to known predictors including age, the NIHSS and lesion size. To accelerate accurate diagnosis and enhance secondary prevention in acute stroke, higher levels of MR-proANP and

Sensory convergence in the parieto-insular vestibular cortex

PubMed Central

Shinder, Michael E.

2014-01-01

Vestibular signals are pervasive throughout the central nervous system, including the cortex, where they likely play different roles than they do in the better studied brainstem. Little is known about the parieto-insular vestibular cortex (PIVC), an area of the cortex with prominent vestibular inputs. Neural activity was recorded in the PIVC of rhesus macaques during combinations of head, body, and visual target rotations. Activity of many PIVC neurons was correlated with the motion of the head in space (vestibular), the twist of the neck (proprioceptive), and the motion of a visual target, but was not associated with eye movement. PIVC neurons responded most commonly to more than one stimulus, and responses to combined movements could often be approximated by a combination of the individual sensitivities to head, neck, and target motion. The pattern of visual, vestibular, and somatic sensitivities on PIVC neurons displayed a continuous range, with some cells strongly responding to one or two of the stimulus modalities while other cells responded to any type of motion equivalently. The PIVC contains multisensory convergence of self-motion cues with external visual object motion information, such that neurons do not represent a specific transformation of any one sensory input. Instead, the PIVC neuron population may define the movement of head, body, and external visual objects in space and relative to one another. This comparison of self and external movement is consistent with insular cortex functions related to monitoring and explains many disparate findings of previous studies. PMID:24671533

Forest fires in the insular Caribbean

Treesearch

A.M.J. Robbins; C.M. Eckelmann; M. Quinones

2008-01-01

This paper presents a summary of the forest fire reports in the insular Caribbean derived from both management reports and an analysis of publicly available Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrodiometer (MODIS) satellite active fire products from the region. A vast difference between the amount of fires reported by land managers and fire points in the MODIS Fire...

Music Intervention Leads to Increased Insular Connectivity and Improved Clinical Symptoms in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

He, Hui; Yang, Mi; Duan, Mingjun; Chen, Xi; Lai, Yongxiu; Xia, Yang; Shao, Junming; Biswal, Bharat B.; Luo, Cheng; Yao, Dezhong

2018-01-01

Schizophrenia is a syndrome that is typically accompanied by delusions and hallucinations that might be associated with insular pathology. Music intervention, as a complementary therapy, is commonly used to improve psychiatric symptoms in the maintenance stage of schizophrenia. In this study, we employed a longitudinal design to assess the effects of listening to Mozart music on the insular functional connectivity (FC) in patients with schizophrenia. Thirty-six schizophrenia patients were randomly divided into two equal groups as follows: the music intervention (MTSZ) group, which received a 1-month music intervention series combined with antipsychotic drugs, and the no-music intervention (UMTSZ) group, which was treated solely with antipsychotic drugs. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans were performed at the following three timepoints: baseline, 1 month after baseline and 6 months after baseline. Nineteen healthy participants were recruited as controls. An FC analysis seeded in the insular subregions and machine learning techniques were used to examine intervention-related changes. After 1 month of listening to Mozart music, the MTSZ showed increased FC in the dorsal anterior insula (dAI) and posterior insular (PI) networks, including the dAI-ACC, PI-pre/postcentral cortices, and PI-ACC connectivity. However, these enhanced FCs had vanished in follow-up visits after 6 months. Additionally, a support vector regression on the FC of the dAI-ACC at baseline yielded a significant prediction of relative symptom remission in response to music intervention. Furthermore, the validation analyses revealed that 1 month of music intervention could facilitate improvement of the insular FC in schizophrenia. Together, these findings revealed that the insular cortex could potentially be an important region in music intervention for patients with schizophrenia, thus improving the patients' psychiatric symptoms through normalizing the salience and

Brain Metabolites in Autonomic Regulatory Insular Sites in Heart Failure

PubMed Central

Woo, Mary A.; Yadav, Santosh K.; Macey, Paul M.; Fonarow, Gregg C.; Harper, Ronald M.; Kumar, Rajesh

2014-01-01

Autonomic, pain, and neuropsychologic comorbidities appear in heart failure (HF), likely resulting from brain changes, indicated as loss of structural integrity and functional deficits. Among affected brain sites, the anterior insulae are prominent in serving major regulatory roles in many of the disrupted functions commonly seen in HF. Metabolite levels, including N-acetylaspartate (NAA), creatine (Cr), choline (Cho), and myo-inositol (MI), could indicate the nature of anterior insula tissue injury in HF. The study aim was to assess anterior insular metabolites to determine processes mediating autonomic, pain, and neuropsychologic disruptions in HF. We performed magnetic resonance spectroscopy in bilateral anterior insulae in 11 HF and 53 controls, using a 3.0-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Peaks for NAA at 2.02ppm, Cr at 3.02ppm, Cho at 3.2ppm, and MI at 3.56ppm were assigned, peak areas calculated, and metabolites expressed as ratios, including NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr, and MI/Cr. HF patients showed significantly increased Cho/Cr ratios, indicative of glial proliferation or injury, on the left anterior insula, and reduced NAA/Cr levels, suggesting neuronal loss/dysfunction, on the right anterior insula over controls. No differences in MI/Cr ratios appeared between groups. Right anterior insular neuronal loss and left glial alterations may contribute to distorted autonomic, pain, and neuropsychologic functions found in HF. PMID:25248953

Learning touch preferences with a tactile robot using dopamine modulated STDP in a model of insular cortex

PubMed Central

Chou, Ting-Shuo; Bucci, Liam D.; Krichmar, Jeffrey L.

2015-01-01

Neurorobots enable researchers to study how behaviors are produced by neural mechanisms in an uncertain, noisy, real-world environment. To investigate how the somatosensory system processes noisy, real-world touch inputs, we introduce a neurorobot called CARL-SJR, which has a full-body tactile sensory area. The design of CARL-SJR is such that it encourages people to communicate with it through gentle touch. CARL-SJR provides feedback to users by displaying bright colors on its surface. In the present study, we show that CARL-SJR is capable of learning associations between conditioned stimuli (CS; a color pattern on its surface) and unconditioned stimuli (US; a preferred touch pattern) by applying a spiking neural network (SNN) with neurobiologically inspired plasticity. Specifically, we modeled the primary somatosensory cortex, prefrontal cortex, striatum, and the insular cortex, which is important for hedonic touch, to process noisy data generated directly from CARL-SJR's tactile sensory area. To facilitate learning, we applied dopamine-modulated Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP) to our simulated prefrontal cortex, striatum, and insular cortex. To cope with noisy, varying inputs, the SNN was tuned to produce traveling waves of activity that carried spatiotemporal information. Despite the noisy tactile sensors, spike trains, and variations in subject hand swipes, the learning was quite robust. Further, insular cortex activities in the incremental pathway of dopaminergic reward system allowed us to control CARL-SJR's preference for touch direction without heavily pre-processed inputs. The emerged behaviors we found in this model match animal's behaviors wherein they prefer touch in particular areas and directions. Thus, the results in this paper could serve as an explanation on the underlying neural mechanisms for developing tactile preferences and hedonic touch. PMID:26257639

Dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and left-right confusion from a left posterior peri-insular infarct.

PubMed

Bhattacharyya, S; Cai, X; Klein, J P

2014-01-01

The Gerstmann syndrome of dyscalculia, dysgraphia, left-right confusion, and finger agnosia is generally attributed to lesions near the angular gyrus of the dominant hemisphere. A 68-year-old right-handed woman presented with sudden difficulty completing a Sudoku grid and was found to have dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and left-right confusion. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a focus of abnormal reduced diffusivity in the left posterior insula and temporoparietal operculum consistent with acute infarct. Gerstmann syndrome from an insular or peri-insular lesion has not been described in the literature previously. Pathological and functional imaging studies show connections between left posterior insular region and inferior parietal lobe. We postulate that the insula and operculum lesion disrupted key functional networks resulting in a pseudoparietal presentation.

Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, and Left-Right Confusion from a Left Posterior Peri-Insular Infarct

PubMed Central

Bhattacharyya, S.; Cai, X.; Klein, J. P.

2014-01-01

The Gerstmann syndrome of dyscalculia, dysgraphia, left-right confusion, and finger agnosia is generally attributed to lesions near the angular gyrus of the dominant hemisphere. A 68-year-old right-handed woman presented with sudden difficulty completing a Sudoku grid and was found to have dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and left-right confusion. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a focus of abnormal reduced diffusivity in the left posterior insula and temporoparietal operculum consistent with acute infarct. Gerstmann syndrome from an insular or peri-insular lesion has not been described in the literature previously. Pathological and functional imaging studies show connections between left posterior insular region and inferior parietal lobe. We postulate that the insula and operculum lesion disrupted key functional networks resulting in a pseudoparietal presentation. PMID:24817791

Insular threat associations within taxa worldwide.

PubMed

Leclerc, Camille; Courchamp, Franck; Bellard, Céline

2018-04-23

The global loss of biodiversity can be attributed to numerous threats. While pioneer studies have investigated their relative importance, the majority of those studies are restricted to specific geographic regions and/or taxonomic groups and only consider a small subset of threats, generally in isolation despite their frequent interaction. Here, we investigated 11 major threats responsible for species decline on islands worldwide. We applied an innovative method of network analyses to disentangle the associations of multiple threats on vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants in 15 insular regions. Biological invasions, wildlife exploitation, and cultivation, either alone or in association, were found to be the three most important drivers of species extinction and decline on islands. Specifically, wildlife exploitation and cultivation are largely associated with the decline of threatened plants and terrestrial vertebrates, whereas biological invasions mostly threaten invertebrates and freshwater fish. Furthermore, biodiversity in the Indian Ocean and near the Asian coasts is mostly affected by wildlife exploitation and cultivation compared to biological invasions in the Pacific and Atlantic insular regions. We highlighted specific associations of threats at different scales, showing that the analysis of each threat in isolation might be inadequate for developing effective conservation policies and managements.

Insular ecosystems of the southeastern United States—A regional synthesis to support biodiversity conservation in a changing climate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cartwright, Jennifer M.; Wolfe, William J.

2016-08-11

In the southeastern United States, insular ecosystems—such as rock outcrops, depression wetlands, high-elevation balds, flood-scoured riparian corridors, and insular prairies and barrens—occupy a small fraction of land area but constitute an important source of regional and global biodiversity, including concentrations of rare and endemic plant taxa. Maintenance of this biodiversity depends upon regimes of abiotic stress and disturbance, incorporating factors such as soil surface temperature, widely fluctuating hydrologic conditions, fires, flood scouring, and episodic droughts that may be subject to alteration by climate change. Over several decades, numerous localized, site-level investigations have yielded important information about the floristics, physical environments, and ecological dynamics of these insular ecosystems; however, the literature from these investigations has generally remained fragmented. This report consists of literature syntheses for eight categories of insular ecosystems of the southeastern United States, concerning (1) physical geography, (2) ecological determinants of community structures including vegetation dynamics and regimes of abiotic stress and disturbance, (3) contributions to regional and global biodiversity, (4) historical and current anthropogenic threats and conservation approaches, and (5) key knowledge gaps relevant to conservation, particularly in terms of climate-change effects on biodiversity. This regional synthesis was undertaken to discern patterns across ecosystems, identify knowledge gaps, and lay the groundwork for future analyses of climate-change vulnerability. Findings from this synthesis indicate that, despite their importance to regional and global biodiversity, insular ecosystems of the southeastern United States have been subjected to a variety of direct and indirect human alterations. In many cases, important questions remain concerning key determinants of ecosystem function. In particular, few

Neurons in the posterior insular cortex are responsive to gustatory stimulation of the pharyngolarynx, baroreceptor and chemoreceptor stimulation, and tail pinch in rats.

PubMed

Hanamori, T; Kunitake, T; Kato, K; Kannan, H

1998-02-23

Extracellular unit responses to gustatory stimulation of the pharyngolaryngeal region, baroreceptor and chemoreceptor stimulation, and tail pinch were recorded from the insular cortex of anesthetized and paralyzed rats. Of the 32 neurons identified, 28 responded to at least one of the nine stimuli used in the present study. Of the 32 neurons, 11 showed an excitatory response to tail pinch, 13 showed an inhibitory response, and the remaining eight had no response. Of the 32 neurons, eight responded to baroreceptor stimulation by an intravenous (i.v.) injection of methoxamine hydrochloride (Mex), four were excitatory and four were inhibitory. Thirteen neurons were excited and six neurons were inhibited by an arterial chemoreceptor stimulation by an i.v. injection of sodium cyanide (NaCN). Twenty-two neurons were responsive to at least one of the gustatory stimuli (deionized water, 1.0 M NaCl, 30 mM HCl, 30 mM quinine HCl, and 1.0 M sucrose); five to 11 excitatory neurons and three to seven inhibitory neurons for each stimulus. A large number of the neurons (25/32) received converging inputs from more than one stimulus among the nine stimuli used in the present study. Most neurons (23/32) received converging inputs from different modalities (gustatory, visceral, and tail pinch). The neurons responded were located in the insular cortex between 2.0 mm anterior and 0.2 mm posterior to the anterior edge of the joining of the anterior commissure (AC); the mean location was 1.2 mm (n=28) anterior to the AC. This indicates that most of the neurons identified in the present study seem to be located in the region posterior to the taste area and anterior to the visceral area in the insular cortex. These results indicate that the insular cortex neurons distributing between the taste area and the visceral area receive convergent inputs from gustatory, baroreceptor, chemoreceptor, and nociceptive organs. Copyright 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.

Brain metabolites in autonomic regulatory insular sites in heart failure.

PubMed

Woo, Mary A; Yadav, Santosh K; Macey, Paul M; Fonarow, Gregg C; Harper, Ronald M; Kumar, Rajesh

2014-11-15

Autonomic, pain, and neuropsychologic comorbidities appear in heart failure (HF), likely resulting from brain changes, indicated as loss of structural integrity and functional deficits. Among affected brain sites, the anterior insulae are prominent in serving major regulatory roles in many of the disrupted functions commonly seen in HF. Metabolite levels, including N-acetylaspartate (NAA), creatine (Cr), choline (Cho), and myo-inositol (MI), could indicate the nature of anterior insula tissue injury in HF. The study aim was to assess anterior insular metabolites to determine processes mediating autonomic, pain, and neuropsychologic disruptions in HF. We performed magnetic resonance spectroscopy in bilateral anterior insulae in 11 HF and 53 controls, using a 3.0-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Peaks for NAA at 2.02 ppm, Cr at 3.02 ppm, Cho at 3.2 ppm, and MI at 3.56 ppm were assigned, peak areas were calculated, and metabolites were expressed as ratios, including NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr, and MI/Cr. HF patients showed significantly increased Cho/Cr ratios, indicative of glial proliferation or injury, on the left anterior insula, and reduced NAA/Cr levels, suggesting neuronal loss/dysfunction, on the right anterior insula over controls. No differences in MI/Cr ratios appeared between groups. Right anterior insular neuronal loss and left glial alterations may contribute to distorted autonomic, pain, and neuropsychologic functions found in HF. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Insular neural system controls decision-making in healthy and methamphetamine-treated rats

PubMed Central

Mizoguchi, Hiroyuki; Katahira, Kentaro; Inutsuka, Ayumu; Fukumoto, Kazuya; Nakamura, Akihiro; Wang, Tian; Nagai, Taku; Sato, Jun; Sawada, Makoto; Ohira, Hideki; Yamanaka, Akihiro; Yamada, Kiyofumi

2015-01-01

Patients suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders such as substance-related and addictive disorders exhibit altered decision-making patterns, which may be associated with their behavioral abnormalities. However, the neuronal mechanisms underlying such impairments are largely unknown. Using a gambling test, we demonstrated that methamphetamine (METH)-treated rats chose a high-risk/high-reward option more frequently and assigned higher value to high returns than control rats, suggestive of changes in decision-making choice strategy. Immunohistochemical analysis following the gambling test revealed aberrant activation of the insular cortex (INS) and nucleus accumbens in METH-treated animals. Pharmacological studies, together with in vivo microdialysis, showed that the insular neural system played a crucial role in decision-making. Moreover, manipulation of INS activation using designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drug technology resulted in alterations to decision-making. Our findings suggest that the INS is a critical region involved in decision-making and that insular neural dysfunction results in risk-taking behaviors associated with altered decision-making. PMID:26150496

Insular neural system controls decision-making in healthy and methamphetamine-treated rats.

PubMed

Mizoguchi, Hiroyuki; Katahira, Kentaro; Inutsuka, Ayumu; Fukumoto, Kazuya; Nakamura, Akihiro; Wang, Tian; Nagai, Taku; Sato, Jun; Sawada, Makoto; Ohira, Hideki; Yamanaka, Akihiro; Yamada, Kiyofumi

2015-07-21

Patients suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders such as substance-related and addictive disorders exhibit altered decision-making patterns, which may be associated with their behavioral abnormalities. However, the neuronal mechanisms underlying such impairments are largely unknown. Using a gambling test, we demonstrated that methamphetamine (METH)-treated rats chose a high-risk/high-reward option more frequently and assigned higher value to high returns than control rats, suggestive of changes in decision-making choice strategy. Immunohistochemical analysis following the gambling test revealed aberrant activation of the insular cortex (INS) and nucleus accumbens in METH-treated animals. Pharmacological studies, together with in vivo microdialysis, showed that the insular neural system played a crucial role in decision-making. Moreover, manipulation of INS activation using designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drug technology resulted in alterations to decision-making. Our findings suggest that the INS is a critical region involved in decision-making and that insular neural dysfunction results in risk-taking behaviors associated with altered decision-making.

Evidence of correlated evolution of hypsodonty and exceptional longevity in endemic insular mammals.

PubMed

Jordana, Xavier; Marín-Moratalla, Nekane; DeMiguel, Daniel; Kaiser, Thomas M; Köhler, Meike

2012-08-22

Here, we test whether the increase in tooth height in insular endemics results from the expansion of the dietary niche under resource limitation, as widely considered, or whether it represents an investment in dental durability in response to the selection for extended longevity under low levels of extrinsic mortality. We tested these hypotheses in the extremely hypsodont fossil bovid Myotragus balearicus from the Balearic Islands, an ideal model to study the evolutionary trends on islands. Dental abrasion was significantly lower in the insular bovid than in highly hypsodont continental artiodactyls, suggesting that feeding habits are not the sole driving force behind increased crown height. However, the estimated longevity for M. balearicus based on dental durability was two times that predicted from body mass. Survivorship curves confirm that an extraordinarily large number of individuals approached the longevity of the species. Our results, hence, provide evidence that hypsodonty in insular endemics is the outcome of selection for increased durability of the permanent dentition in association with an extended lifespan. In the context of insularity, our results lend additional support to the disposable soma theory of ageing confirming the dependency of somatic maintenance and repair on lifespan, and its control by resource availability and extrinsic mortality.

Evidence of correlated evolution of hypsodonty and exceptional longevity in endemic insular mammals

PubMed Central

Jordana, Xavier; Marín-Moratalla, Nekane; DeMiguel, Daniel; Kaiser, Thomas M.; Köhler, Meike

2012-01-01

Here, we test whether the increase in tooth height in insular endemics results from the expansion of the dietary niche under resource limitation, as widely considered, or whether it represents an investment in dental durability in response to the selection for extended longevity under low levels of extrinsic mortality. We tested these hypotheses in the extremely hypsodont fossil bovid Myotragus balearicus from the Balearic Islands, an ideal model to study the evolutionary trends on islands. Dental abrasion was significantly lower in the insular bovid than in highly hypsodont continental artiodactyls, suggesting that feeding habits are not the sole driving force behind increased crown height. However, the estimated longevity for M. balearicus based on dental durability was two times that predicted from body mass. Survivorship curves confirm that an extraordinarily large number of individuals approached the longevity of the species. Our results, hence, provide evidence that hypsodonty in insular endemics is the outcome of selection for increased durability of the permanent dentition in association with an extended lifespan. In the context of insularity, our results lend additional support to the disposable soma theory of ageing confirming the dependency of somatic maintenance and repair on lifespan, and its control by resource availability and extrinsic mortality. PMID:22535784

Household waste compositional analysis variation from insular communities in the framework of waste prevention strategy plans.

PubMed

Zorpas, Antonis A; Lasaridi, Katia; Voukkali, Irene; Loizia, Pantelitsa; Chroni, Christina

2015-04-01

Waste management planning requires reliable data regarding waste generation, affecting factors on waste generation and forecasts of waste quantities based on facts. In order to decrease the environmental impacts of waste management the choice of prevention plan as well as the treatment method must be based on the features of the waste that are produced in a specific area. Factors such as culture, economic development, climate, and energy sources have an impact on waste composition; composition influences the need of collecting waste more or less frequently of waste collection and disposition. The research question was to discover the main barriers concerning the compositional analysis in Insular Communities under warm climate conditions and the findings from this study enabled the main contents of a waste management plan to be established. These included advice to residents on waste minimisation, liaison with stakeholders and the expansion of kerbside recycling schemes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Intersectional gene flow between insular endemics of Ilex (Aquifoliaceae) on the Bonin Islands and the Ryukyu Islands.

PubMed

Setoguchi, H; Watanabe, I

2000-06-01

Hybridization and introgression play important roles in plant evolution, and their occurrence on the oceanic islands provides good examples of plant speciation and diversification. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) and trnL (UAA) 3'exon-trnF (GAA) intergenic spacer (IGS) sequences of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA), and the sequences of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA were examined to investigate the occurrence of gene transfer in Ilex species on the Bonin Islands and the Ryukyu Islands in Japan. A gene phylogeny for the plastid genome is in agreement with the morphologically based taxonomy, whereas the nuclear genome phylogeny clusters putatively unrelated endemics both on the Bonin and the Ryukyu Islands. Intersectional hybridization and nuclear gene flow were independently observed in insular endemics of Ilex on both sets of islands without evidence of plastid introgression. Gene flow observed in these island systems can be explained by ecological features of insular endemics, i.e., limits of distribution range or sympatric distribution in a small land area.

Gender differences in functional connectivities between insular subdivisions and selective pain-related brain structures.

PubMed

Dai, Yu-Jie; Zhang, Xin; Yang, Yang; Nan, Hai-Yan; Yu, Ying; Sun, Qian; Yan, Lin-Feng; Hu, Bo; Zhang, Jin; Qiu, Zi-Yu; Gao, Yi; Cui, Guang-Bin; Chen, Bi-Liang; Wang, Wen

2018-03-14

The incidence of pain disorders in women is higher than in men, making gender differences in pain a research focus. The human insular cortex is an important brain hub structure for pain processing and is divided into several subdivisions, serving different functions in pain perception. Here we aimed to examine the gender differences of the functional connectivities (FCs) between the twelve insular subdivisions and selected pain-related brain structures in healthy adults. Twenty-six healthy males and 11 age-matched healthy females were recruited in this cross-sectional study. FCs between the 12 insular subdivisions (as 12 regions of interest (ROIs)) and the whole brain (ROI-whole brain level) or 64 selected pain-related brain regions (64 ROIs, ROI-ROI level) were measured between the males and females. Significant gender differences in the FCs of the insular subdivisions were revealed: (1) The FCs between the dorsal dysgranular insula (dId) and other brain regions were significantly increased in males using two different techniques (ROI-whole brain and ROI-ROI analyses); (2) Based on the ROI-whole brain analysis, the FC increases in 4 FC-pairs were observed in males, including the left dId - the right median cingulate and paracingulate/ right posterior cingulate gyrus/ right precuneus, the left dId - the right median cingulate and paracingulate, the left dId - the left angular as well as the left dId - the left middle frontal gyrus; (3) According to the ROI-ROI analysis, increased FC between the left dId and the right rostral anterior cingulate cortex was investigated in males. In summary, the gender differences in the FCs of the insular subdivisions with pain-related brain regions were revealed in the current study, offering neuroimaging evidence for gender differences in pain processing. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02820974 . Registered 28 June 2016.

Medically resistant pediatric insular-opercular/perisylvian epilepsy. Part 1: invasive monitoring using the parasagittal transinsular apex depth electrode.

PubMed

Weil, Alexander G; Fallah, Aria; Lewis, Evan C; Bhatia, Sanjiv

2016-11-01

OBJECTIVE Insular lobe epilepsy (ILE) is an under-recognized cause of extratemporal epilepsy and explains some epilepsy surgery failures in children with drug-resistant epilepsy. The diagnosis of ILE usually requires invasive investigation with insular sampling; however, the location of the insula below the opercula and the dense middle cerebral artery vasculature renders its sampling challenging. Several techniques have been described, ranging from open direct placement of orthogonal subpial depth and strip electrodes through a craniotomy to frame-based stereotactic placement of orthogonal or oblique electrodes using stereo-electroencephalography principles. The authors describe an alternative method for sampling the insula, which involves placing insular depth electrodes along the long axis of the insula through the insular apex following dissection of the sylvian fissure in conjunction with subdural electrodes over the lateral hemispheric/opercular region. The authors report the feasibility, advantages, disadvantages, and role of this approach in investigating pediatric insular-opercular refractory epilepsy. METHODS The authors performed a retrospective analysis of all children (< 18 years old) who underwent invasive intracranial studies involving the insula between 2002 and 2015. RESULTS Eleven patients were included in the study (5 boys). The mean age at surgery was 7.6 years (range 0.5-16 years). All patients had drug-resistant epilepsy as defined by the International League Against Epilepsy and underwent comprehensive noninvasive epilepsy surgery workup. Intracranial monitoring was performed in all patients using 1 parasagittal insular electrode (1 patient had 2 electrodes) in addition to subdural grids and strips tailored to the suspected epileptogenic zone. In 10 patients, extraoperative monitoring was used; in 1 patient, intraoperative electrocorticography was used alone without extraoperative monitoring. The mean number of insular contacts was 6.8 (range

Effect of Right Insular Involvement on Death and Functional Outcome After Acute Ischemic Stroke in the IST-3 Trial (Third International Stroke Trial).

PubMed

Sposato, Luciano A; Cohen, Geoffrey; Wardlaw, Joanna M; Sandercock, Peter; Lindley, Richard I; Hachinski, Vladimir

2016-12-01

In patients with acute ischemic stroke, whether involvement of the insular cortex influences outcome is controversial. Much of the apparent adverse outcome may relate to such strokes usually being severe. We examined the influence of right and left insular involvement on stroke outcomes among patients from the IST-3 study (Third International Stroke Trial) who had visible ischemic stroke on neuroimaging. We used multiple logistic regression to compare outcomes of left versus right insular and noninsular strokes across strata of stroke severity, on death, proportion dead or dependent, and level of disability (ordinalized Oxford Handicap Score) at 6 months, with adjustment for the effects of age, lesion size, and presence of atrial fibrillation. Of 3035 patients recruited, 2099 had visible ischemic strokes limited to a single hemisphere on computed tomography/magnetic resonance scans. Of these, 566 and 714 had infarction of right and left insula. Six months after randomization, right insular involvement was associated with increased odds of death when compared with noninsular strokes on the left side (adjusted odds ratio, 1.83; 95% confidence interval, 1.33-2.52), whereas the adjusted odds ratio comparing mortality after insular versus noninsular strokes on the left side was not significant. Among mild/moderate strokes, outcomes for right insular involvement were worse than for left insular, but among more severe strokes, the difference in outcomes was less substantial. We found an association between right insular involvement and higher odds of death and worse functional outcome. The difference between right- and left-sided insular lesions on outcomes seemed to be most evident for mild/moderate strokes. URL: http://www.isrctn.com. Unique identifier: ISRCTN25765518. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Right insular damage decreases heartbeat awareness and alters cardio-visual effects on bodily self-consciousness.

PubMed

Ronchi, Roberta; Bello-Ruiz, Javier; Lukowska, Marta; Herbelin, Bruno; Cabrilo, Ivan; Schaller, Karl; Blanke, Olaf

2015-04-01

Recent evidence suggests that multisensory integration of bodily signals involving exteroceptive and interoceptive information modulates bodily aspects of self-consciousness such as self-identification and self-location. In the so-called Full Body Illusion subjects watch a virtual body being stroked while they perceive tactile stimulation on their own body inducing illusory self-identification with the virtual body and a change in self-location towards the virtual body. In a related illusion, it has recently been shown that similar changes in self-identification and self-location can be observed when an interoceptive signal is used in association with visual stimulation of the virtual body (i.e., participants observe a virtual body illuminated in synchrony with their heartbeat). Although brain imaging and neuropsychological evidence suggest that the insular cortex is a core region for interoceptive processing (such as cardiac perception and awareness) as well as for self-consciousness, it is currently not known whether the insula mediates cardio-visual modulation of self-consciousness. Here we tested the involvement of insular cortex in heartbeat awareness and cardio-visual manipulation of bodily self-consciousness in a patient before and after resection of a selective right neoplastic insular lesion. Cardio-visual stimulation induced an abnormally enhanced state of bodily self-consciousness; in addition, cardio-visual manipulation was associated with an experienced loss of the spatial unity of the self (illusory bi-location and duplication of his body), not observed in healthy subjects. Heartbeat awareness was found to decrease after insular resection. Based on these data we propose that the insula mediates interoceptive awareness as well as cardio-visual effects on bodily self-consciousness and that insular processing of interoceptive signals is an important mechanism for the experienced unity of the self. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Household waste compositional analysis variation from insular communities in the framework of waste prevention strategy plans

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

Zorpas, Antonis A., E-mail: antonis.zorpas@ouc.ac.cy; Lasaridi, Katia, E-mail: klasaridi@hua.gr; Voukkali, Irene

Highlights: • Waste framework directive has set clear waste prevention procedures. • Household Compositional analysis. • Waste management plans. • Zero waste approach. • Waste generation. - Abstract: Waste management planning requires reliable data regarding waste generation, affecting factors on waste generation and forecasts of waste quantities based on facts. In order to decrease the environmental impacts of waste management the choice of prevention plan as well as the treatment method must be based on the features of the waste that are produced in a specific area. Factors such as culture, economic development, climate, and energy sources have an impactmore » on waste composition; composition influences the need of collecting waste more or less frequently of waste collection and disposition. The research question was to discover the main barriers concerning the compositional analysis in Insular Communities under warm climate conditions and the findings from this study enabled the main contents of a waste management plan to be established. These included advice to residents on waste minimisation, liaison with stakeholders and the expansion of kerbside recycling schemes.« less

Insular and hippocampal contributions to remembering people with an impression of bad personality.

PubMed

Tsukiura, Takashi; Shigemune, Yayoi; Nouchi, Rui; Kambara, Toshimune; Kawashima, Ryuta

2013-06-01

Our impressions of other people are formed mainly from the two possible factors of facial attractiveness and trustworthiness. Previous studies have shown the importance of orbitofrontal-hippocampal interactions in the better remembering of attractive faces, and psychological data have indicated that faces giving an impression of untrustworthiness are remembered more accurately than those giving an impression of trustworthiness. However, the neural mechanisms of the latter effect are largely unknown. To investigate this issue, we investigated neural activities with event-related fMRI while the female participants rated their impressions of the personalities of men in terms of trustworthiness. After the rating, memory for faces was tested to identify successful encoding activity. As expected, faces that gave bad impressions were remembered better than those that gave neutral or good impressions. In fMRI data, right insular activity reflected an increasing function of bad impressions, and bilateral hippocampal activities predicted subsequent memory success. Additionally, correlation between these insular and hippocampal regions was significant only in the encoding of faces associated with a bad impression. Better memory for faces associated with an impression of bad personality could reflect greater interaction between the avoidance-related insular region and the encoding-related hippocampal region.

Freshwater resources in the insular Caribbean: an environmental perspective

Treesearch

T. Heartsill Scalley

2012-01-01

From islands with no permanent flowing streams to those with navigable inland waters, the insular Caribbean contains a great range of conditions regarding the access to freshwater resources. Because of the variation in topography and size, the ability of islands to retain freshwater also varies widely. The usage of freshwater in this region is being led by two major...

Mutism and auditory agnosia due to bilateral insular damage--role of the insula in human communication.

PubMed

Habib, M; Daquin, G; Milandre, L; Royere, M L; Rey, M; Lanteri, A; Salamon, G; Khalil, R

1995-03-01

We report a case of transient mutism and persistent auditory agnosia due to two successive ischemic infarcts mainly involving the insular cortex on both hemispheres. During the 'mutic' period, which lasted about 1 month, the patient did not respond to any auditory stimuli and made no effort to communicate. On follow-up examinations, language competences had re-appeared almost intact, but a massive auditory agnosia for non-verbal sounds was observed. From close inspection of lesion site, as determined with brain resonance imaging, and from a study of auditory evoked potentials, it is concluded that bilateral insular damage was crucial to both expressive and receptive components of the syndrome. The role of the insula in verbal and non-verbal communication is discussed in the light of anatomical descriptions of the pattern of connectivity of the insular cortex.

Probabilistic Tractography Recovers a Rostrocaudal Trajectory of Connectivity Variability in the Human Insular Cortex

PubMed Central

Cerliani, Leonardo; Thomas, Rajat M; Jbabdi, Saad; Siero, Jeroen CW; Nanetti, Luca; Crippa, Alessandro; Gazzola, Valeria; D'Arceuil, Helen; Keysers, Christian

2012-01-01

The insular cortex of macaques has a wide spectrum of anatomical connections whose distribution is related to its heterogeneous cytoarchitecture. Although there is evidence of a similar cytoarchitectural arrangement in humans, the anatomical connectivity of the insula in the human brain has not yet been investigated in vivo. In the present work, we used in vivo probabilistic white-matter tractography and Laplacian eigenmaps (LE) to study the variation of connectivity patterns across insular territories in humans. In each subject and hemisphere, we recovered a rostrocaudal trajectory of connectivity variation ranging from the anterior dorsal and ventral insula to the dorsal caudal part of the long insular gyri. LE suggested that regional transitions among tractography patterns in the insula occur more gradually than in other brain regions. In particular, the change in tractography patterns was more gradual in the insula than in the medial premotor region, where a sharp transition between different tractography patterns was found. The recovered trajectory of connectivity variation in the insula suggests a relation between connectivity and cytoarchitecture in humans resembling that previously found in macaques: tractography seeds from the anterior insula were mainly found in limbic and paralimbic regions and in anterior parts of the inferior frontal gyrus, while seeds from caudal insular territories mostly reached parietal and posterior temporal cortices. Regions in the putative dysgranular insula displayed more heterogeneous connectivity patterns, with regional differences related to the proximity with either putative granular or agranular regions. Hum Brain Mapp 33:2005–2034, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:21761507

Insular and anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid: a 45-year comparative study at a single institution and a review of the significance of p53 and p21.

PubMed

Lam, K Y; Lo, C Y; Chan, K W; Wan, K Y

2000-03-01

To analyze the clinicopathologic features of a large cohort of patients with insular or anaplastic carcinomas treated at a single institution. Insular and anaplastic carcinomas of the thyroid, although uncommon, have more aggressive clinical behavior than well-differentiated carcinomas of the thyroid. In the literature, the incidence and features of these carcinomas have not been fully characterized. The authors reclassified 740 primary thyroid carcinomas diagnosed and treated between January 1, 1954, and December 30, 1998, to select those with features that met the histologic criteria of insular or anaplastic carcinoma. The clinicopathologic features of these carcinomas were studied and compared. The expression of p53 and p21 in these tumors was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Twenty-two patients (5 men, 17 women) with insular carcinoma and 38 patients (7 men, 31 women) with anaplastic carcinoma were found. Patients with insular carcinomas were younger (mean age 45 vs. 70 years) and had smaller tumors than those with anaplastic carcinomas (mean diameter 5 vs. 8 cm). Insular carcinomas were commonly mislabeled as other histologic subtypes, whereas anaplastic carcinomas might be overdiagnosed on pathologic examination. A history of longstanding goiter (>10 years) was noted in 27% of patients with insular carcinoma and 24% of patients with anaplastic carcinomas. Concomitant well-differentiated carcinomas of the thyroid were noted in 59% of patients with insular carcinoma and 39% of patients with anaplastic carcinoma. In anaplastic carcinomas, 13% of patients had concomitant insular carcinoma. Calcification or bone was noted in the stroma of 23% of patients with insular carcinomas and 47% of those with anaplastic carcinomas. The 10-year survival rates for patients with insular carcinoma and anaplastic carcinoma were 42% and 3%, respectively. Distant metastases were seen in 32% of patients with insular carcinoma and in 47% of patients with anaplastic carcinomas. In

Insular and hippocampal contributions to remembering people with an impression of bad personality

PubMed Central

Shigemune, Yayoi; Nouchi, Rui; Kambara, Toshimune; Kawashima, Ryuta

2013-01-01

Our impressions of other people are formed mainly from the two possible factors of facial attractiveness and trustworthiness. Previous studies have shown the importance of orbitofrontal–hippocampal interactions in the better remembering of attractive faces, and psychological data have indicated that faces giving an impression of untrustworthiness are remembered more accurately than those giving an impression of trustworthiness. However, the neural mechanisms of the latter effect are largely unknown. To investigate this issue, we investigated neural activities with event-related fMRI while the female participants rated their impressions of the personalities of men in terms of trustworthiness. After the rating, memory for faces was tested to identify successful encoding activity. As expected, faces that gave bad impressions were remembered better than those that gave neutral or good impressions. In fMRI data, right insular activity reflected an increasing function of bad impressions, and bilateral hippocampal activities predicted subsequent memory success. Additionally, correlation between these insular and hippocampal regions was significant only in the encoding of faces associated with a bad impression. Better memory for faces associated with an impression of bad personality could reflect greater interaction between the avoidance-related insular region and the encoding-related hippocampal region. PMID:22349799

Phylogeny and adaptation shape the teeth of insular mice

PubMed Central

Ledevin, Ronan; Chevret, Pascale; Ganem, Guila; Britton-Davidian, Janice; Hardouin, Emilie A.; Chapuis, Jean-Louis; Pisanu, Benoit; da Luz Mathias, Maria; Schlager, Stefan; Auffray, Jean-Christophe; Renaud, Sabrina

2016-01-01

By accompanying human travels since prehistorical times, the house mouse dispersed widely throughout the world, and colonized many islands. The origin of the travellers determined the phylogenetic source of the insular mice, which encountered diverse ecological and environmental conditions on the various islands. Insular mice are thus an exceptional model to disentangle the relative role of phylogeny, ecology and climate in evolution. Molar shape is known to vary according to phylogeny and to respond to adaptation. Using for the first time a three-dimensional geometric morphometric approach, compared with a classical two-dimensional quantification, the relative effects of size variation, phylogeny, climate and ecology were investigated on molar shape diversity across a variety of islands. Phylogeny emerged as the factor of prime importance in shaping the molar. Changes in competition level, mostly driven by the presence or absence of the wood mouse on the different islands, appeared as the second most important effect. Climate and size differences accounted for slight shape variation. This evidences a balanced role of random differentiation related to history of colonization, and of adaptation possibly related to resource exploitation. PMID:26842576

Phylogeny and adaptation shape the teeth of insular mice.

PubMed

Ledevin, Ronan; Chevret, Pascale; Ganem, Guila; Britton-Davidian, Janice; Hardouin, Emilie A; Chapuis, Jean-Louis; Pisanu, Benoit; da Luz Mathias, Maria; Schlager, Stefan; Auffray, Jean-Christophe; Renaud, Sabrina

2016-02-10

By accompanying human travels since prehistorical times, the house mouse dispersed widely throughout the world, and colonized many islands. The origin of the travellers determined the phylogenetic source of the insular mice, which encountered diverse ecological and environmental conditions on the various islands. Insular mice are thus an exceptional model to disentangle the relative role of phylogeny, ecology and climate in evolution. Molar shape is known to vary according to phylogeny and to respond to adaptation. Using for the first time a three-dimensional geometric morphometric approach, compared with a classical two-dimensional quantification, the relative effects of size variation, phylogeny, climate and ecology were investigated on molar shape diversity across a variety of islands. Phylogeny emerged as the factor of prime importance in shaping the molar. Changes in competition level, mostly driven by the presence or absence of the wood mouse on the different islands, appeared as the second most important effect. Climate and size differences accounted for slight shape variation. This evidences a balanced role of random differentiation related to history of colonization, and of adaptation possibly related to resource exploitation. © 2016 The Author(s).

Translocation as a Conservation Tool for Restoring Insular Avifauna

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-01

5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) University of Missouri, Fisheries and Wildlife, Suite...within the foreseeable future. One approach to conservation includes establishing new communities of threatened species on islands where they did not...4A C-86 TRANSLOCATION AS A CONSERVATION TOOL FOR INSULAR AVIFAUNA DR. DYLAN KESLER University of Missouri Fisheries and Wildlife, Suite

Insular Cortex Is Involved in Consolidation of Object Recognition Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bermudez-Rattoni, Federico; Okuda, Shoki; Roozendaal, Benno; McGaugh, James L.

2005-01-01

Extensive evidence indicates that the insular cortex (IC), also termed gustatory cortex, is critically involved in conditioned taste aversion and taste recognition memory. Although most studies of the involvement of the IC in memory have investigated taste, there is some evidence that the IC is involved in memory that is not based on taste. In…

Assessment of Offshore Wind Energy Leasing Areas for the BOEM Massachusetts Wind Energy Area

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

Musial, W.; Parker, Z.; Fields, M.

2013-12-01

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), under an interagency agreement with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is providing technical assistance to identify and delineate leasing areas for offshore wind energy development within the Atlantic Coast Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) established by BOEM. This report focuses on NREL's development of three delineated leasing area options for the Massachusetts (MA) WEA and the technical evaluation of these leasing areas. The overarching objective of this study is to develop a logical process by which the MA WEA can be subdivided into non-overlapping leasing areas for BOEM'smore » use in developing an auction process in a renewable energy lease sale. NREL worked with BOEM to identify an appropriate number of leasing areas and proposed three delineation alternatives within the MA WEA based on the boundaries announced in May 2012. A primary output of the interagency agreement is this report, which documents the methodology, including key variables and assumptions, by which the leasing areas were identified and delineated.« less

Exercise-induced decrease in insular cortex rCBF during postexercise hypotension.

PubMed

Lamb, Kala; Gallagher, Kevin; McColl, Roderick; Mathews, Dana; Querry, Ross; Williamson, Jon W

2007-04-01

The insular cortex (IC), a region of the brain involved in blood pressure (BP) modulation, shows decreases in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during postexercise hypotension (PEH). To determine whether changes in IC neural activity were caused by prior exercise or by changes in BP, this investigation compared patterns of rCBF during periods of hypotension, which was induced by prior exercise (i.e., PEH) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) infusion and a cold pressor (CP), to restore BP. Ten subjects were studied on three different days with randomly assigned conditions: i) resting baseline; ii) PEH; and iii) SNP-induced hypotension (matched to the PEH BP decrease). Data were collected for heart rate (HR) and mean BP, and rCBF was assessed using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) as an index of brain activation. Using ANOVA across conditions, there were differences (P<0.05; mean +/- SD) from baseline during PEH for HR (+12 +/- 3 bpm) and mean BP (-8 +/- 2 mm Hg) and during SNP-induced hypotension (HR = +15 +/- 4 bpm; MBP = -9 +/- 2 mm Hg), with no differences between PEH and SNP. After exercise, there were decreases (P<0.05) in the leg sensorimotor area, anterior cingulate, and the right and left inferior thalamus, right inferior insula, and left anterior insular regions. During SNP-induced hypotension, there were significant increases in the right and left inferior thalamus and the right and left inferior anterior IC. CP during PEH increased BP and IC activity. Data show that reductions in IC neural activity are not caused by acute BP decreases. Findings suggest that exercise can lead to a temporary decrease in IC neural activity, which may be a significant neural factor contributing to PEH.

Structural basis of empathy and the domain general region in the anterior insular cortex

PubMed Central

Mutschler, Isabella; Reinbold, Céline; Wankerl, Johanna; Seifritz, Erich; Ball, Tonio

2013-01-01

Empathy is key for healthy social functioning and individual differences in empathy have strong implications for manifold domains of social behavior. Empathy comprises of emotional and cognitive components and may also be closely linked to sensorimotor processes, which go along with the motivation and behavior to respond compassionately to another person's feelings. There is growing evidence for local plastic change in the structure of the healthy adult human brain in response to environmental demands or intrinsic factors. Here we have investigated changes in brain structure resulting from or predisposing to empathy. Structural MRI data of 101 healthy adult females was analyzed. Empathy in fictitious as well as real-life situations was assessed using a validated self-evaluation measure. Furthermore, empathy-related structural effects were also put into the context of a functional map of the anterior insular cortex (AIC) determined by activation likelihood estimate (ALE) meta-analysis of previous functional imaging studies. We found that gray matter (GM) density in the left dorsal AIC correlates with empathy and that this area overlaps with the domain general region (DGR) of the anterior insula that is situated in-between functional systems involved in emotion–cognition, pain, and motor tasks as determined by our meta-analysis. Thus, we propose that this insular region where we find structural differences depending on individual empathy may play a crucial role in modulating the efficiency of neural integration underlying emotional, cognitive, and sensorimotor information which is essential for global empathy. PMID:23675334

Altered insular activation and increased insular functional connectivity during sad and happy face processing in adolescent major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Henje Blom, Eva; Connolly, Colm G; Ho, Tiffany C; LeWinn, Kaja Z; Mobayed, Nisreen; Han, Laura; Paulus, Martin P; Wu, Jing; Simmons, Alan N; Yang, Tony T

2015-06-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide and occurs commonly first during adolescence. The insular cortex (IC) plays an important role in integrating emotion processing with interoception and has been implicated recently in the pathophysiology of adult and adolescent MDD. However, no studies have yet specifically examined the IC in adolescent MDD during processing of faces in the sad-happy continuum. Thus, the aim of the present study is to investigate the IC during sad and happy face processing in adolescents with MDD compared to healthy controls (HCL). Thirty-one adolescents (22 female) with MDD and 36 (23 female) HCL underwent a well-validated emotional processing fMRI paradigm that included sad and happy face stimuli. The MDD group showed significantly less differential activation of the anterior/middle insular cortex (AMIC) in response to sad versus happy faces compared to the HCL group. AMIC also showed greater functional connectivity with right fusiform gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, and right amygdala/parahippocampal gyrus in the MDD compared to HCL group. Moreover, differential activation to sad and happy faces in AMIC correlated negatively with depression severity within the MDD group. Small age-range and cross-sectional nature precluded assessment of development of the AMIC in adolescent depression. Given the role of the IC in integrating bodily stimuli with conscious cognitive and emotional processes, our findings of aberrant AMIC function in adolescent MDD provide a neuroscientific rationale for targeting the AMIC in the development of new treatment modalities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A role for the anterior insular cortex in the global neuronal workspace model of consciousness.

PubMed

Michel, Matthias

2017-03-01

According to the global neuronal workspace model of consciousness, consciousness results from the global broadcast of information throughout the brain. The global neuronal workspace is mainly constituted by a fronto-parietal network. The anterior insular cortex is part of this global neuronal workspace, but the function of this region has not yet been defined within the global neuronal workspace model of consciousness. In this review, I hypothesize that the anterior insular cortex implements a cross-modal priority map, the function of which is to determine priorities for the processing of information and subsequent entrance in the global neuronal workspace. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of feral cats on insular wildlife: the Club-Med syndrome

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hess, Steve C.; Danner, Raymond M.; Timm, R.M.

2012-01-01

Domestic cats have been introduced to many of the world‘s islands where they have been particularly devastating to insular wildlife which, in most cases, evolved in the absence of terrestrial predatory mammals and feline diseases. We review the effects of predation, feline diseases, and the life history characteristics of feral cats and their prey that have contributed to the extirpation and extinction of many insular vertebrate species. The protozoan Toxoplasma gondii is a persistent land-based zoonotic pathogen hosted by cats that is known to cause mortality in several insular bird species. It also enters marine environments in cat feces where it can cause the mortality of marine mammals. Feral cats remain widespread on islands throughout the world and are frequently subsidized in colonies which caretakers often assert have little negative effect on native wildlife. However, population genetics, home range, and movement studies all suggest that there are no locations on smaller islands where these cats cannot penetrate within two generations. While the details of past vertebrate extinctions were rarely documented during contemporary time, a strong line of evidence is emerging that the removal of feral cats from islands can rapidly facilitate the recolonization of extirpated species, particularly seabirds. Islands offer unique, mostly self-contained ecosystems in which to conduct controlled studies of the effects of feral cats on wildlife, having implications for continental systems. The response of terrestrial wildlife such as passerine birds, small mammals, and herptiles still needs more thorough long-term monitoring and documentation after the removal of feral cats.

Successful Insular Glioma Removal in a Deaf Signer Patient During an Awake Craniotomy Procedure.

PubMed

Metellus, Philippe; Boussen, Salah; Guye, Maxime; Trebuchon, Agnes

2017-02-01

Resection of tumors located within the insula of the dominant hemisphere represents a technical challenge because of the complex anatomy, including the surrounding vasculature, and the relationship to functional (motor and language) structures. We report here the case of a successful resection of a left insular glioma in a native deaf signer during an awake craniotomy. The patient, a congenitally deaf right-handed patient who is a native user of sign language, presented with a seizure 1 week before he was referred to our department. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a left heterogeneous insular tumor enhanced after intravenous gadolinium infusion. Because of its deep and dominant hemisphere location, an awake craniotomy was decided. The patient was evaluated intraoperatively using object naming, text reading, and sign repetition tasks. An isolated inferior frontal gyrus site evoked repeated object naming errors. A transopercular parietal approach was performed and allowed the successful removal of the tumor under direct electric stimulation and electrocorticography. To our knowledge, this is the first report of successful removal of a left insular tumor without any functional sequelae in a native deaf signer using intraoperative direct cerebral stimulation during an awake craniotomy. The methodology used also provides the first evidence of the actual anatomo-functional organization of language in deaf signers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of perinatal undernutrition on the development of neurons in the rat insular cortex.

PubMed

Salas, Manuel; Torrero, Carmen; Rubio, Lorena; Regalado, Mirelta

2012-09-01

The insular cortex (IC) of the rat is a major area for the convergence and integration of olfactory, gustatory, and visual information, and at present it is unclear if perinatal undernutrition interferes with the structure and function of the IC neurons. Golgi-Cox-stained cells of the IC were studied in control and undernourished Wistar rats at 12, 20, and 30 days of age. Pregnant dams were undernourished by the reduction of a balanced diet during a part of the gestational period (G6-G18). After parturition (P1-P23) pups remained for 12 hours with a normal and 12 hours with a nipple-ligated dam. Undernutrition significantly reduced the number, and the arborization of the dendritic arbors, and the perimeter, and cross-sectional area of perikarya. The IC neuronal morphology appearances suggest a possible mechanism for the impairment in information processing of complex phenomena such as taste sensation and hedonic response.

Delay discounting mediates the association between posterior insular cortex volume and social media addiction symptoms.

PubMed

Turel, Ofir; He, Qinghua; Brevers, Damien; Bechara, Antoine

2018-04-25

Addiction-like symptoms in relation to excessive and compulsive social media use are common in the general population. Because they can lead to various adverse effects, there is a growing need to understand the brain systems and processes that are involved in potential social media addiction. We focus on the morphology of the posterior subdivision of the insular cortex (i.e., the insula), because it has been shown to be instrumental to supporting the maintenance of substance addictions and problematic behaviors. Assuming that social media addiction shares neural similarities with more established ones and consistent with evidence from the neuroeconomics domain, we further examine one possible reason for this association-namely that insular morphology influences one's delay discounting and that this delay discounting contributes to exaggerated preference for immediate social media rewards and consequent addiction-like symptoms. Based on voxel-based morphometry techniques applied to MRI scans of 32 social media users, we show that the gray matter volumes of the bilateral posterior insula are negatively associated with social media addiction symptoms. We further show that this association is mediated by delay discounting. This provides initial evidence that insular morphology can be associated with potential social media addiction, in part, through its contribution to poor foresight and impulsivity as captured by delay discounting.

Extraordinarily high spider densities on islands: flow of energy from the marine to terrestrial food webs and the absence of predation.

PubMed Central

Polis, G A; Hurd, S D

1995-01-01

Some islands in the Gulf of California support very high densities of spiders. Spider density is negatively correlated with island size; many small islands support 50-200 spiders per m3 of cactus. Energy for these spiders comes primarily from the ocean and not from in situ productivity by land plants. We explicitly connect the marine and terrestrial systems to show that insular food webs represent one endpoint of the marine web. We describe two conduits for marine energy entering these islands: shore drift and seabird colonies. Both conduits are related to island area, having a much stronger effect on smaller islands. This asymmetric effect helps to explain the exceptionally high spider densities on small islands. Although productivity sets the maximal potential densities, predation (by scorpions) limits realized spider abundance. Thus, prey availability and predation act in concert to set insular spider abundance. PMID:7753815

Nestedness of desert bat assemblages: species composition patterns in insular and terrestrial landscapes.

PubMed

Frick, Winifred F; Hayes, John P; Heady, Paul A

2009-01-01

Nested patterns of community composition exist when species at depauperate sites are subsets of those occurring at sites with more species. Nested subset analysis provides a framework for analyzing species occurrences to determine non-random patterns in community composition and potentially identify mechanisms that may shape faunal assemblages. We examined nested subset structure of desert bat assemblages on 20 islands in the southern Gulf of California and at 27 sites along the Baja California peninsula coast, the presumable source pool for the insular faunas. Nested structure was analyzed using a conservative null model that accounts for expected variation in species richness and species incidence across sites (fixed row and column totals). Associations of nestedness and island traits, such as size and isolation, as well as species traits related to mobility, were assessed to determine the potential role of differential extinction and immigration abilities as mechanisms of nestedness. Bat faunas were significantly nested in both the insular and terrestrial landscape and island size was significantly correlated with nested structure, such that species on smaller islands tended to be subsets of species on larger islands, suggesting that differential extinction vulnerabilities may be important in shaping insular bat faunas. The role of species mobility and immigration abilities is less clearly associated with nestedness in this system. Nestedness in the terrestrial landscape is likely due to stochastic processes related to random placement of individuals and this may also influence nested patterns on islands, but additional data on abundances will be necessary to distinguish among these potential mechanisms.

Assessment of Offshore Wind Energy Leasing Areas for the BOEM New Jersey Wind Energy Area

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

Musial, W.; Elliott, D.; Fields, J.

2013-10-01

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), under an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is providing technical assistance to identify and delineate leasing areas for offshore wind energy development within the Atlantic Coast Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) established by BOEM. This report focuses on NREL's development and evaluation of the delineations for the New Jersey (NJ) WEA. The overarching objective of this study is to develop a logical process by which the New Jersey WEA can be subdivided into non-overlapping leasing areas for BOEM's use in developing an auction process inmore » a renewable energy lease sale. NREL identified a selection of leasing areas and proposed delineation boundaries within the established NJ WEA. The primary output of the interagency agreement is this report, which documents the methodology, including key variables and assumptions, by which the leasing areas were identified and delineated.« less

Variable temporo-insular cortex neuroanatomy in primates suggests a bottleneck effect in eastern gorillas

PubMed Central

Barks, Sarah K.; Bauernfeind, Amy L.; Bonar, Christopher J.; Cranfield, Michael R.; de Sousa, Alexandra A.; Erwin, Joseph M.; Hopkins, William D.; Lewandowski, Albert H.; Mudakikwa, Antoine; Phillips, Kimberley A.; Raghanti, Mary Ann; Stimpson, Cheryl D.; Hof, Patrick R.; Zilles, Karl; Sherwood, Chet C.

2013-01-01

In this study, we describe an atypical neuroanatomical feature present in several primate species that involves a fusion between the temporal lobe (often including Heschl’s gyrus in great apes) and the posterior dorsal insula, such that a portion of insular cortex forms an isolated pocket medial to the Sylvian fissure. We assessed the frequency of this fusion in 56 primate species (including apes, Old World monkeys, New World monkeys, and strepsirrhines) using either magnetic resonance images or histological sections. A fusion between temporal cortex and posterior insula was present in 22 species (7 apes, 2 Old World monkeys, 4 New World monkeys, and 9 strepsirrhines). The temporo-insular fusion was observed in most eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei and G. b. graueri) specimens (62% and 100% of cases, respectively) but less frequently in other great apes and was never found in humans. We further explored the histology of this fusion in eastern gorillas by examining the cyto- and myeloarchitecture within this region, and observed that the degree to which deep cortical layers and white matter are incorporated into the fusion varies among individuals within a species. We suggest that fusion between temporal and insular cortex is an example of a relatively rare neuroanatomical feature that has become more common in eastern gorillas, possibly as the result of a population bottleneck effect. Characterizing the phylogenetic distribution of this morphology highlights a derived feature of these great apes. PMID:23939630

76 FR 66035 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Application for Insular Watch and Jewelry...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-25

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Application for Insular Watch and Jewelry Program Benefits AGENCY: International Trade Administration. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce...

Magnetic resonance imaging-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy as treatment for intractable insular epilepsy in children.

PubMed

Perry, M Scott; Donahue, David J; Malik, Saleem I; Keator, Cynthia G; Hernandez, Angel; Reddy, Rohit K; Perkins, Freedom F; Lee, Mark R; Clarke, Dave F

2017-12-01

OBJECTIVE Seizure onset within the insula is increasingly recognized as a cause of intractable epilepsy. Surgery within the insula is difficult, with considerable risks, given the rich vascular supply and location near critical cortex. MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (LiTT) provides an attractive treatment option for insular epilepsy, allowing direct ablation of abnormal tissue while sparing nearby normal cortex. Herein, the authors describe their experience using this technique in a large cohort of children undergoing treatment of intractable localization-related epilepsy of insular onset. METHODS The combined epilepsy surgery database of Cook Children's Medical Center and Dell Children's Hospital was queried for all cases of insular onset epilepsy treated with LiTT. Patients without at least 6 months of follow-up data and cases preoperatively designated as palliative were excluded. Patient demographics, presurgical evaluation, surgical plan, and outcome were collected from patient charts and described. RESULTS Twenty patients (mean age 12.8 years, range 6.1-18.6 years) underwent a total of 24 LiTT procedures; 70% of these patients had normal findings on MRI. Patients underwent a mean follow-up of 20.4 months after their last surgery (range 7-39 months), with 10 (50%) in Engel Class I, 1 (5%) in Engel Class II, 5 (25%) in Engel Class III, and 4 (20%) in Engel Class IV at last follow-up. Patients were discharged within 24 hours of the procedure in 15 (63%) cases, in 48 hours in 6 (24%) cases, and in more than 48 hours in the remaining cases. Adverse functional effects were experienced following 7 (29%) of the procedures: mild hemiparesis after 6 procedures (all patients experienced complete resolution or had minimal residual dysfunction by 6 months), and expressive language dysfunction after 1 procedure (resolved by 3 months). CONCLUSIONS To their knowledge, the authors present the largest cohort of pediatric patients undergoing insular surgery for

Impaired anterior insular activation during risky decision making in young adults with internet gaming disorder.

PubMed

Lee, Deokjong; Lee, Junghan; Yoon, Kang Joon; Kee, Namkoong; Jung, Young-Chul

2016-05-25

Internet gaming disorder is defined as excessive and compulsive use of the internet to engage in games that leads to clinically significant psychosocial impairment. We tested the hypothesis that individuals with internet gaming disorder would be less sensitive to high-risk situations and show aberrant brain activation related to risk prediction processing. Young adults with internet gaming disorder underwent functional MRI while performing a risky decision-making task. The healthy control group showed stronger activations within the dorsal attention network and the anterior insular cortex, which were not found in the internet gaming disorder group. Our findings imply that young adults with internet gaming disorder show impaired anterior insular activation during risky decision making, which might make them vulnerable when they need to adapt new behavioral strategies in high-risk situations.

Differential Effects of Insular and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Lesions on Risky Decision-Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, L.; Bechara, A.; Damasio, H.; Aitken, M. R. F.; Sahakian, B. J.; Robbins, T. W.

2008-01-01

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and insular cortex are implicated in distributed neural circuitry that supports emotional decision-making. Previous studies of patients with vmPFC lesions have focused primarily on decision-making under uncertainty, when outcome probabilities are ambiguous (e.g. the Iowa Gambling Task). It remains unclear…

The von Economo neurons in fronto-insular and anterior cingulate cortex

PubMed Central

Allman, John M.; Tetreault, Nicole A.; Hakeem, Atiya Y.; Manaye, Kebreten F.; Semendeferi, Katerina; Erwin, Joseph M.; Park, Soyoung; Goubert, Virginie; Hof, Patrick R.

2011-01-01

The von Economo neurons (VENs) are large bipolar neurons located in fronto-insular cortex (FI) and anterior limbic area (LA) in great apes and humans but not in other primates. Our stereological counts of VENs in FI and LA show them to be more numerous in humans than in apes. In humans, small numbers of VENs appear the 36th week post conception, with numbers increasing during the first eight months after birth. There are significantly more VENs in the right hemisphere in postnatal brains; this may be related to asymmetries in the autonomic nervous system. VENs are also present in elephants and whales and may be a specialization related to very large brain size. The large size and simple dendritic structure of these projection neurons suggest that they rapidly send basic information from FI and LA to other parts of the brain, while slower neighboring pyramids send more detailed information. Selective destruction of VENs in early stages of fronto-temporal dementia implies that they are involved in empathy, social awareness, and self-control, consistent with evidence from functional imaging. PMID:21534993

Surgical treatment of insular tumours with tractography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, transcranial electrical stimulation and direct subcortical stimulation support.

PubMed

Majchrzak, Krzysztof; Bobek-Billewicz, Barbara; Tymowski, Michał; Adamczyk, Piotr; Majchrzak, Hneryk; Ladziński, Piotr

2011-01-01

Surgical treatment of insular tumours carries significant risks of limb paresis or speech disturbances due to their localization. The development of intraoperative neuromonitoring techniques that involve evoked motor potentials induced via both direct and transcranial cortical electrical stimulation as well as direct subcortical white matter stimulation, intraoperative application of preoperative tractography and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in conjunction with neuronavigation resulted in significant reduction of postoperative disabilities that enabled widening of indications for surgical treatment. The aim of this study was to present the authors' own experience with surgical treatment of insular gliomas. Our cohort comprises 30 patients with insular gliomas treated at the Department of Neurosurgery in Sosnowiec. Clinical symptoms included sensorimotor partial seizures in 86.6%; generalized seizures in 23.3%; persistent headaches in 16.6% and hemiparesis in 6.6%. All the patients were operated on with intraoperative neuromonitoring that included transcranial cortical stimulation, direct subcortical white matter stimulation as well as tractography and fMRI concurrently with neuronavigation. The analysis in-cluded postoperative neurological evaluation along with the assessment of the radicalism of resection evaluated based on postoperative MRI. Postoperatively, four patients had permanent hemiparesis (13.3%); importantly, two out of those patients had preoperative deficits (6.6%). Persistent speech disturbances were present in four patients (13.3%). Partial sensorimotor seizures were noted in two patients (6.6%). Seizures in the other patients receded. Intraoperative transcranial electrical stimulation as well as direct subcortical white matter stimulation along with tractography (DTI) and fMRI facilitated gross total resection of insular gliomas in 53.5%, subtotal in 13.3% and partial resection in 33.1%. Implementation of TES, direct subcortical

AxIOM: Amphipod crustaceans from insular Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows

PubMed Central

Heughebaert, André; Lepoint, Gilles

2016-01-01

Abstract Background The Neptune grass, Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, 1813, is the most widespread seagrass of the Mediterranean Sea. This foundation species forms large meadows that, through habitat and trophic services, act as biodiversity hotspots. In Neptune grass meadows, amphipod crustaceans are one of the dominant groups of vagile invertebrates, forming an abundant and diverse taxocenosis. They are key ecological components of the complex, pivotal, yet critically endangered Neptune grass ecosystems. Nevertheless, comprehensive qualitative and quantitative data about amphipod fauna found in Mediterranean Neptune grass meadows remain scarce, especially in insular locations. New information Here, we provide in-depth metadata about AxIOM, a sample-based dataset published on the GBIF portal. AxIOM is based on an extensive and spatially hierarchized sampling design with multiple years, seasons, day periods, and methods. Samples were taken along the coasts of Calvi Bay (Corsica, France) and of the Tavolara-Punta Coda Cavallo Marine Protected Area (Sardinia, Italy). In total, AxIOM contains 187 samples documenting occurrence (1775 records) and abundance (10720 specimens) of amphipod crustaceans belonging to 72 species spanning 29 families. The dataset is available at http://ipt.biodiversity.be/resource?r=axiom. PMID:27660521

Pre-Surgical Integration of fMRI and DTI of the Sensorimotor System in Transcortical Resection of a High-Grade Insular Astrocytoma

PubMed Central

Ekstrand, Chelsea L.; Mickleborough, Marla J. S.; Fourney, Daryl R.; Gould, Layla A.; Lorentz, Eric J.; Ellchuk, Tasha; Borowsky, Ron W.

2016-01-01

Herein we report on a patient with a WHO Grade III astrocytoma in the right insular region in close proximity to the internal capsule who underwent a right frontotemporal craniotomy. Total gross resection of insular gliomas remains surgically challenging based on the possibility of damage to the corticospinal tracts. However, maximizing the extent of resection has been shown to decrease future adverse outcomes. Thus, the goal of such surgeries should focus on maximizing extent of resection while minimizing possible adverse outcomes. In this case, pre-surgical planning included integration of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), to localize motor and sensory pathways. Novel fMRI tasks were individually developed for the patient to maximize both somatosensory and motor activation simultaneously in areas in close proximity to the tumor. Information obtained was used to optimize resection trajectory and extent, facilitating gross total resection of the astrocytoma. Across all three motor-sensory tasks administered, fMRI revealed an area of interest just superior and lateral to the astrocytoma. Further, DTI analyses showed displacement of the corona radiata around the superior dorsal surface of the astrocytoma, extending in the direction of the activation found using fMRI. Taking into account these results, a transcortical superior temporal gyrus surgical approach was chosen in order to avoid the area of interest identified by fMRI and DTI. Total gross resection was achieved and minor post-surgical motor and sensory deficits were temporary. This case highlights the utility of comprehensive pre-surgical planning, including fMRI and DTI, to maximize surgical outcomes on a case-by-case basis. PMID:27013996

19 CFR 7.4 - Watches and watch movements from U.S. insular possessions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Watches and Watch Movements, by the Department of Commerce, authorizes a producer of watches in the U.S...-360 certificate from the Department of Commerce. (b) The Form ITA-360 may not be used to secure... authenticated by the Department of Commerce. (c) By completing Form ITA-361, the insular producer may either: (1...

A role for the interoceptive insular cortex in the consolidation of learned fear.

PubMed

Casanova, José Patricio; Madrid, Carlos; Contreras, Marco; Rodríguez, María; Vasquez, Mónica; Torrealba, Fernando

2016-01-01

A growing body of evidence suggests that learned fear may be related to the function of the interoceptive insular cortex. Using an auditory fear conditioning paradigm in rats, we show that the inactivation of the posterior insular cortex (pIC), the target of the interoceptive thalamus, prior to training produced a marked reduction in fear expression tested 24h later. Accordingly, post-training anisomycin infused immediately, but not 6h after, also reduced fear expression tested the following day, supporting a role for the pIC in consolidation of fear memory. The long-term (ca. a week) and reversible inactivation of the pIC with the sodium channel blocker neosaxitoxin, immediately after fear memory reactivation induced a progressive decrease in the behavioral expression of conditioned fear. In turn, we observed that fear memory reactivation is accompanied by an enhanced expression of Fos and Zif268, early genes involved in neural activity and plasticity. Taken together these data indicate that the pIC is involved in the regulation of fear memories. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Insularity and the determinants of lizard population density.

PubMed

Buckley, Lauren B; Jetz, Walter

2007-06-01

The relative effects of resource availability and partitioning on animal population density are unresolved yet central to ecology and conservation. Species-depauperate islands offer an intriguing test case. Across 643 lizard populations from around the world, local abundances are one order of magnitude higher on islands than on mainlands, even when controlled for resource availability. On mainlands, predator and competitor richness only weakly correlate with lizard densities. On islands, sharp reductions in predator and competitor richness are the dominant drivers of lizard abundance. Our results demonstrate the dramatic effect insularity has on the interplay between biotic and abiotic control of animal abundances and the heightened sensitivity of island communities to species' losses and gains.

Parental Praise Correlates with Posterior Insular Cortex Gray Matter Volume in Children and Adolescents

PubMed Central

Matsudaira, Izumi; Yokota, Susumu; Hashimoto, Teruo; Takeuchi, Hikaru; Asano, Kohei; Asano, Michiko; Sassa, Yuko; Taki, Yasuyuki; Kawashima, Ryuta

2016-01-01

A positive parenting style affects psychological and cognitive development in children. Neuroimaging studies revealed that a positive parenting style influenced brain structure in children. Parental praise is a concrete behavior observed in positive parenting. Although previous psychological studies revealed a positive effect of parental praise on children, little is known about the relationship between parental praise and brain structure in children. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to determine whether there was a correlation between the parental attitude towards praising their child and gray matter volume in the children (116 boys and 109 girls; mean age, 10.6 years old). We examined the correlation between regional gray matter volume and parental praise using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) following magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In addition, to confirm the positive effects of parental praise, we analyzed the correlation between the frequency of parental praise and personality traits in children. We showed that the parental attitude towards praising their child was significantly and positively correlated with the gray matter volume of the left posterior insular cortex in children. Moreover, we found a significant positive correlation between parental attitude towards praising their child and the personality traits of conscientiousness and openness to experience in the children. Prior studies said that gray matter volume in the posterior insula was correlated with empathy, and the functional connectivity between this area and the amygdala was associated with emotional regulation. Furthermore, the posterior insula relates to auditory function, and therefore, was likely involved in the processing of parental praise. Considering the possibility of experience-dependent plasticity, frequent parental praise would lead to increased posterior insular gray matter volume in children. Our study is the first to elucidate the relationship between a specific

Parental Praise Correlates with Posterior Insular Cortex Gray Matter Volume in Children and Adolescents.

PubMed

Matsudaira, Izumi; Yokota, Susumu; Hashimoto, Teruo; Takeuchi, Hikaru; Asano, Kohei; Asano, Michiko; Sassa, Yuko; Taki, Yasuyuki; Kawashima, Ryuta

2016-01-01

A positive parenting style affects psychological and cognitive development in children. Neuroimaging studies revealed that a positive parenting style influenced brain structure in children. Parental praise is a concrete behavior observed in positive parenting. Although previous psychological studies revealed a positive effect of parental praise on children, little is known about the relationship between parental praise and brain structure in children. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to determine whether there was a correlation between the parental attitude towards praising their child and gray matter volume in the children (116 boys and 109 girls; mean age, 10.6 years old). We examined the correlation between regional gray matter volume and parental praise using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) following magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In addition, to confirm the positive effects of parental praise, we analyzed the correlation between the frequency of parental praise and personality traits in children. We showed that the parental attitude towards praising their child was significantly and positively correlated with the gray matter volume of the left posterior insular cortex in children. Moreover, we found a significant positive correlation between parental attitude towards praising their child and the personality traits of conscientiousness and openness to experience in the children. Prior studies said that gray matter volume in the posterior insula was correlated with empathy, and the functional connectivity between this area and the amygdala was associated with emotional regulation. Furthermore, the posterior insula relates to auditory function, and therefore, was likely involved in the processing of parental praise. Considering the possibility of experience-dependent plasticity, frequent parental praise would lead to increased posterior insular gray matter volume in children. Our study is the first to elucidate the relationship between a specific

Anterior Insular Cortex and Emotional Awareness

PubMed Central

Gu, Xiaosi; Hof, Patrick R.; Friston, Karl J.; Fan, Jin

2014-01-01

This paper reviews the foundation for a role of the human anterior insular cortex (AIC) in emotional awareness, defined as the conscious experience of emotions. We first introduce the neuroanatomical features of AIC and existing findings on emotional awareness. Using empathy, the awareness and understanding of other people’s emotional states, as a test case, we then present evidence to demonstrate: 1) AIC and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) are commonly coactivated as revealed by a meta-analysis, 2) AIC is functionally dissociable from ACC, 3) AIC integrates stimulus-driven and top-down information, and 4) AIC is necessary for emotional awareness. We propose a model in which AIC serves two major functions: integrating bottom-up interoceptive signals with top-down predictions to generate a current awareness state and providing descending predictions to visceral systems that provide a point of reference for autonomic reflexes. We argue that AIC is critical and necessary for emotional awareness. PMID:23749500

The Anterior Insular Cortex→Central Amygdala Glutamatergic Pathway Is Critical to Relapse after Contingency Management.

PubMed

Venniro, Marco; Caprioli, Daniele; Zhang, Michelle; Whitaker, Leslie R; Zhang, Shiliang; Warren, Brandon L; Cifani, Carlo; Marchant, Nathan J; Yizhar, Ofer; Bossert, Jennifer M; Chiamulera, Cristiano; Morales, Marisela; Shaham, Yavin

2017-10-11

Despite decades of research on neurobiological mechanisms of psychostimulant addiction, the only effective treatment for many addicts is contingency management, a behavioral treatment that uses alternative non-drug reward to maintain abstinence. However, when contingency management is discontinued, most addicts relapse to drug use. The brain mechanisms underlying relapse after cessation of contingency management are largely unknown, and, until recently, an animal model of this human condition did not exist. Here we used a novel rat model, in which the availability of a mutually exclusive palatable food maintains prolonged voluntary abstinence from intravenous methamphetamine self-administration, to demonstrate that the activation of monosynaptic glutamatergic projections from anterior insular cortex to central amygdala is critical to relapse after the cessation of contingency management. We identified the anterior insular cortex-to-central amygdala projection as a new addiction- and motivation-related projection and a potential target for relapse prevention. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The Republic of Palau: Pursuing a Sustainable and Resilient Energy Future

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

2016-07-01

This fact sheet provides an overview of the work Palau is doing in a variety of renewable energy activities with support from the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and outlines additional opportunities for involvement by other international donors.

Sex Differences in Insular Cortex Gyri Responses to the Valsalva Maneuver.

PubMed

Macey, Paul M; Rieken, Nicholas S; Kumar, Rajesh; Ogren, Jennifer A; Middlekauff, Holly R; Wu, Paula; Woo, Mary A; Harper, Ronald M

2016-01-01

Sex differences in autonomic regulation may underlie cardiovascular disease variations between females and males. One key autonomic brain region is the insular cortex, which typically consists of five main gyri in each hemisphere, and shows a topographical organization of autonomic function across those gyri. The present study aims to identify possible sex differences in organization of autonomic function in the insula. We studied brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) responses to a series of four 18-s Valsalva maneuvers in 22 healthy females (age ± SD: 50.0 ± 7.9 years) and 36 healthy males (45.3 ± 9.2 years). Comparisons of heart rate (HR) and fMRI signals were performed with repeated measures ANOVA (threshold P < 0.05 for all findings). All subjects achieved the target 30 mmHg expiratory pressure for all challenges. Typical HR responses were elicited by the maneuver, including HR increases from ~4 s into the strain period (Phase II) and rapid declines to below baseline 5-10 s, following strain release (Phase IV). Small, but significant, sex differences in HR percent change occurred during the sympathetic-dominant Phase II (female < male) and parasympathetic-dominant Phase IV (female > male, i.e., greater undershoot in males). The insular cortices showed similar patterns in all gyri, with greater signal decreases in males than females. Both sexes exhibited an anterior-posterior topographical organization of insular responses during Phase II, with anterior gyri showing higher responses than more posterior gyri. The exception was the right anterior-most gyrus in females, which had lower responses than the four other right gyri. Responses were lateralized, with right-sided dominance during Phase II in both sexes, except the right anterior-most gyrus in females, which showed lower responses than the left. The findings confirm the anterior and right-sided sympathetic dominance of the insula. Although sex differences

Electrical stimulation of the insular cortex as a novel target for the relief of refractory pain: An experimental approach in rodents.

PubMed

Dimov, Luiz Fabio; Toniolo, Elaine Flamia; Alonso-Matielo, Heloísa; de Andrade, Daniel Ciampi; Garcia-Larrea, Luis; Ballester, Gerson; Teixeira, Manoel Jacobsen; Dale, Camila Squarzoni

2018-07-02

Cortical electrical stimulation (CES) has shown to be an effective therapeutic alternative for neuropathic pain refractory to pharmacological treatment. The primary motor cortex(M1) was the main cortical target used in the vast majority of both invasive and non-invasive studies. Despite positive results M1-based approaches still fail to relieve pain in a significant proportion of individuals. It has been advocated that the direct stimulation of cortical areas directly implicated in the central integration of pain could increase the efficacy of analgesic brain stimulation. Here, we evaluated the behavioral effects of electrical stimulation of the insular cortex (ESI) on pain sensitivity in an experimental rat model of peripheral neuropathy, and have described the pathways involved. Animals underwent chronic constriction of the sciatic nerve in the right hind limb and had concentric electrodes implanted in the posterior dysranular insular cortex. Mechanical nociception responses were evaluated before and at the end of a 15-min session of ESI (60Hz, 210μs, 1V). ESI reversed mechanical hypersensitivity in the paw contralateral to the brain hemisphere stimulated, without inducing motor impairment in the open-field test. Pharmacological blockade of μ-opioid (MOR) or type 1-cannabinoid receptors (CB1R) abolished ESI-induced antinociceptive effects. Evaluation of CB1R and MOR spatial expression demonstrated differential modulation of CB1R and MOR in the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) of ESI-treated rats in sub-areas involved in pain processing/modulation. These results indicate that ESI induces antinociception by functionally modulating opioid and cannabinoid systems in the PAG pain circuitry in rats with experimentally induced neuropathic pain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Application of Awake Craniotomy and Intraoperative Brain Mapping for Surgical Resection of Insular Gliomas of the Dominant Hemisphere.

PubMed

Alimohamadi, Maysam; Shirani, Mohammad; Shariat Moharari, Reza; Pour-Rashidi, Ahmad; Ketabchi, Mehdi; Khajavi, Mohammadreza; Arami, Mohamadali; Amirjamshidi, Abbas

2016-08-01

Radical resection of dominant insular gliomas is difficult because of their close vicinity with internal capsule, basal ganglia, and speech centers. Brain mapping techniques can be used to maximize the extent of tumor removal and to minimize postoperative morbidities by precise localization of eloquent cortical and subcortical areas. Patients with newly diagnosed gliomas of dominant insula were enrolled. The exclusion criteria were severe cognitive disturbances, communication difficulty, age greater than 75 years, severe obesity, difficult airways for intubation and severe cardiopulmonary diseases. All were evaluated preoperatively with contrast-enhanced brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional brain MRI, and diffusion tensor tractography of language and motor systems. All underwent awake craniotomy with the same anesthesiology protocol. Intraoperative monitoring included continuous motor-evoked potential, electromyography, electrocorticography, direct electrical stimulation of cortex, and subcortical tracts. The patients were followed with serial neurologic examination and imaging. Ten patients were enrolled (4 men, 6 women) with a mean age of 43.6 years. Seven patients suffered from low-grade glioma, and 3 patients had high-grade glioma. The most common clinical presentation was seizure followed by speech disturbance, hemiparesis, and memory loss. Extent of tumor resection ranged from 73% to 100%. No mortality or new major postoperative neurologic deficit was encountered. Seizure control improved in three fourths of patients with medical refractory epilepsy. In one patient with speech disorder at presentation, the speech problem became worse after surgery. Brain mapping during awake craniotomy helps to maximize extent of tumor resection while preserving neurologic function in patients with dominant insular lobe glioma. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Modulation of functionally localized right insular cortex activity using real-time fMRI-based neurofeedback.

PubMed

Berman, Brian D; Horovitz, Silvina G; Hallett, Mark

2013-01-01

The capacity for subjects to learn to volitionally control localized brain activity using neurofeedback is actively being investigated. We aimed to investigate the ability of healthy volunteers to quickly learn to use visual feedback during real-time functional MRI (rtfMRI) to modulate brain activity within their anterior right insular cortex (RIC) localized during a blink suppression task, an approach of possible interest in the use of rtfMRI to reduce urges. The RIC region of interest (RIC-ROI) was functionally localized using a blink suppression task, and blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal changes within RIC-ROI used to create a constantly updating display fed back to the subject in the scanner. Subjects were instructed to use emotional imagery to try and increase activity within RIC-ROI during four feedback training runs (FB1-FB4). A "control" run (CNTRL) before training and a "transfer" run (XSFR) after training were performed without feedback to assess for baseline abilities and learning effects. Fourteen participants completed all neurofeedback training runs. At the group-level, increased BOLD activity was seen in the anterior RIC during all the FB runs, but a significant increase in the functionally defined RIC-ROI was only attained during FB2. In atlas-defined insular cortex ROIs, significant increases were seen bilaterally during the CNTRL, FB1, FB2, and FB4 runs. Increased activity within the insular cortices did not show lateralization. Training did, however, result in a significant increase in functional connectivity between the RIC-ROI and the medial frontal gyrus when comparing FB4 to FB1. Since neurofeedback training did not lead to an increase in BOLD signal across all feedback runs, we suggest that learning to control one's brain activity in this fashion may require longer or repeated rtfMRI training sessions.

Maps Showing Composition of Surficial Sediments on the Insular Shelf of Southwestern Puerto Rico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shideler, Gerald L.

1980-01-01

The limited availability of onshore sand deposits for use in construction appears to be a future major problem in Puerto Rico (U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1972; Committee on Puerto Rico and the Sea, 1974). Consequently, the mining of offshore sand deposits as supplemental sources of construction aggregate may becom e necessary. For this reason, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Department of Natural Resources of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico have conducted investigations of potential offshore sand deposits on the Puerto Rico insular shelf. This report provides information on the composition of surficial sediments on the southwestern Puerto Rico shelf (fig. 1), an area that may be one of the more favorable potential sites for offshore sand resources. Water depths over most of the study area are less than 22 meters (m). The sea floor is composed of live and dead patch and fringing reefs, areas of rock exposures, and sedim ent-covered areas. The adjacent coastline includes prominent embaym ents and a conspicuous rock promontory (Cabo Rojo) connected by a tombolo to the mainland of Puerto Rico. The study area is in the belt of northeast trade winds. Waves approach the coast predominantly from the southeast, resulting in a predominantly westward littoral drift along the south coast (Grove and Trumbull, 1978). Local sand movement on the southern shelf is shown by an active sand wave field south of Bah1a Sucia in which the sand wave crests have migrated toward the southwest (Grove and Trumbull, 1978). The presence of the sand wave field suggests that large volumes of sand having potential for mining are locally present in the study area.

75 FR 10463 - Office of Insular Affairs; Allocation of Duty-Exemptions for Calendar Year 2010 for Watch...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-08

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Office of..., Department of Commerce; Office of Insular Affairs, Department of the Interior. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This... Departments of the Interior and Commerce (``the Departments'') share responsibility for the allocation of duty...

Kinetic energy budgets in areas of convection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuelberg, H. E.

1979-01-01

Synoptic scale budgets of kinetic energy are computed using 3 and 6 h data from three of NASA's Atmospheric Variability Experiments (AVE's). Numerous areas of intense convection occurred during the three experiments. Large kinetic energy variability, with periods as short as 6 h, is observed in budgets computed over each entire experiment area and over limited volumes that barely enclose the convection and move with it. Kinetic energy generation and transport processes in the smaller volumes are often a maximum when the enclosed storms are near peak intensity, but the nature of the various energy processes differs between storm cases and seems closely related to the synoptic conditions. A commonly observed energy budget for peak storm intensity indicates that generation of kinetic energy by cross-contour flow is the major energy source while dissipation to subgrid scales is the major sink. Synoptic scale vertical motion transports kinetic energy from lower to upper levels of the atmosphere while low-level horizontal flux convergence and upper-level horizontal divergence also occur. Spatial fields of the energy budget terms show that the storm environment is a major center of energy activity for the entire area.

Republic of the Marshall Islands: Pursuing a Sustainable and Resilient Energy Future

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

2016-07-01

This fact sheet provides an overview of the work that the Republic of the Marshall Islands are doing in a variety of renewable energy activities with support from the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and outlines additional opportunities for involvement by other international donors.

Intraoperative diffusion tensor imaging predicts the recovery of motor dysfunction after insular lesions☆

PubMed Central

Li, Jinjiang; Chen, Xiaolei; Zhang, Jiashu; Zheng, Gang; Lv, Xueming; Li, Fangye; Hu, Shen; Zhang, Ting; Xu, Bainan

2013-01-01

Insular lesions remain surgically challenging because of the need to balance aggressive resection and functional protection. Motor function deficits due to corticospinal tract injury are a common complication of surgery for lesions adjacent to the internal capsule and it is therefore essential to evaluate the corticospinal tract adjacent to the lesion. We used diffusion tensor imaging to evaluate the corticospinal tract in 89 patients with insular lobe lesions who underwent surgery in Chinese PLA General Hospital from February 2009 to May 2011. Postoperative motor function evaluation revealed that 57 patients had no changes in motor function, and 32 patients suffered motor dysfunction or aggravated motor dysfunction. Of the affected patients, 20 recovered motor function during the 6–12-month follow-up, and an additional 12 patients did not recover over more than 12 months of follow-up. Following reconstruction of the corticospinal tract, fractional anisotropy comparison demonstrated that preoperative, intraoperative and follow-up normalized fractional anisotropy in the stable group was higher than in the transient deficits group or the long-term deficits group. Compared with the transient deficits group, intraoperative normalized fractional anisotropy significantly decreased in the long-term deficits group. We conclude that intraoperative fractional anisotropy values of the corticospinal tracts can be used as a prognostic indicator of motor function outcome. PMID:25206435

Insular mammalian fauna dynamics and paleogeography: A lesson from the Western Mediterranean islands

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Abstract Since the time of Darwin (1859) and Wallace (1869), islands have been regarded by scientists as a prime target for scrutinizing the forces that may influence evolution and diversification and important elements in biogeographic studies. This research aims to scrutinize whether and to what extent the composition and structure of past mammal insular faunas and their changes through time may provide sound clues for inferring the paleogeographical evolution of a region. As a case study, I critically analyzed the dynamics shown by the Plio–Pleistocene mammalian fauna of 3 Western Mediterranean insular districts, the Balearic Islands, Sardinia and Sicily, each characterized by its own peculiar paleobiogeographical evolutionary history. The revision of faunas and the critical analysis of the dispersal ability of the ancestors of island settlers have allowed hypothesizing on the time and mode of island colonization. The results obtained confirm that the early isolation of the Balearic Islands from the mainland led to the establishment of an endemic fauna since the pre‐Messinian Miocene (?Astaracian European Land Mammal Age, MN7/8), and that Sardinia has definitely been isolated since the Pliocene, although dispersal events led to some faunal turnovers during the Pleistocene. In addition, the results suggest for Sicily a complex, still imperfectly disentangled history of alternate phases of complete separation and sporadic, more or less difficult connections with southern Italy. PMID:28688123

Forecasting of Hourly Photovoltaic Energy in Canarian Electrical System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henriquez, D.; Castaño, C.; Nebot, R.; Piernavieja, G.; Rodriguez, A.

2010-09-01

The Canarian Archipelago face similar problems as most insular region lacking of endogenous conventional energy resources and not connected to continental electrical grids. A consequence of the "insular fact" is the existence of isolated electrical systems that are very difficult to interconnect due to the considerable sea depths between the islands. Currently, the Canary Islands have six isolated electrical systems, only one utility generating most of the electricity (burning fuel), a recently arrived TSO (REE) and still a low implementation of Renewable Energy Resources (RES). The low level of RES deployment is a consequence of two main facts: the weakness of the stand-alone grids (from 12 MW in El Hierro up to only 1 GW in Gran Canaria) and the lack of space to install RES systems (more than 50% of the land protected due to environmental reasons). To increase the penetration of renewable energy generation, like solar or wind energy, is necessary to develop tools to manage them. The penetration of non manageable sources into weak grids like the Canarian ones causes a big problem to the grid operator. There are currently 104 MW of PV connected to the islands grids (Dec. 2009) and additional 150 MW under licensing. This power presents a serious challenge for the operation and stability of the electrical system. ITC, together with the local TSO (Red Eléctrica de España, REE) started in 2008 and R&D project to develop a PV energy prediction tool for the six Canarian Insular electrical systems. The objective is to supply reliable information for hourly forecast of the generation dispatch programme and to predict daily solar radiation patterns, in order to help program spinning reserves. ITC has approached the task of weather forecasting using different numerical model (MM5 and WRF) in combination with MSG (Meteosat Second Generation) images. From the online data recorded at several monitored PV plants and meteorological stations, PV nominal power and energy produced

Kinetic energy budget studies of areas of convection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuelberg, H. E.

1979-01-01

Synoptic-scale kinetic energy budgets are being computed for three cases when large areas of intense convection occurred over the Central United States. Major energy activity occurs in the storm areas.

Differential Involvement of the Agranular vs Granular Insular Cortex in the Acquisition and Performance of Choice Behavior in a Rodent Gambling Task.

PubMed

Pushparaj, Abhiram; Kim, Aaron S; Musiol, Martin; Zangen, Abraham; Daskalakis, Zafiris J; Zack, Martin; Winstanley, Catharine A; Le Foll, Bernard

2015-11-01

Substance-related and addictive disorders, in particular gambling disorder, are known to be associated with risky decision-making behavior. Several neuroimaging studies have identified the involvement of the insular cortex in decision-making under risk. However, the extent of this involvement remains unclear and the specific contributions of two distinct insular subregions, the rostral agranular (RAIC) and the caudal granular (CGIC), have yet to be examined. Animals were trained to perform a rat gambling task (rGT), in which subjects chose between four options that differed in the magnitude and probability of rewards and penalties. In order to address the roles of the RAIC and CGIC in established choice behavior, pharmacological inactivations of these two subregions via local infusions of GABA receptor agonists were performed following 30 rGT training sessions. The contribution made by the RAIC or CGIC to the acquisition of choice behavior was also determined by lesioning these areas before behavioral training. Inactivation of the RAIC, but not of the CGIC, shifted rats' preference toward options with greater reward frequency and lower punishment. Before rGT acquisition, lesions of the RAIC, but not the CGIC, likewise resulted in a higher preference for options with greater reward frequency and lower punishment, and this persisted throughout the 30 training sessions. Our results provide confirmation of the involvement of the RAIC in rGT choice behavior and suggest that the RAIC may mediate detrimental risky decision-making behavior, such as that associated with addiction and gambling disorder.

Functional role for suppression of the insular-striatal circuit in modulating interoceptive effects of alcohol.

PubMed

Jaramillo, Anel A; Agan, Verda E; Makhijani, Viren H; Pedroza, Stephen; McElligott, Zoe A; Besheer, Joyce

2017-09-27

The insular cortex (IC) is a region proposed to modulate, in part, interoceptive states and motivated behavior. Interestingly, IC dysfunction and deficits in interoceptive processing are often found among individuals with substance-use disorders. Furthermore, the IC projects to the nucleus accumbens core (AcbC), a region known to modulate the discriminative stimulus/interoceptive effects of alcohol and other drug-related behaviors. Therefore, the goal of the present work was to investigate the possible role of the IC ➔ AcbC circuit in modulating the interoceptive effects of alcohol. Thus, we utilized a chemogenetic technique (hM4D i designer receptor activation by designer drugs) to silence neuronal activity in the IC of rats trained to discriminate alcohol (1 g/kg, IG) versus water using an operant or Pavlovian alcohol discrimination procedure. Chemogenetic silencing of the IC or IC ➔ AcbC neuronal projections resulted in potentiated sensitivity to the interoceptive effects of alcohol in both the operant and Pavlovian tasks. Together, these data provide critical evidence for the nature of the complex IC circuitry and, specifically, suppression of the insular-striatal circuit in modulating behavior under a drug stimulus control. © 2017 Society for the Study of Addiction.

The Oldest Gibbon Fossil (Hylobatidae) from Insular Southeast Asia: Evidence from Trinil, (East Java, Indonesia), Lower/Middle Pleistocene

PubMed Central

Ingicco, Thomas; de Vos, John; Huffman, O. Frank

2014-01-01

A fossil femur excavated by Eugène Dubois between 1891–1900 in the Lower/Middle Pleistocene bonebed of the Trinil site (Java, Indonesia) was recognised by us as that of a Hylobatidae. The specimen, Trinil 5703 of the Dubois Collection (Leiden, The Netherlands), has the same distinctive form of fossilization that is seen in many of the bonebed fossils from Trinil in the collection. Anatomical comparison of Trinil 5703 to a sample of carnivore and primate femora, supported by morphometric analyses, lead to the attribution of the fossil to gibbon. Trinil 5703 therefore provides the oldest insular record of this clade, one of the oldest known Hylobatidae fossils from Southeast Asia. Because living Hylobatidae only inhabit evergreen rain forests, the paleoenvironment within the river drainage in the greater Trinil area evidently included forests of this kind during the Lower/Middle Pleistocene as revealed here. PMID:24914951

The oldest gibbon fossil (Hylobatidae) from insular Southeast Asia: evidence from Trinil, (East Java, Indonesia), Lower/Middle Pleistocene.

PubMed

Ingicco, Thomas; de Vos, John; Huffman, O Frank

2014-01-01

A fossil femur excavated by Eugène Dubois between 1891-1900 in the Lower/Middle Pleistocene bonebed of the Trinil site (Java, Indonesia) was recognised by us as that of a Hylobatidae. The specimen, Trinil 5703 of the Dubois Collection (Leiden, The Netherlands), has the same distinctive form of fossilization that is seen in many of the bonebed fossils from Trinil in the collection. Anatomical comparison of Trinil 5703 to a sample of carnivore and primate femora, supported by morphometric analyses, lead to the attribution of the fossil to gibbon. Trinil 5703 therefore provides the oldest insular record of this clade, one of the oldest known Hylobatidae fossils from Southeast Asia. Because living Hylobatidae only inhabit evergreen rain forests, the paleoenvironment within the river drainage in the greater Trinil area evidently included forests of this kind during the Lower/Middle Pleistocene as revealed here.

Differential Involvement of the Agranular vs Granular Insular Cortex in the Acquisition and Performance of Choice Behavior in a Rodent Gambling Task

PubMed Central

Pushparaj, Abhiram; Kim, Aaron S; Musiol, Martin; Zangen, Abraham; Daskalakis, Zafiris J; Zack, Martin; Winstanley, Catharine A; Le Foll, Bernard

2015-01-01

Substance-related and addictive disorders, in particular gambling disorder, are known to be associated with risky decision-making behavior. Several neuroimaging studies have identified the involvement of the insular cortex in decision-making under risk. However, the extent of this involvement remains unclear and the specific contributions of two distinct insular subregions, the rostral agranular (RAIC) and the caudal granular (CGIC), have yet to be examined. Animals were trained to perform a rat gambling task (rGT), in which subjects chose between four options that differed in the magnitude and probability of rewards and penalties. In order to address the roles of the RAIC and CGIC in established choice behavior, pharmacological inactivations of these two subregions via local infusions of GABA receptor agonists were performed following 30 rGT training sessions. The contribution made by the RAIC or CGIC to the acquisition of choice behavior was also determined by lesioning these areas before behavioral training. Inactivation of the RAIC, but not of the CGIC, shifted rats' preference toward options with greater reward frequency and lower punishment. Before rGT acquisition, lesions of the RAIC, but not the CGIC, likewise resulted in a higher preference for options with greater reward frequency and lower punishment, and this persisted throughout the 30 training sessions. Our results provide confirmation of the involvement of the RAIC in rGT choice behavior and suggest that the RAIC may mediate detrimental risky decision-making behavior, such as that associated with addiction and gambling disorder. PMID:25953358

Distortion of time interval reproduction in an epileptic patient with a focal lesion in the right anterior insular/inferior frontal cortices.

PubMed

Monfort, Vincent; Pfeuty, Micha; Klein, Madelyne; Collé, Steffie; Brissart, Hélène; Jonas, Jacques; Maillard, Louis

2014-11-01

This case report on an epileptic patient suffering from a focal lesion at the junction of the right anterior insular cortex (AIC) and the adjacent inferior frontal cortex (IFC) provides the first evidence that damage to this brain region impairs temporal performance in a visual time reproduction task in which participants had to reproduce the presentation duration (3, 5 and 7s) of emotionally-neutral and -negative pictures. Strikingly, as compared to a group of healthy subjects, the AIC/IFC case considerably overestimated reproduction times despite normal variability. The effect was obtained in all duration and emotion conditions. Such a distortion in time reproduction was not observed in four other epileptic patients without insular or inferior frontal damage. Importantly, the absolute extent of temporal over-reproduction increased in proportion to the magnitude of the target durations, which concurs with the scalar property of interval timing, and points to an impairment of time-specific rather than of non temporal (such as motor) mechanisms. Our data suggest that the disability in temporal reproduction of the AIC/IFC case would result from a distorted memory representation of the encoded duration, occurring during the process of storage and/or of recovery from memory and leading to a deviation of the temporal judgment during the reproduction task. These findings support the recent proposal that the anterior insular/inferior frontal cortices would be involved in time interval representation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy and other resource conservation within urbanizing areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowe, Peter G.

1982-05-01

The reported research seeks to answer several questions regarding energy conservation within urbanizing areas. As a practical matter, to what extent can dependence upon exhaustible resources be reduced? Can these reductions be achieved without severely impairing social well-being and environmental quality? And, what seem to be the prevailing institutional constraints limiting energy conservation within urbanizing areas? The study area was the proposed “downtown” of The Woodlands, a new town north of Houston, Texas. Two plans were developed for this area. In one, no particular attempt was made to conserve energy (conventional plan), while in the other, energy conservation was a primary consideration (conservation plan). For both plans, estimates were made of energy consumption within buildings, in the transportation sector, and in the actual production of building materials themselves (embodied energy). In addition, economic and environmental analyses were performed, including investigation of other resource issues such as water supply, solid waste disposal, stormwater management, and atmospheric emissions. Alternative on-site power systems were also investigated. Within the bounds of economic feasibility and development practicality, it was found that application of energy-conserving methods could yield annual energy savings of as much as 23%, and reduce dependence on prime fuels by 30%. Adverse economic effects on consumers were found to be minimal and environmental quality could be sustained. The major institutional constraints appeared to be those associated with traditional property ownership and with the use of common property resources. The resistance to change of everyday practices in land development and building industries also seemed to constrain potential applications.

19 CFR 7.3 - Duty-free treatment of goods imported from insular possessions of the United States other than...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... INSULAR POSSESSIONS AND GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL STATION § 7.3 Duty-free treatment of goods imported from...) The goods became a new and different article of commerce as a result of production or manufacture... possession or the United States results from the original commercial transaction between the importer and the...

Insular species swarm goes underground: two new troglobiont Cylindroiulus millipedes from Madeira (Diplopoda: Julidae).

PubMed

Reboleira, Ana Sofia P S; Enghoff, Henrik

2014-04-04

Two new species of the genus Cylindroiulus Verhoeff, 1894, C. julesvernei and C. oromii, are described from the subterranean ecosystem of Madeira Island, Portugal. Species are illustrated with photographs and diagrammatic drawings. The new species belong to the Cylindroiulus madeirae-group, an insular species swarm distributed in the archipelagos of Madeira and the Canary Islands. We discuss the differences between the new species and their relatives and present information on the subterranean environment of Madeira. An updated overview of the subterranean biodiversity of millipedes in Macaronesia is also provided.

Sediment dynamics and their potential influence on insular-slope mesophotic coral ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sherman, C.; Schmidt, W.; Appeldoorn, R.; Hutchinson, Y.; Ruiz, H.; Nemeth, M.; Bejarano, I.; Motta, J. J. Cruz; Xu, H.

2016-10-01

Although sediment dynamics exert a fundamental control on the character and distribution of reefs, data on sediment dynamics in mesophotic systems are scarce. In this study, sediment traps and benthic photo-transects were used to document spatial and temporal patterns of suspended-sediment and bed-load dynamics at two geomorphically distinct mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) on the upper insular slope of southwest Puerto Rico. Trap accumulation rates of suspended sediment were relatively low and spatiotemporally uniform, averaging <1 mg cm-2 d-1 and never exceeding 3 mg cm-2 d-1 over the sampled period. In contrast, trap accumulation rates of downslope bed-load movement were orders of magnitude higher than suspended-sediment accumulation rates and highly variable, by orders of magnitude, both spatially and temporally. Percent sand cover within photo-transects varied over time from 10% to more than 40% providing further evidence of downslope sediment movement. In general, the more exposed, lower gradient site had higher rates of downslope sediment movement, higher sand cover and lower coral cover than the more sheltered and steep site that exhibited lower rates of downslope sediment movement, lower sand cover and higher coral cover. In most cases, trap accumulation rates of suspended sediment and bed load varied together and peaks in trap accumulation rates correspond to peaks in SWAN-modeled wave-orbital velocities, suggesting that surface waves may influence sediment dynamics even in mesophotic settings. Though variable, off-shelf transport of sediment is a continuous process occurring even during non-storm conditions. Continuous downslope sediment movement in conjunction with degree of exposure to prevailing seas and slope geomorphology are proposed to exert an important influence on the character and distribution of insular-slope MCEs.

[60 years of the equilibrium theory of insular biogeography: problems of testing, results of the field studies, applied importance].

PubMed

Akatov, V V

2012-01-01

A review is presented of publications dealing with analysis of species richness of island biological communities and habitat islands based on the equilibrium theory of insular biogeography by MacArthur and Wilson (1963). Principal points of the theory are considered along with its shortcomings, problems and results of its testing. Also, possibilities are appraised for using recommendations elaborated on the base of the theory in nature conservation practice. The results of island and habitat island biota studies indicate that in many cases data corroborate the equilibrium theory while in many other cases they do not. In particular, for cenoses fragmented 50-250 years ago, especially for the ones formed by long living species, there have been no conspicuous effects of species relaxation detected. At that, the theory prediction of substantial reduction in species richness of fragmented communities in the long run is hardly disputed. The results of studies conducted in the field of insular biogeography are taken as a basis for recommendations on the long-term conservation of isolated communities integrity, although mostly they are of qualitative nature.

Temporo-insular enhancement of EEG low and high frequencies in patients with chronic tinnitus. QEEG study of chronic tinnitus patients

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background The physiopathological mechanism underlying the tinnitus phenomenon is still the subject of an ongoing debate. Since oscillatory EEG activity is increasingly recognized as a fundamental hallmark of cortical integrative functions, this study investigates deviations from the norm of different resting EEG parameters in patients suffering from chronic tinnitus. Results Spectral parameters of resting EEG of male tinnitus patients (n = 8, mean age 54 years) were compared to those of age-matched healthy males (n = 15, mean age 58.8 years). On average, the patient group exhibited higher spectral power over the frequency range of 2-100 Hz. Using LORETA source analysis, the generators of delta, theta, alpha and beta power increases were localized dominantly to left auditory (Brodmann Areas (BA) 41,42, 22), temporo-parietal, insular posterior, cingulate anterior and parahippocampal cortical areas. Conclusions Tinnitus patients show a deviation from the norm of different resting EEG parameters, characterized by an overproduction of resting state delta, theta and beta brain activities, providing further support for the microphysiological and magnetoencephalographic evidence pointing to a thalamocortical dysrhythmic process at the source of tinnitus. These results also provide further confirmation that reciprocal involvements of both auditory and associative/paralimbic areas are essential in the generation of tinnitus. PMID:20334674

Age and area predict patterns of species richness in pumice rafts contingent on oceanic climatic zone encountered.

PubMed

Velasquez, Eleanor; Bryan, Scott E; Ekins, Merrick; Cook, Alex G; Hurrey, Lucy; Firn, Jennifer

2018-05-01

The theory of island biogeography predicts that area and age explain species richness patterns (or alpha diversity) in insular habitats. Using a unique natural phenomenon, pumice rafting, we measured the influence of area, age, and oceanic climate on patterns of species richness. Pumice rafts are formed simultaneously when submarine volcanoes erupt, the pumice clasts breakup irregularly, forming irregularly shaped pumice stones which while floating through the ocean are colonized by marine biota. We analyze two eruption events and more than 5,000 pumice clasts collected from 29 sites and three climatic zones. Overall, the older and larger pumice clasts held more species. Pumice clasts arriving in tropical and subtropical climates showed this same trend, where in temperate locations species richness (alpha diversity) increased with area but decreased with age. Beta diversity analysis of the communities forming on pumice clasts that arrived in different climatic zones showed that tropical and subtropical clasts transported similar communities, while species composition on temperate clasts differed significantly from both tropical and subtropical arrivals. Using these thousands of insular habitats, we find strong evidence that area and age but also climatic conditions predict the fundamental dynamics of species richness colonizing pumice clasts.

19 CFR 7.3 - Duty-free treatment of goods imported from insular possessions of the United States other than...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... possessions of the United States other than Puerto Rico. 7.3 Section 7.3 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND... insular possessions of the United States other than Puerto Rico. (a) General. Under the provisions of... of the United States other than Puerto Rico without payment of duty, or with a refund of duty if the...

19 CFR 7.3 - Duty-free treatment of goods imported from insular possessions of the United States other than...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... possessions of the United States other than Puerto Rico. 7.3 Section 7.3 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND... insular possessions of the United States other than Puerto Rico. (a) General. Under the provisions of... of the United States other than Puerto Rico without payment of duty, or with a refund of duty if the...

19 CFR 7.3 - Duty-free treatment of goods imported from insular possessions of the United States other than...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... possessions of the United States other than Puerto Rico. 7.3 Section 7.3 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND... insular possessions of the United States other than Puerto Rico. (a) General. Under the provisions of... of the United States other than Puerto Rico without payment of duty, or with a refund of duty if the...

19 CFR 7.3 - Duty-free treatment of goods imported from insular possessions of the United States other than...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... possessions of the United States other than Puerto Rico. 7.3 Section 7.3 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND... insular possessions of the United States other than Puerto Rico. (a) General. Under the provisions of... of the United States other than Puerto Rico without payment of duty, or with a refund of duty if the...

EU energy policies achievement by industries in decentralized areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Destro, Nicola; Stoppato, Anna; Benato, Alberto; Schiro, Fabio

2017-11-01

Energy Roadmap outlined by the European Commission sets out several routes for a more sustainable, competitive and secure energy system in 2050. All the outlined scenarios consider energy efficiency, renewable energy, nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage. In this paper, more attention has been devoted to the energy efficiency issue, by the identification of new micro and small networks opportunity fed by hybrid plants in the North-East of Italy. National energy balance and national transmission system operator data allowed to collect industrial energy consumptions data on the investigated area. Applying industrial statistics to the local energy needs allows to collect a dataset including consumption information by factory and by company structure (size and employees) for each industrial sector highlighting the factory density in the area. Preliminary outcomes from the model address to the exploitation of local by-product for energy purposes.

The extreme insular adaptation of Garganornis ballmanni Meijer, 2014: a giant Anseriformes of the Neogene of the Mediterranean Basin

PubMed Central

Meijer, Hanneke J. M.; Rossi, Maria Adelaide; Göhlich, Ursula B.

2017-01-01

New skeletal elements of the recently described endemic giant anseriform Garganornis ballmanni Meijer, 2014 are presented, coming from the type-area of the Gargano and from Scontrone, southern and central Italy, respectively. The new remains represent the first bird remains found at Scontrone so far, and another shared element between these two localities, both part of the Apulia-Abruzzi Palaeobioprovince. The presence of a very reduced carpometacarpus confirms its flightlessness, only previously supposed on the basis of the very large size, while the morphologies of tarsometatarsus and posterior phalanges clearly indicate the adaptation of G. ballmanni to a terrestrial, non-aquatic, lifestyle. Its very large body size is similar to that observed in different, heavily modified, insular waterfowl and has been normally interpreted as the response to the absence of terrestrial predators and a protection from the aerial ones. The presence of a carpal knob in the proximal carpometacarpus also indicates a fighting behaviour for this large terrestrial bird species. PMID:28280574

Demographic but not geographic insularity in HIV transmission among young black MSM.

PubMed

Oster, Alexandra M; Pieniazek, Danuta; Zhang, Xinjian; Switzer, William M; Ziebell, Rebecca A; Mena, Leandro A; Wei, Xierong; Johnson, Kendra L; Singh, Sonita K; Thomas, Peter E; Elmore, Kimberlee A; Heffelfinger, James D

2011-11-13

To understand patterns of HIV transmission among young black MSM and others in Mississippi. Phylogenetic analysis of HIV-1 polymerase (pol) sequences from 799 antiretroviral-naive persons newly diagnosed with HIV infection in Mississippi during 2005-2008, 130 (16%) of whom were black MSM aged 16-25 years. We identified phylogenetic clusters and used surveillance data to evaluate demographic attributes and risk factors of all persons in clusters that included black MSM aged 16-25 years. We identified 82 phylogenetic clusters, 21 (26%) of which included HIV strains from at least one young black MSM. Of the 69 persons in these clusters, 59 were black MSM and seven were black men with unknown transmission category; the remaining three were MSM of white or Hispanic race/ethnicity. Of these 21 clusters, 10 included residents of one geographic region of Mississippi, whereas 11 included residents of multiple regions or outside of the state. Phylogenetic clusters involving HIV-infected young black MSM were homogeneous with respect to demographic and risk characteristics, suggesting insularity of this population with respect to HIV transmission, but were geographically heterogeneous. Reducing HIV transmission among young black MSM in Mississippi may require prevention strategies that are tailored to young black MSM and those in their sexual networks, and prevention interventions should be delivered in a manner to reach young black MSM throughout the state. Phylogenetic analysis can be a tool for local jurisdictions to understand the transmission dynamics in their areas.

Energy performance of areas for urban development (Arkhangelsk is given as example)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popova, Olga; Glebova, Yulia

2017-01-01

The present research provides an overview and analysis of the legal framework and the technology to increase energy save and energy efficiency. The challenges of the mentioned activities implementation in urban areas are revealed in the paper. A comparison was made of the principal methods of increasing energy efficiency that is based on payback period. The basic shortcomings of the methods used are found. The way of capital reproducing assets acquisition is proposed with consideration of the rate of wear and tear and upgrading of urban residential development. The present research aims at characterizing energy sustainability of urban areas for forming the information basis that identifies capital construction projects together within the urban area. A new concept - area energy sustainability is introduced in the study to use system-structural approach to energy saving and energy efficiency. Energy sustainability of the area as an integral indicator of the static characteristics of the territory is considered as a complex involving the following terms: energy security, energy intensity and energy efficiency dynamic indicators of all the components of the power system of the area. Dimensions and parameters of energy sustainability of the area are determined. Arkhangelsk is given as example.

7 CFR 1948.81 - State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 13 2011-01-01 2009-01-01 true State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) PROGRAM REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) RURAL DEVELOPMENT Section 601 Energy Impacted Area Development Assistance Program § 1948.81 State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas...

7 CFR 1948.81 - State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 13 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) PROGRAM REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) RURAL DEVELOPMENT Section 601 Energy Impacted Area Development Assistance Program § 1948.81 State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas...

7 CFR 1948.81 - State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 13 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) PROGRAM REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) RURAL DEVELOPMENT Section 601 Energy Impacted Area Development Assistance Program § 1948.81 State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas...

Genetic diversity and population structure of an insular tree, Santalum austrocaledonicum in New Caledonian archipelago.

PubMed

Bottin, L; Verhaegen, D; Tassin, J; Olivieri, I; Vaillant, A; Bouvet, J M

2005-06-01

We present a study of the genetic diversity and structure of a tropical tree in an insular system. Santalum austrocaledonicum is endemic to the archipelago of New Caledonia and is exploited for oil extraction from heartwood. A total of 431 individuals over 17 populations were analysed for eight polymorphic microsatellite loci. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 33 and the observed heterozygosity per population ranged from 0.01 in Mare to 0.74 in Ile des Pins. The genetic diversity was lowest in the most recent islands, the Loyautes, and highest in the oldest island, Grande Terre, as well as the nearby small Ile des Pins. Significant departures from panmixia were observed for some loci-population combinations (per population FIS = 0-0.03 on Grande-Terre and Ile des Pins, and 0-0.67 on Loyautes). A strong genetic differentiation among all islands was observed (FST = 0.22), and the amount of differentiation increased with geographic distance in Iles Loyaute and in Grande Terre. At both population and island levels, island age and isolation seem to be the main factors influencing the amount of genetic diversity. In particular, populations from recent islands had large average FIS that could not be entirely explained by null alleles or a Wahlund effect. This result suggests that, at least in some populations, selfing occurred extensively. Conclusively, our results indicate a strong influence of insularity on the genetic diversity and structure of Santalum austrocaledonicum.

Posterior insular cortex - a site of vestibular-somatosensory interaction?

PubMed

Baier, Bernhard; Zu Eulenburg, Peter; Best, Christoph; Geber, Christian; Müller-Forell, Wibke; Birklein, Frank; Dieterich, Marianne

2013-09-01

Background In previous imaging studies the insular cortex (IC) has been identified as an essential part of the processing of a wide spectrum of perception and sensorimotor integration. Yet, there are no systematic lesion studies in a sufficient number of patients examining whether processing of vestibular and the interaction of somatosensory and vestibular signals take place in the IC. Methods We investigated acute stroke patients with lesions affecting the IC in order to fill this gap. In detail, we explored signs of a vestibular tone imbalance such as the deviation of the subjective visual vertical (SVV). We applied voxel-lesion behaviour mapping analysis in 27 patients with acute unilateral stroke. Results Our data demonstrate that patients with lesions of the posterior IC have an abnormal tilt of SVV. Furthermore, re-analysing data of 20 patients from a previous study, we found a positive correlation between thermal perception contralateral to the stroke and the severity of the SVV tilt. Conclusions We conclude that the IC is a sensory brain region where different modalities might interact.

Distribution and biology of Indo-Pacific insular hypogeal shrimps

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maciolek, J.A.

1983-01-01

Ten species of caridean shrimps, representing nine genera in five families, have been found in exposures of the marine water table at 28 islands from Hawaii to the western Indian Ocean. Synthesis of literature information and personal observations indicate that, as a group, these shrimps are characterized by red body pigment, reduced but pigmented eyes, euryhalinity, a proclivity for interstitial seawater in limestone or lava rock, generalized food requirements, and probable pre-Pleistocene origins. The shrimps have not been found in waters cooler than about 20°C.Species are often solitary, but as many as five are known to coexist. Six of the species have widely scattered populations, some as far apart as Hawaii and the Red Sea. Passive oceanic dispersal is endorsed as a general explanation for such apparently disjunct distributions. On the basis of an assumed primary habitat requirement of interstitial marine water, which could include that in shallow submerged rock as well as that in emergent (insular) rock, I hypothesize a much more cosmopolitan distribution of these shrimps in the Indo-Pacific Tropical Zone.

Nowhere safe? Exploring the influence of urbanization across mainland and insular seashores in continental Portugal and the Azorean Archipelago.

PubMed

Bertocci, Iacopo; Arenas, Francisco; Cacabelos, Eva; Martins, Gustavo M; Seabra, Maria I; Álvaro, Nuno V; Fernandes, Joana N; Gaião, Raquel; Mamede, Nuno; Mulas, Martina; Neto, Ana I

2017-01-30

Differences in the structure and functioning of intensively urbanized vs. less human-affected systems are reported, but such evidence is available for a much larger extent in terrestrial than in marine systems. We examined the hypotheses that (i) urbanization was associated to different patterns of variation of intertidal assemblages between urban and extra-urban environments; (ii) such patterns were consistent across mainland and insular systems, spatial scales from 10scm to 100skm, and a three months period. Several trends emerged: (i) a more homogeneous distribution of most algal groups in the urban compared to the extra-urban condition and the opposite pattern of most invertebrates; (ii) smaller/larger variances of most organisms where these were, respectively, less/more abundant; (iii) largest variability of most response variables at small scale; (iv) no facilitation of invasive species by urbanization and larger cover of canopy-forming algae in the insular extra-urban condition. Present findings confirm the acknowledged notion that future management strategies will require to include representative assemblages and their relevant scales of variation associated to urbanization gradients on both the mainland and the islands. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Intracranial spectral amplitude dynamics of perceptual suppression in fronto-insular, occipito-temporal, and primary visual cortex

PubMed Central

Vidal, Juan R.; Perrone-Bertolotti, Marcela; Kahane, Philippe; Lachaux, Jean-Philippe

2015-01-01

If conscious perception requires global information integration across active distant brain networks, how does the loss of conscious perception affect neural processing in these distant networks? Pioneering studies on perceptual suppression (PS) described specific local neural network responses in primary visual cortex, thalamus and lateral prefrontal cortex of the macaque brain. Yet the neural effects of PS have rarely been studied with intracerebral recordings outside these cortices and simultaneously across distant brain areas. Here, we combined (1) a novel experimental paradigm in which we produced a similar perceptual disappearance and also re-appearance by using visual adaptation with transient contrast changes, with (2) electrophysiological observations from human intracranial electrodes sampling wide brain areas. We focused on broadband high-frequency (50–150 Hz, i.e., gamma) and low-frequency (8–24 Hz) neural activity amplitude modulations related to target visibility and invisibility. We report that low-frequency amplitude modulations reflected stimulus visibility in a larger ensemble of recording sites as compared to broadband gamma responses, across distinct brain regions including occipital, temporal and frontal cortices. Moreover, the dynamics of the broadband gamma response distinguished stimulus visibility from stimulus invisibility earlier in anterior insula and inferior frontal gyrus than in temporal regions, suggesting a possible role of fronto-insular cortices in top–down processing for conscious perception. Finally, we report that in primary visual cortex only low-frequency amplitude modulations correlated directly with perceptual status. Interestingly, in this sensory area broadband gamma was not modulated during PS but became positively modulated after 300 ms when stimuli were rendered visible again, suggesting that local networks could be ignited by top–down influences during conscious perception. PMID:25642199

A remark on the energy conditions for Hawking's area theorem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lesourd, Martin

2018-06-01

Hawking's area theorem is a fundamental result in black hole theory that is universally associated with the null energy condition. That this condition can be weakened is illustrated by the formulation of a strengthened version of the theorem based on an energy condition that allows for violations of the null energy condition. With the semi-classical context in mind, some brief remarks pertaining to the suitability of the area theorem and its energy condition are made.

Designing an Information System for the Preservation of the Insular Tropical Environment of Reunion Island

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conruyt, Noël; Sébastien, Didier; Courdier, Rémy; David, Daniel; Sébastien, Nicolas; Ralambondrainy, Tiana

Decision-makers who wish to manage Insular Tropical Environments more efficiently need to narrow the gap between the production of scientific knowledge in universities, or other labs, and its pragmatic use by the general public and administrations. Today, one of the main challenges concerning the environment is the preservation of the biodiversity of ecosystems that suffer from urban and agricultural pressure. As we can only protect what we know, it is all the more important to share expert knowledge about habitats and species by using Internet in order to educate the public about their wealth and beauty. Based on Reunion Island, and taking into consideration an expected population growth of over 30% in the next twenty years, we are working to predict the human impact on this closed territory. To help tackle these two questions about biodiversity and land consumption, we have designed an Information System (IS) in the framework of the ETIC program. Our aim is to enhance insular tropical environment research in order to help the Reunion National Park to manage its protected territory. On the one hand, biodiversity research is handled statically, using knowledge bases and databases, to enhance Systematics and ecological university research. On the other hand, spatial planning concerns are treated dynamically, using multi-agent systems to simulate population densification movements. These software technologies have been implemented and integrated through a common architectural system in the ETIC program. They were conceived using Web Services that allow each module to communicate its functionalities and information with one another, as well as with external systems.

Memory Trace Reactivation and Behavioral Response during Retrieval Are Differentially Modulated by Amygdalar Glutamate Receptors Activity: Interaction between Amygdala and Insular Cortex

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osorio-Gómez, Daniel; Guzmán-Ramos, Kioko; Bermúdez-Rattoni, Federico

2017-01-01

The insular cortex (IC) is required for conditioned taste aversion (CTA) retrieval. However, it remains unknown which cortical neurotransmitters levels are modified upon CTA retrieval. Using in vivo microdialysis, we observed that there were clear elevations in extracellular glutamate, norepinephrine, and dopamine in and around the center of the…

The Wide-area Energy Management System Phase 2 Final Report

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

Lu, Ning; Makarov, Yuri V.; Weimar, Mark R.

2010-08-31

The higher penetration of intermittent generation resources (including wind and solar generation) in the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authorities (BAs) raises issue of requiring expensive additional fast grid balancing services in response to additional intermittency and fast up and down power ramps in the electric supply system. The overall goal of the wide-area energy management system (WAEMS) project is to develop the principles, algorithms, market integration rules, a functional design, and a technical specification for an energy storage system to help cope with unexpected rapid changes in renewable generation power output. The resultingmore » system will store excess energy, control dispatchable load and distributed generation, and utilize inter-area exchange of the excess energy between the California ISO and Bonneville Power Administration control areas. A further goal is to provide a cost-benefit analysis and develop a business model for an investment-based practical deployment of such a system. There are two tasks in Phase 2 of the WAEMS project: the flywheel field tests and the battery evaluation. Two final reports, the Wide-area Energy Management System Phase 2 Flywheel Field Tests Final Report and the Wide-area Energy Storage and Management System Battery Storage Evaluation, were written to summarize the results of the two tasks.« less

The sustainability and efficient use of renewable energy sources in rural areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adetunji, Kayode E.; Akinlabi, Akindeji O.; Joseph, Meera K.

2018-04-01

The energy system in African countries is mostly dependent on coal, gas, and oil, which in turns leads to environmental challenges and an imbalance of energy usage in some area of the countries. Given that, a mostly rural area in Africa suffers from the unsustainable energy system, thus it necessary to integrate renewable energy into the rural area for social and economic development. A sustainable energy system built on a clean energy such as renewable energy based on the availability of the natural resource is the main focus of this paper. Renewable energy is a solution for service delivery and when deployed everyone would be able to access electricity power, particularly in the remote area (which can be a suburb or rural environment) where the absence of national power grids. Renewable energy opens new opportunities for an economic development and sustainable solution to employ for energy efficiency, energy delivery, and energy management by the people and upon that a platform to promote environmental friendliness. In this paper, we explored the reasons for switching to renewable energy, saving energy and the awareness of potential and use of renewable energy in the rural area. IBM's SPSS is used for the quantitative data analysis. The results showed that sustainability of the National utility grid to the rural area is low, with over 80 percent of participants agreeing to disruption of power supply. The Positivity of the rural peoples' awareness of renewable also brought about the conclusion and recommendations from this paper.

Food portion size area mediates energy effects on expected anxiety in anorexia nervosa.

PubMed

Herzog, Musya; Douglas, Christopher R; Kissileff, Harry R; Brunstrom, Jeffrey M; Halmi, Katherine Ann

2017-05-01

A study in which adolescent patients with anorexia nervosa (n = 24) rated their expected food-anxiety in response to images of portions of food (potatoes, rice pizza, and M&Ms) showed that lower energy-dense foods elicited higher expected anxiety per kilocalorie than higher energy-dense foods. However, the area of the portion sizes could be an unmeasured variable driving the anxiety response. To test the hypothesis that area mediates the effects of energy content on expected anxiety, the same images of portions were measured in area (cm 2 ), and standardized values of expected anxiety were regressed from standardized values of energy and area of portions. With regression of expected anxiety from portion size in area, M&Ms, which had the highest energy density of the four foods, elicited the highest expected anxiety slope (β = 1.75), which was significantly different from the expected anxiety slopes of the other three foods (β range = 0.67 - 0.96). Area was confirmed as a mediator of energy effects from loss of significance of the slopes when area was added to the regression of expected anxiety from energy x food. When expected anxiety was regressed from food, area, energy and area by energy interaction, area accounted for 5.7 times more variance than energy, and β for area (0.7) was significantly larger (by 0.52, SE = 0.15, t = 3.4, p = 0.0007) than β for energy (0.19). Area could be a learned cue for the energy content of food portions, and thus, for weight gain potential, which triggers anxiety in patients with anorexia nervosa. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Affective brain areas and sleep disordered breathing

PubMed Central

Harper, Ronald M.; Kumar, Rajesh; Macey, Paul M.; Woo, Mary A.; Ogren, Jennifer A.

2014-01-01

The neural damage accompanying the hypoxia, reduced perfusion, and other consequences of sleep-disordered breathing found in obstructive sleep apnea, heart failure (HF), and congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), appears in areas that serve multiple functions, including emotional drives to breathe, and involve systems that serve affective, cardiovascular, and breathing roles. The damage, assessed with structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures, shows tissue loss or water content and diffusion changes indicative of injury, and impaired axonal integrity between structures; damage is preferentially unilateral. Functional MRI responses in affected areas also are time- or amplitude- distorted to ventilatory or autonomic challenges. Among the structures injured are the insular, cingulate, and ventral medial prefrontal cortices, as well as cerebellar deep nuclei and cortex, anterior hypothalamus, raphé, ventrolateral medulla, basal ganglia and, in CCHS, the locus coeruleus. Raphé and locus coeruleus injury may modify serotonergic and adrenergic modulation of upper airway and arousal characteristics. Since both axons and gray matter show injury, the consequences to function, especially to autonomic, cognitive, and mood regulation, are major. Several affected rostral sites, including the insular and cingulate cortices and hippocampus, mediate aspects of dyspnea, especially in CCHS, while others, including the anterior cingulate and thalamus, participate in initiation of inspiration after central breathing pauses, and the medullary injury can impair baroreflex and breathing control. The ancillary injury associated with sleep-disordered breathing to central structures can elicit multiple other distortions in cardiovascular, cognitive, and emotional functions in addition to effects on breathing regulation. PMID:24746053

Building and Applying "Insularity Theory": Review on Knapp's Prehistoric and Protohistoric Cyprus, 2008.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katsarou-Tzeveleki, Stella

starting point, places at the disposal of insular archaeology an analytical theoretical scheme of insularity, in which he integrates a number of key concepts (social identity, ethnicity, habitus, migration, colonial theory). These are much used in archaeological interpretation, but previously treated as independent theoretical notions. To those he adds a number of hitherto secondary concepts (connectivity, islandscape, acculturation, hybridization) to which (especially the last) he assigns a leading role. In the in-depth presentation of each concept, he attempts to establish the history of its usage in archaeological theory and patterning, and to offer an exhaustive conceptual and anthropological analysis of it. The theoretical analysis of identity (island, social and ethnic) and the multiple dimensions of mutual influences between cultures emerges as one of Knapp's most important reasoning. Knapp records in detail the models that describe the variations and gradations of communications and their results, whether migration and colonial theory, on the one hand, or peaceful interaction, on the other. He draws our attention to something that usually goes unnoticed, and this is a substantial contribution to the work of every research archaeologist: namely, that there is no such thing as pure identity. Every identity studied by archaeology is the product of acculturation, assimilation or a blending of intersecting identities, ending in hybridization. At this point, however, I would doubt that hybridization, assimilation and cultural blending should be regarded as the natural and definite result where every communication between two different cultural groups leads. In fact Hodder (1982) has challenged this rule after his observations at Baringo, Kenya, where he noticed that the different groups there would rather emphasize their different features at the interaction areas, instead of letting them assimilate with the other's. This important reference would perfectly fit Knapp

Assessment of Rooftop Area in Austin Energy's Service Territory Suitable for PV Development

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

Wiese, Steven M.

The objective of this project was to create a model for assessing the amount of rooftop area on commercial, industrial, institutional, and governmental buildings in Austin Energy's service area suitable for solar electric energy development and, based on this model, determine the potential installed capacity and annual energy production from solar electric installations on the rooftops of these buildings. Key questions addressed by this project were: 1.What is the aggregate rooftop area, rooftop area suitable for PV project development, and potential for PV capacity and energy production from rooftop solar photovoltaic systems on key building types in Austin Energy's servicemore » area? 2.How do the potential capacity and annual energy production from rooftop solar electric systems compare with Austin Energy's current capacity and annual energy requirements?« less

Posterior insular cortex – a site of vestibular–somatosensory interaction?

PubMed Central

Baier, Bernhard; zu Eulenburg, Peter; Best, Christoph; Geber, Christian; Müller-Forell, Wibke; Birklein, Frank; Dieterich, Marianne

2013-01-01

Background In previous imaging studies the insular cortex (IC) has been identified as an essential part of the processing of a wide spectrum of perception and sensorimotor integration. Yet, there are no systematic lesion studies in a sufficient number of patients examining whether processing of vestibular and the interaction of somatosensory and vestibular signals take place in the IC. Methods We investigated acute stroke patients with lesions affecting the IC in order to fill this gap. In detail, we explored signs of a vestibular tone imbalance such as the deviation of the subjective visual vertical (SVV). We applied voxel-lesion behaviour mapping analysis in 27 patients with acute unilateral stroke. Results Our data demonstrate that patients with lesions of the posterior IC have an abnormal tilt of SVV. Furthermore, re-analysing data of 20 patients from a previous study, we found a positive correlation between thermal perception contralateral to the stroke and the severity of the SVV tilt. Conclusions We conclude that the IC is a sensory brain region where different modalities might interact. PMID:24392273

Space shuttle entry terminal area energy management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Thomas E.

1991-01-01

A historical account of the development for Shuttle's Terminal Area Energy Management (TAEM) is presented. A derivation and explanation of logic and equations are provided as a supplement to the well documented guidance computation requirements contained within the official Functional Subsystem Software Requirements (FSSR) published by Rockwell for NASA. The FSSR contains the full set of equations and logic, whereas this document addresses just certain areas for amplification.

[Performance of entero-insular axis in an athletic population: diet and exercise influence].

PubMed

Rodriguez, Carmen; Quezada-Feijoo, Maribel; Toro, Carmen; Barón-Esquivias, Gonzalo; Segura, Eduardo; Mangas, Alipio; Toro, Rocio

2015-05-01

The relationship between physical exercise and appetite regulation can lead to improved competitive performance of athletes. Mediators of the entero-insular axis generate neurohumoral signals that influence on the appetite regulation and energy homeostasis. Determine the influence of diet and prolonged exercise on intestinal peptide, ghrelin, resistin, leptin, and incretins (GLP-1 and GIP) in an athlete population. It is a prospective intervention study, conducted from October 2012 to March 2013. 32 healthy semiprofessional rugby players, aged 13-39 years were included. Anthropometric measurements and blood samples were taken at time 0 and after six months of study. Athletes were randomized to a protein diet (PD) or Mediterranean diet (MD) and plasma levels of intestinal peptide, ghrelin, resistin, leptin, and incretins were calculated. In the PD group, GLP-1 and GIP plasmatic levels showed a significant decrease (p <0.03; p <0.01 respectively). GLP-1 and ghrelin plasmatic concentration demonstrated a significant decrease (p <0.03 respectively) in those who experienced gain of muscle mass (MM). Finally, the athletes related to the PD who showed increased total weight and muscle mass presented significantly decreased GLP-1 concentration (p <0.03 and p<0.002, respectively). GLP-1 plasmatic concentration was decreased, with the PD suggesting to be more beneficial for the athletes in order to avoid hypoglycemia. Furthermore, muscle mass and total weight gain, linked to the PD, could enhance athletic performance in certain sport modalities. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Model-based analyses reveal insular population diversification and cryptic frog species in the Ischnocnema parva complex in the Atlantic forest of Brazil.

PubMed

Gehara, Marcelo; Barth, Adriane; Oliveira, Eliana Faria de; Costa, Marco Antonio; Haddad, Célio Fernando Baptista; Vences, Miguel

2017-07-01

The Atlantic Forest (AF) of Brazil has long been recognized as a biodiversity conservation hotspot. Despite decades of studies the species inventory of this biome continues to increase with the discovery of cryptic diversity and the description of new species. Different diversification mechanisms have been proposed to explain the diversity in the region, including models of forest dynamics, barriers to gene flow and dispersal. Also, sea level change is thought to have influenced coastal diversification and isolated populations on continental islands. However, the timing and mode of diversification of insular populations in the AF region were rarely investigated. Here, we analyze the phylogeography and species diversity of the small-sized direct-developing frog Ischnocnema parva. These frogs are independent from water bodies but dependent on forest cover and high humidity, and provide good models to understand forest dynamics and insular diversification. Our analysis was based on DNA sequences for one mitochondrial and four nuclear genes of 71 samples from 18 localities including two islands, São Sebastião, municipality of Ilhabela, and Mar Virado, municipality of Ubatuba, both in the state of São Paulo. We use molecular taxonomic methods to show that I. parva is composed of six independently evolving lineages, with the nominal I. parva likely endemic to the type locality. The time-calibrated species tree shows that these lineages have diverged in the Pliocene and Pleistocene, suggesting the persistence of micro-refuges of forest in the AF. For the two insular populations we used approximate Bayesian computation to test different diversification hypotheses. Our findings support isolation with migration for São Sebastião population, with ∼1Mya divergence time, and isolation without migration for Mar Virado population, with ∼13Kya divergence time, suggesting a combination of different processes for diversification on AF islands. Copyright © 2017. Published

Energy Information Needs--Study by the General Accounting Office; Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, United States Senate, Ninety-Third Congress, Second Session.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.

This publication contains a study by the General Accounting Office which surveys the present inadequate federal system for gathering and analyzing statistics about energy production and use. The magnitude of the federal energy data effort is discussed, problem areas are specified, details of recent executive and legislative activities are…

Macaque Parieto-Insular Vestibular Cortex: Responses to self-motion and optic flow

PubMed Central

Chen, Aihua; DeAngelis, Gregory C.; Angelaki, Dora E.

2011-01-01

The parieto-insular vestibular cortex (PIVC) is thought to contain an important representation of vestibular information. Here we describe responses of macaque PIVC neurons to three-dimensional (3D) vestibular and optic flow stimulation. We found robust vestibular responses to both translational and rotational stimuli in the retroinsular (Ri) and adjacent secondary somatosensory (S2) cortices. PIVC neurons did not respond to optic flow stimulation, and vestibular responses were similar in darkness and during visual fixation. Cells in the upper bank and tip of the lateral sulcus (Ri and S2) responded to sinusoidal vestibular stimuli with modulation at the first harmonic frequency, and were directionally tuned. Cells in the lower bank of the lateral sulcus (mostly Ri) often modulated at the second harmonic frequency, and showed either bimodal spatial tuning or no tuning at all. All directions of 3D motion were represented in PIVC, with direction preferences distributed roughly uniformly for translation, but showing a preference for roll rotation. Spatio-temporal profiles of responses to translation revealed that half of PIVC cells followed the linear velocity profile of the stimulus, one-quarter carried signals related to linear acceleration (in the form of two peaks of direction selectivity separated in time), and a few neurons followed the derivative of linear acceleration (jerk). In contrast, mainly velocity-coding cells were found in response to rotation. Thus, PIVC comprises a large functional region in macaque areas Ri and S2, with robust responses to 3D rotation and translation, but is unlikely to play a significant role in visual/vestibular integration for self-motion perception. PMID:20181599

NASA's Earth Science Enterprise's Water and Energy Cycle Focus Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Entin, J. K.

2004-05-01

Understanding the Water and Energy cycles is critical towards improving our understanding of climate change, as well as the consequences of climate change. In addition, using results from water and energy cycle research can help improve water resource management, agricultural efficiency, disaster management, and public health. To address this, NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) has an end-to-end Water and Energy Cycle Focus Area, which along with the ESE's other five focus areas will help NASA answer key Earth Science questions. In an effort to build upon the pre-existing discipline programs, which focus on precipitation, radiation sciences, and terrestrial hydrology, NASA has begun planning efforts to create an implementation plan for integrative research to improve our understanding of the water and energy cycles. The basics of this planning process and the core aspects of the implementation plan will be discussed. Roadmaps will also be used to show the future direction for the entire focus area. Included in the discussion, will be aspects of the end-to-end nature of the Focus Area that encompass current and potential actives to extend research results to operational agencies to enable improved performance of policy and management decision support systems.

Imbalanced spontaneous brain activity in orbitofrontal-insular circuits in individuals with cognitive vulnerability to depression.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaocui; Di, Xin; Lei, Hui; Yang, Juan; Xiao, Jing; Wang, Xiang; Yao, Shuqiao; Rao, Hengyi

2016-07-01

The hopelessness theory of depression posits that individuals with negative cognitive styles are at risk of developing depression following negative life events. The purpose of this work was to examine whether individuals with cognitive vulnerability to depression (CVD) exhibit similar spontaneous brain activity patterns as compared to patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Subjects with CVD (N=32), drug-naïve first-episode patients with major depressive disorder (N=32), and sex-, age- and education-matched healthy controls (HCs; N=35) were subjected to resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) and amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was compared between the groups. Pearson correlation analysis was performed between regional ALFFs and psychometric scores, namely the Cognitive Style Questionnaire (CSQ) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale scores. Significant group differences in ALFF values were observed bilaterally in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and insular cortex (IC), and in the left fusiform gyrus (FFG). Compared to HCs, CVD subjects had reduced ALFFs in the bilateral OFC and increased ALFF in the bilateral IC and the left FFG, which were similar to the differences observed between the HCs and MDD patients. Compared to MDD patients, CVD subjects showed significant reduced ALFF values in right IC. Additionally, CSQ scores for the CVD group correlated with ALFF values in the left IC. We did not conduct a longitudinal study. Our findings were limited in cross-sectional analysis. A hypoactive OFC and hyperactive IC in a resting-state may underlie an imbalance in the spontaneous brain activity in orbitofrontal-insular circuits, and these differences may represent a trait-related marker of vulnerability to depression. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Solar energy development impacts on land cover change and protected areas.

PubMed

Hernandez, Rebecca R; Hoffacker, Madison K; Murphy-Mariscal, Michelle L; Wu, Grace C; Allen, Michael F

2015-11-03

Decisions determining the use of land for energy are of exigent concern as land scarcity, the need for ecosystem services, and demands for energy generation have concomitantly increased globally. Utility-scale solar energy (USSE) [i.e., ≥ 1 megawatt (MW)] development requires large quantities of space and land; however, studies quantifying the effect of USSE on land cover change and protected areas are limited. We assessed siting impacts of >160 USSE installations by technology type [photovoltaic (PV) vs. concentrating solar power (CSP)], area (in square kilometers), and capacity (in MW) within the global solar hot spot of the state of California (United States). Additionally, we used the Carnegie Energy and Environmental Compatibility model, a multiple criteria model, to quantify each installation according to environmental and technical compatibility. Last, we evaluated installations according to their proximity to protected areas, including inventoried roadless areas, endangered and threatened species habitat, and federally protected areas. We found the plurality of USSE (6,995 MW) in California is sited in shrublands and scrublands, comprising 375 km(2) of land cover change. Twenty-eight percent of USSE installations are located in croplands and pastures, comprising 155 km(2) of change. Less than 15% of USSE installations are sited in "Compatible" areas. The majority of "Incompatible" USSE power plants are sited far from existing transmission infrastructure, and all USSE installations average at most 7 and 5 km from protected areas, for PV and CSP, respectively. Where energy, food, and conservation goals intersect, environmental compatibility can be achieved when resource opportunities, constraints, and trade-offs are integrated into siting decisions.

Solar Energy Development Impacts on Land-Cover Change and Protected Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffacker, M. K.; Hernandez, R. R.; Murphy-Mariscal, M. L.; Wu, G. C.; Allen, M. F.

2015-12-01

Decisions determining the use of land for energy are of exigent concern as land scarcity, the need for ecosystem services, and demands for energy generation have concomitantly increased globally. Utility-scale solar energy (USSE; i.e., ≥ 1 megawatt [MW]) development requires large quantities of space and land; however, studies quantifying the effect of USSE on land-cover change and protected areas are limited. We assessed siting impacts of >160 USSE installations by technology type (photovoltaic [PV] vs. concentrating solar power [CSP]), area (km2), and capacity (MW) within the global solar hotspot of the state of California (USA). Additionally, we utilized the Carnegie Energy and Environmental Compatibility Model, a multiple criteria model, to quantify each installation according to environmental and technical compatibility. Lastly, we evaluated installations according to their proximity to protected areas, including inventoried roadless areas, endangered and threatened species habitat, and federally protected areas. We found the plurality of USSE (6,995 MW) in California is sited in shrub- and scrublands, comprising 375 km2 of land-cover change. Twenty-eight percent of USSE installations are located in croplands and pastures, comprising 155 km2 of change. Less than 15% of USSE installations are sited in compatible areas. The majority of incompatible USSE power plants are sited far from existing transmission infrastructure and all USSE installations average at most seven and five km from protected areas, for PV and CSP, respectively. Where energy, food, and conservation goals intersect, environmental compatibility can be achieved when resource opportunities, constraints, and trade-offs are integrated into siting decisions.

Image sharpness assessment based on wavelet energy of edge area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jin; Zhang, Hong; Zhang, Lei; Yang, Yifan; He, Lei; Sun, Mingui

2018-04-01

Image quality assessment is needed in multiple image processing areas and blur is one of the key reasons of image deterioration. Although great full-reference image quality assessment metrics have been proposed in the past few years, no-reference method is still an area of current research. Facing this problem, this paper proposes a no-reference sharpness assessment method based on wavelet transformation which focuses on the edge area of image. Based on two simple characteristics of human vision system, weights are introduced to calculate weighted log-energy of each wavelet sub band. The final score is given by the ratio of high-frequency energy to the total energy. The algorithm is tested on multiple databases. Comparing with several state-of-the-art metrics, proposed algorithm has better performance and less runtime consumption.

["Entero-insular axis" and regulation of blood sugar and insulin levels following oral glucose loading].

PubMed

Kuznetsov, B G

1978-11-01

The mineral water Essentuki 17 administered per so with glucose exerted a modifying effect on the regulation of glycaemia and insulinaemia in intact rats. This effect undergoes a few phases of changing and disappears by the 30th day. Under conditions of this adaptation, the glycaemia regulation is somewhat worsening. After i.v. administration of glucose during this period the regulation of glycaemia and insulinaemia remains unaltered. This suggests that the mineral water exerts its biological effect, mainly, on the entero-insular axis system (Unger and Eisentraut, 1969) and that the modifying effect is due not to a concrete complex of the mineral water electrolytes but rather to the unspecific factor of "perturbation" in the enteral medium.

Particulate matter pollution from aviation-related activity at a small airport of the Aegean Sea Insular Region.

PubMed

Psanis, C; Triantafyllou, E; Giamarelou, M; Manousakas, M; Eleftheriadis, K; Biskos, G

2017-10-15

The unprecedented growth in aviation during the last years has resulted in a notable increase of local air pollution related to airports. The impacts of aviation on air quality can be extremely high particularly around airports serving remote insular regions with pristine atmospheric environments. Here we report measurements that show how the atmospheric aerosol is affected by the activity at a small airport in a remote region. More specifically, we provide measurements performed at the airport of Mytilene, Greece, a regional yet international airport that serves the entire island of Lesvos; the third largest island of the country. The measurements show that the activity during landing, taxiing and take-off of the aircrafts accounted for up to a 10-fold increase in particulate matter (PM) mass concentration in the vicinity of the airport. The number concentration of particles having diameters from 10 to 500nm also increased from ca. 4×10 2 to 8×10 5 particlescm -3 , while the mean particle diameter decreased to 20nm when aircrafts were present at the airport. Elemental analysis on particle samples collected simultaneously at the airport and at a remote site 3km away, showed that the former were significantly influenced by combustion sources, and specifically from the engines of the aircrafts. Our results show that despite their small size, local airports serving remote insular regions should be considered as important air pollution hotspots, raising concerns for the exposure of the people working and leaving in their vicinities to hazardous pollutants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhancement of Inhibitory Avoidance and Conditioned Taste Aversion Memory with Insular Cortex Infusions of 8-Br-cAMP: Involvement of the Basolateral Amygdala

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miranda, Maria I.; McGaugh, James L.

2004-01-01

There is considerable evidence that in rats, the insular cortex (IC) and amygdala are involved in the learning and memory of aversively motivated tasks. The present experiments examined the effects of 8-Br-cAMP, an analog of cAMP, and oxotremorine, a muscarinic agonist, infused into the IC after inhibitory avoidance (IA) training and during the…

Increased Insular Cortical Thickness Associated With Symptom Severity in Male Youths With Internet Gaming Disorder: A Surface-Based Morphometric Study

PubMed Central

Wang, Shuai; Liu, Jing; Tian, Lin; Chen, Limin; Wang, Jun; Tang, Qunfeng; Zhang, Fuquan; Zhou, Zhenhe

2018-01-01

With the rising increase in Internet-usage, Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has gained massive attention worldwide. However, detailed cerebral morphological changes remain unclear in youths with IGD. In the current study, our aim was to investigate cortical morphology and further explore the relationship between the cortical morphology and symptom severity in male youths with IGD. Forty-eight male youths with IGD and 32 age- and education-matched normal controls received magnetic resonance imaging scans. We employed a recently proposed surface-based morphometric approach for the measurement of cortical thickness (CT). We found that youths with IGD showed increased CT in the bilateral insulae and the right inferior temporal gyrus. Moreover, significantly decreased CT were found in several brain areas in youths with IGD, including the bilateral banks of the superior temporal sulci, the right inferior parietal cortex, the right precuneus, the right precentral gyrus, and the left middle temporal gyrus. Additionally, youths with IGD demonstrated a significantly positive correlation between the left insular CT and symptom severity. Our data provide evidence for the finding of abnormal CT in distributed cerebral areas and support the notion that altered structural abnormalities observed in substance addiction are also manifested in IGD. Such information extends current knowledge about IGD-related brain reorganization and could help future efforts in identifying the role of insula in the disorder. PMID:29666588

Solar energy development impacts on land cover change and protected areas

PubMed Central

Hernandez, Rebecca R.; Hoffacker, Madison K.; Murphy-Mariscal, Michelle L.; Wu, Grace C.; Allen, Michael F.

2015-01-01

Decisions determining the use of land for energy are of exigent concern as land scarcity, the need for ecosystem services, and demands for energy generation have concomitantly increased globally. Utility-scale solar energy (USSE) [i.e., ≥1 megawatt (MW)] development requires large quantities of space and land; however, studies quantifying the effect of USSE on land cover change and protected areas are limited. We assessed siting impacts of >160 USSE installations by technology type [photovoltaic (PV) vs. concentrating solar power (CSP)], area (in square kilometers), and capacity (in MW) within the global solar hot spot of the state of California (United States). Additionally, we used the Carnegie Energy and Environmental Compatibility model, a multiple criteria model, to quantify each installation according to environmental and technical compatibility. Last, we evaluated installations according to their proximity to protected areas, including inventoried roadless areas, endangered and threatened species habitat, and federally protected areas. We found the plurality of USSE (6,995 MW) in California is sited in shrublands and scrublands, comprising 375 km2 of land cover change. Twenty-eight percent of USSE installations are located in croplands and pastures, comprising 155 km2 of change. Less than 15% of USSE installations are sited in “Compatible” areas. The majority of “Incompatible” USSE power plants are sited far from existing transmission infrastructure, and all USSE installations average at most 7 and 5 km from protected areas, for PV and CSP, respectively. Where energy, food, and conservation goals intersect, environmental compatibility can be achieved when resource opportunities, constraints, and trade-offs are integrated into siting decisions. PMID:26483467

Kinetic energy budgets in areas of intense convection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuelberg, H. E.; Berecek, E. M.; Ebel, D. M.; Jedlovec, G. J.

1980-01-01

A kinetic energy budget analysis of the AVE-SESAME 1 period which coincided with the deadly Red River Valley tornado outbreak is presented. Horizontal flux convergence was found to be the major kinetic energy source to the region, while cross contour destruction was the major sink. Kinetic energy transformations were dominated by processes related to strong jet intrusion into the severe storm area. A kinetic energy budget of the AVE 6 period also is presented. The effects of inherent rawinsonde data errors on widely used basic kinematic parameters, including velocity divergence, vorticity advection, and kinematic vertical motion are described. In addition, an error analysis was performed in terms of the kinetic energy budget equation. Results obtained from downward integration of the continuity equation to obtain kinematic values of vertical motion are described. This alternate procedure shows promising results in severe storm situations.

Suppressive responses by visual food cues in postprandial activities of insular cortex as revealed by magnetoencephalography.

PubMed

Yoshikawa, Takahiro; Tanaka, Masaaki; Ishii, Akira; Watanabe, Yasuyoshi

2014-06-03

'Hara-Hachibu' in Japanese means a subjective sense by which we stop eating just before the motivation to eat is completely lost, a similar concept to caloric restriction (CR). Insular cortex is a critical platform which integrates sensory information into decision-making processes in eating behavior. We compared the responses of insular cortex, as assessed by magnetoencephalography (MEG), immediately after presentation of food images in the Fasting condition with those in the 'Hara-Hachibu' condition. Eleven healthy, right-handed males [age, 27.2±9.6 years; body mass index, 22.6±2.1kg/m(2) (mean±SD)] were enrolled in a randomized, two-crossover experiment (Fasting and 'Hara-Hachibu' conditions). Before the MEG recordings in the 'Hara-Hachibu' condition, the participants consumed rice balls as much as they judged themselves to have consumed shortly before reaching satiety. During the MEG recordings, they viewed food pictures projected on a screen. The intensities of MEG responses to viewing food pictures were significantly lower in the 'Hara-Hachibu' condition than those in the Fasting condition (P<0.05). The intensities of the MEG responses to the visual food stimuli in the 'Hara-Hachibu' condition was positively associated with the factor-3 (food tasted) (r=0.693, P=0.018) and aggregated scores (r=0.659, P=0.027) of the Power of Food Scale, a self-report measure of hedonic hunger. These findings may help to elucidate the neural basis of variability of appetite phenotypes under the condition of CR among individuals, and to develop possible strategies for the maintenance of adequate CR in daily life. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Picatinny Arsenal 3000 Area Laboratory Complex Energy Analysis

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

Brown, Daryl R.; Goddard, James K.

2010-05-01

In response to a request by Picatinny Arsenal, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) was asked by the Army to conduct an energy audit of the Arsenal’s 3000 Area Laboratory Complex. The objective of the audit was to identify life-cycle cost-effective measures that the Arsenal could implement to reduce energy costs. A “walk-through” audit of the facilities was conducted on December 7-8, 2009. Findings and recommendations are included in this document.

Transient inhibition of protein synthesis in the rat insular cortex delays extinction of conditioned taste aversion with cyclosporine A.

PubMed

Hadamitzky, Martin; Orlowski, Kathrin; Schwitalla, Jan Claudius; Bösche, Katharina; Unteroberdörster, Meike; Bendix, Ivo; Engler, Harald; Schedlowski, Manfred

2016-09-01

Conditioned responses gradually weaken and eventually disappear when subjects are repeatedly exposed to the conditioned stimulus (CS) in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus (US), a process called extinction. Studies have demonstrated that extinction of conditioned taste aversion (CTA) can be prevented by interfering with protein synthesis in the insular cortex (IC). However, it remained unknown whether it is possible to pharmacologically stabilize the taste aversive memory trace over longer periods of time. Thus, the present study aimed at investigating the time frame during which extinction of CTA can be efficiently prevented by blocking protein synthesis in the IC. Employing an established conditioning paradigm in rats with saccharin as CS, and the immunosuppressant cyclosporine A (CsA) as US, we show here that daily bilateral intra-insular injections of the protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin (120μg/μl) immediately after retrieval significantly diminished CTA extinction over a period of five retrieval days and subsequently reached levels of saline-infused controls. These findings demonstrate that it is possible to efficiently delay but not to fully prevent CTA extinction during repeated retrieval trials by blocking protein translation with daily bilateral infusions of anisomycin in the IC. These data confirm and extent earlier reports indicating that the role of protein synthesis in CTA extinction learning is not limited to gastrointestinal malaise-inducing drugs such as lithium chloride (LiCl). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Still No Progress in Implementing Controls over Contracts and Grants with Indians. Report to the Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, House of Representatives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Comptroller General of the U.S., Washington, DC.

As a result of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) laxness in improving management of programs and services for Indians, the Chairman of the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs requested the General Accounting Office (GAO) to review the accountability of federal funds and property involving contracts and grants totaling about $726…

24 CFR 92.66 - Reallocation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM Allocation Formula Insular Areas Program § 92.66 Reallocation. Any HOME funds... allocation amount for one or more of the remaining insular areas as provided in § 92.60 of this part, will be...

24 CFR 92.66 - Reallocation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM Allocation Formula Insular Areas Program § 92.66 Reallocation. Any HOME funds... allocation amount for one or more of the remaining insular areas as provided in § 92.60 of this part, will be...

24 CFR 92.66 - Reallocation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM Allocation Formula Insular Areas Program § 92.66 Reallocation. Any HOME funds... allocation amount for one or more of the remaining insular areas as provided in § 92.60 of this part, will be...

24 CFR 92.66 - Reallocation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM Allocation Formula Insular Areas Program § 92.66 Reallocation. Any HOME funds... allocation amount for one or more of the remaining insular areas as provided in § 92.60 of this part, will be...

24 CFR 92.66 - Reallocation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM Allocation Formula Insular Areas Program § 92.66 Reallocation. Any HOME funds... allocation amount for one or more of the remaining insular areas as provided in § 92.60 of this part, will be...

Topographically Organized Projection to Posterior Insular Cortex from the Posterior Portion of the Ventral Medial Nucleus (VMpo) in the Long-tailed Macaque Monkey

PubMed Central

Craig, A.D. (Bud)

2014-01-01

Prior anterograde tracing work identified somatotopically organized lamina I trigemino- and spino-thalamic terminations in a cytoarchitectonically distinct portion of posterolateral thalamus of the macaque monkey, named the posterior part of the ventral medial nucleus (VMpo; Craig, 2004b). Microelectrode recordings from clusters of selectively thermoreceptive or nociceptive neurons were used to guide precise micro-injections of various tracers in VMpo. A prior report (Craig and Zhang, 2006) described retrograde tracing results, which confirmed the selective lamina I input to VMpo and the antero-posterior (head to foot) topography. The present report describes the results of micro-injections of anterograde tracers placed at different levels in VMpo, based on the antero-posterior topographic organization of selectively nociceptive units and clusters over nearly the entire extent of VMpo. Each injection produced dense, patchy terminal labeling in a single coherent field within a distinct granular cortical area centered in the fundus of the superior limiting sulcus. The terminations were distributed with a consistent antero-posterior topography over the posterior half of the superior limiting sulcus. These observations demonstrate a specific VMpo projection area in dorsal posterior insular cortex that provides the basis for a somatotopic representation of selectively nociceptive lamina I spinothalamic activity. These results also identify the VMpo terminal area as the posterior half of interoceptive cortex; the anterior half receives input from the vagal-responsive and gustatory neurons in the basal part of the ventral medial nucleus (VMb). PMID:23853108

Time and decision making: differential contribution of the posterior insular cortex and the striatum during a delay discounting task.

PubMed

Wittmann, Marc; Leland, David S; Paulus, Martin P

2007-06-01

Delay discounting refers to the fact that an immediate reward is valued more than the same reward if it occurs some time in the future. To examine the neural substrates underlying this process, we studied 13 healthy volunteers who repeatedly had to decide between an immediate and parametrically varied delayed hypothetical reward using a delay discounting task during event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. Subject's preference judgments resulted in different discounting slopes for shorter (<1 year) and for longer (> or =1 year) delays. Neural activation associated with the shorter delays relative to the longer delays was associated with increased activation in the head of the left caudate nucleus and putamen. When individuals selected the delayed relative to the immediate reward, a strong activation was found in bilateral posterior insular cortex. Several brain areas including the left caudate nucleus showed a correlation between the behaviorally determined discounting and brain activation for the contrast of intervals with delays <1 and > or =1 year. These results suggest that (1) the posterior insula, which is a critical component of the decision-making neural network, is involved in delaying gratification and (2) the degree of neural activation in the striatum, which plays a fundamental role in reward prediction and in time estimation, may code for the time delay.

Individual mediodorsal thalamic neurons project to multiple areas of the rat prefrontal cortex: A single neuron-tracing study using virus vectors.

PubMed

Kuramoto, Eriko; Pan, Shixiu; Furuta, Takahiro; Tanaka, Yasuhiro R; Iwai, Haruki; Yamanaka, Atsushi; Ohno, Sachi; Kaneko, Takeshi; Goto, Tetsuya; Hioki, Hiroyuki

2017-01-01

The prefrontal cortex has an important role in a variety of cognitive and executive processes, and is generally defined by its reciprocal connections with the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD). The rat MD is mainly subdivided into three segments, the medial (MDm), central (MDc), and lateral (MDl) divisions, on the basis of the cytoarchitecture and chemoarchitecture. The MD segments are known to topographically project to multiple prefrontal areas at the population level: the MDm mainly to the prelimbic, infralimbic, and agranular insular areas; the MDc to the orbital and agranular insular areas; and the MDl to the prelimbic and anterior cingulate areas. However, it is unknown whether individual MD neurons project to single or multiple prefrontal cortical areas. In the present study, we visualized individual MD neurons with Sindbis virus vectors, and reconstructed whole structures of MD neurons. While the main cortical projection targets of MDm, MDc, and MDl neurons were generally consistent with those of previous results, it was found that individual MD neurons sent their axon fibers to multiple prefrontal areas, and displayed various projection patterns in the target areas. Furthermore, the axons of single MD neurons were not homogeneously spread, but were rather distributed to form patchy axon arbors approximately 1 mm in diameter. The multiple-area projections and patchy axon arbors of single MD neurons might be able to coactivate cortical neuron groups in distant prefrontal areas simultaneously. Furthermore, considerable heterogeneity of the projection patterns is likely, to recruit the different sets of cortical neurons, and thus contributes to a variety of prefrontal functions. J. Comp. Neurol. 525:166-185, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Analogous Three-Dimensional Constructive Interference in Steady State Sequences Enhance the Utility of Three-Dimensional Time of Flight Magnetic Resonance Angiography in Delineating Lenticulostriate Arteries in Insular Gliomas: Evidence from a Prospective Clinicoradiologic Analysis of 48 Patients.

PubMed

Rao, Arun S; Thakar, Sumit; Sai Kiran, Narayanam Anantha; Aryan, Saritha; Mohan, Dilip; Hegde, Alangar S

2018-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) time of flight (TOF) imaging is the current gold standard for noninvasive, preoperative localization of lenticulostriate arteries (LSAs) in insular gliomas; however, the utility of this modality depends on tumor intensity. Over a 3-year period, 48 consecutive patients with insular gliomas were prospectively evaluated. Location of LSAs and their relationship with the tumor were determined using a combination of contrast-enhanced coronal 3D TOF magnetic resonance angiography and coronal 3D constructive interference in steady state (CISS) sequences. These findings were analyzed with respect to extent of tumor resection and early postoperative motor outcome. Tumor was clearly visualized in 29 (60.4%) patients with T1-hypointense tumors using 3D TOF and in all patients using CISS sequences. Using combined 3D TOF and CISS, LSA-tumor interface was well seen in 47 patients, including all patients with T1-heterointense or T1-isointense tumors. Extent of resection was higher in the LSA-pushed group compared with the LSA-encased group. In the LSA-encased group, 6 (12.5%) patients developed postoperative hemiparesis; 2 (4.2%) cases were attributed to LSA injury. Contrast-enhanced 3D TOF can delineate LSAs in almost all insular gliomas but is limited in identifying the LSA-tumor interface. This limitation can be overcome by addition of analogous CISS sequences that delineate the LSA-tumor interface regardless of tumor intensity. Combined 3D TOF and 3D CISS is a useful tool for surgical planning and safer resections of insular tumors and may have added surgical relevance when included as an intraoperative adjunct. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

24 CFR 570.405 - The insular areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...) Threshold requirements. HUD shall review each grantee's progress on outstanding grants made under this..., HUD will consider program achievements and the applicant's effectiveness in using program funds. Effectiveness in using program funds shall be measured by reviewing audit, monitoring and performance reports...

24 CFR 570.405 - The insular areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... schedule has not been established and agreed to. The Field Office manager may waive this restriction if he..., the Field office manager may consider and conditionally approve written requests to recognize and...) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN...

24 CFR 570.405 - The insular areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... schedule has not been established and agreed to. The Field Office manager may waive this restriction if he..., the Field office manager may consider and conditionally approve written requests to recognize and...) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN...

24 CFR 570.405 - The insular areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... schedule has not been established and agreed to. The Field Office manager may waive this restriction if he..., the Field office manager may consider and conditionally approve written requests to recognize and...) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN...

R and D plans for Broad Area Energy Utilization Network System

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

Takemura, Yozo; Ishida, Hiromi; Yanagishita, Hiroshi

1995-12-31

In Japan, approximately 60 percent of the primary energy supply is lost as waste heat due to low thermal energy conversion efficiency. A lot of effort has been made towards energy conservation in industry since 1973 when the oil crisis happened. However, waste heat is not recovered sufficiently at low temperature. Since most of energy in residential and commercial areas is used for air-conditioning and hot water, the temperature of heat for residential and commercial use is almost equal to that of waste heat discharged from industrial sources. Therefore, the Broad Area Energy Utilization Network System (Eco-Energy City) project, whichmore » started in 1993 and will continue over a period of 8 years, is a large-scale national energy conservation project of the Agency of Industrial Science and technology (AIST) of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). The aim of this project is to accelerate the full scale utilization of industrial waste heat for residential and commercial use by technological breakthroughs. The concept of the project is as follows: (1) Waste and unutilized heat discharged from industrial sources at relatively high temperature is recovered very efficiently, in multiple stages and in various ways. (2) Recovered heat is transported with a small heat loss over a long distance to residential and commercial areas that have various patterns of consuming relatively low-temperature heat. (3) Transported heat is supplied at consumer sites in different ways depending on the individual consumption pattern. (4) Thermal energy is utilized in the following forms: Cascaded use, combined use and recycling. The key to success is to develop innovative technologies of heat recovery, heat transport, heat supply and systematization of energy supply and demand.« less

From carbon sink to carbon source: extensive peat oxidation in insular Southeast Asia since 1990

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miettinen, Jukka; Hooijer, Aljosja; Vernimmen, Ronald; Liew, Soo Chin; Page, Susan E.

2017-02-01

Tropical peatlands of the western part of insular Southeast Asia have experienced extensive land cover changes since 1990. Typically involving drainage, these land cover changes have resulted in increased peat oxidation in the upper peat profile. In this paper we provide current (2015) and cumulative carbon emissions estimates since 1990 from peat oxidation in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo, utilizing newly published peatland land cover information and the recently agreed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) peat oxidation emission values for tropical peatland areas. Our results highlight the change of one of the Earth’s most efficient long-term carbon sinks to a short-term emission source, with cumulative carbon emissions since 1990 estimated to have been in the order of 2.5 Gt C. Current (2015) levels of emissions are estimated at around 146 Mt C yr-1, with a range of 132-159 Mt C yr-1 depending on the selection of emissions factors for different land cover types. 44% (or 64 Mt C yr-1) of the emissions come from industrial plantations (mainly oil palm and Acacia pulpwood), followed by 34% (49 Mt C yr-1) of emissions from small-holder areas. Thus, altogether 78% of current peat oxidation emissions come from managed land cover types. Although based on the latest information, these estimates may still include considerable, yet currently unquantifiable, uncertainties (e.g. due to uncertainties in the extent of peatlands and drainage networks) which need to be focused on in future research. In comparison, fire induced carbon dioxide emissions over the past ten years for the entire equatorial Southeast Asia region have been estimated to average 122 Mt C yr-1 (www.globalfiredata.org/_index.html). The results emphasise that whilst reducing emissions from peat fires is important, urgent efforts are also needed to mitigate the constantly high level of emissions arising from peat drainage, regardless of fire occurrence.

Posterior insular cortex is necessary for conditioned inhibition of fear.

PubMed

Foilb, Allison R; Flyer-Adams, Johanna G; Maier, Steven F; Christianson, John P

2016-10-01

Veridical detection of safety versus danger is critical to survival. Learned signals for safety inhibit fear, and so when presented, reduce fear responses produced by danger signals. This phenomenon is termed conditioned inhibition of fear. Here, we report that CS+/CS- fear discrimination conditioning over 5 days in rats leads the CS- to become a conditioned inhibitor of fear, as measured by the classic tests of conditioned inhibition: summation and retardation of subsequent fear acquisition. We then show that NMDA-receptor antagonist AP5 injected to posterior insular cortex (IC) before training completely prevented the acquisition of a conditioned fear inhibitor, while intra-AP5 to anterior and medial IC had no effect. To determine if the IC contributes to the recall of learned fear inhibition, injections of the GABAA agonist muscimol were made to posterior IC before a summation test. This resulted in fear inhibition per se, which obscured inference to the effect of IC inactivation with recall of the safety cue. Control experiments sought to determine if the role of the IC in conditioned inhibition learning could be reduced to simpler fear discrimination function, but fear discrimination and recall were unaffected by AP5 or muscimol, respectively, in the posterior IC. These data implicate a role of posterior IC in the learning of conditioned fear inhibitors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Posterior insular cortex is necessary for conditioned inhibition of fear

PubMed Central

Foilb, Allison R.; Flyer-Adams, Johanna G.; Maier, Steven F.; Christianson, John P.

2016-01-01

Veridical detection of safety versus danger is critical to survival. Learned signals for safety inhibit fear, and so when presented, reduce fear responses produced by danger signals. This phenomenon is termed conditioned inhibition of fear. Here, we report that CS+/CS− fear discrimination conditioning over 5 days in rats leads the CS− to become a conditioned inhibitor of fear, as measured by the classic tests of conditioned inhibition: summation and retardation of subsequent fear acquisition. We then show that NMDA-receptor antagonist AP5 injected to posterior insular cortex (IC) before training completely prevented the acquisition of a conditioned fear inhibitor, while intra-AP5 to anterior and medial IC had no effect. To determine if the IC contributes to the recall of learned fear inhibition, injections of the GABAA agonist muscimol were made to posterior IC before a summation test. This resulted in fear inhibition per se, which obscured inference to the effect of IC inactivation with recall of the safety cue. Control experiments sought to determine if the role of the IC in conditioned inhibition learning could be reduced to simpler fear discrimination function, but fear discrimination and recall were unaffected by AP5 or muscmiol, respectively, in the posterior IC. These data implicate a role of posterior IC in the learning of conditioned fear inhibitors. PMID:27523750

47 CFR Appendix 2 to Part 97 - VEC Regions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. 2. New Jersey and New York. 3. Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. 4. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee... Dakota and South Dakota. 11. Alaska. 12. Caribbean Insular areas. 13. Hawaii and Pacific Insular areas. ...

47 CFR Appendix 2 to Part 97 - VEC Regions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. 2. New Jersey and New York. 3. Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. 4. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee... Dakota and South Dakota. 11. Alaska. 12. Caribbean Insular areas. 13. Hawaii and Pacific Insular areas. ...

47 CFR Appendix 2 to Part 97 - VEC Regions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. 2. New Jersey and New York. 3. Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. 4. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee... Dakota and South Dakota. 11. Alaska. 12. Caribbean Insular areas. 13. Hawaii and Pacific Insular areas. ...

47 CFR Appendix 2 to Part 97 - VEC Regions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. 2. New Jersey and New York. 3. Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. 4. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee... Dakota and South Dakota. 11. Alaska. 12. Caribbean Insular areas. 13. Hawaii and Pacific Insular areas. ...

A giant submarine slope failure on the insular slope north of Puerto Rico: A response of Arecibo basin strata to tectonic stress

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

Schwab, W.C.; Danforth, W.W.; Scanlon, K.M.

1990-06-01

An amphitheater-shaped scarp, approximately 55 km across in water depths from about 3,000 m to 6,700 m was imaged on the northern insular slope of Puerto Rico (southern slope of the Puerto Rico Trench) using the GLORIA side-scan sonar system. This scarp represents the removal of more than 1,500 m{sup 3} of Tertiary Arecibo basin strata. The head of the scarp coincides with the location of a fault zone observed on nearby seismic-reflection profiles. Interpretation of the GLORIA imagery, and a review of available bathymetric, geophysical, and stratigraphic data and tectonic-framework models suggest that the scarp formed as a consequencemore » of slope failure induced by tectonic oversteepening of the insular slope. The oversteepening may be a result of the most recent episode of convergence of the Caribbean and North American plates, which began approximately 4 million years ago. The Arecibo basin strata have been tilted approximately 4{degree} to the north and are apparently gravitationally unstable under the present seismic regime. The volume of material involved in this slope failure is comparable to the material displaced in tsunamogenic submarine landslides along the Peru Trench and Hawaiian Ridge. Therefore, if the slope failure north of Puerto Rico was catastrophic, it was large enough to have generated a tsunami that would have flooded the low ground of northern Puerto Rico.« less

[3D-TOF MR-angiography with high spatial resolution for surgical planning in insular lobe gliomas].

PubMed

Bykanov, A E; Pitskhelauri, D I; Pronin, I N; Tonoyan, A S; Kornienko, V N; Zakharova, N E; Turkin, A M; Sanikidze, A Z; Shkarubo, M A; Shkatova, A M; Shults, E I

2015-01-01

Despite the obvious progress in modern neurosurgery, surgery for glial tumors of the insular lobe is often associated with a high risk of postoperative neurological deficit, which is primarily caused by damage to perforating arteries of the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery. The work is aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of high resolution time-of-flight (3D-TOF) MR angiography in imaging of medial and lateral lenticulostriate arteries and determining their relationship to tumor edge in patients with gliomas of the insula. 3D-TOF MR angiography data were analyzed in 20 patients with primarily diagnosed cerebral gliomas involving the insula. All patients underwent non-contrast enhanced 3D-TOF MR angiography. In 6 cases, 3D-TOF MRA was performed before and after contrast enhancement. 3D-TOF angiography before intravenous contrast injection was capable of visualizing the medial lenticulostriate arteries in 19 patients (95% of all cases) and lateral lenticulostriate arteries in 18 patients (90% of all cases). Contrast-enhanced 3D-TOF angiography allows for better visualization of both the proximal and distal segments of lenticulostriate arteries. Three variants of relationship between the tumor and lenticulostriate arteries were identified. Variant I: the tumor grew over the arteries without their displacement in 2 cases (10% of the total number of observations); variant II: the tumor caused medial displacement of arteries without growing over them in 11 cases (55% of the total number of observations); variant III: the tumor partially grew over and displaced arteries in 2 cases (10%). In 25% of cases (5 patients), tumor was poorly visualized on 3D-TOF MR angiograms because their signal characteristics did not differ from those of the medulla (tumor tissue was T1 isointense). As a result, it was impossible to determine the relationship between the tumor and lenticulostriate arteries. High spatial resolution time-of-flight MR angiography can be recommended for

45 CFR 96.82 - Required report on households assisted.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Required report on households assisted. 96.82 Section 96.82 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION BLOCK GRANTS Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program § 96.82 Required report on households assisted. (a) Each grantee which is a State or an insular area which...

Duke Energy Photovoltaic Integration Study: Carolinas Service Areas

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

Lu, Shuai; Samaan, Nader A.; Meng, Da

2014-03-01

Solar energy collected using photovoltaic (PV) technology is a clean and renewable energy source that offers multiple benefits to the electric utility industry and its customers, such as cost predictability, reduced emissions, and loss reduction by distributed installations. Renewable energy goals established in North Carolina Senate Bill 3 (SB3), in combination with the state tax credit and decreases in the cost of energy from PV panels, have resulted in rapid solar power penetration within the Carolinas services areas of Duke Energy. Continued decreases in PV prices are expected to lead to greater PV penetration rates than currently required in SB3.more » Despite the potential benefits, significant penetration of PV energy is of concern to the utility industry because of its impact on operating reliability and integration cost to customers, and equally important, how any additional costs may be allocated to different customer groups. Some of these impacts might become limiting factors for PV energy, especially growing distributed generation installed at customer sites. Recognizing the importance of renewable energy developments for a sustainable energy future and economic growth, Duke Energy has commissioned this study to simulate the effects of high-PV penetration rates and to initiate the process of quantifying the impacts. The objective of the study is to inform resource plans, guide operation improvements, and drive infrastructure investments for a steady and smooth transition to a new energy mix that provides optimal values to customers. The study team consists of experts from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Power Costs, Inc. (PCI), Clean Power Research (CPR), Alstom Grid, and Duke Energy. PNNL, PCI, and CPR performed the study on generation impacts; Duke Energy modeled the transmission cases; and distribution simulations were conducted by Alstom Grid. PNNL analyzed the results from each work stream and produced the report.« less

Human-motion energy harvester for autonomous body area sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geisler, M.; Boisseau, S.; Perez, M.; Gasnier, P.; Willemin, J.; Ait-Ali, I.; Perraud, S.

2017-03-01

This paper reports on a method to optimize an electromagnetic energy harvester converting the low-frequency body motion and aimed at powering wireless body area sensors. This method is based on recorded accelerations, and mechanical and transduction models that enable an efficient joint optimization of the structural parameters. An optimized prototype of 14.8 mmØ × 52 mm, weighting 20 g, has generated up to 4.95 mW in a resistive load when worn at the arm during a run, and 6.57 mW when hand-shaken. Among the inertial electromagnetic energy harvesters reported so far, this one exhibits one of the highest power densities (up to 730 μW cm-3). The energy harvester was finally used to power a bluetooth low energy wireless sensor node with accelerations measurements at 25 Hz.

Energy Harvesting Based Body Area Networks for Smart Health.

PubMed

Hao, Yixue; Peng, Limei; Lu, Huimin; Hassan, Mohammad Mehedi; Alamri, Atif

2017-07-10

Body area networks (BANs) are configured with a great number of ultra-low power consumption wearable devices, which constantly monitor physiological signals of the human body and thus realize intelligent monitoring. However, the collection and transfer of human body signals consume energy, and considering the comfort demand of wearable devices, both the size and the capacity of a wearable device's battery are limited. Thus, minimizing the energy consumption of wearable devices and optimizing the BAN energy efficiency is still a challenging problem. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an energy harvesting-based BAN for smart health and discuss an optimal resource allocation scheme to improve BAN energy efficiency. Specifically, firstly, considering energy harvesting in a BAN and the time limits of human body signal transfer, we formulate the energy efficiency optimization problem of time division for wireless energy transfer and wireless information transfer. Secondly, we convert the optimization problem into a convex optimization problem under a linear constraint and propose a closed-form solution to the problem. Finally, simulation results proved that when the size of data acquired by the wearable devices is small, the proportion of energy consumed by the circuit and signal acquisition of the wearable devices is big, and when the size of data acquired by the wearable devices is big, the energy consumed by the signal transfer of the wearable device is decisive.

Energy Harvesting Based Body Area Networks for Smart Health

PubMed Central

Hao, Yixue; Peng, Limei; Alamri, Atif

2017-01-01

Body area networks (BANs) are configured with a great number of ultra-low power consumption wearable devices, which constantly monitor physiological signals of the human body and thus realize intelligent monitoring. However, the collection and transfer of human body signals consume energy, and considering the comfort demand of wearable devices, both the size and the capacity of a wearable device’s battery are limited. Thus, minimizing the energy consumption of wearable devices and optimizing the BAN energy efficiency is still a challenging problem. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an energy harvesting-based BAN for smart health and discuss an optimal resource allocation scheme to improve BAN energy efficiency. Specifically, firstly, considering energy harvesting in a BAN and the time limits of human body signal transfer, we formulate the energy efficiency optimization problem of time division for wireless energy transfer and wireless information transfer. Secondly, we convert the optimization problem into a convex optimization problem under a linear constraint and propose a closed-form solution to the problem. Finally, simulation results proved that when the size of data acquired by the wearable devices is small, the proportion of energy consumed by the circuit and signal acquisition of the wearable devices is big, and when the size of data acquired by the wearable devices is big, the energy consumed by the signal transfer of the wearable device is decisive. PMID:28698501

Energy Systems Test Area (ESTA). Power Systems Test Facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Situ, Cindy H.

2010-01-01

This viewgraph presentation provides a detailed description of the Johnson Space Center's Power Systems Facility located in the Energy Systems Test Area (ESTA). Facilities and the resources used to support power and battery systems testing are also shown. The contents include: 1) Power Testing; 2) Power Test Equipment Capabilities Summary; 3) Source/Load; 4) Battery Facilities; 5) Battery Test Equipment Capabilities Summary; 6) Battery Testing; 7) Performance Test Equipment; 8) Battery Test Environments; 9) Battery Abuse Chambers; 10) Battery Abuse Capabilities; and 11) Battery Test Area Resources.

Continuous Improvement in Battery Testing at the NASA/JSC Energy System Test Area

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyd, William; Cook, Joseph

2003-01-01

The Energy Systems Test Area (ESTA) at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas conducts development and qualification tests to fulfill Energy System Division responsibilities relevant to ASA programs and projects. EST A has historically called upon a variety of fluid, mechanical, electrical, environmental, and data system capabilities spread amongst five full-service facilities to test human and human supported spacecraft in the areas of propulsion systems, fluid systems, pyrotechnics, power generation, and power distribution and control systems. Improvements at ESTA are being made in full earnest of offering NASA project offices an option to choose a thorough test regime that is balanced with cost and schedule constraints. In order to continue testing of enabling power-related technologies utilized by the Energy System Division, an especially proactive effort has been made to increase the cost effectiveness and schedule responsiveness for battery testing. This paper describes the continuous improvement in battery testing at the Energy Systems Test Area being made through consolidation, streamlining, and standardization.

Low-energy transmission electron diffraction and imaging of large-area graphene

PubMed Central

Zhao, Wei; Xia, Bingyu; Lin, Li; Xiao, Xiaoyang; Liu, Peng; Lin, Xiaoyang; Peng, Hailin; Zhu, Yuanmin; Yu, Rong; Lei, Peng; Wang, Jiangtao; Zhang, Lina; Xu, Yong; Zhao, Mingwen; Peng, Lianmao; Li, Qunqing; Duan, Wenhui; Liu, Zhongfan; Fan, Shoushan; Jiang, Kaili

2017-01-01

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted interest because of their excellent properties and potential applications. A key step in realizing industrial applications is to synthesize wafer-scale single-crystal samples. Until now, single-crystal samples, such as graphene domains up to the centimeter scale, have been synthesized. However, a new challenge is to efficiently characterize large-area samples. Currently, the crystalline characterization of these samples still relies on selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) or low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), which is more suitable for characterizing very small local regions. This paper presents a highly efficient characterization technique that adopts a low-energy electrostatically focused electron gun and a super-aligned carbon nanotube (SACNT) film sample support. It allows rapid crystalline characterization of large-area graphene through a single photograph of a transmission-diffracted image at a large beam size. Additionally, the low-energy electron beam enables the observation of a unique diffraction pattern of adsorbates on the suspended graphene at room temperature. This work presents a simple and convenient method for characterizing the macroscopic structures of 2D materials, and the instrument we constructed allows the study of the weak interaction with 2D materials. PMID:28879233

Low-energy transmission electron diffraction and imaging of large-area graphene.

PubMed

Zhao, Wei; Xia, Bingyu; Lin, Li; Xiao, Xiaoyang; Liu, Peng; Lin, Xiaoyang; Peng, Hailin; Zhu, Yuanmin; Yu, Rong; Lei, Peng; Wang, Jiangtao; Zhang, Lina; Xu, Yong; Zhao, Mingwen; Peng, Lianmao; Li, Qunqing; Duan, Wenhui; Liu, Zhongfan; Fan, Shoushan; Jiang, Kaili

2017-09-01

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted interest because of their excellent properties and potential applications. A key step in realizing industrial applications is to synthesize wafer-scale single-crystal samples. Until now, single-crystal samples, such as graphene domains up to the centimeter scale, have been synthesized. However, a new challenge is to efficiently characterize large-area samples. Currently, the crystalline characterization of these samples still relies on selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) or low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), which is more suitable for characterizing very small local regions. This paper presents a highly efficient characterization technique that adopts a low-energy electrostatically focused electron gun and a super-aligned carbon nanotube (SACNT) film sample support. It allows rapid crystalline characterization of large-area graphene through a single photograph of a transmission-diffracted image at a large beam size. Additionally, the low-energy electron beam enables the observation of a unique diffraction pattern of adsorbates on the suspended graphene at room temperature. This work presents a simple and convenient method for characterizing the macroscopic structures of 2D materials, and the instrument we constructed allows the study of the weak interaction with 2D materials.

Gray matter volume of the anterior insular cortex and social networking.

PubMed

Spagna, Alfredo; Dufford, Alexander J; Wu, Qiong; Wu, Tingting; Zheng, Weihao; Coons, Edgar E; Hof, Patrick R; Hu, Bin; Wu, Yanhong; Fan, Jin

2018-05-01

In human life, social context requires the engagement in complex interactions among individuals as the dynamics of social networks. The evolution of the brain as the neurological basis of the mind must be crucial in supporting social networking. Although the relationship between social networking and the amygdala, a small but core region for emotion processing, has been reported, other structures supporting sophisticated social interactions must be involved and need to be identified. In this study, we examined the relationship between morphology of the anterior insular cortex (AIC), a structure involved in basic and high-level cognition, and social networking. Two independent cohorts of individuals (New York group n = 50, Beijing group n = 100) were recruited. Structural magnetic resonance images were acquired and the social network index (SNI), a composite measure summarizing an individual's network diversity, size, and complexity, was measured. The association between morphological features of the AIC, in addition to amygdala, and the SNI was examined. Positive correlations between the measures of the volume as well as sulcal depth of the AIC and the SNI were found in both groups, while a significant positive correlation between the volume of the amygdala and the SNI was only found in the New York group. The converging results from the two groups suggest that the AIC supports network-level social interactions. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Validation of Model Output versus ADCP Observations on the PR Insular Shelf, Part 2: Are all Sites the Same?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos Valle, A.

2016-02-01

We have previously compared the output from three oceanographic models against observed data from an ADCP at a common grid point location on the zonally oriented, southwestern Puerto Rico shelf that extends into the northern Caribbean Sea. The three models were: 1) AMSEAS (NCOM), 2) Regional ROMS and 3) a higher resolution version of ROMS nested within the Regional ROMS. These models faced great difficulty in accurately depicting the bathymetry of the ocean in the PR-USVI archipelago which is characterized by small islands, narrow insular shelves, steep slopes and deep water beyond. The resulting validations of the three models versus the ADCP at the selected location were poor. However, the insight we gained into the behavior of the models during the validation process suggested that models might do a better job at simulating currents across the inter-island straits that connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Caribbean Sea than along the insular Caribbean or Atlantic coastlines. We therefore focused our attention on expanding our previous research by performing a similar analysis using the ROMS model against ADCP observations in the Mona Passage, west of PR. This new ADCP location exhibits bathymetric features that are smoother, less complex, and better represented in the Regional ROMS model while flows at the site are stronger than at the previous ADCP site at La Parguera. Statistical time-series analyses are performed on model and ADCP flow velocity time series to quantify the model's skill. Results indicate that ROMS does a much better job at simulating ocean currents at the Mona Passage site than at La Parguera. Dynamical and numerical differences that might explain the spatially varying model skill are considered. In summary: model skill validation sites around PR are not all the same.

Anthropogenic and Climatic Influence on Vegetation Fires in Peatland of Insular Southeast Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liew, S.; Miettinen, J.; Salinas Cortijo, S. V.

2011-12-01

Fire is traditionally used as a tool in land clearing by farmers and shifting cultivators in Southeast Asia. However, the small scale clearing of land is increasingly being replaced by modern large-scale conversion of forests into plantations/agricultural land, usually also by fires. Fires get out of control in periods of extreme drought, especially during the El Nino periods, resulting in severe episodes of transboundary air pollution in the form of smoke haze. We use the MODIS active fires product (hotspots) to establish correlations between the temporal and spatial patterns of vegetation fires with climatic variables, land cover change and soil type (peat or non-peat) in the western part of Insular Southeast Asia for a decade from 2001 to 2010. Fire occurrence exhibits a negative correlation with rainfall, and is more severe overall during the El-Nino periods. However, not all regions are equally affected by El-Nino. In Southern Sumatra and Southern Borneo the correlation with El-Nino is high. However, fires in some regions such as the peatland in Riau, Jambi and Sarawak do not appear to be influenced by El-Nino. These regions are also experiencing rapid conversion of forest to large scale plantations.

Empirical correlation between hydrophobic free energy and aqueous cavity surface area

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

Reynolds, J.A.; Gilbert, D.B.; Tanford, C.

1974-08-01

The unitary free energy of transfer of a hydrocarbon molecule from a hydrocarbon solvent to an aqueous medium is a measure of the hydrophobic interaction in the aqueous medium. We have reexamined available data on this phenomenon and have confirmed that the free energy for saturated hydrocarbons is proportional to the surface area of the cavity created by the solute in the aqueous solution, with the same proportionality constant for linear, branched, and cyclic hydrocarbon molecules. The numerical value of the proportionality constant is uncertain because absolute and self-consistent area measurements are not available. We estimate that it falls betweenmore » 20 and 25 cal/mole per Angstrom/sup 2/ at 25/sup 0/ (for areas measured at the distance of closest approach of water molecules), which is significantly less than the figure of 33 cal/mole per Angstrom/sup 2/ that has been assigned to the same parameter by Hermann.« less

Brain Responses during the Anticipation of Dyspnea

PubMed Central

Stoeckel, M. Cornelia; Esser, Roland W.; Büchel, Christian

2016-01-01

Dyspnea is common in many cardiorespiratory diseases. Already the anticipation of this aversive symptom elicits fear in many patients resulting in unfavorable health behaviors such as activity avoidance and sedentary lifestyle. This study investigated brain mechanisms underlying these anticipatory processes. We induced dyspnea using resistive-load breathing in healthy subjects during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Blocks of severe and mild dyspnea alternated, each preceded by anticipation periods. Severe dyspnea activated a network of sensorimotor, cerebellar, and limbic areas. The left insular, parietal opercular, and cerebellar cortices showed increased activation already during dyspnea anticipation. Left insular and parietal opercular cortex showed increased connectivity with right insular and anterior cingulate cortex when severe dyspnea was anticipated, while the cerebellum showed increased connectivity with the amygdala. Notably, insular activation during dyspnea perception was positively correlated with midbrain activation during anticipation. Moreover, anticipatory fear was positively correlated with anticipatory activation in right insular and anterior cingulate cortex. The results demonstrate that dyspnea anticipation activates brain areas involved in dyspnea perception. The involvement of emotion-related areas such as insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and amygdala during dyspnea anticipation most likely reflects anticipatory fear and might underlie the development of unfavorable health behaviors in patients suffering from dyspnea. PMID:27648309

Brain Responses during the Anticipation of Dyspnea.

PubMed

Stoeckel, M Cornelia; Esser, Roland W; Gamer, Matthias; Büchel, Christian; von Leupoldt, Andreas

2016-01-01

Dyspnea is common in many cardiorespiratory diseases. Already the anticipation of this aversive symptom elicits fear in many patients resulting in unfavorable health behaviors such as activity avoidance and sedentary lifestyle. This study investigated brain mechanisms underlying these anticipatory processes. We induced dyspnea using resistive-load breathing in healthy subjects during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Blocks of severe and mild dyspnea alternated, each preceded by anticipation periods. Severe dyspnea activated a network of sensorimotor, cerebellar, and limbic areas. The left insular, parietal opercular, and cerebellar cortices showed increased activation already during dyspnea anticipation. Left insular and parietal opercular cortex showed increased connectivity with right insular and anterior cingulate cortex when severe dyspnea was anticipated, while the cerebellum showed increased connectivity with the amygdala. Notably, insular activation during dyspnea perception was positively correlated with midbrain activation during anticipation. Moreover, anticipatory fear was positively correlated with anticipatory activation in right insular and anterior cingulate cortex. The results demonstrate that dyspnea anticipation activates brain areas involved in dyspnea perception. The involvement of emotion-related areas such as insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and amygdala during dyspnea anticipation most likely reflects anticipatory fear and might underlie the development of unfavorable health behaviors in patients suffering from dyspnea.

24 CFR 570.441 - Citizen participation-insular areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... actual beneficiaries; (4) Meeting the needs of non-English speaking residents in the case of public... and must make the plan public. The plan must be completed and available before the statement for... not include the provision of funds to the groups; (3) Holding a minimum of two public hearings for the...

The Potential of Solar as Alternative Energy Source for Socio-Economic Wellbeing in Rural Areas, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alam, Rashidah Zainal; Siwar, Chamhuri; Ludin, Norasikin Ahmad

Malaysia's energy sector is highly dependent on fossil fuels as a primary energy source. Economic growth and socio-economic wellbeing also rely on the utilization of energy in daily life routine. Nevertheless, the increasing cost for electricity and declining fossil fuels resources causes various negative impacts to the people and environment especially in rural areas. This prompted Malaysia to shift towards alternative energy sources such as solar energy to ensure social, economic and environmental benefits. The solar energy is one of the potential renewable energy sources in tropical countries particularly in Malaysia. The paper attempts to analyze the benefits and advantages related to energy efficiency of solar for sustainable energy use and socio economic wellbeing in rural areas, Malaysia. The paper uses secondary sources of data such as policies, regulations and research reports from relevant ministries and agencies to attain the objectives. As a signatory country to the UN Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, Malaysia has taken initiatives for decreasing energy dependence on oil to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) for sustainable development. The paper shows solar energy becomes one of the promising alternative energy sources to alleviate energy poverty in Malaysia for rural areas. Finally, solar energy has increased socio-economic wellbeing and develops green potential and toward achieving energy efficiency in energy sector of Malaysia by preserving environment as well as reducing carbon emission.

Summary of Energy Assessment Requirements under the Area Source Boiler Rule

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This document provides an overview of the energy assessment requirements for the national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) for area sources: industrial, commercial and Institutional boilers, 40 CFR Part 63, Subpart JJJJJJ.

Optical mass gauge sensor having an energy per unit area of illumination detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justak, John F. (Inventor)

2000-01-01

An optical mass gauge sensor is disclosed comprising a vessel having an interior surface which reflects radiant energy at a wavelength at least partially absorbed by a fluid contained within the vessel, an illuminating device for introducing radiant energy at such wavelength into the vessel interior, and, a detector for measuring the energy per unit area of illumination within the vessel created by the radiant energy which is not absorbed by the fluid.

Ontogeny of neuro-insular complexes and islets innervation in the human pancreas.

PubMed

Proshchina, Alexandra E; Krivova, Yulia S; Barabanov, Valeriy M; Saveliev, Sergey V

2014-01-01

The ontogeny of the neuro-insular complexes (NIC) and the islets innervation in human pancreas has not been studied in detail. Our aim was to describe the developmental dynamics and distribution of the nervous system structures in the endocrine part of human pancreas. We used double-staining with antibodies specific to pan-neural markers [neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S100 protein] and to hormones of pancreatic endocrine cells. NSE and S100-positive nerves and ganglia were identified in the human fetal pancreas from gestation week (gw) 10 onward. Later the density of S100 and NSE-positive fibers increased. In adults, this network was sparse. The islets innervation started to form from gw 14. NSE-containing endocrine cells were identified from gw 12 onward. Additionally, S100-positive cells were detected both in the periphery and within some of the islets starting at gw 14. The analysis of islets innervation has shown that the fetal pancreas contained NIC and the number of these complexes was reduced in adults. The highest density of NIC is detected during middle and late fetal periods, when the mosaic islets, typical for adults, form. The close integration between the developing pancreatic islets and the nervous system structures may play an important role not only in the hormone secretion, but also in the islets morphogenesis.

Ontogeny of Neuro-Insular Complexes and Islets Innervation in the Human Pancreas

PubMed Central

Proshchina, Alexandra E.; Krivova, Yulia S.; Barabanov, Valeriy M.; Saveliev, Sergey V.

2014-01-01

The ontogeny of the neuro-insular complexes (NIC) and the islets innervation in human pancreas has not been studied in detail. Our aim was to describe the developmental dynamics and distribution of the nervous system structures in the endocrine part of human pancreas. We used double-staining with antibodies specific to pan-neural markers [neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S100 protein] and to hormones of pancreatic endocrine cells. NSE and S100-positive nerves and ganglia were identified in the human fetal pancreas from gestation week (gw) 10 onward. Later the density of S100 and NSE-positive fibers increased. In adults, this network was sparse. The islets innervation started to form from gw 14. NSE-containing endocrine cells were identified from gw 12 onward. Additionally, S100-positive cells were detected both in the periphery and within some of the islets starting at gw 14. The analysis of islets innervation has shown that the fetal pancreas contained NIC and the number of these complexes was reduced in adults. The highest density of NIC is detected during middle and late fetal periods, when the mosaic islets, typical for adults, form. The close integration between the developing pancreatic islets and the nervous system structures may play an important role not only in the hormone secretion, but also in the islets morphogenesis. PMID:24795697

CLEAN Energy Producers Act of 2014

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Rep. Duncan, Jeff [R-SC-3

2014-06-02

House - 06/10/2014 Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Genetic drift and rapid evolution of viviparity in insular fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra)

PubMed Central

Velo-Antón, G; Zamudio, K R; Cordero-Rivera, A

2012-01-01

Continental islands offer an excellent opportunity to investigate adaptive processes and to time microevolutionary changes that precede macroevolutionary events. We performed a population genetic study of the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra), a species that displays unique intraspecific diversity of reproductive strategies, to address the microevolutionary processes leading to phenotypic and genetic differentiation of island, coastal and interior populations. We used eight microsatellite markers to estimate genetic diversity, population structure and demographic parameters in viviparous insular populations and ovoviviparous coastal and interior populations. Our results show considerable genetic differentiation (FST range: 0.06–0.27), and no clear signs of gene flow among populations, except between the large and admixed interior populations. We find no support for island colonization by rafting or intentional/accidental anthropogenic introductions, indicating that rising sea levels were responsible for isolation of the island populations approximately 9000 years ago. Our study provides evidence of rapid genetic differentiation between island and coastal populations, and rapid evolution of viviparity driven by climatic selective pressures on island populations, geographic isolation with genetic drift, or a combination of these factors. Studies of these viviparous island populations in early stages of divergence help us better understand the microevolutionary processes involved in rapid phenotypic shifts. PMID:22086081

Genetic drift and rapid evolution of viviparity in insular fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra).

PubMed

Velo-Antón, G; Zamudio, K R; Cordero-Rivera, A

2012-04-01

Continental islands offer an excellent opportunity to investigate adaptive processes and to time microevolutionary changes that precede macroevolutionary events. We performed a population genetic study of the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra), a species that displays unique intraspecific diversity of reproductive strategies, to address the microevolutionary processes leading to phenotypic and genetic differentiation of island, coastal and interior populations. We used eight microsatellite markers to estimate genetic diversity, population structure and demographic parameters in viviparous insular populations and ovoviviparous coastal and interior populations. Our results show considerable genetic differentiation (F(ST) range: 0.06-0.27), and no clear signs of gene flow among populations, except between the large and admixed interior populations. We find no support for island colonization by rafting or intentional/accidental anthropogenic introductions, indicating that rising sea levels were responsible for isolation of the island populations approximately 9000 years ago. Our study provides evidence of rapid genetic differentiation between island and coastal populations, and rapid evolution of viviparity driven by climatic selective pressures on island populations, geographic isolation with genetic drift, or a combination of these factors. Studies of these viviparous island populations in early stages of divergence help us better understand the microevolutionary processes involved in rapid phenotypic shifts.

Potential Offshore Wind Energy Areas in California: An Assessment of Locations, Technology, and Costs

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

Musial, Walter; Beiter, Philipp; Tegen, Suzanne

This report summarizes a study of possible offshore wind energy locations, technologies, and levelized cost of energy in the state of California between 2015 and 2030. The study was funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the federal agency responsible for regulating renewable energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf. It is based on reference wind energy areas where representative technology and performance characteristics were evaluated. These reference areas were identified as sites that were suitable to represent offshore wind cost and technology based on physical site conditions, wind resource quality, known existingmore » site use, and proximity to necessary infrastructure. The purpose of this study is to assist energy policy decision-making by state utilities, independent system operators, state government officials and policymakers, BOEM, and its key stakeholders. The report is not intended to serve as a prescreening exercise for possible future offshore wind development.« less

Promoting the energy structure optimization around Chinese Beijing-Tianjin area by developing biomass energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Li; Sun, Du; Wang, Shi-Yu; Zhao, Feng-Qing

2017-06-01

In recent years, remarkable achievements in the utilization of biomass energy have been made in China. However, there are still some problems, such as irrational industry layout, immature existing market survival mechanism and lack of core competitiveness. On the basis of investigation and research, some recommendations and strategies are proposed for the development of biomass energy around Chinese Beijing-Tianjin area: scientific planning and precise laying out of biomass industry; rationalizing the relationship between government and enterprises and promoting the establishment of a market-oriented survival mechanism; combining ‘supply side’ with ‘demand side’ to optimize product structure; extending industrial chain to promote industry upgrading and sustainable development; and comprehensive co-ordinating various types of biomass resources and extending product chain to achieve better economic benefits.

Balancing Area Coordination: Efficiently Integrating Renewable Energy Into the Grid, Greening the Grid

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

Katz, Jessica; Denholm, Paul; Cochran, Jaquelin

2015-06-01

Greening the Grid provides technical assistance to energy system planners, regulators, and grid operators to overcome challenges associated with integrating variable renewable energy into the grid. Coordinating balancing area operation can promote more cost and resource efficient integration of variable renewable energy, such as wind and solar, into power systems. This efficiency is achieved by sharing or coordinating balancing resources and operating reserves across larger geographic boundaries.

Phylogeography of Aegean green toads (Bufo viridis subgroup): continental hybrid swarm vs. insular diversification with discovery of a new island endemic.

PubMed

Dufresnes, Christophe; Lymberakis, Petros; Kornilios, Panagiotis; Savary, Romain; Perrin, Nicolas; Stöck, Matthias

2018-05-02

Debated aspects in speciation research concern the amount of gene flow between incipient species under secondary contact and the modes by which post-zygotic isolation accumulates. Secondary contact zones of allopatric lineages, involving varying levels of divergence, provide natural settings for comparative studies, for which the Aegean (Eastern Mediterranean) geography offers unique scenarios. In Palearctic green toads (Bufo viridis subgroup or Bufotes), Plio-Pleistocene (~ 2.6 Mya) diverged species show a sharp transition without contemporary gene flow, while younger lineages, diverged in the Lower-Pleistocene (~ 1.9 Mya), admix over tens of kilometers. Here, we conducted a fine-scale multilocus phylogeographic analysis of continental and insular green toads from the Aegean, where a third pair of taxa, involving Mid-Pleistocene diverged (~ 1.5 Mya) mitochondrial lineages, earlier tentatively named viridis and variabilis, (co-)occurs. We discovered a new lineage, endemic to Naxos (Central Cyclades), while coastal islands and Crete feature weak genetic differentiation from the continent. In continental Greece, both lineages, viridis and variabilis, form a hybrid swarm, involving massive mitochondrial and nuclear admixture over hundreds of kilometers, without obvious selection against hybrids. The genetic signatures of insular Aegean toads appear governed by bathymetry and Quaternary sea level changes, resulting in long-term isolation (Central Cyclades: Naxos) and recent land-bridges (coastal islands). Conversely, Crete has been isolated since the end of the Messinian salinity crisis (5.3 My) and Cretan populations thus likely result from human-mediated colonization, at least since Antiquity, from Peloponnese and Anatolia. Comparisons of green toad hybrid zones support the idea that post-zygotic hybrid incompatibilities accumulate gradually over the genome. In this radiation, only one million years of divergence separate a scenario of complete reproductive

78 FR 48861 - Western Pacific Fisheries; Approval of a Marine Conservation Plan for Pacific Insular Areas...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-12

... remote island areas (PRIA). The PRIA are Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Island, Wake Island, and Palmyra Atoll. Before entering into a PIAFA, the Council...

Two decision-support tools for assessing the potential effects of energy development on hydrologic resources as part of the Energy and Environment in the Rocky Mountain Area interactive energy atlas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Linard, Joshua I.; Matherne, Anne Marie; Leib, Kenneth J.; Carr, Natasha B.; Diffendorfer, James E.; Hawkins, Sarah J.; Latysh, Natalie; Ignizio, Drew A.; Babel, Nils C.

2014-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey project—Energy and Environment in the Rocky Mountain Area (EERMA)—has developed a set of virtual tools in the form of an online interactive energy atlas for Colorado and New Mexico to facilitate access to geospatial data related to energy resources, energy infrastructure, and natural resources that may be affected by energy development. The interactive energy atlas currently (2014) consists of three components: (1) a series of interactive maps; (2) downloadable geospatial datasets; and (3) decison-support tools, including two maps related to hydrologic resources discussed in this report. The hydrologic-resource maps can be used to examine the potential effects of energy development on hydrologic resources with respect to (1) groundwater vulnerability, by using the depth to water, recharge, aquifer media, soil media, topography, impact of the vadose zone, and hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer (DRASTIC) model, and (2) landscape erosion potential, by using the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE). The DRASTIC aquifer vulnerability index value for the two-State area ranges from 48 to 199. Higher values, indicating greater relative aquifer vulnerability, are centered in south-central Colorado, areas in southeastern New Mexico, and along riparian corridors in both States—all areas where the water table is relatively close to the land surface and the aquifer is more susceptible to surface influences. As calculated by the RUSLE model, potential mean annual erosion, as soil loss in units of tons per acre per year, ranges from 0 to 12,576 over the two-State area. The RUSLE model calculated low erosion potential over most of Colorado and New Mexico, with predictions of highest erosion potential largely confined to areas of mountains or escarpments. An example is presented of how a fully interactive RUSLE model could be further used as a decision-support tool to evaluate the potential hydrologic effects of energy development on a

Energy usage, problems and policy proposals: evidence from distinctive villages in poverty-stricken loess areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Xinglong; Xue, Weixian

2018-02-01

The aim of this paper is to examine energy consumption among poverty-stricken loess areas of middle Gansu, and put forward a settlement to energy upgrading and meanwhile mitigating environmental contagion and shaking off poverty. Energy consumption of 371 households from 3 distinctive categories of landform is explored. The surveyed data investigation displays that energy consumption composition is marked by clear dissimilarity of power mix, with stalk(41%) and coal(32.3%) acting as the major form, fire grass a powerful supplement, and the remaining power resources playing a tiny part for the mountain; coal(52.45%) being the dominant power, dry grasses(20%) and stalk (17.6%) performing a supplemental part, other resources of power being at the insignificant position for the semi-mountain; beside which there being a similar energy pattern on the plain except stalk composing a tiny share of 7.5%. This energy mix is mainly attributed to economic poverty, and provokes a list of ills such as plant damage, water loss and soil erosion, ultimately posing a formidable threat to sustainable development. A fresh energy engineering mode termed quaternity-dominating pattern is introduced and addressed, which can lift the sample areas out of poverty both in economics and energy. The paper concludes with pointing out practical proposals on launching and running this energy engineering project for the sample areas. This paper contributes to the growing body of knowledge by exploring energy use among poverty-stricken regions, usually being disregarded in most studies of China.

The effect of the DSSC photoanode area based on TiO2/Ag on the conversion efficiency of solar energy into electrical energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrayev, N.; Serikov, T.; Zavgorodniy, A.; Sadykova, A.

2018-01-01

A module based on dye-sensitized solar cells with Ag/TiO2 structure was developed. It is shown that the addition of the core-shell structure to the semiconductor film of titanium dioxide, where the nanoparticle Ag serves as the core, and the TiO2 is shell, increases the coefficient of solar energy conversion into electrical energy. The effect of the photoanode area on the efficiency of conversion of solar energy into electrical energy is studied. It is shown that the density of the photocurrent decreases with increasing of the photoanode area, which leads to a drop in the efficiency of solar cells.

Characteristics of MSW and heat energy recovery between residential and commercial areas in Seoul.

PubMed

Yi, Sora; Yoo, Kee-Young; Hanaki, Keisuke

2011-03-01

This paper analyzes the amount and characteristics of municipal solid waste (MSW) according to the inhabitant density of population and the business concentration in 25 districts in Seoul. Further, the heat energy recovery and avoided CO(2) emissions of four incineration plants located in residential and commercial areas in Seoul are examined. The amount of residential waste per capita tended to increase as the density of inhabitants decreased. The amount of commercial waste per capita tended to increase as the business concentration increased. The examination of the heat energy recovery characteristics indicated that the four incineration plants produced heat energy that depended on residential or commercial areas based on population and business. The most important result regarding avoided CO(2) emissions was that commercial areas with many office-type businesses had the most effective CO(2) emission savings by combusting 1 kg of waste. Assuming the full-scale operation of the four incineration plants, the amount of saved CO(2) emissions per year was 444 Gg CO(2) and 57,006 households in Seoul can be provided with heat energy equivalent to 542,711 Nm(3) of LNG. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aerosol optical, microphysical and radiative properties at regional background insular sites in the western Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sicard, Michaël; Barragan, Rubén; Dulac, François; Alados-Arboledas, Lucas; Mallet, Marc

2016-09-01

In the framework of the ChArMEx (the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment; http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr/) program, the seasonal variability of the aerosol optical, microphysical and radiative properties derived from AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network; http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/) is examined in two regional background insular sites in the western Mediterranean Basin: Ersa (Corsica Island, France) and Palma de Mallorca (Mallorca Island, Spain). A third site, Alborán (Alborán Island, Spain), with only a few months of data is considered for examining possible northeast-southwest (NE-SW) gradients of the aforementioned aerosol properties. The AERONET dataset is exclusively composed of level 2.0 inversion products available during the 5-year period 2011-2015. AERONET solar radiative fluxes are compared with ground- and satellite-based flux measurements. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that AERONET fluxes are compared with measurements at the top of the atmosphere. Strong events (with an aerosol optical depth at 440 nm greater than 0.4) of long-range transport aerosols, one of the main drivers of the observed annual cycles and NE-SW gradients, are (1) mineral dust outbreaks predominant in spring and summer in the north and in summer in the south and (2) European pollution episodes predominant in autumn. A NE-SW gradient exists in the western Mediterranean Basin for the aerosol optical depth and especially its coarse-mode fraction, which all together produces a similar gradient for the aerosol direct radiative forcing. The aerosol fine mode is rather homogeneously distributed. Absorption properties are quite variable because of the many and different sources of anthropogenic particles in and around the western Mediterranean Basin: North African and European urban areas, the Iberian and Italian peninsulas, most forest fires and

Targeted transcranial theta-burst stimulation alters fronto-insular network and prefrontal GABA.

PubMed

Iwabuchi, Sarina J; Raschke, Felix; Auer, Dorothee P; Liddle, Peter F; Lankappa, Sudheer T; Palaniyappan, Lena

2017-02-01

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been used worldwide to treat depression. However, the exact physiological effects are not well understood. Pathophysiology of depression involves crucial limbic structures (e.g. insula), and it is still not clear if these structures can be modulated through neurostimulation of surface regions (e.g. dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, DLPFC), and whether rTMS-induced excitatory/inhibitory transmission alterations relate to fronto-limbic connectivity changes. Therefore, we sought proof-of-concept for neuromodulation of insula via prefrontal intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS), and how these effects relate to GABAergic and glutamatergic systems. In 27 healthy controls, we employed a single-blind crossover randomised-controlled trial comparing placebo and real iTBS using resting-state functional MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Granger causal analysis was seeded from right anterior insula (rAI) to locate individualized left DLPFC rTMS targets. Effective connectivity coefficients within rAI and DLPFC were calculated, and levels of GABA/Glx, GABA/Cr and Glx/Cr in DLPFC and anterior cingulate voxels were also measured. ITBS significantly dampened fronto-insular connectivity and reduced GABA/Glx in both voxels. GABA/Glx had a significant mediating effect on iTBS-induced changes in DLPFC-to-rAI connectivity. We demonstrate modulation of the rAI using targeted iTBS through alterations of excitatory/inhibitory interactions, which may underlie therapeutic effects of rTMS, offering promise for rTMS treatment optimization. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of Low Cost, High Energy-Per-Unit-Area Solar Cell Modules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, G. T.; Chitre, S.

1977-01-01

Work on the development of low cost, high energy per unit area solar cell modules was conducted. Hexagonal solar cell and module efficiencies, module packing ratio, and solar cell design calculations were made. The cell grid structure and interconnection pattern was designed and the module substrates were fabricated for the three modules to be used. It was demonstrated that surface macrostructures significantly improve cell power output and photovoltaic energy conversion efficiency.

Green wireless body area nanonetworks: energy management and the game of survival.

PubMed

Misra, Sudip; Islam, Nabiul; Mahapatro, Judhistir; Rodrigues, Joel Jose P C

2014-03-01

In this paper, we envisage the architecture of Green Wireless Body Area Nanonetwork (GBAN) as a collection of nanodevices, in which each device is capable of communicating in both the molecular and wireless electromagnetic communication modes. The term green refers to the fact that the nanodevices in such a network can harvest energy from their surrounding environment, so that no nanodevice gets old solely due to the reasons attributed to energy depletion. However, the residual energy of a nanodevice can deplete substantially with the lapse of time, if the rate of energy consumption is not comparable with the rate of energy harvesting. It is observed that the rate of energy harvesting is nonlinear and sporadic in nature. So, the management of energy of the nanodevices is fundamentally important. We specifically address this problem in a ubiquitous healthcare monitoring scenario and formulate it as a cooperative Nash Bargaining game. The optimal strategy obtained from the Nash equilibrium solution provides improved network performance in terms of throughput and delay.

Potential assessment of establishing a renewable energy plant in a rural agricultural area.

PubMed

Su, Ming-Chien; Kao, Nien-Hsin; Huang, Wen-Jar

2012-06-01

An evaluation of the green energy potential generated from biogas and solar power, using agricultural manure waste and a photovoltaic (PV) system, was conducted in a large geographical area of a rural county with low population density and low pollution. The studied area, Shoufeng Township in Hualien County, is located in eastern Taiwan, where a large amount of manure waste is generated from pig farms that are scattered throughout the county. The objective of the study is to assess the possibility of establishing an integrated manure waste treatment plant by using the generated biogas incorporated with the PV system to produce renewable energy and then feed it back to the incorporated farms. A filed investigation, geographic information system (GIS) application, empirical equations development, and RETScreen modeling were conducted in the study. The results indicate that Shoufeng Township has the highest priority in setting up an integrated treatment and renewable energy plant by using GIS mapping within a 10-km radius of the transportation range. Two scenarios were plotted in assessing the renewable energy plant and the estimated electricity generation, plus the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction was evaluated. Under the current governmental green energy scheme and from a long-term perspective, the assessment shows great potential in establishing the plant, especially in reducing environmental pollution problems, waste treatment, and developing suitable renewable energy.

Energy balance model applied to pasture experimental areas in São Paulo State, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayma-Silva, Gustavo; de Castro Teixeira, Antonio Heriberto; de Castro Victoria, Daniel; Furlan Nogueira, Sandra; Freitas Leivas, Janice; Coaguila, Daniel N.; Rodrigues Herling, Valdo

2016-10-01

The Simple Algorithm for Evapotranspiration Retrieving (SAFER) was used to estimate biophysical parameters and the energy balance components in two different pasture experimental areas, in the São Paulo state, Brazil. The experimental pastures consist in six rotational (RGS) and three continuous grazing systems (CGS) paddocks. Landsat-8 images from 2013 and 2015 dry and rainy seasons were used, as these presented similar hydrological cycle, with 1,600 mm and 1,613 mm of annual precipitation, resulting in 19 cloud-free images. Bands 1 to 7 and thermal bands 10 and 11 were used with weather data from a station located near the experimental area. NDVI, biomass, evapotranspiration and latent heat flux (λE) temporal values statistically differ CGS from RGS areas. Grazing systems influences the energy partition and these results indicate that RGS benefits biomass production, evapotranspiration and the microclimate, due higher LE values. SAFER is a feasible tool to estimate biophysical parameters and energy balance components in pasture and has potential to discriminate continuous and rotation grazing systems in a temporal analysis.

New Energy Efficient Housing Has Reduced Carbon Footprints in Outer but Not in Inner Urban Areas.

PubMed

Ottelin, Juudit; Heinonen, Jukka; Junnila, Seppo

2015-08-18

Avoiding urban sprawl and increasing density are often considered as effective means to mitigate climate change through urban planning. However, there have been rapid technological changes in the fields of housing energy and private driving, and the development is continuing. In this study, we analyze the carbon footprints of the residents living in new housing in different urban forms in Finland. We compare the new housing to existing housing stock. In all areas, the emissions from housing energy were significantly lower in new buildings. However, in the inner urban areas the high level of consumption, mostly due to higher affluence, reverse the gains of energy efficient new housing. The smallest carbon footprints were found in newly built outer and peri-urban areas, also when income level differences were taken into account. Rather than strengthening the juxtaposition of urban and suburban areas, we suggest that it would be smarter to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of both modes of living and develop a more systemic strategy that would result in greater sustainability in both areas. Since such strategy does not exist yet, it should be researched and practically developed. It would be beneficial to focus on area specific mitigation measures.

Area- and energy-efficient CORDIC accelerators in deep sub-micron CMOS technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vishnoi, U.; Noll, T. G.

2012-09-01

The COordinate Rotate DIgital Computer (CORDIC) algorithm is a well known versatile approach and is widely applied in today's SoCs for especially but not restricted to digital communications. Dedicated CORDIC blocks can be implemented in deep sub-micron CMOS technologies at very low area and energy costs and are attractive to be used as hardware accelerators for Application Specific Instruction Processors (ASIPs). Thereby, overcoming the well known energy vs. flexibility conflict. Optimizing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers to reduce the hardware complexity is an important research topic at present. In such receivers CORDIC accelerators can be used for digital baseband processing (fixed-point) and in Position-Velocity-Time estimation (floating-point). A micro architecture well suited to such applications is presented. This architecture is parameterized according to the wordlengths as well as the number of iterations and can be easily extended for floating point data format. Moreover, area can be traded for throughput by partially or even fully unrolling the iterations, whereby the degree of pipelining is organized with one CORDIC iteration per cycle. From the architectural description, the macro layout can be generated fully automatically using an in-house datapath generator tool. Since the adders and shifters play an important role in optimizing the CORDIC block, they must be carefully optimized for high area and energy efficiency in the underlying technology. So, for this purpose carry-select adders and logarithmic shifters have been chosen. Device dimensioning was automatically optimized with respect to dynamic and static power, area and performance using the in-house tool. The fully sequential CORDIC block for fixed-point digital baseband processing features a wordlength of 16 bits, requires 5232 transistors, which is implemented in a 40-nm CMOS technology and occupies a silicon area of 1560 μm2 only. Maximum clock frequency from circuit

Power allocation strategies to minimize energy consumption in wireless body area networks.

PubMed

Kailas, Aravind

2011-01-01

The wide scale deployment of wireless body area networks (WBANs) hinges on designing energy efficient communication protocols to support the reliable communication as well as to prolong the network lifetime. Cooperative communications, a relatively new idea in wireless communications, offers the benefits of multi-antenna systems, thereby improving the link reliability and boosting energy efficiency. In this short paper, the advantages of resorting to cooperative communications for WBANs in terms of minimized energy consumption are investigated. Adopting an energy model that encompasses energy consumptions in the transmitter and receiver circuits, and transmitting energy per bit, it is seen that cooperative transmission can improve energy efficiency of the wireless network. In particular, the problem of optimal power allocation is studied with the constraint of targeted outage probability. Two strategies of power allocation are considered: power allocation with and without posture state information. Using analysis and simulation-based results, two key points are demonstrated: (i) allocating power to the on-body sensors making use of the posture information can reduce the total energy consumption of the WBAN; and (ii) when the channel condition is good, it is better to recruit less relays for cooperation to enhance energy efficiency.

Exposure to subliminal arousing stimuli induces robust activation in the amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate, insular cortex and primary visual cortex: a systematic meta-analysis of fMRI studies.

PubMed

Brooks, S J; Savov, V; Allzén, E; Benedict, C; Fredriksson, R; Schiöth, H B

2012-02-01

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) demonstrates that the subliminal presentation of arousing stimuli can activate subcortical brain regions independently of consciousness-generating top-down cortical modulation loops. Delineating these processes may elucidate mechanisms for arousal, aberration in which may underlie some psychiatric conditions. Here we are the first to review and discuss four Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) meta-analyses of fMRI studies using subliminal paradigms. We find a maximum of 9 out of 12 studies using subliminal presentation of faces contributing to activation of the amygdala, and also a significantly high number of studies reporting activation in the bilateral anterior cingulate, bilateral insular cortex, hippocampus and primary visual cortex. Subliminal faces are the strongest modality, whereas lexical stimuli are the weakest. Meta-analyses independent of studies using Regions of Interest (ROI) revealed no biasing effect. Core neuronal arousal in the brain, which may be at first independent of conscious processing, potentially involves a network incorporating primary visual areas, somatosensory, implicit memory and conflict monitoring regions. These data could provide candidate brain regions for the study of psychiatric disorders associated with aberrant automatic emotional processing. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Thermal energy supply optimization for Edgewood Area, US Army Aberdeen Proving Ground: Energy supply alternatives. Final report

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

McCammon, T.L.; Dilks, C.L.; Savoie, M.J.

1995-09-01

Relatively poor performance at the aging central heating plants (OH Ps) and planned changes in steam demand at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) Edgewood Area, Aberdeen, MD warranted an investigation of alternatives for providing thermal energy to the installation. This study: (1) evaluated the condition of the APG CHPs and heat distribution system, (2) identified thermal energy supply problems and cost-effective technologies to maintain APG`s capability to produce and distribute the needed thermal energy, and (3) recommended renovation and modernization projects for the system. Heating loads were analyzed using computer simulations, and life cycle costs were developed for each alternative. Recommendedmore » alternatives included upgrading the existing system, installing new boilers, consolidating the central heating plants, and introducing the use of absorption chilling.« less

Effects of prolonged exposure to hypobaric hypoxia on oxidative stress, inflammation and gluco-insular regulation: the not-so-sweet price for good regulation.

PubMed

Siervo, Mario; Riley, Heather L; Fernandez, Bernadette O; Leckstrom, Carl A; Martin, Daniel S; Mitchell, Kay; Levett, Denny Z H; Montgomery, Hugh E; Mythen, Monty G; Grocott, Michael P W; Feelisch, Martin

2014-01-01

The mechanisms by which low oxygen availability are associated with the development of insulin resistance remain obscure. We thus investigated the relationship between such gluco-insular derangements in response to sustained (hypobaric) hypoxemia, and changes in biomarkers of oxidative stress, inflammation and counter-regulatory hormone responses. After baseline testing in London (75 m), 24 subjects ascended from Kathmandu (1,300 m) to Everest Base Camp (EBC;5,300 m) over 13 days. Of these, 14 ascended higher, with 8 reaching the summit (8,848 m). Assessments were conducted at baseline, during ascent to EBC, and 1, 6 and 8 week(s) thereafter. Changes in body weight and indices of gluco-insular control were measured (glucose, insulin, C-Peptide, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR]) along with biomarkers of oxidative stress (4-hydroxy-2-nonenal-HNE), inflammation (Interleukin-6 [IL-6]) and counter-regulatory hormones (glucagon, adrenalin, noradrenalin). In addition, peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) and venous blood lactate concentrations were determined. SpO2 fell significantly from 98.0% at sea level to 82.0% on arrival at 5,300 m. Whilst glucose levels remained stable, insulin and C-Peptide concentrations increased by >200% during the last 2 weeks. Increases in fasting insulin, HOMA-IR and glucagon correlated with increases in markers of oxidative stress (4-HNE) and inflammation (IL-6). Lactate levels progressively increased during ascent and remained significantly elevated until week 8. Subjects lost on average 7.3 kg in body weight. Sustained hypoxemia is associated with insulin resistance, whose magnitude correlates with the degree of oxidative stress and inflammation. The role of 4-HNE and IL-6 as key players in modifying the association between sustained hypoxia and insulin resistance merits further investigation.

Analysis on Zero Energy Consumption Strategy for Office Buildings Lighting in Lianyungang Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Dongmei

2018-01-01

In recent years, the energy-saving environmental protection has aroused the people’s high concern, and set off a new application practice in China. By analyzing the advantages of the illumination condition in Lianyungang area and combining the content and form of office space, the author puts forward a series of ways and means of energy saving in office building lighting, in order to provide a way for reference to the goal of building Zero energy consumption in the office space environment under the background of green architecture.

Climate as a driver of tropical insular diversity: comparative phylogeography of two ecologically distinctive frogs in Puerto Rico.

PubMed

Barker, Brittany S; Rodríguez-Robles, Javier A; Cook, Joseph A

2015-08-01

The effects of late Quaternary climate on distributions and evolutionary dynamics of insular species are poorly understood in most tropical archipelagoes. We used ecological niche models under past and current climate to derive hypotheses regarding how stable climatic conditions shaped genetic diversity in two ecologically distinctive frogs in Puerto Rico. Whereas the Mountain Coquí, Eleutherodactylus portoricensis , is restricted to montane forest in the Cayey and Luquillo Mountains, the Red-eyed Coquí, E. antillensis , is a habitat generalist distributed across the entire Puerto Rican Bank (Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, excluding St. Croix). To test our hypotheses, we conducted phylogeographic and population genetic analyses based on mitochondrial and nuclear loci of each species across their range in Puerto Rico. Patterns of population differentiation in E. portoricensis , but not in E. antillensis , supported our hypotheses. For E. portoricensis , these patterns include: individuals isolated by long-term unsuitable climate in the Río Grande de Loíza Basin in eastern Puerto Rico belong to different genetic clusters; past and current climate strongly predicted genetic differentiation; and Cayey and Luquillo Mountains populations split prior to the last interglacial. For E. antillensis , these patterns include: genetic clusters did not fully correspond to predicted long-term unsuitable climate; and past and current climate weakly predicted patterns of genetic differentiation. Genetic signatures in E. antillensis are consistent with a recent range expansion into western Puerto Rico, possibly resulting from climate change and anthropogenic influences. As predicted, regions with a large area of long-term suitable climate were associated with higher genetic diversity in both species, suggesting larger and more stable populations. Finally, we discussed the implications of our findings for developing evidence-based management decisions for E. portoricensis , a

Post occupancy evaluation of energy-efficient behavior in informal housing of high density area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aulia, D. N.; Marpaung, B. O. Y.

2018-02-01

The concept of energy-efficient building emphasizes the critical of efficiency in the use of water, electrical energy, and building materials, beginning with design, construction, to the maintenance of the building in the future. This study was conducted to observe the behavior of Energy Saving of the residents in performing everyday activities in the building. The observed variables are the consumption of natural resources (energy, material, water, and land) and the emissions of air, water, and land related to the environment and health. This research is a descriptive qualitative research with the method of data collection is the distribution of questionnaires and observation. The method of analyzing data is posted occupancy evaluation undertaken to obtain patterns of community-based behavior in urban areas. The informal high-density housing area is a typology of population settlements that found in many big cities in Indonesia. This community represents various community groups regarding occupation, education, income, and race. The results of the study concluded that there are five components of energy-saving behavioral formers in housing namely: residential building components, environmental components in occupancy, external occupancy components, components of social activities and elements of business

Quantifying Insulin Sensitivity and Entero-Insular Responsiveness to Hyper- and Hypoglycemia in Ferrets

PubMed Central

Sui, Hongshu; Yi, Yaling; Yao, Jianrong; Liang, Bo; Sun, Xingshen; Hu, Shanming; Uc, Aliye; Nelson, Deborah J.; Ode, Katie Larson; Philipson, Louis H.; Engelhardt, John F.; Norris, Andrew W.

2014-01-01

Ferrets are an important emerging model of cystic fibrosis related diabetes. However, there is little documented experience in the use of advanced techniques to quantify aspects of diabetes pathophysiology in the ferret. Glycemic clamps are the gold standard technique to assess both insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion in humans and animal models of diabetes. We therefore sought to develop techniques for glycemic clamps in ferrets. To assess insulin sensitivity, we performed euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamps in 5–6 week old ferrets in the anesthetized and conscious states. To assess insulin secretion, we performed hyperglycemic clamps in conscious ferrets. To evaluate responsiveness of ferret islet and entero-insular hormones to low glucose, a portion of the hyperglycemic clamps were followed by a hypoglycemic clamp. The euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamps demonstrated insulin responsiveness in ferrets similar to that previously observed in humans and rats. The anesthetic isoflurane induced marked insulin resistance, whereas lipid emulsion induced mild insulin resistance. In conscious ferrets, glucose appearance was largely suppressed at 4 mU/kg/min insulin infusion, whereas glucose disposal was progressively increased at 4 and 20 mU/kg/min insulin. Hyperglycemic clamp induced first phase insulin secretion. Hypoglycemia induced a rapid diminishment of insulin, as well as a rise in glucagon and pancreatic polypeptide levels. The incretins GLP-1 and GIP were affected minimally by hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic clamp. These techniques will prove useful in better defining the pathophysiology in ferrets with cystic fibrosis related diabetes. PMID:24594704

Quantifying insulin sensitivity and entero-insular responsiveness to hyper- and hypoglycemia in ferrets.

PubMed

Sui, Hongshu; Yi, Yaling; Yao, Jianrong; Liang, Bo; Sun, Xingshen; Hu, Shanming; Uc, Aliye; Nelson, Deborah J; Ode, Katie Larson; Philipson, Louis H; Engelhardt, John F; Norris, Andrew W

2014-01-01

Ferrets are an important emerging model of cystic fibrosis related diabetes. However, there is little documented experience in the use of advanced techniques to quantify aspects of diabetes pathophysiology in the ferret. Glycemic clamps are the gold standard technique to assess both insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion in humans and animal models of diabetes. We therefore sought to develop techniques for glycemic clamps in ferrets. To assess insulin sensitivity, we performed euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamps in 5-6 week old ferrets in the anesthetized and conscious states. To assess insulin secretion, we performed hyperglycemic clamps in conscious ferrets. To evaluate responsiveness of ferret islet and entero-insular hormones to low glucose, a portion of the hyperglycemic clamps were followed by a hypoglycemic clamp. The euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamps demonstrated insulin responsiveness in ferrets similar to that previously observed in humans and rats. The anesthetic isoflurane induced marked insulin resistance, whereas lipid emulsion induced mild insulin resistance. In conscious ferrets, glucose appearance was largely suppressed at 4 mU/kg/min insulin infusion, whereas glucose disposal was progressively increased at 4 and 20 mU/kg/min insulin. Hyperglycemic clamp induced first phase insulin secretion. Hypoglycemia induced a rapid diminishment of insulin, as well as a rise in glucagon and pancreatic polypeptide levels. The incretins GLP-1 and GIP were affected minimally by hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic clamp. These techniques will prove useful in better defining the pathophysiology in ferrets with cystic fibrosis related diabetes.

Predicting the quality of powders for inhalation from surface energy and area.

PubMed

Cline, David; Dalby, Richard

2002-09-01

To correlate the surface energy of active and carrier components in an aerosol powder to in vitro performance of a passive dry powder inhaler. Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) was used to assess the surface energy of active (albuterol and ipratropium bromide) and carrier (lactose monohydrate, trehalose dihydrate and mannitol) components of a dry powder inhaler formulation. Blends (1%w/w) of drug and carrier were prepared and evaluated for dry powder inhaler performance by cascade impaction. The formulations were tested with either of two passive dry powder inhalers, Rotahaler (GlaxoSmithKline) or Handihaler (Boehringer Ingelheim). In vitro performance of the powder blends was strongly correlated to surface energy interaction between active and carrier components. Plotting fine particle fraction vs. surface energy interaction yielded an R2 value of 0.9283. Increasing surface energy interaction between drug and carrier resulted in greater fine particle fraction of drug. A convincing relationship, potentially useful for rapid formulation design and screening, was found between the surface energy and area parameters derived from IGC and dry powder inhaler performance.

Conflating Time and Energy: Views From Older Adults in Lower Socioeconomic Status Areas on Physical Activity.

PubMed

Devereux-Fitzgerald, Angela; Powell, Rachael; French, David P

2018-05-24

Perceptions of time and energy and their role in physical activity engagement were examined in older adults living in lower socioeconomic status areas. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 19 participants aged 67-94 years. A thematic framework analysis identified four themes: Time is Energy (older adults conflate time and energy in relation to physical activity), Reduced Day (engaging in activities outside a certain time frame is deemed unacceptable), Being Given Enough Time (need for time to socialize and go at own pace), and Seasonal Impact (seasonal differences affecting access). Enjoyment appears to mitigate the perceived energy drain and increase the capacity for physical activities for many. Conflation of time and energy may explain observed discrepancies between older adults' actual and perceived available time. Having locally based physical activities means less time/energy is required to attend, leaving more resources for physical activity itself. A limited availability of resources in lower socioeconomic status areas is therefore problematic.

45 CFR 97.11 - Which jurisdictions may apply for a consolidated grant?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Which jurisdictions may apply for a consolidated grant? 97.11 Section 97.11 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION CONSOLIDATION OF GRANTS TO THE INSULAR AREAS § 97.11 Which jurisdictions may apply for a consolidated grant? The following jurisdictions (insular...

Promotion of renewable energy to mitigate impact of heavy use of carbon energy on society and climate change in Central Sub-Saharan Africa remote areas.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenfack, Joseph; Bignom, Blaise

2015-04-01

Sub-Saharan Africa owns important renewable energy potential and is still heavily using carbon energy. This is having a negative impact on the climate and on the environment. Given the local cost of carbon energy, the purchase power of people, the availability and the reserve of carbon energy in the area, this resource is being heavily used. This practice is harmful to the climate and is also resulting on poor effort to promote renewable energy in remote areas. The important renewable energy potential is still suffering from poor development. The purpose of this paper is among other things aiming at showing the rate of carbon energy use and its potential impact on climate and environment. We will also ensure that the renewable energy resources of Central Sub-Saharan Africa are known and are subject to be used optimally to help mitigate climate change. After showing some negative impacts of carbon energy used in the area, the work also suggests actions to promote and sustain the development of renewable energy. Based on the knowledge of the Central African energy sector, this paper will identify actions for reduce access to carbon energy and improved access to sustainable, friendly, affordable energy services to users as well as a significant improvement of energy infrastructure and the promotion of energy efficiency. We will show all type of carbon energy used, the potential for solar, biomass and hydro while showing where available the level of development. After a swot analysis of the situation, identified obstacles for the promotion of clean energy will be targeted. Finally, suggestions will be made to help the region develop a vision aiming at developing good clean energy policy to increase the status of renewable energy and better contribute to fight against climate change. Cameroon case study will be examined as illustration. Analysis will be made from data collected in the field. |End Text|

Detecting biodiversity hotspots by species-area relationships: a case study of Mediterranean beetles.

PubMed

Fattorini, Simone

2006-08-01

Any method of identifying hotspots should take into account the effect of area on species richness. I examined the importance of the species-area relationship in determining tenebrionid (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) hotspots on the Aegean Islands (Greece). Thirty-two islands and 170 taxa (species and subspecies) were included in this study. I tested several species-area relationship models with linear and nonlinear regressions, including power exponential, negative exponential, logistic, Gompertz, Weibull, Lomolino, and He-Legendre functions. Islands with positive residuals were identified as hotspots. I also analyzed the values of the C parameter of the power function and the simple species-area ratios. Species richness was significantly correlated with island area for all models. The power function model was the most convenient one. Most functions, however identified certain islands as hotspots. The importance of endemics in insular biotas should be evaluated carefully because they are of high conservation concern. The simple use of the species-area relationship can be problematic when areas with no endemics are included. Therefore the importance of endemics should be evaluated according to different methods, such as percentages, to take into account different levels of endemism and different kinds of "endemics" (e.g., endemic to single islands vs. endemic to the archipelago). Because the species-area relationship is a key pattern in ecology, my findings can be applied at broader scales.

Urban surface energy fluxes based on remotely-sensed data and micrometeorological measurements over the Kansai area, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukeyasu, T.; Ueyama, M.; Ando, T.; Kosugi, Y.; Kominami, Y.

2017-12-01

The urban heat island is associated with land cover changes and increases in anthropogenic heat fluxes. Clear understanding of the surface energy budget at urban area is the most important for evaluating the urban heat island. In this study, we develop a model based on remotely-sensed data for the Kansai area in Japan and clarify temporal transitions and spatial distributions of the surface energy flux from 2000 to 2016. The model calculated the surface energy fluxes based on various satellite and GIS products. The model used land surface temperature, surface emissivity, air temperature, albedo, downward shortwave radiation and land cover/use type from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) under cloud free skies from 2000 to 2016 over the Kansai area in Japan (34 to 35 ° N, 135 to 136 ° E). Net radiation was estimated by a radiation budget of upward/downward shortwave and longwave radiation. Sensible heat flux was estimated by a bulk aerodynamic method. Anthropogenic heat flux was estimated by the inventory data. Latent heat flux was examined with residues of the energy budget and parameterization of bulk transfer coefficients. We validated the model using observed fluxes from five eddy-covariance measurement sites: three urban sites and two forested sites. The estimated net radiation roughly agreed with the observations, but the sensible heat flux were underestimated. Based on the modeled spatial distributions of the fluxes, the daytime net radiation in the forested area was larger than those in the urban area, owing to higher albedo and land surface temperatures in the urban area than the forested area. The estimated anthropogenic heat flux was high in the summer and winter periods due to increases in energy-requirements.

Corticotrigeminal Projections from the Insular Cortex to the Trigeminal Caudal Subnucleus Regulate Orofacial Pain after Nerve Injury via Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Activation in Insular Cortex Neurons.

PubMed

Wang, Jian; Li, Zhi-Hua; Feng, Ban; Zhang, Ting; Zhang, Han; Li, Hui; Chen, Tao; Cui, Jing; Zang, Wei-Dong; Li, Yun-Qing

2015-01-01

Cortical neuroplasticity alterations are implicated in the pathophysiology of chronic orofacial pain. However, the relationship between critical cortex excitability and orofacial pain maintenance has not been fully elucidated. We recently demonstrated a top-down corticospinal descending pain modulation pathway from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to the spinal dorsal horn that could directly regulate nociceptive transmission. Thus, we aimed to investigate possible corticotrigeminal connections that directly influence orofacial nociception in rats. Infraorbital nerve chronic constriction injury (IoN-CCI) induced significant orofacial nociceptive behaviors as well as pain-related negative emotions such as anxiety/depression in rats. By combining retrograde and anterograde tract tracing, we found powerful evidence that the trigeminal caudal subnucleus (Vc), especially the superficial laminae (I/II), received direct descending projections from granular and dysgranular parts of the insular cortex (IC). Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), an important signaling molecule involved in neuroplasticity, was significantly activated in the IC following IoN-CCI. Moreover, in IC slices from IoN-CCI rats, U0126, an inhibitor of ERK activation, decreased both the amplitude and the frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) and reduced the paired-pulse ratio (PPR) of Vc-projecting neurons. Additionally, U0126 also reduced the number of action potentials in the Vc-projecting neurons. Finally, intra-IC infusion of U0126 obviously decreased Fos expression in the Vc, accompanied by the alleviation of both nociceptive behavior and negative emotions. Thus, the corticotrigeminal descending pathway from the IC to the Vc could directly regulate orofacial pain, and ERK deactivation in the IC could effectively alleviate neuropathic pain as well as pain-related negative emotions in IoN-CCI rats, probably through this top-down pathway. These findings may help

Geology, energy- and mineral-resources assessment of the Socorro Area, New Mexico. Report No. 1

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

Krason, J.; Wodzicki, A.; Cruver, S.K.

1987-03-01

Geology, energy, and mineral (GEM) resource assessments were conducted in three wilderness study areas (WSAs) in Socorro County, in central New Mexico; Sierra Las Cansa, Veranito, and Stallion. The study assesses the potential for locatable, leasable, and salable energy and mineral resources within each WSA.

Altered right anterior insular connectivity and loss of associated functions in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome

PubMed Central

Glenne Øie, Merete; Endestad, Tor; Bruun Wyller, Vegard

2017-01-01

Impairments in cognition, pain intolerance, and physical inactivity characterize adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), yet little is known about its neurobiology. The right dorsal anterior insular (dAI) connectivity of the salience network provides a motivational context to stimuli. In this study, we examined regional functional connectivity (FC) patterns of the right dAI in adolescent CFS patients and healthy participants. Eighteen adolescent patients with CFS and 18 aged-matched healthy adolescent control participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. The right dAI region of interest was examined in a seed-to-voxel resting-state FC analysis using SPM and CONN toolbox. Relative to healthy adolescents, CFS patients demonstrated reduced FC of the right dAI to the right posterior parietal cortex (PPC) node of the central executive network. The decreased FC of the right dAI–PPC might indicate impaired cognitive control development in adolescent CFS. Immature FC of the right dAI–PPC in patients also lacked associations with three known functional domains: cognition, pain and physical activity, which were observed in the healthy group. These results suggest a distinct biological signature of adolescent CFS and might represent a fundamental role of the dAI in motivated behavior. PMID:28880891

Altered right anterior insular connectivity and loss of associated functions in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome.

PubMed

Wortinger, Laura Anne; Glenne Øie, Merete; Endestad, Tor; Bruun Wyller, Vegard

2017-01-01

Impairments in cognition, pain intolerance, and physical inactivity characterize adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), yet little is known about its neurobiology. The right dorsal anterior insular (dAI) connectivity of the salience network provides a motivational context to stimuli. In this study, we examined regional functional connectivity (FC) patterns of the right dAI in adolescent CFS patients and healthy participants. Eighteen adolescent patients with CFS and 18 aged-matched healthy adolescent control participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. The right dAI region of interest was examined in a seed-to-voxel resting-state FC analysis using SPM and CONN toolbox. Relative to healthy adolescents, CFS patients demonstrated reduced FC of the right dAI to the right posterior parietal cortex (PPC) node of the central executive network. The decreased FC of the right dAI-PPC might indicate impaired cognitive control development in adolescent CFS. Immature FC of the right dAI-PPC in patients also lacked associations with three known functional domains: cognition, pain and physical activity, which were observed in the healthy group. These results suggest a distinct biological signature of adolescent CFS and might represent a fundamental role of the dAI in motivated behavior.

Energy efficiency and reduction of CO2 emissions from campsites management in a protected area.

PubMed

Del Moretto, Deny; Branca, Teresa Annunziata; Colla, Valentina

2018-09-15

Campsites can be a pollution source, mainly due to the energy consumption. In addition, the green areas, thanks to the direct CO 2 sequestration and the shading, indirectly prevent the CO 2 emissions related to energy consumption. The methodology presented in this paper allowed assessing the annual CO 2 emissions directly related to the campsite management and the consequent environmental impact in campsite clusters in Tuscany. The software i-Tree Canopy was exploited, enabling to evaluate in terms of "canopy" the tonnes of CO 2 sequestered by the vegetation within each campsite. Energy and water consumptions from 2012 to 2015 were assessed for each campsite. As far as the distribution of sequestered CO 2 is concerned, the campsites ranking was in accordance to their size. According to the indicator "T-Tree" or canopy cover, a larger area of the canopy cover allows using less outdoor areas covered by trees for the sequestration of the remaining amount of pollutants. The analysis shows that the considered campsites, that are located in a highly naturalistic Park, present significant positive aspects both in terms of CO 2 emission reductions and of energy efficiency. However, significant margins of improvement are also possible and they were analysed in the paper. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural brain correlates of executive engagement in working memory: children's inter-individual differences are reflected in the anterior insular cortex.

PubMed

Rossi, Sandrine; Lubin, Amélie; Simon, Grégory; Lanoë, Céline; Poirel, Nicolas; Cachia, Arnaud; Pineau, Arlette; Houdé, Olivier

2013-06-01

Although the development of executive functions has been extensively investigated at a neurofunctional level, studies of the structural relationships between executive functions and brain anatomy are still scarce. Based on our previous meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies examining executive functions in children (Houdé, Rossi, Lubin, and Joliot, (2010). Developmental Science, 13, 876-885), we investigated six a priori regions of interest: the left anterior insular cortex (AIC), the left and the right supplementary motor areas, the right middle and superior frontal gyri, and the left precentral gyrus. Structural magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired from 22 to 10-year-old children. Local gray matter volumes, assessed automatically using a standard voxel-based morphometry approach, were correlated with executive and storage working memory capacities evaluated using backward and forward digit span tasks, respectively. We found an association between smaller gray matter volume--i.e., an index of neural maturation--in the left AIC and high backward memory span while gray matter volumes in the a priori selected regions of interest were not linked with forward memory span. These results were corroborated by a whole-brain a priori free analysis that revealed a significant negative correlation in the frontal and prefrontal regions, including the left AIC, with the backward memory span, and in the right inferior parietal lobe, with the forward memory span. Taken together, these results suggest a distinct and specific association between regional gray matter volume and the executive component vs. the storage component of working memory. Moreover, they support a key role for the AIC in the executive network of children. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comprehensive survey of energy-aware routing protocols in wireless body area sensor networks.

PubMed

Effatparvar, Mehdi; Dehghan, Mehdi; Rahmani, Amir Masoud

2016-09-01

Wireless body area sensor network is a special purpose wireless sensor network that, employing wireless sensor nodes in, on, or around the human body, makes it possible to measure biological parameters of a person for specific applications. One of the most fundamental concerns in wireless body sensor networks is accurate routing in order to send data promptly and properly, and therefore overcome some of the challenges. Routing protocols for such networks are affected by a large number of factors including energy, topology, temperature, posture, the radio range of sensors, and appropriate quality of service in sensor nodes. Since energy is highly important in wireless body area sensor networks, and increasing the network lifetime results in benefiting greatly from sensor capabilities, improving routing performance with reduced energy consumption presents a major challenge. This paper aims to study wireless body area sensor networks and the related routing methods. It also presents a thorough, comprehensive review of routing methods in wireless body area sensor networks from the perspective of energy. Furthermore, different routing methods affecting the parameter of energy will be classified and compared according to their advantages and disadvantages. In this paper, fundamental concepts of wireless body area sensor networks are provided, and then the advantages and disadvantages of these networks are investigated. Since one of the most fundamental issues in wireless body sensor networks is to perform routing so as to transmit data precisely and promptly, we discuss the same issue. As a result, we propose a classification of the available relevant literature with respect to the key challenge of energy in the routing process. With this end in view, all important papers published between 2000 and 2015 are classified under eight categories including 'Mobility-Aware', 'Thermal-Aware', 'Restriction of Location and Number of Relays', 'Link-aware', 'Cluster- and Tree

Surgical benefits of combined awake craniotomy and intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging for gliomas associated with eloquent areas.

PubMed

Motomura, Kazuya; Natsume, Atsushi; Iijima, Kentaro; Kuramitsu, Shunichiro; Fujii, Masazumi; Yamamoto, Takashi; Maesawa, Satoshi; Sugiura, Junko; Wakabayashi, Toshihiko

2017-10-01

OBJECTIVE Maximum extent of resection (EOR) for lower-grade and high-grade gliomas can increase survival rates of patients. However, these infiltrative gliomas are often observed near or within eloquent regions of the brain. Awake surgery is of known benefit for the treatment of gliomas associated with eloquent regions in that brain function can be preserved. On the other hand, intraoperative MRI (iMRI) has been successfully used to maximize the resection of tumors, which can detect small amounts of residual tumors. Therefore, the authors assessed the value of combining awake craniotomy and iMRI for the resection of brain tumors in eloquent areas of the brain. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed the records of 33 consecutive patients with glial tumors in the eloquent brain areas who underwent awake surgery using iMRI. Volumetric analysis of MRI studies was performed. The pre-, intra-, and postoperative tumor volumes were measured in all cases using MRI studies obtained before, during, and after tumor resection. RESULTS Intraoperative MRI was performed to check for the presence of residual tumor during awake surgery in a total of 25 patients. Initial iMRI confirmed no further tumor resection in 9 patients (36%) because all observable tumors had already been removed. In contrast, intraoperative confirmation of residual tumor during awake surgery led to further tumor resection in 16 cases (64%) and eventually an EOR of more than 90% in 8 of 16 cases (50%). Furthermore, EOR benefiting from iMRI by more than 15% was found in 7 of 16 cases (43.8%). Interestingly, the increase in EOR as a result of iMRI for tumors associated mainly with the insular lobe was significantly greater, at 15.1%, than it was for the other tumors, which was 8.0% (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS This study revealed that combining awake surgery with iMRI was associated with a favorable surgical outcome for intrinsic brain tumors associated with eloquent areas. In particular, these benefits were

Presynaptic Regulation of Leptin in a Defined Lateral Hypothalamus-Ventral Tegmental Area Neurocircuitry Depends on Energy State.

PubMed

Liu, Jing-Jing; Bello, Nicholas T; Pang, Zhiping P

2017-12-06

Synaptic transmission controls brain activity and behaviors, including food intake. Leptin, an adipocyte-derived hormone, acts on neurons located in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) to maintain energy homeostasis and regulate food intake behavior. The specific synaptic mechanisms, cell types, and neural projections mediating this effect remain unclear. In male mice, using pathway-specific retrograde tracing, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings and post hoc cell type identification, we found that leptin reduces excitatory synaptic strength onto both melanin-concentrating hormone- and orexin-expressing neurons projecting from the LHA to the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which may affect dopamine signaling and motivation for feeding. A presynaptic mechanism mediated by distinct intracellular signaling mechanisms may account for this regulation by leptin. The regulatory effects of leptin depend on intact leptin receptor signaling. Interestingly, the synaptic regulatory function of leptin in the LHA-to-VTA neuronal pathway is highly sensitive to energy states: both energy deficiency (acute fasting) and excessive energy storage (high-fat diet-induced obesity) blunt the effect of leptin. These data revealed that leptin may regulate synaptic transmission in the LHA-to-VTA neurocircuitry in an inverted "U-shape" fashion dependent on plasma glucose levels and related to metabolic states. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) to ventral tegmental area (VTA) projection is an important neural pathway involved in balancing whole-body energy states and reward. We found that the excitatory synaptic inputs to both orexin- and melanin-concentrating hormone expressing LHA neurons projecting to the VTA were suppressed by leptin, a peptide hormone derived from adipocytes that signals peripheral energy status to the brain. Interestingly, energy states seem to affect how leptin regulates synaptic transmission since both the depletion of energy induced by acute food

Interprovincial transfer of embodied energy between the Jing-Jin-Ji area and other provinces in China: A quantification using interprovincial input-output model.

PubMed

Chen, Weiming; Wu, Sanmang; Lei, Yalin; Li, Shantong

2017-04-15

Commodity trade between regions implies a large amount of energy transfer. As an important economic growth pole of China, the Jing-Jin-Ji area (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei) is also one of the areas with the largest energy consumption in China. Moreover, the primary energy consumer goods in this area are fossil fuels, such as coal. This has led to serious air pollution in the area. Therefore, the reduction of energy consumption under the premise of maintaining sustained economic growth is an important task of the Jing-Jin-Ji area. In this study, an interprovincial input-output model was applied to quantitatively estimate the embodied energy transfer between Jing-Jin-Ji area and other provinces in China. The results indicated that the Metal and nonmetal mineral processing industry and the Electrical, gas and water industry in the Jing-Jin-Ji area exported a large amount of embodied energy to the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta. However, the embodied energy export of the Jing-Jin-Ji area mainly exported by Hebei province. Beijing and Tianjin even have some net import of embodied energy. The embodied energy transfer between Tianjin, Hebei and other provinces was mainly driven by investment, while the main media of embodied energy transfer between Beijing and other provinces was consumption. Therefore, we suggest that the Jing-Jin-Ji area should further increase the degree of dependence on other provinces' energy-intensive products and reduce the export of energy-intensive products. In addition, there should be difference in the energy and industrial policies among Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, and the problems of high energy consumption and high proportion of heavy industry in Hebei should be first resolved. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

THE WIDE-AREA ENERGY STORAGE AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM PHASE II Final Report - Flywheel Field Tests

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

Lu, Ning; Makarov, Yuri V.; Weimar, Mark R.

2010-08-31

This research was conducted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) operated for the U.S. department of Energy (DOE) by Battelle Memorial Institute for Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE) and California Energy Commission (CEC). A wide-area energy management system (WAEMS) is a centralized control system that operates energy storage devices (ESDs) located in different places to provide energy and ancillary services that can be shared among balancing authorities (BAs). The goal of this research is to conduct flywheel field tests, investigate the technical characteristics and economics of combined hydro-flywheel regulation services that can be sharedmore » between Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and California Independent System Operator (CAISO) controlled areas. This report is the second interim technical report for Phase II of the WAEMS project. This report presents: 1) the methodology of sharing regulation service between balancing authorities, 2) the algorithm to allocate the regulation signal between the flywheel and hydro power plant to minimize the wear-and-tear of the hydro power plants, 3) field results of the hydro-flywheel regulation service (conducted by the Beacon Power), and 4) the performance metrics and economic analysis of the combined hydro-flywheel regulation service.« less

[The negative side of emotions: addiction to drugs of abuse].

PubMed

Contreras, M; Ceric, F; Torrealba, F

According to the model of emotions, feelings have their origin in the conscious perception of body changes produced in response to an emotional stimulus. These changes are perceived thanks to the fact that they are represented in the brain by the interoceptive system. During abstinence, addicts experience intense feelings of ill-being that drive them to consume drugs. The purpose of this review is to discuss the role played by the interoceptive system, and more especially the insular cortex, in the perception of the negative feelings that characterise abstinence. The continuous processing of interoceptive signals in the insular cortex is what accounts for the conscious appreciation of the body changes that accompany an emotional state. Temporary inactivation of the insular cortex suppresses the search for drugs in addicted rats. Neuroimaging studies reveal an increase in the neuronal activity in the insular cortex and in other areas of the brain while addicts are experiencing the craving to consume drugs. Likewise, nicotine addicts who suffer a brain injury that affects the insular cortex give up smoking easily because they lose the desire to do it. The temporary suppression of neuronal activity in the insular cortex in human addicts by means of non-invasive techniques could be a new therapy to treat the craving to consume drugs. The insular cortex is essential in the perception of the emotional states and in orienting behaviour to match the needs of the body. New therapies that have the insular cortex as their target could be developed to mitigate craving.

Energy demand analysis via small scale hydroponic systems in suburban areas - An integrated energy-food nexus solution.

PubMed

Xydis, George A; Liaros, Stelios; Botsis, Konstantinos

2017-09-01

The study is a qualitative approach and looks into new ways for the effective energy management of a wind farm (WF) operation in a suburban or near-urban environment in order the generated electricity to be utilised for hydroponic farming purposes as well. Since soilless hydroponic indoor systems gain more and more attention one basic goal, among others, is to take advantage of this not typical electricity demand and by managing it, offering to the grid a less fluctuating electricity generation signal. In this paper, a hybrid business model is presented where the Distributed Energy Resources (DER) producer is participating in the electricity markets under competitive processes (spot market, real-time markets etc.) and at the same time acts as a retailer offering - based on the demand - to the hydroponic units for their mass deployment in an area, putting forward an integrated energy-food nexus approach. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Marinospirillum insulare sp. nov., a novel halophilic helical bacterium isolated from kusaya gravy.

PubMed

Satomi, M; Kimura, B; Hayashi, M; Okuzumi, M; Fujii, T

2004-01-01

A novel species that belongs to the genus Marinospirillum is described on the basis of phenotypic characteristics, phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA and gyrB gene sequences and DNA-DNA hybridization. Four strains of helical, halophilic, Gram-negative, heterotrophic bacteria were isolated from kusaya gravy, which is fermented brine that is used for the production of traditional dried fish in the Izu Islands of Japan. All of the new isolates were motile by means of bipolar tuft flagella, of small cell size, coccoid-body-forming and aerophilic; it was concluded that they belong to the same bacterial species, based on DNA-DNA hybridization values (>70% DNA relatedness). DNA G+C contents of the new strains were 42-43 mol% and they had isoprenoid quinone Q-8 as the major component. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the new isolates were members of the genus Marinospirillum; sequence similarity of the new isolates to Marinospirillum minutulum, Marinospirillum megaterium and Marinospirillum alkaliphilum was 98.5, 98.2 and 95.2%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on the gyrB gene indicated that the new isolates had enough phylogenetic distance from M. minutulum and M. megaterium to be regarded as different species, with 84.7 and 78.7% sequence similarity, respectively. DNA-DNA hybridization showed that the new isolates had <36% DNA relatedness to M. minutulum and M. megaterium, supporting the phylogenetic conclusion. Thus, a novel species is proposed: Marinospirillum insulare sp. nov. (type strain, KT=LMG 21802T=NBRC 100033T).

Anosmia leads to a loss of gray matter in cortical brain areas.

PubMed

Bitter, Thomas; Gudziol, Hilmar; Burmeister, Hartmut Peter; Mentzel, Hans-Joachim; Guntinas-Lichius, Orlando; Gaser, Christian

2010-06-01

Chronic olfactory disorders, including the complete loss of the sense of smell (anosmia), are common. Using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), structural changes in the cerebral gray matter (GM) of a group of patients with anosmia compared with a normosmic, healthy control group were evaluated. Patients with anosmia presented a significant decrease of GM volume mainly in the nucleus accumbens with adjacent subcallosal gyrus, in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPC) including the middle and anterior cingulate cortices, and in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). These areas are part of the limbic loop of the basal ganglia and except the dlPFC secondary olfactory areas. They also play an important role in many neurological diseases. Furthermore, volume decreases in smaller areas like the piriform cortex, insular cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, and cerebellum could be seen. Longer disease duration was associated with a stronger atrophy in the described areas. No local increases in the GM volume could be observed. A comparison with results of an additionally executed functional MRI study on olfaction in healthy subjects was performed to evaluate the significance of the observed atrophy areas in cerebral olfactory processing. To our knowledge, this is the first study on persisting structural changes in cortical GM volume after complete olfactory loss.

Three-Dimensional Wind Profiling of Offshore Wind Energy Areas With Airborne Doppler Lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koch, Grady J.; Beyon, Jeffrey Y.; Cowen, Larry J.; Kavaya, Michael J.; Grant, Michael S.

2014-01-01

A technique has been developed for imaging the wind field over offshore areas being considered for wind farming. This is accomplished with an eye-safe 2-micrometer wavelength coherent Doppler lidar installed in an aircraft. By raster scanning the aircraft over the wind energy area (WEA), a three-dimensional map of the wind vector can be made. This technique was evaluated in 11 flights over the Virginia and Maryland offshore WEAs. Heights above the ocean surface planned for wind turbines are shown to be within the marine boundary layer, and the wind vector is seen to show variation across the geographical area of interest at turbine heights.

Deer browse resources of the Atomic Energy Commission's Savannah River project area

Treesearch

William H. Moore

1967-01-01

A procedure developed in Georgia was used to inventory the browse resources of the Atomic Energy Commission's Savannah River Project Area near Aiken, South Carolina. Through this procedure, the forest land manager is supplied with relative carrying capacity data for deer . If silvical practices can be related to habitat quality and quantity, he can adjust...

Extensions of Island Biogeography Theory predict the scaling of functional trait composition with habitat area and isolation.

PubMed

Jacquet, Claire; Mouillot, David; Kulbicki, Michel; Gravel, Dominique

2017-02-01

The Theory of Island Biogeography (TIB) predicts how area and isolation influence species richness equilibrium on insular habitats. However, the TIB remains silent about functional trait composition and provides no information on the scaling of functional diversity with area, an observation that is now documented in many systems. To fill this gap, we develop a probabilistic approach to predict the distribution of a trait as a function of habitat area and isolation, extending the TIB beyond the traditional species-area relationship. We compare model predictions to the body-size distribution of piscivorous and herbivorous fishes found on tropical reefs worldwide. We find that small and isolated reefs have a higher proportion of large-sized species than large and connected reefs. We also find that knowledge of species body-size and trophic position improves the predictions of fish occupancy on tropical reefs, supporting both the allometric and trophic theory of island biogeography. The integration of functional ecology to island biogeography is broadly applicable to any functional traits and provides a general probabilistic approach to study the scaling of trait distribution with habitat area and isolation. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Construction of high-energy-density supercapacitors from pine-cone-derived high-surface-area carbons.

PubMed

Karthikeyan, Kaliyappan; Amaresh, Samuthirapandiyan; Lee, Sol Nip; Sun, Xueliang; Aravindan, Vanchiappan; Lee, Young-Gi; Lee, Yun Sung

2014-05-01

Very high surface area activated carbons (AC) are synthesized from pine cone petals by a chemical activation process and subsequently evaluated as an electrode material for supercapacitor applications in a nonaqueous medium. The maximum specific surface area of ∼3950 m(2)  g(-1) is noted for the material treated with a 1:5 ratio of KOH to pine cone petals (PCC5), which is much higher than that reported for carbonaceous materials derived from various other biomass precursors. A symmetric supercapacitor is fabricated with PCC5 electrodes, and the results showed enhanced supercapacitive behavior with the highest energy density of ∼61 Wh kg(-1). Furthermore, outstanding cycling ability is evidenced for such a configuration, and ∼90 % of the initial specific capacitance after 20,000 cycles under harsh conditions was observed. This result revealed that the pine-cone-derived high-surface-area AC can be used effectively as a promising electrode material to construct high-energy-density supercapacitors. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Increasing Our Insular World View: Interoception and Psychopathology for Psychotherapists.

PubMed

Duquette, Patrice

2017-01-01

Interoception has been determined to be an elemental aspect of the neural foundations of physiological homeostasis, subjective experience, and motivated behavior. This paper reviews current neuroscience research regarding interoception and forms of interoceptive dysfunction that may result in psychopathology, focusing on depression, and anxiety, in a manner conducive to psychotherapists engaging with it to consider clinical applications. Pertinent aspects of interoceptive system processes in relation to psychopathology are addressed: Functional interoceptive ability and the forms of its expression, the difficulty of accurate measurement of such within an individual or group, interoceptive inference processes and perturbations. Predictive coding, considered in this context as interoceptive inference, a process that integrates bottom-up and top down lines of neural information emerging from the multitude of bidirectional, anatomically hierarchical connections the insular cortex makes with other cortical, and subcortical structures, will be addressed regarding its place in psychopathological formulations. Clinical vignettes will elucidate how interoceptive disturbances might present in the therapeutic relationship, supporting the evaluation and application of scientific theory, and research findings by psychotherapists. The clinical implications of this neuroscientific research have received little attention in the psychotherapeutic setting. Increasing the knowledge base of psychotherapists and furthering awareness of the functional interactions of body and brain toward the creation of healthy and psychopathological experience benefits the patient. There is immediate need for the translational expression of scientific findings into the psychological evaluation of patients, therapeutic process, and treatment. While it may seem distant and unrelated to the affective processes that occur within the psychotherapeutic exchange, neuroscience adds a unique perspective from

Increasing Our Insular World View: Interoception and Psychopathology for Psychotherapists

PubMed Central

Duquette, Patrice

2017-01-01

Interoception has been determined to be an elemental aspect of the neural foundations of physiological homeostasis, subjective experience, and motivated behavior. This paper reviews current neuroscience research regarding interoception and forms of interoceptive dysfunction that may result in psychopathology, focusing on depression, and anxiety, in a manner conducive to psychotherapists engaging with it to consider clinical applications. Pertinent aspects of interoceptive system processes in relation to psychopathology are addressed: Functional interoceptive ability and the forms of its expression, the difficulty of accurate measurement of such within an individual or group, interoceptive inference processes and perturbations. Predictive coding, considered in this context as interoceptive inference, a process that integrates bottom-up and top down lines of neural information emerging from the multitude of bidirectional, anatomically hierarchical connections the insular cortex makes with other cortical, and subcortical structures, will be addressed regarding its place in psychopathological formulations. Clinical vignettes will elucidate how interoceptive disturbances might present in the therapeutic relationship, supporting the evaluation and application of scientific theory, and research findings by psychotherapists. The clinical implications of this neuroscientific research have received little attention in the psychotherapeutic setting. Increasing the knowledge base of psychotherapists and furthering awareness of the functional interactions of body and brain toward the creation of healthy and psychopathological experience benefits the patient. There is immediate need for the translational expression of scientific findings into the psychological evaluation of patients, therapeutic process, and treatment. While it may seem distant and unrelated to the affective processes that occur within the psychotherapeutic exchange, neuroscience adds a unique perspective from

Biogeography of azooxanthellate corals in the Caribbean and surrounding areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, J.

2002-04-01

Biogeographic patterns for azooxanthellate corals are not as well known as those of zooxanthellate (primarily reef-building) corals. I analyzed occurrences of 129 species of azooxanthellate corals in 19 geopolitical regions in the Caribbean and surrounding areas. I performed an unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) cluster analysis using Bray-Curtis' similarity measure on the complete data set and shallow- and deep-water subsets of the data. The results indicate two provinces, each with a widespread (tropical and subtropical distributions) component to its fauna. One province has a tropical and primarily insular component to it, while the other has a subtropical and primarily continental component. By contrast, zooxanthellate corals have a uniform faunal composition throughout the Caribbean. Moreover, zooxanthellate corals have half as many species in the Caribbean as the azooxanthellate corals even though their global diversities are equal. These differences in diversity and geographic distribution patterns should be considered when developing conservation strategies.

A potential role for the midbrain in integrating fat-free mass determined energy needs: An H2 (15) O PET study.

PubMed

Weise, Christopher M; Thiyyagura, Pradeep; Reiman, Eric M; Chen, Kewei; Krakoff, Jonathan

2015-06-01

Little is known on how sensing of energy needs is centrally represented, integrated, and translated into the behavioral aspects of energy homeostasis. Fat free mass (FFM) is the major determinant of energy expenditure. We investigated how interindividual variances in FFM relate to neuronal activity in humans. Healthy adults (n = 64, 21F/43M; age 31.3 ± 9.1y; percentage of body fat [PFAT] 25.6 ± 10.7%; BMI 30.4 ± 9) underwent a 36h fast and subsequent H(2) (15) O positron emission tomographic (PET) measurement of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). Multiple variable regression analysis revealed significant associations of FFM with rCBF within the midbrain [including parts of the periaqueductal gray (PAG), ventral tegmental area (VTA), thalamic and hypothalamic regions], the bilateral parahippocampal region, left anterior cingulate, left insular cortex, right cerebellum, and distinct regions within the temporal and occipital cortex. In contrast, no significant associations were found for fat mass (FM). We investigated the potential functional-anatomical link between FFM and central regulation of food intake by performing a conjunction analysis of FFM and the perceived hunger feelings. This showed a significant overlap within the midbrain PAG. Mediation analysis demonstrated a significant indirect effect of FFM on hunger with PAG rCBF as mediator. Most regions we found to be associated with FFM form part in ascending homeostatic pathways and cortical circuitries implicated in the regulation of basic bodily functions indicating a potential role of these central networks in the integration of FFM determined energy needs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Climate as a driver of tropical insular diversity: comparative phylogeography of two ecologically distinctive frogs in Puerto Rico

PubMed Central

Barker, Brittany S.; Rodríguez-Robles, Javier A.; Cook, Joseph A.

2014-01-01

The effects of late Quaternary climate on distributions and evolutionary dynamics of insular species are poorly understood in most tropical archipelagoes. We used ecological niche models under past and current climate to derive hypotheses regarding how stable climatic conditions shaped genetic diversity in two ecologically distinctive frogs in Puerto Rico. Whereas the Mountain Coquí, Eleutherodactylus portoricensis, is restricted to montane forest in the Cayey and Luquillo Mountains, the Red-eyed Coquí, E. antillensis, is a habitat generalist distributed across the entire Puerto Rican Bank (Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, excluding St. Croix). To test our hypotheses, we conducted phylogeographic and population genetic analyses based on mitochondrial and nuclear loci of each species across their range in Puerto Rico. Patterns of population differentiation in E. portoricensis, but not in E. antillensis, supported our hypotheses. For E. portoricensis, these patterns include: individuals isolated by long-term unsuitable climate in the Río Grande de Loíza Basin in eastern Puerto Rico belong to different genetic clusters; past and current climate strongly predicted genetic differentiation; and Cayey and Luquillo Mountains populations split prior to the last interglacial. For E. antillensis, these patterns include: genetic clusters did not fully correspond to predicted long-term unsuitable climate; and past and current climate weakly predicted patterns of genetic differentiation. Genetic signatures in E. antillensis are consistent with a recent range expansion into western Puerto Rico, possibly resulting from climate change and anthropogenic influences. As predicted, regions with a large area of long-term suitable climate were associated with higher genetic diversity in both species, suggesting larger and more stable populations. Finally, we discussed the implications of our findings for developing evidence-based management decisions for E. portoricensis, a taxon

Energy Engineering Analysis Program, energy survey of Army Industrial Facilities, Western Area Demilitarization Facility, Hawthorne Army Ammunition Plant, Hawthorne, Nevada; Volume 1 - energy report. Final report

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

NONE

1995-03-17

This report summarizes all work for the Energy Survey of Army Industrial Facilities, Energy Engineering Analysis Program (EEAP) at the Western Area Demilitarization Facility (WADF) of the Hawthorne Army Ammunition Plant (HWAAP), Hawthorne, Nevada, authorized under Contract No. DACA05-92-C-0155 with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, California. The purpose of this energy survey is to develop a set of projects and actions that will reduce energy consumption and operating costs of selected facilities at the WADF. A preliminary inspection of facilities at WADF by Keller Gannon that identified potential retrofit opportunities was submitted as the EEAP Study andmore » Criteria Review in December 1993. This document formed the basis of the Detailed Scope of Work for this study. Facilities included in the survey and study, together with operational status.« less

[Influence of 175-m-impoundment in Three Gorges Reservoir area on the food web energy sources of main commercial fishes in backwater area of xiaojiang River].

PubMed

Li, Bin; Wang, Zhi-Jian; Yue, Xing-Jian; Wang, Yong-Ming; Jin, Li; Zhang, Yao-Guang

2013-06-01

The impoundment in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA) was first reached 175 m in 2010. To approach the influence of this impoundment on the food web energy sources of fishes in the tributaries of TRGA, an analysis was made on the food web energy sources of seven economically important fishes (Carassius auratus, Cyprinus carpio, Silurus asotus, Culter mongolicus mongolicus, Mystus macropterus, Pelteobagrus vachelli, and Pelteobagrus nitidus) in the backwater area of Xiaojiang River by using stable isotope method in combining with IsoSource Model. The results showed that before this impoundment (July 2010), microalgae were the main energy sources for the seven species. After this impoundment (December 2010), the contribution ratio of the microalgae decreased somewhat, while the relative contribution of terrestrial C4 plants had an obvious increase. Especially for crucian carp (C. auratus) and catfish (S. asotus), the contribution rate of the C4 plants reached 38-54% and 32-50%, respectively. After the impoundment, at least 30% of the energy resources of these two fishes were come from terrestrial C4 plants, suggesting that the impoundment in TGRA increased the contribution rate of exogenous terrestrial C4 plants as the energy sources of fishes.

In favor of general probability distributions: lateral prefrontal and insular cortices respond to stimulus inherent, but irrelevant differences.

PubMed

Mestres-Missé, Anna; Trampel, Robert; Turner, Robert; Kotz, Sonja A

2016-04-01

A key aspect of optimal behavior is the ability to predict what will come next. To achieve this, we must have a fairly good idea of the probability of occurrence of possible outcomes. This is based both on prior knowledge about a particular or similar situation and on immediately relevant new information. One question that arises is: when considering converging prior probability and external evidence, is the most probable outcome selected or does the brain represent degrees of uncertainty, even highly improbable ones? Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the current study explored these possibilities by contrasting words that differ in their probability of occurrence, namely, unbalanced ambiguous words and unambiguous words. Unbalanced ambiguous words have a strong frequency-based bias towards one meaning, while unambiguous words have only one meaning. The current results reveal larger activation in lateral prefrontal and insular cortices in response to dominant ambiguous compared to unambiguous words even when prior and contextual information biases one interpretation only. These results suggest a probability distribution, whereby all outcomes and their associated probabilities of occurrence--even if very low--are represented and maintained.

High surface area aerogels for energy storage and efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maloney, Ryan Patrick

ADAI are demonstrated in a third-generation prototypical thermoelectric generator for automotive waste heat recovery. The second chapter then details two different aerogel-based materials for electrochemical energy storage. It begins with lithium titanate aerogel, which takes advantage of the high surface area of the aerogel morphology to display a batt-cap behavior. This should allow the lithium titanate aerogel to perform at higher rates than would normally be expected for the bulk oxide material. Additionally, the flexibility of the sol-gel process is demonstrated through the incorporation of electrically conductive high-surface area exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets in the oxide. The last section describes the characterization of a LiMn2O 4 spinel coated carbon nanofoam in a non-aqueous electrolyte. The short diffusion path, high surface area and intimately wired architecture of the nanofoam allows the oxide to retain its capacity at significantly higher rates when compared with literature values for the bulk oxide. Additionally, the nanometric length scale improves cycle life, and the high surface area dramatically increases the insertion capacity by providing a higher concentration of surface defects. Taken together, it is clear that aerogels are an extremely attractive class of material for applications pertaining to energy and efficiency, and further research in this area will provide valuable solutions for pressing societal needs. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

24 CFR 92.64 - Applicability of requirements to insular areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... requirements in subpart E (Program Requirements), subpart F (Project Requirements), subpart K (Program Administration), and subpart L (Performance Reviews and Sanctions) of this part as participating jurisdictions... K (Program Administration): (i) Section 92.500 (The HOME Investment Trust Fund) does not apply. HUD...

Dynamics of avian haemosporidian assemblages through millennial time scales inferred from insular biotas of the West Indies

PubMed Central

Soares, Leticia; Latta, Steven C.; Ricklefs, Robert E.

2017-01-01

Although introduced hemosporidian (malaria) parasites (Apicomplexa: Haemosporida) have hastened the extinction of endemic bird species in the Hawaiian Islands and perhaps elsewhere, little is known about the temporal dynamics of endemic malaria parasite populations. Haemosporidian parasites do not leave informative fossils, and records of population change are lacking beyond a few decades. Here, we take advantage of the isolation of West Indian land-bridge islands by rising postglacial sea levels to estimate rates of change in hemosporidian parasite assemblages over a millennial time frame. Several pairs of West Indian islands have been connected and separated by falling and rising sea levels associated with the advance and retreat of Pleistocene continental glaciers. We use island isolation following postglacial sea-level rise, ca. 2.5 ka, to characterize long-term change in insular assemblages of hemosporidian parasites. We find that assemblages on formerly connected islands are as differentiated as assemblages on islands that have never been connected, and both are more differentiated than local assemblages sampled up to two decades apart. Differentiation of parasite assemblages between formerly connected islands reflects variation in the prevalence of shared hemosporidian lineages, whereas differentiation between islands isolated by millions of years reflects replacement of hemosporidian lineages infecting similar assemblages of avian host species. PMID:28607060

Dynamics of avian haemosporidian assemblages through millennial time scales inferred from insular biotas of the West Indies.

PubMed

Soares, Leticia; Latta, Steven C; Ricklefs, Robert E

2017-06-20

Although introduced hemosporidian (malaria) parasites (Apicomplexa: Haemosporida) have hastened the extinction of endemic bird species in the Hawaiian Islands and perhaps elsewhere, little is known about the temporal dynamics of endemic malaria parasite populations. Haemosporidian parasites do not leave informative fossils, and records of population change are lacking beyond a few decades. Here, we take advantage of the isolation of West Indian land-bridge islands by rising postglacial sea levels to estimate rates of change in hemosporidian parasite assemblages over a millennial time frame. Several pairs of West Indian islands have been connected and separated by falling and rising sea levels associated with the advance and retreat of Pleistocene continental glaciers. We use island isolation following postglacial sea-level rise, ca. 2.5 ka, to characterize long-term change in insular assemblages of hemosporidian parasites. We find that assemblages on formerly connected islands are as differentiated as assemblages on islands that have never been connected, and both are more differentiated than local assemblages sampled up to two decades apart. Differentiation of parasite assemblages between formerly connected islands reflects variation in the prevalence of shared hemosporidian lineages, whereas differentiation between islands isolated by millions of years reflects replacement of hemosporidian lineages infecting similar assemblages of avian host species.

Visual Analytics for the Food-Water-Energy Nexus in the Phoenix Active Management Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maciejewski, R.; Mascaro, G.; White, D. D.; Ruddell, B. L.; Aggarwal, R.; Sarjoughian, H.

2016-12-01

The Phoenix Active Management Area (AMA) is an administrative region of 14,500 km2 identified by the Arizona Department of Water Resources with the aim of reaching and maintaining the safe yield (i.e. balance between annual amount of groundwater withdrawn and recharged) by 2025. The AMA includes the Phoenix metropolitan area, which has experienced a dramatic population growth over the last decades with a progressive conversion of agricultural land into residential land. As a result of these changes, the water and energy demand as well as the food production in the region have significantly evolved over the last 30 years. Given the arid climate, a crucial role to support this growth has been the creation of a complex water supply system based on renewable and non-renewable resources, including the energy-intensive Central Arizona Project. In this talk, we present a preliminary characterization of the evolution in time of the feedbacks between food, water, and energy in the Phoenix AMA by analyzing secondary data (available from water and energy providers, irrigation districts, and municipalities), as well as satellite imagery and primary data collected by the authors. A preliminary visual analytics framework is also discussed describing current design practices and ideas for exploring networked components and cascading impacts within the FEW Nexus. This analysis and framework represent the first steps towards the development of an integrated modeling, visualization, and decision support infrastructure for comprehensive FEW systems decision making at decision-relevant temporal and spatial scales.

Determining Marine Renewable Energy Areas in the Bay of Fundy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karsten, R.; Roc, T.; O'Flaherty-Sproul, M.

2016-02-01

The Bay of Fundy has the world's highest tides and several excellent sites for the development of in-stream tidal energy. In particular, Minas Passage in the upper Bay of Fundy has been identified as a site with the theoretical potential to produce over 2000 MW of power. Recently, the Nova Scotia government has enacted legislation to define Marine Renewable Energy Areas where tidal energy will be developed. As part of this process, the practical potential of the regions in the upper Bay of Fundy must be accurately quantified. To assist in this process, we have conducted a practical resource assement of the region. The resource asssesment includes an analysis of the hydrodynamic characteristics of the region. The assessment uses the simulations data from a high-resolution, multi-layered, unstructured-grid, coastal-ocean model (FVCOM). The numerical model has been validated through comparison to numerous measurements of tdial flow from ADCPs, surface drifters and X-band radar. The simulations data is used to estimate the power production of different turbine technologies across the study area. The technologies will have varying hub-height and power curves. Other characteristics of the flow (i.e., water depth, variation in flow) will be used to determine if sites are more or less suitable for turbine deployment. As well, the numerical data will be used to design practical layouts for turbine farms, that have suitable spacing of turbines to allow deployment and minimize the interaction of wakes. The final output will be a prediction of the number of turbines and the power production of an array for a given region. The results of the analysis of the simulation data will be processed into a series of GIS layers. These will be combined with other indications of suitability for deployment of a turbine array: for example, geo-technical, marine conditions, environmental factors, social factors, proximity to on-shore infrastructure etc. The final GIS tool will allow the user

10 CFR 835.603 - Radiological areas and radioactive material areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Section 835.603 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Posting and Labeling § 835... provided in this section. (a) Radiation area. The words “Caution, Radiation Area” shall be posted at each radiation area. (b) High radiation area. The words “Caution, High Radiation Area” or “Danger, High Radiation...

10 CFR 835.603 - Radiological areas and radioactive material areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Section 835.603 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Posting and Labeling § 835... provided in this section. (a) Radiation area. The words “Caution, Radiation Area” shall be posted at each radiation area. (b) High radiation area. The words “Caution, High Radiation Area” or “Danger, High Radiation...

10 CFR 835.603 - Radiological areas and radioactive material areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Section 835.603 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Posting and Labeling § 835... provided in this section. (a) Radiation area. The words “Caution, Radiation Area” shall be posted at each radiation area. (b) High radiation area. The words “Caution, High Radiation Area” or “Danger, High Radiation...

10 CFR 835.603 - Radiological areas and radioactive material areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Section 835.603 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Posting and Labeling § 835... provided in this section. (a) Radiation area. The words “Caution, Radiation Area” shall be posted at each radiation area. (b) High radiation area. The words “Caution, High Radiation Area” or “Danger, High Radiation...

Rigorous RG Algorithms and Area Laws for Low Energy Eigenstates in 1D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arad, Itai; Landau, Zeph; Vazirani, Umesh; Vidick, Thomas

2017-11-01

One of the central challenges in the study of quantum many-body systems is the complexity of simulating them on a classical computer. A recent advance (Landau et al. in Nat Phys, 2015) gave a polynomial time algorithm to compute a succinct classical description for unique ground states of gapped 1D quantum systems. Despite this progress many questions remained unsolved, including whether there exist efficient algorithms when the ground space is degenerate (and of polynomial dimension in the system size), or for the polynomially many lowest energy states, or even whether such states admit succinct classical descriptions or area laws. In this paper we give a new algorithm, based on a rigorously justified RG type transformation, for finding low energy states for 1D Hamiltonians acting on a chain of n particles. In the process we resolve some of the aforementioned open questions, including giving a polynomial time algorithm for poly( n) degenerate ground spaces and an n O(log n) algorithm for the poly( n) lowest energy states (under a mild density condition). For these classes of systems the existence of a succinct classical description and area laws were not rigorously proved before this work. The algorithms are natural and efficient, and for the case of finding unique ground states for frustration-free Hamiltonians the running time is {\\tilde{O}(nM(n))} , where M( n) is the time required to multiply two n × n matrices.

Prospect of solar-PV/biogas/diesel generator hybrid energy system of an off-grid area in Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandal, Soumya; Yasmin, Hosna; Sarker, M. R. I.; Beg, M. R. A.

2017-12-01

The study presents an analysis and suggests about how renewable sources of energy can be an alternative option to produce electricity in an off-grid area. A case study is done by surveying 235 households in an off-grid area. Techno-economic analysis of the hybrid energy system is employed by using Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) software. Four solar-PV modules (each of 1kW), two biogas generators (each of 3kW), three diesel generators (each of 5kW), five batteries (each of 160 Ah) and 5kW converter is found to be the best configuration in terms of Cost of Energy (COE), environmental conditions and Renewable Fraction (RF). The Cost of Energy (COE), Net Present Cost (NPC), capital cost of this configuration is found BDT15.382, BDT10007224, and BDT2582433 respectively. The renewable fraction of this system is found 75% which indicates a lower emission compared with thegrid based system and stand-alone diesel system. Although the COE is higher than grid electricity, this system offers a cheaper option than using kerosene oil and solar home systems (SHSs).

The energy balance of an urban area: Examining temporal and spatial variability through measurements, remote sensing and modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Offerle, Brian

Urban environmental problems related to air quality, thermal stress, issues of water demand and quality, all of which are linked directly or indirectly to urban climate, are emerging as major environmental concerns at the start of the 21st century. Thus there are compelling social, political and economic, and scientific reasons that make the study and understanding of the fundamental causes of urban climates critically important. This research addresses these topics through an intensive study of the surface energy balance of Lodz, Poland. The research examines the temporal variability in long-term measurements of urban surface-atmosphere exchange at a downtown location and the spatial variability of this exchange over distinctly different neighborhoods using shorter-term observations. These observations provide the basis for an evaluation of surface energy balance models. Monthly patterns in energy exchange are consistent from year-to-year with variability determined by net radiation and the timing and amount of precipitation. Spatial variability can be determined from plan area fractions of vegetation and impervious surface, though heat storage exerts a strong control on shorter term variability of energy exchange, within and between locations in an urban area. Anthropogenic heat fluxes provide most of the energy driving surface-atmosphere exchange in winter, From a modeling perspective, sensible heat fluxes can be reliably determined from radiometrically sensed surface temperatures and spatially representative surface-atmosphere exchange in an urban area can be determined from satellite remote sensing products. Models of the urban surface energy balance showed good agreement with mean values of energy exchange and under most conditions represented the temporal variability due to synoptic and shorter time scale forcing well.

Autogenic training alters cerebral activation patterns in fMRI.

PubMed

Schlamann, Marc; Naglatzki, Ryan; de Greiff, Armin; Forsting, Michael; Gizewski, Elke R

2010-10-01

Cerebral activation patterns during the first three auto-suggestive phases of autogenic training (AT) were investigated in relation to perceived experiences. Nineteen volunteers trained in AT and 19 controls were studied with fMRI during the first steps of autogenic training. FMRI revealed activation of the left postcentral areas during AT in those with experience in AT, which also correlated with the level of AT experience. Activation of prefrontal and insular cortex was significantly higher in the group with experience in AT while insular activation was correlated with number years of simple relaxation exercises. Specific activation in subjects experienced in AT may represent a training effect. Furthermore, the correlation of insular activation suggests that these subjects are different from untrained subjects in emotional processing or self-awareness.

Enhancing the magnetic anisotropy energy by tuning the contact areas of Ag and Ni at the Ag/Ni interface.

PubMed

Chow, Yu-Ting; Jiang, Bin-Han; Chang, Cheng-Hsun-Tony; Tsay, Jyh-Shen

2018-01-17

Modifying the interfacial conditions of magnetic layers by capping with overlayers can efficiently enhance the magnetic functionality of a material. However, the mechanisms responsible for this are closely related to the crystalline structure, compositional combinations, and interfacial quality, and are generally complex. In this contribution, we explored the use of Ag ultrathin overlayers on annealed . A method for preparing magnetic layers with different levels of enhanced magnetic anisotropy energy was developed. The method essentially involves simply modifying the contact area of the metallic/magnetic interface. A rougher interface results in a larger contact area between the Ag and Ni layers, resulting in an increase in magnetic anisotropy energy. Moreover, post-annealing treatments led to the segregation of Ni atoms, thus making the enhancement in the coercive force even more efficient. A model permits an understanding of the contact area and a strategy for enhancing the magnetic anisotropy energy and the coercive force was developed. Our approaches and the developed model promise to be helpful in terms of developing potential applications of ultrathin magnetic layers in the area of spintronics.

Summary of the mineral- and energy-resource endowment, BLM roswell resource area, east-central New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bartsch-Winkler, S.; Sutphin, D.M.; Ball, M.M.; Korzeb, S.L.; Kness, R.F.; Dutchover, J.T.

1993-01-01

In this summary of two comprehensive resource reports produced by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the U.S. Geological Survey for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, we discuss the mineral- and energyresource endowment of the 14-millon-acre Roswell Resource Area, New Mexico, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The Bureau and Survey reports result from separate studies that are compilations of published and unpublished data and integrate new findings on the geology, geochemistry, geophysics, mineral, industrial, and energy commodities, and resources for the seven-county area. The reports have been used by the Bureau of Land Management in preparation of the Roswell Resource Area Resource Management Plan, and will have future use in nationwide mineral- and energy-resource inventories and assessments, as reference and training documents, and as public-information tools. In the Roswell Resource Area, many metals, industrial mineral commodities, and energy resources are being, or have been, produced or prospected. These include metals and high-technology materials, such as copper, gold, silver, thorium, uranium and/or vanadium, rare-earth element minerals, iron, manganese, tungsten, lead, zinc, and molybdenum; industrial mineral resources, including barite, limestone/dolomite, caliche, clay, fluorspar, gypsum, scoria, aggregate, and sand and gravel; and fuels and associated resources, such as oil, gas, tar sand and heavy oil, coal, and gases associated with hydrocarbons. Other commodities that have yet to be identified in economic concentrations include potash, halite, polyhalite, anhydrite, sulfur, feldspar, building stone and decorative rock, brines, various gases associated with oil and gas exploration, and carbon dioxide. ?? 1993 Oxford University Press.

Public policy performance for social development: solar energy approach to assess technological outcome in Mexico City Metropolitan Area.

PubMed

Arenas-Aquino, Angel Raúl; Matsumoto-Kuwabara, Y; Kleiche-Dray, M

2017-11-01

Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) is the most populated urban area in the country. In 2010, MCMA required 14.8% of total energy domestic demand, but greenhouse gas emissions accounted for 7.7% of domestic emissions. Mexico has massive renewable energy potential that could be harnessed through solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. The problem to explore is the relationship between local and federal public strategies in MCMA and their stance on energy transition concern, social empowerment, new technology appropriation, and the will to boost social development and urban sustainability. A public policy typology was conducted through instruments of State intervention approach, based on political agenda articulation and environmental local interactions. Social equality is encouraged by means of forthright funding and in-kind support and energy policies focus on non-renewable energy subsidies and electric transmission infrastructure investment. There is a lack of vision for using PV technology as a guiding axis for marginalized population development. It is essential to promote economic and political rearrangement in order to level and structure environmental governance. It is essential to understand people's representation about their own needs along with renewable energy.

Modulation of the storage of social recognition memory by neurotransmitter systems in the insular cortex.

PubMed

Cavalcante, Lorena E S; Zinn, Carolina G; Schmidt, Scheila D; Saenger, Bruna F; Ferreira, Flávia F; Furini, Cristiane R G; Myskiw, Jociane C; Izquierdo, Ivan

2017-09-15

The insular cortex (IC) receives projections from prefrontal, entorhinal and cingulate cortex, olfactory bulb and basal nuclei and has reciprocal connections with the amygdala and entorhinal cortex. These connections suggest a possible involvement in memory processes; this has been borne out by data on several behaviors. Social recognition memory (SRM) is essential to form social groups and to establish hierarchies and social and affective ties. Despite its importance, knowledge about the brain structures and the neurotransmitter mechanisms involved in its processing is still scarce. Here we study the participation of NMDA-glutamatergic, D1/D5-dopaminergic, H2-histaminergic, β-adrenergic and 5-HT 1A -serotoninergic receptors of the IC in the consolidation of SRM. Male Wistar rats received intra-IC infusions of substances acting on these receptors immediately after the sample phase of a social discrimination task and 24h later were exposed to a 5-min retention test. The intra-IC infusion of antagonists of D1/D5, β-adrenergic or 5-HT 1A receptors immediately after the sample phase impaired the consolidation of SRM. These effects were blocked by the concomitant intra-IC infusion of agonists of these receptors. Antagonists and agonists of NMDA and H2 receptors had no effect on SRM. The results suggest that the dopaminergic D1/D5, β-adrenergic and serotonergic 5-HT 1A receptors in the IC, but not glutamatergic NMDA and the histaminergic H2 receptors, participate in the consolidation of SRM in the IC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Model of Gas Supply Capacity Simulation In Regional Energy Security Framework: Policy Studies PT. X Cirebon Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nuryadin; Ronny Rahman Nitibaskara, Tb; Herdiansyah, Herdis; Sari, Ravita

2017-10-01

The needs of energy are increasing every year. The unavailability of energy will cause economic losses and weaken energy security. To overcome the availability of gas supply in the future, planning are cruacially needed. Therefore, it is necessary to approach the system, so that the process of gas distribution is running properly. In this research, system dynamic method will be used to measure how much supply capacity planning is needed until 2050, with parameters of demand in industrial, household and commercial sectors. From the model obtained PT.X Cirebon area in 2031 was not able to meet the needs of gas customers in the Cirebon region, as well as with Businnes as usual scenario, the ratio of gas fulfillment only until 2027. The implementation of the national energy policy that is the use of NRE as government intervention in the model is produced up to 2035 PT.X Cirebon area is still able to supply the gas needs of its customers.

GLAST: Exploring Nature's Highest Energy Processes with the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Digel, Seth; Myers, J. D.; White, Nicholas E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) is an international and multi-agency space mission that will study the cosmos in the energy range 10 keV-300 GeV. Several successful exploratory missions in gamma-ray astronomy led to the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) instrument on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO). Launched in 1991, EGRET made the first complete survey of the sky in the 30 MeV-10 GeV range. EGRET showed the high-energy gamma-ray sky to be surprisingly dynamic and diverse, with sources ranging from the sun and moon to massive black holes at large redshifts. Most of the gamma-ray sources detected by EGRET remain unidentified. In light of the discoveries with EGRET, the great potential of the next generation gamma-ray telescope can be appreciated. GLAST will have an imaging gamma-ray telescope vastly more capable than instruments flown previously, as well as a secondary instrument to augment the study of gamma-ray bursts. The main instrument, the Large Area Telescope (LAT), will have superior area, angular resolution, field of view, and deadtime that together will provide a factor of 30 or more advance in sensitivity, as well as provide capability for study of transient phenomena. The GLAST Burst Monitor (GBM) will have a field of view several times larger than the LAT and will provide spectral coverage of gamma-ray bursts that extends from the lower limit of the LAT down to 10 keV. The basic parameters of the GBM are compared to those of the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) instrument on CGRO in Table 1-2. With the LAT and GBM, GLAST will be a flexible observatory for investigating the great range of astrophysical phenomena best studied in high-energy gamma rays. NASA plans to launch GLAST in late 2005.

The blue lizard spandrel and the island syndrome.

PubMed

Raia, Pasquale; Guarino, Fabio M; Turano, Mimmo; Polese, Gianluca; Rippa, Daniela; Carotenuto, Francesco; Monti, Daria M; Cardi, Manuela; Fulgione, Domenico

2010-09-20

Many small vertebrates on islands grow larger, mature later, lay smaller clutches/litters, and are less sexually dimorphic and aggressive than their mainland relatives. This set of observations is referred to as the 'Island Syndrome'. The syndrome is linked to high population density on islands. We predicted that when population density is low and/or fluctuating insular vertebrates may evolve correlated trait shifts running opposite to the Island Syndrome, which we collectively refer to as the 'reversed island syndrome' (RIS) hypothesis. On the proximate level, we hypothesized that RIS is caused by increased activity levels in melanocortin receptors. Melanocortins are postranslational products of the proopiomelanocortin gene, which controls pleiotropically pigmentation, aggressiveness, sexual activity, and food intake in vertebrates. We tested the RIS hypothesis performing a number of behavioral, genetic, and ontogenetic tests on a blue colored insular variant of the Italian Wall lizard Podarcis sicula, living on a small island off the Southern Italian coast. The population density of this blue-colored variant was generally low and highly fluctuating from one year to the next.In keeping with our predictions, insular lizards were more aggressive and sexually dimorphic than their mainland relatives. Insular males had wide, peramorphic heads. The growth rate of insular females was slower than growth rates of mainland individuals of both sexes, and of insular males. Consequently, size and shape dimorphism are higher on the Island. As predicted, melanocortin receptors were much more active in individuals of the insular population. Insular lizards have a higher food intake rate than mainland individuals, which is consistent with the increased activity of melanocortin receptors. This may be adaptive in an unpredictable environment such as Licosa Island. Insular lizards of both sexes spent less time basking than their mainland relatives. We suspect this is a by

The blue lizard spandrel and the island syndrome

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Many small vertebrates on islands grow larger, mature later, lay smaller clutches/litters, and are less sexually dimorphic and aggressive than their mainland relatives. This set of observations is referred to as the 'Island Syndrome'. The syndrome is linked to high population density on islands. We predicted that when population density is low and/or fluctuating insular vertebrates may evolve correlated trait shifts running opposite to the Island Syndrome, which we collectively refer to as the 'reversed island syndrome' (RIS) hypothesis. On the proximate level, we hypothesized that RIS is caused by increased activity levels in melanocortin receptors. Melanocortins are postranslational products of the proopiomelanocortin gene, which controls pleiotropically pigmentation, aggressiveness, sexual activity, and food intake in vertebrates. Results We tested the RIS hypothesis performing a number of behavioral, genetic, and ontogenetic tests on a blue colored insular variant of the Italian Wall lizard Podarcis sicula, living on a small island off the Southern Italian coast. The population density of this blue-colored variant was generally low and highly fluctuating from one year to the next. In keeping with our predictions, insular lizards were more aggressive and sexually dimorphic than their mainland relatives. Insular males had wide, peramorphic heads. The growth rate of insular females was slower than growth rates of mainland individuals of both sexes, and of insular males. Consequently, size and shape dimorphism are higher on the Island. As predicted, melanocortin receptors were much more active in individuals of the insular population. Insular lizards have a higher food intake rate than mainland individuals, which is consistent with the increased activity of melanocortin receptors. This may be adaptive in an unpredictable environment such as Licosa Island. Insular lizards of both sexes spent less time basking than their mainland relatives. We suspect this

Correlation Between Activation of the Prelimbic Cortex, Basolateral Amygdala, and Agranular Insular Cortex During Taste Memory Formation.

PubMed

Uematsu, Akira; Kitamura, Akihiko; Iwatsuki, Ken; Uneyama, Hisayuki; Tsurugizawa, Tomokazu

2015-09-01

Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) is a well-established learning paradigm, whereby animals associate tastes with subsequent visceral illness. The prelimbic cortex (PL) has been shown to be involved in the association of events separated by time. However, the nature of PL activity and its functional network in the whole brain during CTA learning remain unknown. Here, using awake functional magnetic resonance imaging and fiber tracking, we analyzed functional brain connectivity during the association of tastes and visceral illness. The blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal significantly increased in the PL after tastant and lithium chloride (LiCl) infusions. The BOLD signal in the PL significantly correlated with those in the amygdala and agranular insular cortex (IC), which we found were also structurally connected to the PL by fiber tracking. To precisely examine these data, we then performed double immunofluorescence with a neuronal activity marker (c-Fos) and an inhibitory neuron marker (GAD67) combined with a fluorescent retrograde tracer in the PL. During CTA learning, we found an increase in the activity of excitatory neurons in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) or agranular IC that project to the PL. Taken together, these findings clearly identify a role of synchronized PL, agranular IC, and BLA activity in CTA learning. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Dynamics of spider glue adhesion: effect of surface energy and contact area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amarpuri, Gaurav; Chen, Yizhou; Blackledge, Todd; Dhinojwala, Ali

Spider glue is a unique biological adhesive which is humidity responsive such that the adhesion continues to increase upto 100% relative humidity (RH) for some species. This is unlike synthetic adhesives that significantly drop in adhesion with an increase in humidity. However, most of adhesion data reported in literature have used clean hydrophilic glass substrate, unlike the hydrophobic, and charged insect cuticle surface that adheres to spider glue in nature. Previously, we have reported that the spider glue viscosity changes over five orders of magnitude with humidity. Here, we vary the surface energy and surface charge of the substrate to test the change in Larnioides cornutus spider glue adhesion with humidity. We find that an increase in both surface energy and surface charge density increases the droplet spreading and there exists an optimum droplet contact area where adhesion is maximized. Moreover, spider glue droplets act as reusable adhesive for low energy hydrophobic surface at the optimum humidity. These results explain why certain prey are caught more efficiently by spiders in their habitat. The mechanism by which spider species tune its glue adhesion for local prey capture can inspire new generation smart adhesives.

High-energy supercapacitors based on hierarchical porous carbon with an ultrahigh ion-accessible surface area in ionic liquid electrolytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Hui; Xu, Fei; Li, Zenghui; Fu, Ruowen; Wu, Dingcai

2013-05-01

A very important yet really challenging issue to address is how to greatly increase the energy density of supercapacitors to approach or even exceed those of batteries without sacrificing the power density. Herein we report the fabrication of a new class of ultrahigh surface area hierarchical porous carbon (UHSA-HPC) based on the pore formation and widening of polystyrene-derived HPC by KOH activation, and highlight its superior ability for energy storage in supercapacitors with ionic liquid (IL) as electrolyte. The UHSA-HPC with a surface area of more than 3000 m2 g-1 shows an extremely high energy density, i.e., 118 W h kg-1 at a power density of 100 W kg-1. This is ascribed to its unique hierarchical nanonetwork structure with a large number of small-sized nanopores for IL storage and an ideal meso-/macroporous network for IL transfer.A very important yet really challenging issue to address is how to greatly increase the energy density of supercapacitors to approach or even exceed those of batteries without sacrificing the power density. Herein we report the fabrication of a new class of ultrahigh surface area hierarchical porous carbon (UHSA-HPC) based on the pore formation and widening of polystyrene-derived HPC by KOH activation, and highlight its superior ability for energy storage in supercapacitors with ionic liquid (IL) as electrolyte. The UHSA-HPC with a surface area of more than 3000 m2 g-1 shows an extremely high energy density, i.e., 118 W h kg-1 at a power density of 100 W kg-1. This is ascribed to its unique hierarchical nanonetwork structure with a large number of small-sized nanopores for IL storage and an ideal meso-/macroporous network for IL transfer. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Sample preparation, material characterization, electrochemical characterization and specific mass capacitance and energy density. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr00738c

SPECT assessment of brain activation induced by caffeine: no effect on areas involved in dependence

PubMed Central

Nehlig, Astrid; Armspach, Jean-Paul; Namer, Izzie J.

2010-01-01

Caffeine is not considered addictive, and in animals it does not trigger metabolic increases or dopamine release in brain areas involved in reinforcement and reward. Our objective was to measure caffeine effects on cerebral perfusion in humans using single photon emission computed tomography, with a specific focus on areas of reinforcement and reward. Two groups of nonsmoking subjects were studied, one with a low (8 subjects) and one with a high (6 subjects) daily coffee consumption. The subjects ingested 3 mg/kg caffeine or placebo in a raspberry-tasting drink, and scans were performed 45 min after ingestion. A control group of 12 healthy volunteers receiving no drink was also studied. Caffeine consumption led to a generalized, statistically nonsignificant perfusion decrease of 6% to 8%, comparable in low and high consumers. Compared with controls, low consumers displayed neuronal activation bilaterally in inferior frontal gyrusanterior insular cortex and uncus, left internal parietal cortex, right lingual gyrus, and cerebellum. In high consumers, brain activation occurred bilaterally only in hypothalamus. Thus, on a background of widespread low-amplitude perfusion decrease, caffeine activates a few regions mainly involved in the control of vigilance, anxiety, and cardiovascular regulation, but does not affect areas involved in reinforcing and reward. PMID:20623930

SPECT assessment of brain activation induced by caffeine: no effect on areas involved in dependence.

PubMed

Nehlig, Astrid; Armspach, Jean-Paul; Namer, Izzie J

2010-01-01

Caffeine is not considered addictive, and in animals it does not trigger metabolic increases or dopamine release in brain areas involved in reinforcement and reward. Our objective was to measure caffeine effects on cerebral perfusion in humans using single photon emission computed tomography with a specific focus on areas of reinforcement and reward. Two groups of nonsmoking subjects were studied, one with a low (8 subjects) and one with a high (6 subjects) daily coffee consumption. The subjects ingested 3 mg/kg caffeine or placebo in a raspberry-tasting drink, and scans were performed 45 min after ingestion. A control group of 12 healthy volunteers receiving no drink was also studied. Caffeine consumption led to a generalized, statistically nonsignificant perfusion decrease of 6% to 8%, comparable in low and high consumers. Compared with controls, low consumers displayed neuronal activation bilaterally in inferior frontal gyrus-anterior insular cortex and uncus, left internal parietal cortex, right lingual gyrus, and cerebellum. In high consumers, brain activation occurred bilaterally only in hypothalamus. Thus, on a background of widespread low-amplitude perfusion decrease, caffeine activates a few regions mainly involved in the control of vigilance, anxiety, and cardiovascular regulation, but does not affect areas involved in reinforcing and reward.

An integrative taxonomic review of the agamid genus Bronchocela (Kuhl, 1820) from Peninsular Malaysia with descriptions of new montane and insular endemics.

PubMed

Grismer, L Lee; Wood, P L; Lee, Cheol Haeng; Quah, Evan S H; Anuar, Shahrul; Ngadi, Ehwan; Sites, Jack W

2015-04-20

An integrative taxonomic analysis is used to identify and describe two new species of the agamid genus Bronchocela (Kuhl) from Peninsular Malaysia: an upland species B. shenlong sp. nov. from Bukit Larut, Perak in the Bintang Mountain Range and Parit Falls, Cameron Highlands, Pahang in the Titiwangsa Mountain Range and an insular species, B. rayaensis sp. nov., from Pulau Langkawi, Kedah off the northwest coast on the border with Thailand. Both species are diagnosed from each other and all other species of Bronchocela on the basis of body shape, scale morphology, and color pattern. The analysis also demonstrates the remarkable genetic similarity of B. cristatella (Kuhl) throughout 1120 km of its range from northern Peninsular Malaysia to western Borneo despite its highly variable coloration and pattern. The two new species are appended to a rapidly growing list of newly described lizard species (60 to date) from Peninsular Malaysia tallied within the last decade.

In-Flight Measurement of the Absolute Energy Scale of the Fermi Large Area Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Allafort, A.; Atwood, W. B.; Axelsson, M.; Baldini, L.; Barbielini, G; Bastieri, D.; Bechtol, K.; Bellazzini, R.;

In-Flight Measurement of the Absolute Energy Scale of the Fermi Large Area Telescope

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

Ackermann, M.; /Stanford U., HEPL /SLAC /KIPAC, Menlo Park; Ajello, M.

The Large Area Telescope (LAT) on-board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is a pair-conversion telescope designed to survey the gamma-ray sky from 20 MeV to several hundreds of GeV. In this energy band there are no astronomical sources with sufficiently well known and sharp spectral features to allow an absolute calibration of the LAT energy scale. However, the geomagnetic cutoff in the cosmic ray electron-plus-positron (CRE) spectrum in low Earth orbit does provide such a spectral feature. The energy and spectral shape of this cutoff can be calculated with the aid of a numerical code tracing charged particles in themore » Earth's magnetic field. By comparing the cutoff value with that measured by the LAT in different geomagnetic positions, we have obtained several calibration points between {approx}6 and {approx}13 GeV with an estimated uncertainty of {approx}2%. An energy calibration with such high accuracy reduces the systematic uncertainty in LAT measurements of, for example, the spectral cutoff in the emission from gamma ray pulsars.« less

Disconnection of basolateral amygdala and insular cortex disrupts conditioned approach in Pavlovian lever autoshaping.

PubMed

Nasser, Helen M; Lafferty, Danielle S; Lesser, Ellen N; Bacharach, Sam Z; Calu, Donna J

2018-01-01

Previously established individual differences in appetitive approach and devaluation sensitivity observed in goal- and sign-trackers may be attributed to differences in the acquisition, modification, or use of associative information in basolateral amygdala (BLA) pathways. Here, we sought to determine the extent to which communication of associative information between BLA and anterior portions of insular cortex (IC) supports ongoing Pavlovian conditioned approach behaviors in sign- and goal-tracking rats, in the absence of manipulations to outcome value. We hypothesized that the BLA mediates goal-, but not sign- tracking approach through interactions with the IC, a brain region involved in supporting flexible behavior. We first trained rats in Pavlovian lever autoshaping to determine their sign- or goal-tracking tendency. During alternating test sessions, we gave unilateral intracranial injections of vehicle or a cocktail of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor agonists, baclofen and muscimol, unilaterally into the BLA and contralaterally or ipsilaterally into the IC prior to reinforced lever autoshaping sessions. Consistent with our hypothesis we found that contralateral inactivation of BLA and IC increased the latency to approach the food cup and decreased the number of food cup contacts in goal-trackers. While contralateral inactivation of BLA and IC did not affect the total number of lever contacts in sign-trackers, this manipulation increased the latency to approach the lever. Ipsilateral inactivation of BLA and IC did not impact approach behaviors in Pavlovian lever autoshaping. These findings, contrary to our hypothesis, suggest that communication between BLA and IC maintains a representation of initially learned appetitive associations that commonly support the initiation of Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior regardless of whether it is directed at the cue or the location of reward delivery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Changing Surface-Atmosphere Energy Exchange and Refreezing Capacity of the Lower Accumulation Area, West Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charalampidis, C.; van As, D.; Machguth, H.; Smeets, P.; van den Broeke, M. R.; Box, J. E.

2014-12-01

We present five years (2009-2013) of automatic weather station (AWS) data from the lower accumulation area (1840 m above sea level) of the Kangerlussuaq region, western Greenland ice sheet. The summers of 2010 and 2012 were both exceptionally warm, but only 2012 resulted in negative surface mass budget (SMB) and surface runoff. The observed runoff was due to a large ice fraction in the upper 10 m of firn that prevented melt water from percolating to available pore space below. Analysis of the in situ data reveals a relatively low 2012 summer albedo of ~0.7 as melt water was present at the surface. Consequently, during the 2012 melt season the surface absorbed 30% (213 MJ m-2) more solar radiation than in 2010. We drive a surface energy balance model with the AWS data to evaluate the seasonal and interannual variability of all surface energy fluxes. The model is able to reproduce the observed melt rates as well as the SMB for each season. While the drive for melt is solar radiation, year-to-year differences are controlled by terrestrial radiation, apart from 2012 when solar radiation dominated melt. Sensitivity tests reveal that 72% of the excess solar energy in 2012 was used for melt, corresponding to 40% (0.67 m) of the 2012 surface ablation. The remaining ablation (0.99 m) was primarily due to the relatively high atmospheric temperatures up to +2.6 °C daily average, indicating that 2012 would have been a negative SMB year in the lower accumulation area even without the melt-albedo feedback. Longer time series of SMB, regional temperature and remotely sensed albedo (MODIS) suggest that 2012 was the first negative SMB year with the lowest albedo at this elevation on record. The warming conditions of the last years resulted in enhanced melt and reduction of the refreezing capacity of the lower accumulation area. If the warming continues the lower accumulation area will be transformed into superimposed ice.

Aloe vera Derived Activated High-Surface-Area Carbon for Flexible and High-Energy Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Karnan, M; Subramani, K; Sudhan, N; Ilayaraja, N; Sathish, M

2016-12-28

Materials which possess high specific capacitance in device configuration with low cost are essential for viable application in supercapacitors. Herein, a flexible high-energy supercapacitor device was fabricated using porous activated high-surface-area carbon derived from aloe leaf (Aloe vera) as a precursor. The A. vera derived activated carbon showed mesoporous nature with high specific surface area of ∼1890 m 2 /g. A high specific capacitance of 410 and 306 F/g was achieved in three-electrode and symmetric two-electrode system configurations in aqueous electrolyte, respectively. The fabricated all-solid-state device showed a high specific capacitance of 244 F/g with an energy density of 8.6 Wh/kg. In an ionic liquid electrolyte, the fabricated device showed a high specific capacitance of 126 F/g and a wide potential window up to 3 V, which results in a high energy density of 40 Wh/kg. Furthermore, it was observed that the activation temperature has significant role in the electrochemical performance, as the activated sample at 700 °C showed best activity than the samples activated at 600 and 800 °C. The electron microscopic images (FE-SEM and HR-TEM) confirmed the formation of pores by the chemical activation. A fabricated supercapacitor device in ionic liquid with 3 V could power up a red LED for 30 min upon charging for 20s. Also, it is shown that the operation voltage and capacitance of flexible all-solid-state symmetric supercapacitors fabricated using aloe-derived activated carbon could be easily tuned by series and parallel combinations. The performance of fabricated supercapacitor devices using A. vera derived activated carbon in all-solid-state and ionic liquid indicates their viable applications in flexible devices and energy storage.

Large-area high-power VCSEL pump arrays optimized for high-energy lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chad; Geske, Jonathan; Garrett, Henry; Cardellino, Terri; Talantov, Fedor; Berdin, Glen; Millenheft, David; Renner, Daniel; Klemer, Daniel

2012-06-01

Practical, large-area, high-power diode pumps for one micron (Nd, Yb) as well as eye-safer wavelengths (Er, Tm, Ho) are critical to the success of any high energy diode pumped solid state laser. Diode efficiency, brightness, availability and cost will determine how realizable a fielded high energy diode pumped solid state laser will be. 2-D Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) arrays are uniquely positioned to meet these requirements because of their unique properties, such as low divergence circular output beams, reduced wavelength drift with temperature, scalability to large 2-D arrays through low-cost and high-volume semiconductor photolithographic processes, high reliability, no catastrophic optical damage failure, and radiation and vacuum operation tolerance. Data will be presented on the status of FLIR-EOC's VCSEL pump arrays. Analysis of the key aspects of electrical, thermal and mechanical design that are critical to the design of a VCSEL pump array to achieve high power efficient array performance will be presented.

Differential structural and resting state connectivity between insular subdivisions and other pain-related brain regions.

PubMed

Wiech, K; Jbabdi, S; Lin, C S; Andersson, J; Tracey, I

2014-10-01

Functional neuroimaging studies suggest that the anterior, mid, and posterior division of the insula subserve different functions in the perception of pain. The anterior insula (AI) has predominantly been associated with cognitive-affective aspects of pain, while the mid and posterior divisions have been implicated in sensory-discriminative processing. We examined whether this functional segregation is paralleled by differences in (1) structural and (2) resting state connectivity and (3) in correlations with pain-relevant psychological traits. Analyses were restricted to the 3 insular subdivisions and other pain-related brain regions. Both type of analyses revealed largely overlapping results. The AI division was predominantly connected to the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (structural and resting state connectivity) and orbitofrontal cortex (structural connectivity). In contrast, the posterior insula showed strong connections to the primary somatosensory cortex (SI; structural connectivity) and secondary somatosensory cortex (SII; structural and resting state connectivity). The mid insula displayed a hybrid connectivity pattern with strong connections with the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, SII (structural and resting state connectivity) and SI (structural connectivity). Moreover, resting state connectivity revealed strong connectivity of all 3 subdivisions with the thalamus. On the behavioural level, AI structural connectivity was related to the individual degree of pain vigilance and awareness that showed a positive correlation with AI-amygdala connectivity and a negative correlation with AI-rostral anterior cingulate cortex connectivity. In sum, our findings show a differential structural and resting state connectivity for the anterior, mid, and posterior insula with other pain-relevant brain regions, which might at least partly explain their different functional profiles in pain processing. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All

Interhemispheric insular and inferior frontal connectivity are associated with substance abuse in a psychiatric population.

PubMed

Viswanath, Humsini; Velasquez, Kenia M; Savjani, Ricky; Molfese, David L; Curtis, Kaylah; Molfese, Peter J; Eagleman, David M; Baldwin, Philip R; Frueh, B Christopher; Fowler, J Christopher; Salas, Ramiro

2015-05-01

Substance abuse is highly comorbid with major psychiatric disorders. While the neural underpinnings of drug abuse have been studied extensively, most existing studies compare drug users without comorbidities and healthy, non-user controls. Such studies do not generalize well to typical patients with substance abuse disorders. Therefore, we studied a population of psychiatric inpatients (n = 151) with a range of mental illnesses. Psychiatric disorders were diagnosed via structured interviews. Sixty-five percent of patients met criteria for at least one substance use disorder. Patients were recruited for resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) experiments to examine the interhemispheric connectivity between brain regions hypothesized to be involved in drug addiction, namely: the inferior, medial, and superior frontal gyri; insula; striatum; and anterior cingulate cortex. The World Health Organization Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (WHOA) questionnaire was used to further assess drug use. An association between use of tobacco, alcohol, cocaine, sedatives, and hallucinogens with increased insular interhemispheric connectivity was observed. In addition, increased inferior frontal gyrus interhemispheric connectivity was associated with amphetamine and inhalant use. Our results suggest that increased inter-hemispheric insula connectivity is associated with the use of several drugs of abuse. Importantly, psychiatric inpatients without a history of drug dependence were used as an ecologically valid control group rather than the more typical comparison between "mentally ill vs. healthy control" populations. We suggest that dysfunction of interhemispheric connectivity of the insula and to a lesser extent of the inferior frontal gyrus, are related to drug abuse in psychiatric populations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plasticity-Related PKMζ Signaling in the Insular Cortex Is Involved in the Modulation of Neuropathic Pain after Nerve Injury

PubMed Central

Han, Jeongsoo; Kwon, Minjee; Cha, Myeounghoon; Tanioka, Motomasa; Hong, Seong-Karp; Bai, Sun Joon; Lee, Bae Hwan

2015-01-01

The insular cortex (IC) is associated with important functions linked with pain and emotions. According to recent reports, neural plasticity in the brain including the IC can be induced by nerve injury and may contribute to chronic pain. Continuous active kinase, protein kinase Mζ (PKMζ), has been known to maintain the long-term potentiation. This study was conducted to determine the role of PKMζ in the IC, which may be involved in the modulation of neuropathic pain. Mechanical allodynia test and immunohistochemistry (IHC) of zif268, an activity-dependent transcription factor required for neuronal plasticity, were performed after nerve injury. After ζ-pseudosubstrate inhibitory peptide (ZIP, a selective inhibitor of PKMζ) injection, mechanical allodynia test and immunoblotting of PKMζ, phospho-PKMζ (p-PKMζ), and GluR1 and GluR2 were observed. IHC demonstrated that zif268 expression significantly increased in the IC after nerve injury. Mechanical allodynia was significantly decreased by ZIP microinjection into the IC. The analgesic effect lasted for 12 hours. Moreover, the levels of GluR1, GluR2, and p-PKMζ were decreased after ZIP microinjection. These results suggest that peripheral nerve injury induces neural plasticity related to PKMζ and that ZIP has potential applications for relieving chronic pain. PMID:26457205

Toward a Spatial Perspective on Business Sustainability: The Role of Central Urban and Environmentally Sensitive Areas in Energy Corporates’ Green Behaviours

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Teng; Liu, Zongrui; Zhou, Li

2018-02-01

As one of the most concerned topics in strategic management research, the motivations of energy corporates’ green behaviours are extensively explored by scholars, however, only a few noticed the role of geographic antecedents. To bridge this gap, we argue that energy firms’ green behaviours will be greatly predicted by its location, more specifically, proximity to environmentally sensitive areas and central urban areas. Draw on neo-institutional theory and stakeholder theory, we argue that institutional forces mediate the links between energy corporates’ green behaviours and proximities, while different proximity affects via different institutional logics. The results are discussed along with managerial implications.

Self-determined, but not non-self-determined, motivation predicts activations in the anterior insular cortex: an fMRI study of personal agency

PubMed Central

Reeve, Johnmarshall

2013-01-01

Neuroscientific studies on agency focus rather exclusively on the notion of who initiates and regulates actions, not on the notion of why the person does. The present study focused on the latter to investigate two different reasons underlying personal agency. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, we scanned 16 healthy human subjects while they imagined the enactment of volitional, agentic behavior on the same task but either for a self-determined and intrinsically motivated reason or for a non-self-determined and extrinsically motivated reason. Results showed that the anterior insular cortex (AIC), known to be related to the sense of agency, was more activated during self-determined behavior while the angular gyrus, known to be related to the sense of loss of agency, was more activated during non-self-determined behavior. Furthermore, AIC activities during self-determined behavior correlated highly with participants’ self-reported intrinsic satisfactions. We conclude that self-determined behavior is more agentic than is non-self-determined behavior and that personal agency arises only during self-determined, intrinsically motivated action. PMID:22451482

Self-determined, but not non-self-determined, motivation predicts activations in the anterior insular cortex: an fMRI study of personal agency.

PubMed

Lee, Woogul; Reeve, Johnmarshall

2013-06-01

Neuroscientific studies on agency focus rather exclusively on the notion of who initiates and regulates actions, not on the notion of why the person does. The present study focused on the latter to investigate two different reasons underlying personal agency. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, we scanned 16 healthy human subjects while they imagined the enactment of volitional, agentic behavior on the same task but either for a self-determined and intrinsically motivated reason or for a non-self-determined and extrinsically motivated reason. Results showed that the anterior insular cortex (AIC), known to be related to the sense of agency, was more activated during self-determined behavior while the angular gyrus, known to be related to the sense of loss of agency, was more activated during non-self-determined behavior. Furthermore, AIC activities during self-determined behavior correlated highly with participants' self-reported intrinsic satisfactions. We conclude that self-determined behavior is more agentic than is non-self-determined behavior and that personal agency arises only during self-determined, intrinsically motivated action.

Solar energy in the context of energy use, energy transportation and energy storage.

PubMed

MacKay, David J C

2013-08-13

Taking the UK as a case study, this paper describes current energy use and a range of sustainable energy options for the future, including solar power and other renewables. I focus on the area involved in collecting, converting and delivering sustainable energy, looking in particular detail at the potential role of solar power. Britain consumes energy at a rate of about 5000 watts per person, and its population density is about 250 people per square kilometre. If we multiply the per capita energy consumption by the population density, then we obtain the average primary energy consumption per unit area, which for the UK is 1.25 watts per square metre. This areal power density is uncomfortably similar to the average power density that could be supplied by many renewables: the gravitational potential energy of rainfall in the Scottish highlands has a raw power per unit area of roughly 0.24 watts per square metre; energy crops in Europe deliver about 0.5 watts per square metre; wind farms deliver roughly 2.5 watts per square metre; solar photovoltaic farms in Bavaria, Germany, and Vermont, USA, deliver 4 watts per square metre; in sunnier locations, solar photovoltaic farms can deliver 10 watts per square metre; concentrating solar power stations in deserts might deliver 20 watts per square metre. In a decarbonized world that is renewable-powered, the land area required to maintain today's British energy consumption would have to be similar to the area of Britain. Several other high-density, high-consuming countries are in the same boat as Britain, and many other countries are rushing to join us. Decarbonizing such countries will only be possible through some combination of the following options: the embracing of country-sized renewable power-generation facilities; large-scale energy imports from country-sized renewable facilities in other countries; population reduction; radical efficiency improvements and lifestyle changes; and the growth of non-renewable low

Developing Energy Technology Course for Undergraduate Engineering Management Study Program in Lake Toba Area with Particular Focus to Sustainable Energy Systems in Development Context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manik, Yosef; Sinaga, Rizal; Saragi, Hadi

2018-02-01

Undergraduate Engineering Management Study Program of Institut Teknologi Del is one of the pioneers for its field in Indonesia. Located in Lake Toba Area, this study program has a mission to provide high quality Engineering Management education that produces globally competitive graduates who in turn will contribute to local development. Framing the Energy Technology course—one of the core subjects in Engineering Management Body of Knowledge—in the context of sustainable development of Lake Toba Area is very essential. Thus, one particular focus in this course is sustainable energy systems in local development context that incorporates identification and analysis of locally available energy resources. In this paper we present our experience in designing such course. In this work, we introduce the domains that shape the Engineering Management Body of Knowledge. Then, we explain the results of our evaluation on the key considerations to meet the rapidly changing needs of society in local context. Later, we present the framework of the learning outcomes and the syllabus as a result of mapping the road map with the requirement. At the end, the summary from the first two semesters of delivering this course in academic year 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 are reported.

Large-Area Chemical and Biological Decontamination Using a High Energy Arc Lamp (HEAL) System.

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

Duty, Chad E; Smith, Rob R; Vass, Arpad Alexander

2008-01-01

Methods for quickly decontaminating large areas exposed to chemical and biological (CB) warfare agents can present significant logistical, manpower, and waste management challenges. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is pursuing an alternate method to decompose CB agents without the use of toxic chemicals or other potentially harmful substances. This process uses a high energy arc lamp (HEAL) system to photochemically decompose CB agents over large areas (12 m2). Preliminary tests indicate that more than 5 decades (99.999%) of an Anthrax spore simulant (Bacillus globigii) were killed in less than 7 seconds of exposure to the HEAL system. When combined withmore » a catalyst material (TiO2) the HEAL system was also effective against a chemical agent simulant, diisopropyl methyl phosphonate (DIMP). These results demonstrate the feasibility of a rapid, large-area chemical and biological decontamination method that does not require toxic or corrosive reagents or generate hazardous wastes.« less

Positron astrophysics and areas of relation to low-energy positron physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guessoum, Nidhal

2014-05-01

I briefly review our general knowledge of positron astrophysics, focusing mostly on the theoretical and modelling aspects. The experimental/observational aspects of the topic have recently been reviewed elsewhere [E. Churazov et al., Mon. Nat. R. Astron. Soc. 411, 1727 (2011); N. Prantazos et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 83, 1001 (2011)]. In particular, I highlight the interactions and cross sections of the reactions that the positrons undergo in various cosmic media. Indeed, these must be of high interest to both the positron astrophysics community and the low-energy positron physics community in trying to find common areas of potential collaboration for the future or areas of research that will help the astrophysics community make further progress on the problem. The processes undergone by positrons from the moments of their birth to their annihilation (in the interstellar medium or other locations) are thus examined. The physics of the positron interactions with gases and solids (dust grains) and the physical conditions and characteristics of the environments where the processes of energy loss, positronium formation, and annihilation take place, are briefly reviewed. An explanation is given about how all the relevant physical information is taken into account in order to calculate annihilation rates and spectra of the 511 keV emission in the ISM; special attention is paid to positron interactions with dust and with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In particular, an attempt is made to show to what extent the interactions between positrons and interstellar dust grains are similar to laboratory experiments in which beams of low-energy positrons impinge upon solids and surfaces. Sample results are shown for the effect of dust grains on positron annihilation spectra in some phases of the ISM which, together with high resolution spectra measured by satellites, can be used to infer useful knowledge about the environment where the annihilation is predominantly taking place

24 CFR 570.427 - Program amendments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY FACILITIES COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS Small Cities, Non-Entitlement CDBG Grants in Hawaii and Insular Areas Programs § 570.427 Program amendments. (a) HUD approval of certain...

Physical factors determining the fraction of stored energy recoverable from hydrothermal convection systems and conduction-dominated areas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nathenson, Manuel

1975-01-01

This report contains background analyses for the estimates of Nathenson and Muffler (1975) of geothermal resources in hydrothermal convection systems and conduction-dominated areas. The first section discusses heat and fluid recharge potential of geothermal reservoirs. The second section analyzes the physical factors that determine the fraction of stored energy obtainable at the surface from a geothermal reservoir. Conversion of heat to electricity and the use of geothermal energy for direct-heating applications are discussed in the last two sections. Nathenson, Manuel, and Muffler, L.J.P., 1975, Geothermal resources in hydrothermal convection systems and conduction dominated areas, in White, D.E., and Williams, D.L., eds., Assessment of the Geothermal Resources of the United States--1975: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 726, p. 104-121, available at http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/usgspubs/cir/cir726

High-potential geothermal energy resource areas of Nigeria and their geologic and geophysical assessment

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

Babalola, O.O.

1984-04-01

The widespread occurrence of geothermal manifestations in Nigeria is significant because the wide applicability and relative ease of exploitation of geothermal energy is of vital importance to an industrializing nation like Nigeria. There are two known geothermal resource areas (KGRAs) in Nigeria: the Ikogosi Warm Springs of Ondo State and the Wikki Warm Springs of Bauchi State. These surficial effusions result from the circulation of water to great depths through faults in the basement complex rocks of the area. Within sedimentary areas, high geothermal gradient trends are identified in the Lagos subbasin, the Okitipupa ridge, the Auchi-Agbede are of themore » Benin flank/hinge line, and the Abakaliki anticlinorium. The deeper Cretaceous and Tertiary sequences of the Niger delta are geopressured geothermal horizons. In the Benue foldbelt, extending from the Abalaliki anticlinorium to the Keana anticline and the Zambuk ridge, several magmatic intrusions emplaced during the Late Cretaceous line the axis of the Benue trough. Positive Bouguer gravity anomalies also parallel this trough and are interpreted to indicate shallow mantle. Parts of this belt and the Ikom, the Jos plateau, Bauchi plateau, and the Adamawa areas, experienced Cenozoic volcanism and magmatism.« less

Polarization Maintaining, Very-Large-Mode Area, Er Fiber Amplifier for High Energy Pulses at 1572.3 nm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nicholoson, J. W.; DeSantolo, A.; Yan, M. F.; Wisk, P.; Mangan, B.; Puc, G.; Yu, A.; Stephen, M.

2016-01-01

We demonstrate the first polarization maintaining, very-large-mode-area Er-doped fiber amplifier with 1000 square micron effective area. The amplifier is core pumped by a Raman fiber laser and is used to generate single frequency one microsecond pulses with pulse energy of 368 microJoules, M2 of 1.1, and polarization extinction greater than 20 dB. The amplifier operates at 1572.3 nm, a wavelength useful for trace atmospheric CO2 detection.

Metabolic Activity in the Insular Cortex and Hypothalamus Predicts Hot Flashes: An FDG-PET Study

PubMed Central

Deckersbach, Thilo; Lin, Nancy U.; Makris, Nikos; Skaar, Todd C.; Rauch, Scott L.; Dougherty, Darin D.; Hall, Janet E.

2012-01-01

Context: Hot flashes are a common side effect of adjuvant endocrine therapies (AET; leuprolide, tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors) that reduce quality of life and treatment adherence in breast cancer patients. Because hot flashes affect only some women, preexisting neurobiological traits might predispose to their development. Previous studies have implicated the insula during the perception of hot flashes and the hypothalamus in thermoregulatory dysfunction. Objective: The aim of the study was to understand whether neurobiological factors predict hot flashes. Design: [18F]-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) brain scans coregistered with structural magnetic resonance imaging were used to determine whether metabolic activity in the insula and hypothalamic thermoregulatory and estrogen-feedback regions measured before and in response to AET predict hot flashes. Findings were correlated with CYP2D6 genotype because of CYP2D6 polymorphism associations with tamoxifen-induced hot flashes. Outcome Measures: We measured regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose uptake (rCMRglu) in the insula and hypothalamus on FDG-PET. Results: Of 18 women without hot flashes who began AET, new-onset hot flashes were reported by 10 (55.6%) and were detected objectively in nine (50%) participants. Prior to the use of all AET, rCMRglu in the insula (P ≤ 0.01) and hypothalamic thermoregulatory (P = 0.045) and estrogen-feedback (P = 0.007) regions was lower in women who reported developing hot flashes. In response to AET, rCMRglu was further reduced in the insula in women developing hot flashes (P ≤ 0.02). Insular and hypothalamic rCMRglu levels were lower in intermediate than extensive CYP2D6 metabolizers. Conclusions: Trait neurobiological characteristics predict hot flashes. Genetic variability in CYP2D6 may underlie the neurobiological predisposition to hot flashes induced by AET. PMID:22723326

Waiver of Indian Claims Commission Act Statute of Limitations for Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians. Joint Hearing before the Select Committee on Indian Affairs, United States Senate and the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, House of Representatives, 96th Congress, First Session on S. 668 and H.R. 2822.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.

On June 14, 1979, an open joint hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs and the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs received testimony from the administration, members of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians, and other interested parties on S. 688 and H.R. 2882. These bills would waive the statute of limitations in…

10 CFR 850.26 - Regulated areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Regulated areas. 850.26 Section 850.26 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY CHRONIC BERYLLIUM DISEASE PREVENTION PROGRAM Specific Program Requirements § 850.26 Regulated areas. (a) If airborne concentrations of beryllium in areas in DOE facilities are measured at or...

10 CFR 851.24 - Functional areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Functional areas. 851.24 Section 851.24 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WORKER SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAM Specific Program Requirements § 851.24 Functional areas... minimum, include provisions for the following applicable functional areas in their worker safety and...

10 CFR 851.24 - Functional areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Functional areas. 851.24 Section 851.24 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WORKER SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAM Specific Program Requirements § 851.24 Functional areas... minimum, include provisions for the following applicable functional areas in their worker safety and...

10 CFR 851.24 - Functional areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Functional areas. 851.24 Section 851.24 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WORKER SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAM Specific Program Requirements § 851.24 Functional areas... minimum, include provisions for the following applicable functional areas in their worker safety and...

10 CFR 851.24 - Functional areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Functional areas. 851.24 Section 851.24 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WORKER SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAM Specific Program Requirements § 851.24 Functional areas... minimum, include provisions for the following applicable functional areas in their worker safety and...

10 CFR 851.24 - Functional areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Functional areas. 851.24 Section 851.24 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WORKER SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAM Specific Program Requirements § 851.24 Functional areas... minimum, include provisions for the following applicable functional areas in their worker safety and...

Power-law distributions for the areas of the basins of attraction on a potential energy landscape.

PubMed

Massen, Claire P; Doye, Jonathan P K

2007-03-01

Energy landscape approaches have become increasingly popular for analyzing a wide variety of chemical physics phenomena. Basic to many of these applications has been the inherent structure mapping, which divides up the potential energy landscape into basins of attraction surrounding the minima. Here, we probe the nature of this division by introducing a method to compute the basin area distribution and applying it to some archetypal supercooled liquids. We find that this probability distribution is a power law over a large number of decades with the lower-energy minima having larger basins of attraction. Interestingly, the exponent for this power law is approximately the same as that for a high-dimensional Apollonian packing, providing further support for the suggestion that there is a strong analogy between the way the energy landscape is divided into basins, and the way that space is packed in self-similar, space-filling hypersphere packings, such as the Apollonian packing. These results suggest that the basins of attraction provide a fractal-like tiling of the energy landscape, and that a scale-free pattern of connections between the minima is a general property of energy landscapes.

High-energy supercapacitors based on hierarchical porous carbon with an ultrahigh ion-accessible surface area in ionic liquid electrolytes.

PubMed

Zhong, Hui; Xu, Fei; Li, Zenghui; Fu, Ruowen; Wu, Dingcai

2013-06-07

A very important yet really challenging issue to address is how to greatly increase the energy density of supercapacitors to approach or even exceed those of batteries without sacrificing the power density. Herein we report the fabrication of a new class of ultrahigh surface area hierarchical porous carbon (UHSA-HPC) based on the pore formation and widening of polystyrene-derived HPC by KOH activation, and highlight its superior ability for energy storage in supercapacitors with ionic liquid (IL) as electrolyte. The UHSA-HPC with a surface area of more than 3000 m(2) g(-1) shows an extremely high energy density, i.e., 118 W h kg(-1) at a power density of 100 W kg(-1). This is ascribed to its unique hierarchical nanonetwork structure with a large number of small-sized nanopores for IL storage and an ideal meso-/macroporous network for IL transfer.

Fuzzy Logic Trajectory Design and Guidance for Terminal Area Energy Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burchett, Bradley

2003-01-01

The second generation reusable launch vehicle will leverage many new technologies to make flight to low earth orbit safer and more cost effective. One important capability will be completely autonomous flight during reentry and landing, thus making it unnecessary to man the vehicle for cargo missions with stringent weight constraints. Implementation of sophisticated new guidance and control methods will enable the vehicle to return to earth under less than favorable conditions. The return to earth consists of three phases--Entry, Terminal Area Energy Management (TAEM), and Approach and Landing. The Space Shuttle is programmed to fly all three phases of flight automatically, and under normal circumstances the astronaut-pilot takes manual control only during the Approach and Landing phase. The automatic control algorithms used in the Shuttle for TAEM and Approach and Landing have been developed over the past 30 years. They are computationally efficient, and based on careful study of the spacecraft's flight dynamics, and heuristic reasoning. The gliding return trajectory is planned prior to the mission, and only minor adjustments are made during flight for perturbations in the vehicle energy state. With the advent of the X-33 and X-34 technology demonstration vehicles, several authors investigated implementing advanced control methods to provide autonomous real-time design of gliding return trajectories thus enhancing the ability of the vehicle to adjust to unusual energy states. The bulk of work published to date deals primarily with the approach and landing phase of flight where changes in heading angle are small, and range to the runway is monotonically decreasing. These benign flight conditions allow for model simplification and fairly straightforward optimization. This project focuses on the TAEM phase of flight where mathematically precise methods have produced limited results. Fuzzy Logic methods are used to make onboard autonomous gliding return trajectory

10 CFR 835.602 - Controlled areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Controlled areas. 835.602 Section 835.602 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Posting and Labeling § 835.602 Controlled areas. (a) Each access point to a controlled area (as defined at § 835.2) shall be posted whenever radiological...

10 CFR 835.602 - Controlled areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Controlled areas. 835.602 Section 835.602 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Posting and Labeling § 835.602 Controlled areas. (a) Each access point to a controlled area (as defined at § 835.2) shall be posted whenever radiological...

10 CFR 835.602 - Controlled areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Controlled areas. 835.602 Section 835.602 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Posting and Labeling § 835.602 Controlled areas. (a) Each access point to a controlled area (as defined at § 835.2) shall be posted whenever radiological...

10 CFR 835.602 - Controlled areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Controlled areas. 835.602 Section 835.602 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Posting and Labeling § 835.602 Controlled areas. (a) Each access point to a controlled area (as defined at § 835.2) shall be posted whenever radiological...

10 CFR 835.602 - Controlled areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Controlled areas. 835.602 Section 835.602 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Posting and Labeling § 835.602 Controlled areas. (a) Each access point to a controlled area (as defined at § 835.2) shall be posted whenever radiological...

Towards Reliable and Energy-Efficient Incremental Cooperative Communication for Wireless Body Area Networks.

PubMed

Yousaf, Sidrah; Javaid, Nadeem; Qasim, Umar; Alrajeh, Nabil; Khan, Zahoor Ali; Ahmed, Mansoor

2016-02-24

In this study, we analyse incremental cooperative communication for wireless body area networks (WBANs) with different numbers of relays. Energy efficiency (EE) and the packet error rate (PER) are investigated for different schemes. We propose a new cooperative communication scheme with three-stage relaying and compare it to existing schemes. Our proposed scheme provides reliable communication with less PER at the cost of surplus energy consumption. Analytical expressions for the EE of the proposed three-stage cooperative communication scheme are also derived, taking into account the effect of PER. Later on, the proposed three-stage incremental cooperation is implemented in a network layer protocol; enhanced incremental cooperative critical data transmission in emergencies for static WBANs (EInCo-CEStat). Extensive simulations are conducted to validate the proposed scheme. Results of incremental relay-based cooperative communication protocols are compared to two existing cooperative routing protocols: cooperative critical data transmission in emergencies for static WBANs (Co-CEStat) and InCo-CEStat. It is observed from the simulation results that incremental relay-based cooperation is more energy efficient than the existing conventional cooperation protocol, Co-CEStat. The results also reveal that EInCo-CEStat proves to be more reliable with less PER and higher throughput than both of the counterpart protocols. However, InCo-CEStat has less throughput with a greater stability period and network lifetime. Due to the availability of more redundant links, EInCo-CEStat achieves a reduced packet drop rate at the cost of increased energy consumption.

Contribution of foods consumed away from home to energy intake in Brazilian urban areas: the 2008-9 Nationwide Dietary Survey.

PubMed

Bezerra, Ilana Nogueira; de Moura Souza, Amanda; Pereira, Rosangela Alves; Sichieri, Rosely

2013-04-14

The objectives of the present study were to estimate the dietary contribution of away-from-home food consumption, to describe the contribution of away-from-home foods to energy intake, and to investigate the association between eating away from home and total energy intake in Brazilian urban areas. In the first Brazilian Nationwide Dietary Survey, conducted in 2008-9, food records were collected from 25 753 individuals aged 10 years or older, living in urban areas of Brazil. Foods were grouped into thirty-three food groups, and the mean energy intake provided by away-from-home food consumption was estimated. Linear regression models were used to evaluate the association between away-from-home food consumption and total energy intake. All analyses considered the sample design effect. Of the total population, 43 % consumed at least one food item away from home. The mean energy intake from foods consumed away from home was 1408 kJ (337 kcal), averaging 18 % of total energy intake. Eating away from home was associated with increased total energy intake, except for men in the highest income level. The highest percentage of away-from-home energy sources was for food with a high content of energy, such as alcoholic beverages (59 %), baked and deep-fried snacks (54 %), pizza (42 %), soft drinks (40 %), sandwiches (40 %), and sweets and desserts (30 %). The consumption of foods away from home was related to a greater energy intake. The characterisation of away-from-home food habits is necessary in order to properly design strategies to promote healthy food consumption in the away-from-home environment.

Energy Engineering Analysis Program, energy survey of Army Industrial Facilities, Western Area Demilitarization Facility Hawthorne Ermy Ammunition Plant Hawthorne, Nevada. Volume 1. Final report

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

NONE

1995-03-17

This report summarizes all work for the Energy Survey of Army Industrial Facilities, Energy Engineering Analysis Program (EEAP) at the Western Area Demilitarization Facility (WADF) of the Hawthorne Army Ammunition Plant (HWAAP), Hawthorne, Nevada, authorized under Contract No. DACA03-92-C-0155 with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, California. The purpose of this energy survey is to develop a set of projects and actions that will reduce energy consumption and operating costs of selected facilities at the WADF. A preliminary inspection of facilities at WADF by Keller Gannon that identified potential retrofit opportunities was submitted as the EEAP Study andmore » Criteria Review in December 1993. This document formed the basis of the Detailed Scope of Work for this study. Facilities included in the survey and study, together with operational status, are listed in Table 1 - 1. The complete scope of work appears in Appendix.« less

Reduced spontaneous neuronal activity in the insular cortex and thalamus in healthy adults with insomnia symptoms.

PubMed

Liu, Chun-Hong; Liu, Cun-Zhi; Zhang, Jihui; Yuan, Zhen; Tang, Li-Rong; Tie, Chang-Le; Fan, Jin; Liu, Qing-Quan

2016-10-01

Poor sleep and insomnia have been recognized to be strongly correlated with the development of depression. The exploration of the basic mechanism of sleep disturbance could provide the basis for improved understanding and treatment of insomnia and prevention of depression. In this study, 31 subjects with insomnia symptoms as measured by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) and 71 age- and gender-matched subjects without insomnia symptoms were recruited to participate in a clinical trial. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), we examined the alterations in spontaneous brain activity between the two groups. Correlations between the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF) and clinical measurements (e.g., insomnia severity and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HAMD] scores) were also tested in all subjects. Compared to healthy participants without insomnia symptoms, participants with insomnia symptoms showed a decreased fALFF in the left ventral anterior insula, bilateral posterior insula, left thalamus, and pons but an increased fALFF in the bilateral middle occipital gyrus and right precentral gyrus. More specifically, a significant, negative correlation of fALFF in the left thalamus with early morning awakening scores and HAMD scores in the overall sample was identified. These results suggest that insomnia symptoms are associated with altered spontaneous activity in the brain regions of several important functional networks, including the insular cortex of the salience and the thalamus of the hyperarousal network. The altered fALFF in the left thalamus supports the "hyperarousal theory" of insomnia symptoms, which could serve as a biomarker for insomnia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

To remove from the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System an area included in Unit TX-15P in Texas, and for other purposes.

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Rep. Farenthold, Blake [R-TX-27

2014-05-20

House - 05/29/2014 Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

The Dorsal Agranular Insular Cortex Regulates the Cued Reinstatement of Cocaine-Seeking, but not Food-Seeking, Behavior in Rats.

PubMed

Cosme, Caitlin V; Gutman, Andrea L; LaLumiere, Ryan T

2015-09-01

Prior studies suggest that the insular cortex (IC), and particularly its posterior region (the PIc), is involved in nicotine craving and relapse in humans and rodents. The present experiments were conducted to determine whether the IC and its different subregions regulate relapse to cocaine-seeking behavior in rats. To address this issue, male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent cocaine self-administration followed by extinction training and reinstatement tests. Before each reinstatement, the PIc or the more anterior dorsal agranular IC (AId) was inactivated to determine their roles in the reinstatement to cocaine seeking. In contrast to the nicotine findings, PIc inactivation had no effect on cue-induced reinstatement for cocaine seeking. However, AId inactivation reduced cued reinstatement while having no effect on cocaine-prime reinstatement. AId inactivation had no effect on reinstatement of food-seeking behavior induced by cues, a food-prime, or cues+food-prime. Based on previous work hypothesizing a role for corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in the IC during craving and relapse, a subsequent experiment found that CRF receptor-1 (CRF1) blockade in the AId similarly reduced cued reinstatement. Our results suggest that the AId, along with CRF1 receptors in this region, regulates reinstatement to cocaine seeking, but not food seeking, depending on the type of reinstatement, whereas PIc activity does not influence cue-induced reinstatement.

On Increasing Network Lifetime in Body Area Networks Using Global Routing with Energy Consumption Balancing

PubMed Central

Tsouri, Gill R.; Prieto, Alvaro; Argade, Nikhil

2012-01-01

Global routing protocols in wireless body area networks are considered. Global routing is augmented with a novel link cost function designed to balance energy consumption across the network. The result is a substantial increase in network lifetime at the expense of a marginal increase in energy per bit. Network maintenance requirements are reduced as well, since balancing energy consumption means all batteries need to be serviced at the same time and less frequently. The proposed routing protocol is evaluated using a hardware experimental setup comprising multiple nodes and an access point. The setup is used to assess network architectures, including an on-body access point and an off-body access point with varying number of antennas. Real-time experiments are conducted in indoor environments to assess performance gains. In addition, the setup is used to record channel attenuation data which are then processed in extensive computer simulations providing insight on the effect of protocol parameters on performance. Results demonstrate efficient balancing of energy consumption across all nodes, an average increase of up to 40% in network lifetime corresponding to a modest average increase of 0.4 dB in energy per bit, and a cutoff effect on required transmission power to achieve reliable connectivity. PMID:23201987

On increasing network lifetime in body area networks using global routing with energy consumption balancing.

PubMed

Tsouri, Gill R; Prieto, Alvaro; Argade, Nikhil

2012-09-26

Global routing protocols in wireless body area networks are considered. Global routing is augmented with a novel link cost function designed to balance energy consumption across the network. The result is a substantial increase in network lifetime at the expense of a marginal increase in energy per bit. Network maintenance requirements are reduced as well, since balancing energy consumption means all batteries need to be serviced at the same time and less frequently. The proposed routing protocol is evaluated using a hardware experimental setup comprising multiple nodes and an access point. The setup is used to assess network architectures, including an on-body access point and an off-body access point with varying number of antennas. Real-time experiments are conducted in indoor environments to assess performance gains. In addition, the setup is used to record channel attenuation data which are then processed in extensive computer simulations providing insight on the effect of protocol parameters on performance. Results demonstrate efficient balancing of energy consumption across all nodes, an average increase of up to 40% in network lifetime corresponding to a modest average increase of 0.4 dB in energy per bit, and a cutoff effect on required transmission power to achieve reliable connectivity.

America's Energy Potential: A Summary and Explanation; Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninety-Third Congress, First Session. [Committee Print].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Udall, Morris K.

This report reviews America's current energy position. The energy sources studied include oil and gas, coal, nuclear energy, solar energy, and geothermal energy. Each source is analyzed in terms of current use, technology for extracting and developing the energy, research and development funding, and projections for future consumption and…

A low-rank matrix recovery approach for energy efficient EEG acquisition for a wireless body area network.

PubMed

Majumdar, Angshul; Gogna, Anupriya; Ward, Rabab

2014-08-25

We address the problem of acquiring and transmitting EEG signals in Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN) in an energy efficient fashion. In WBANs, the energy is consumed by three operations: sensing (sampling), processing and transmission. Previous studies only addressed the problem of reducing the transmission energy. For the first time, in this work, we propose a technique to reduce sensing and processing energy as well: this is achieved by randomly under-sampling the EEG signal. We depart from previous Compressed Sensing based approaches and formulate signal recovery (from under-sampled measurements) as a matrix completion problem. A new algorithm to solve the matrix completion problem is derived here. We test our proposed method and find that the reconstruction accuracy of our method is significantly better than state-of-the-art techniques; and we achieve this while saving sensing, processing and transmission energy. Simple power analysis shows that our proposed methodology consumes considerably less power compared to previous CS based techniques.

Evaporation from a small prairie wetland in the Cottonwood Lake Area, North Dakota - An energy-budget study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parkhurst, R.S.; Winter, T.C.; Rosenberry, D.O.; Sturrock, A.M.

1998-01-01

Evaporation from Wetland Pl in the Cottonwood Lake area of North Dakota, USA was determined by the energy-budget method for 1982-85 and 1987. Evaporation rates were as high as 0.672 cm day-1. Incoming solar radiation, incoming atmospheric radiation, and long-wave radiation emitted from the water body are the largest energy fluxes to and from the wetland. Because of the small heat storage of the water body, evaporation rates closely track solar radiation on short time scales. The effect of advected energy related to precipitation is small because the water quickly heats up by solar radiation following precipitation. Advected energy related to ground water is minimal because ground-water fluxes are small and groundwater temperature is only about 7 ??C. Energy flux related to sediment heating and thermal storage in the sediments, which might be expected to be large because the water is clear and shallow, affects evaporation rates by less than 5 percent.

[Changes in prices of taxed sugar-sweetened beverages and nonessential energy dense food in rural and semi-rural areas in Mexico].

PubMed

Colchero, M Arantxa; Zavala, J Alejandro; Batis, Carolina; Shamah-Levy, Teresa; Rivera-Dommarco, Juan A

2017-01-01

To estimate changes in prices associated with the implementation of the tax to sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) and to nonessential energy dense food in 2014. Price data were collected in rural and semi-rural areas in December 2013, and April and December 2014. Fixed effects models were used to estimate changes in prices of beverages and nonessential energy dense food, stratified by region, retailer and package size. The SSB tax did not pass completely through prices: prices increased on average 0.73 pesos per liter. For nonessential energy dense food, the tax passed completely or was overshifted for cookies, cereal bars and cereal boxes. The potential effect of the taxes on consumption could be attenuated in rural areas as the pass through prices was incomplete.

The dependency analysis between energy consumption, sanitation, forest area, financial development, and greenhouse gas: a continent-wise comparison of lower middle-income countries.

PubMed

Khan, Muhammad Tariq Iqbal; Yaseen, Muhammad Rizwan; Ali, Qamar

2018-06-08

This study explored the long-run association among greenhouse gases (GHGs), financial development, forest area, improved sanitation, renewable energy, urbanization, and trade in 24 lower middle-income countries from Asia, Europe, Africa, and America (South and North) by using panel data from 1990 to 2015. Granger causality was tested by Toda and Yamamoto approach. The bi-directional causality was established among urbanization and GHGs (Asia), financial development and forest (Asia), energy use and renewable energy (Asia), renewable energy and forest (Asia), improved sanitation and forest (Asia, Africa, America), urbanization and forest (Asia), and improved sanitation and financial development (Europe). The GHG emission also shows one-way causality is running from financial development to GHG (America), energy to GHG (Asia), renewable energy to GHG (America), forest area to GHG (America), trade openness to GHG (Africa), urbanization to GHG (Europe), GHG to financial development (Europe), GHG to energy use (Europe, Africa, and America), and GHG to trade openness (Asia). On the basis of fully modified ordinary least square and generalized method of moment, the reciprocal relationship of GHGs was observed due to financial development in Asia and Africa; renewable energy in all panels; forest area in Asia, Europe, and America; improved sanitation in Asia, Africa, and America; trade openness in Africa; and urbanization in Europe and America. Policymakers should concentrate on these variables for the reduction in GHGs. The annual convergence towards long-run equilibrium was 50.5, 31.9, and 20.9% for America, Asia, and Africa, respectively.

Observations of gamma-ray pulsars at the highest energies with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saz Parkinson, Pablo

2016-07-01

One of the most exciting developments in pulsar astrophysics in recent years has been the detection, with ground-based instruments (VERITAS, MAGIC), of pulsed gamma-ray emission from the Crab at very high energies (VHE, E>100 GeV). The Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi satellite has detected over 160 pulsars above 100 MeV. Twenty-eight of these have been shown to emit pulsations above 10 GeV and approximately a dozen show emission above 25 GeV. While most gamma-ray pulsars are well-fitted in the GeV range by a power law with an exponential cut-off at around a few GeV, some emission models predict emission at energies above 100 GeV, either through a power-law extrapolation of the low-energy spectrum, or via a new (e.g. Inverse Compton) component. We will present results of our search for high-energy emission from LAT-detected gamma-ray pulsars using the latest Pass 8 data and discuss the prospects of finding the next VHE pulsar, providing a good target (or targets) for follow-up observations with current and future ground-based observatories, like CTA.

Towards Reliable and Energy-Efficient Incremental Cooperative Communication for Wireless Body Area Networks

PubMed Central

Yousaf, Sidrah; Javaid, Nadeem; Qasim, Umar; Alrajeh, Nabil; Khan, Zahoor Ali; Ahmed, Mansoor

2016-01-01

In this study, we analyse incremental cooperative communication for wireless body area networks (WBANs) with different numbers of relays. Energy efficiency (EE) and the packet error rate (PER) are investigated for different schemes. We propose a new cooperative communication scheme with three-stage relaying and compare it to existing schemes. Our proposed scheme provides reliable communication with less PER at the cost of surplus energy consumption. Analytical expressions for the EE of the proposed three-stage cooperative communication scheme are also derived, taking into account the effect of PER. Later on, the proposed three-stage incremental cooperation is implemented in a network layer protocol; enhanced incremental cooperative critical data transmission in emergencies for static WBANs (EInCo-CEStat). Extensive simulations are conducted to validate the proposed scheme. Results of incremental relay-based cooperative communication protocols are compared to two existing cooperative routing protocols: cooperative critical data transmission in emergencies for static WBANs (Co-CEStat) and InCo-CEStat. It is observed from the simulation results that incremental relay-based cooperation is more energy efficient than the existing conventional cooperation protocol, Co-CEStat. The results also reveal that EInCo-CEStat proves to be more reliable with less PER and higher throughput than both of the counterpart protocols. However, InCo-CEStat has less throughput with a greater stability period and network lifetime. Due to the availability of more redundant links, EInCo-CEStat achieves a reduced packet drop rate at the cost of increased energy consumption. PMID:26927104

Olfactory mechanisms in the control of maternal aggression, appetite, and fearfulness: effects of lesions to olfactory receptors, mediodorsal thalamic nucleus, and insular prefrontal cortex.

PubMed

Ferreira, A; Dahlöf, L G; Hansen, S

1987-10-01

During lactation the female rat is hyperphagic, aggressive toward adult conspecifics, and less fearful than usual. In the first experiment the importance of olfactory receptors was investigated by surgically removing the olfactory epithelium of the nasal cavity. Mother rats subjected to this treatment consumed significantly less food and weighed less than sham-operated females. Moreover, experimental subjects displayed a dramatic decrease in maternal aggression. Fear behavior (sound-elicited freezing), on the other hand, was not affected by the lesions. The mediodorsal thalamic nucleus and the prefrontal insular cortex form part of the central olfactory system. The second experiment assessed the involvement of this olfactory-related thalamocortical system and the behavioral profile of mother rats. It was found that whereas the thalamic and cortical lesions left food intake and fear behavior unaffected, they significantly decreased the frequency with which the mother would attack an intruder male placed into her home cage. The sense of smell appears, according to the present experiments, to play a crucial role in maternal aggression.

Facile synthesis of ultrahigh-surface-area hollow carbon nanospheres for enhanced adsorption and energy storage

PubMed Central

Xu, Fei; Tang, Zhiwei; Huang, Siqi; Chen, Luyi; Liang, Yeru; Mai, Weicong; Zhong, Hui; Fu, Ruowen; Wu, Dingcai

2015-01-01

Exceptionally large surface area and well-defined nanostructure are both critical in the field of nanoporous carbons for challenging energy and environmental issues. The pursuit of ultrahigh surface area while maintaining definite nanostructure remains a formidable challenge because extensive creation of pores will undoubtedly give rise to the damage of nanostructures, especially below 100 nm. Here we report that high surface area of up to 3,022 m2 g−1 can be achieved for hollow carbon nanospheres with an outer diameter of 69 nm by a simple carbonization procedure with carefully selected carbon precursors and carbonization conditions. The tailor-made pore structure of hollow carbon nanospheres enables target-oriented applications, as exemplified by their enhanced adsorption capability towards organic vapours, and electrochemical performances as electrodes for supercapacitors and sulphur host materials for lithium–sulphur batteries. The facile approach may open the doors for preparation of highly porous carbons with desired nanostructure for numerous applications. PMID:26072734

An economic analysis of four options for dealing with low-volume roads in energy-impacted areas of Texas.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-10-01

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute undertook an economic analysis to compare the costs of : maintaining a typical Texas low-volume road in an energy-impacted area in its current state versus widening : and maintaining the road; converting it to a...

Adaptive Critic Neural Network-Based Terminal Area Energy Management and Approach and Landing Guidance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grantham, Katie

2003-01-01

Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLVs) have different mission requirements than the Space Shuttle, which is used for benchmark guidance design. Therefore, alternative Terminal Area Energy Management (TAEM) and Approach and Landing (A/L) Guidance schemes can be examined in the interest of cost reduction. A neural network based solution for a finite horizon trajectory optimization problem is presented in this paper. In this approach the optimal trajectory of the vehicle is produced by adaptive critic based neural networks, which were trained off-line to maintain a gradual glideslope.

Triboelectric Charging at the Nanostructured Solid/Liquid Interface for Area-Scalable Wave Energy Conversion and Its Use in Corrosion Protection.

PubMed

Zhao, Xue Jiao; Zhu, Guang; Fan, You Jun; Li, Hua Yang; Wang, Zhong Lin

2015-07-28

We report a flexible and area-scalable energy-harvesting technique for converting kinetic wave energy. Triboelectrification as a result of direct interaction between a dynamic wave and a large-area nanostructured solid surface produces an induced current among an array of electrodes. An integration method ensures that the induced current between any pair of electrodes can be constructively added up, which enables significant enhancement in output power and realizes area-scalable integration of electrode arrays. Internal and external factors that affect the electric output are comprehensively discussed. The produced electricity not only drives small electronics but also achieves effective impressed current cathodic protection. This type of thin-film-based device is a potentially practical solution of on-site sustained power supply at either coastal or off-shore sites wherever a dynamic wave is available. Potential applications include corrosion protection, pollution degradation, water desalination, and wireless sensing for marine surveillance.

Developing Methods for Detection of Munitions and Explosives of Concern in Offshore Wind Energy Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DuVal, C.; Trembanis, A. C.; Miller, J. K.; Carton, G.

2016-12-01

Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC) have been acknowledged globally as a topic of concern. Increasing use of coastal and continental shelf environments for renewable energy development and other activities has and continues to place humans in contact with legacy military munitions. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recognized the need to develop guidance concerning methods for MEC detection in the case of offshore energy development. The study was designed to identify the most likely MEC to be encountered in the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Wind Energy Areas (WEA), review available technologies and develop a process for selecting appropriate technologies and methodologies for their detection. The process for selecting and optimizing technologies and methods for detection of MEC in BOEM OCS WEAs was developed and tested through the synthesis of historical research, physical site characterization, remote sensing technology review, and in-field trials. To test the selected approach, designated personnel were tasked with seeding a portion of the Delaware WEA with munitions surrogates, while a second group of researchers not privy to the surrogate locations, tested and optimized the selected methodology. The effectiveness of a methodology will be related to ease of detection and other associated parameters. The approach for the in-field trial consists of a combination of wide-area assessment surveying by vessel mounted 230/550 kHz Edgetech 6205 Phase Measuring sonar and near-seafloor surveying using a Teledyne Gavia autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) equipped with high-resolution 900/1800 kHz Marine Sonics side-scan sonar, Geometrics G880-AUV cesium-vapor magnetometer, and 2 megapixel Point Grey color camera. Survey parameters (e.g. track-line spacing, coverage overlap, AUV altitude) were varied to determine the optimal survey methods, as well as simulate MEC burial to test magnetometer range performance. Preliminary results indicate the

10 CFR 835.501 - Radiological areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Radiological areas. 835.501 Section 835.501 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Entry Control Program § 835.501 Radiological areas. (a.... These authorizations shall specify radiation protection measures commensurate with the existing and...

10 CFR 835.501 - Radiological areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Radiological areas. 835.501 Section 835.501 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Entry Control Program § 835.501 Radiological areas. (a.... These authorizations shall specify radiation protection measures commensurate with the existing and...

10 CFR 835.501 - Radiological areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Radiological areas. 835.501 Section 835.501 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Entry Control Program § 835.501 Radiological areas. (a.... These authorizations shall specify radiation protection measures commensurate with the existing and...

10 CFR 835.501 - Radiological areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Radiological areas. 835.501 Section 835.501 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Entry Control Program § 835.501 Radiological areas. (a.... These authorizations shall specify radiation protection measures commensurate with the existing and...

10 CFR 835.501 - Radiological areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Radiological areas. 835.501 Section 835.501 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Entry Control Program § 835.501 Radiological areas. (a.... These authorizations shall specify radiation protection measures commensurate with the existing and...

DINKEY LAKES ROADLESS AREA, CALIFORNIA.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dodge, F.C.W.; Federspiel, F.E.

1984-01-01

The Dinkey Lakes Roadless Area occupies an area of about 184 sq mi on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, California. The results of a mineral survey show that parts of the area have substantiated resource potential for tungsten and marble and probable resource potential for quartz crystal gemstones. A probable resource potential for geothermal energy exists in one small area. No potential for other metallic mineral or energy resources was identified in this study.

Population structure and the evolution of sexual size dimorphism and sex ratios in an insular population of Florida box turtles (Terrapene carolina bauri)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dodd, C.K.

1997-01-01

Hypotheses in the chelonian literature suggest that in species with sexual size dimorphism, the smaller sex will mature at a smaller size and a younger age than the larger sex, sex ratios should be biased in favor of the earlier maturing sex, and deviations from a 1:1 sex ratio result from maturation of the smaller sex at a younger age. I tested these hypotheses using data collected from 1991 to 1995 on an insular (Egmont Key) population of Florida box turtles, Terrapene carolina bauri. Contrary to predictions, the earlier maturing sex (males) grew to larger sizes than the late maturing sex. Males were significantly larger than females in mean carapace length but not mean body mass. Sex ratios were not balanced, favoring the earlier maturing sex (1.6 males:1 female), but the sex-ratio imbalance did not result from faster maturation of the smaller sex. The imbalance in the sex ratio in Egmont Key's box turtles is not the result of sampling biases; it may result from nest placement. Size-class structure and sex ratios can provide valuable insights into the status and trends of populations of long-lived turtles.

Terrestrial "Islands" in a Changing Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cartwright, J. M.; Wolfe, W. J.

2016-12-01

Terrestrial insular ecosystems—such as rock outcrops, depression wetlands, high-elevation balds, flood-scoured riparian corridors, and insular prairies—occupy a small fraction of land area but constitute an important source of regional and global biodiversity, including concentrations of rare and endemic plant taxa. Maintenance of this biodiversity depends upon regimes of abiotic stress and disturbance, such as soil-surface temperature, extreme hydrologic conditions, fires, flood-scouring, and episodic droughts, all of which may be subject to alteration by climate change. Over several decades, numerous site-specific investigations have yielded important information on the floristics, physical environments, and ecological dynamics of these insular ecosystems, but this literature has generally remained fragmented. Regional and cross-system syntheses are needed to discern larger patterns in the drivers of plant biodiversity in these ecosystems, identify knowledge gaps, and lay the groundwork for climate-change vulnerability analysis. For eight categories of insular ecosystems of the southeastern United States, a synthetic literature review was completed to assess the state-of-the-science concerning (1) physical geography including geologic, topographic, edaphic, hydrologic, and geomorphic context; (2) ecological determinants of community structures including factors regulating successional dynamics and spatial vegetation patterns; (3) contributions of the insular ecosystem to regional and global biodiversity; (4) historic and current anthropogenic threats as well as conservation approaches to mitigate these threats; and (5) key knowledge gaps relevant to conservation, particularly in terms of climate-change effects on biodiversity. From this synthesis, new conceptual models were developed to assess ecosystem-level exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity to climate change and other anthropogenic influences.

Using ecological null models to assess the potential for marine protected area networks to protect biodiversity.

PubMed

Semmens, Brice X; Auster, Peter J; Paddack, Michelle J

2010-01-27

Marine protected area (MPA) networks have been proposed as a principal method for conserving biological diversity, yet patterns of diversity may ultimately complicate or compromise the development of such networks. We show how a series of ecological null models can be applied to assemblage data across sites in order to identify non-random biological patterns likely to influence the effectiveness of MPA network design. We use fish census data from Caribbean fore-reefs as a test system and demonstrate that: 1) site assemblages were nested, such that species found on sites with relatively few species were subsets of those found on sites with relatively many species, 2) species co-occurred across sites more than expected by chance once species-habitat associations were accounted for, and 3) guilds were most evenly represented at the richest sites and richness among all guilds was correlated (i.e., species and trophic diversity were closely linked). These results suggest that the emerging Caribbean marine protected area network will likely be successful at protecting regional diversity even if planning is largely constrained by insular, inventory-based design efforts. By recasting ecological null models as tests of assemblage patterns likely to influence management action, we demonstrate how these classic tools of ecological theory can be brought to bear in applied conservation problems.

Chemical approaches toward graphene-based nanomaterials and their applications in energy-related areas.

PubMed

Luo, Bin; Liu, Shaomin; Zhi, Linjie

2012-03-12

A 'gold rush' has been triggered all over the world for exploiting the possible applications of graphene-based nanomaterials. For this purpose, two important problems have to be solved; one is the preparation of graphene-based nanomaterials with well-defined structures, and the other is the controllable fabrication of these materials into functional devices. This review gives a brief overview of the recent research concerning chemical and thermal approaches toward the production of well-defined graphene-based nanomaterials and their applications in energy-related areas, including solar cells, lithium ion secondary batteries, supercapacitors, and catalysis. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Energy consumption behavior of submersible pumps using in the Barind area of Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haque, M. E.; Islam, M. R.; Masud, M. H.; Ferdous, J.; Haniu, H.

2017-06-01

In this work the ground water level and water pumping for irrigation and drinking purposes in Barind area of Bangladesh have been studied. The depth of ground water level remains under 30ft throughout the year that enforcing the use of submersible pumps in most parts of Barind zone. The Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) and Rajshahi WASA are the major water supplying authority in the Northern Part of Bangladesh by using 14386 and 87 nos of submersible pumps, respectively. An investigation for the values of life cycle cost elements of submersible pumps has also been carried out. The performance of the pumps running in different sites in Barind area were investigated and compared with the lab test results of new pumps. Energy consumption cost is dominating the life cycle cost of the pumps using in Barind region and improper matching of pump standard running conditions and operation/system requirements are the main causes of lower efficiency. It is found that the efficiency of the running pumps is reduced by 20 - 40% than that of lab test results.

Agricultural Energy Practices. Agriculture Energy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crank, Ron

This instructional unit is one of 10 developed by students on various energy-related areas that deals specifically with agricultural energy practices. Its objective is for the student to be able to discuss energy use and conservation of resources in the production of agricultural products. Some topics covered are basic uses of direct energy in…

Resting-State Hyperperfusion of the Supplementary Motor Area in Catatonia

PubMed Central

Schäppi, Lea; Federspiel, Andrea; Bohlhalter, Stephan; Wiest, Roland; Strik, Werner; Stegmayer, Katharina

2017-01-01

Abstract Catatonia is a psychomotor syndrome that not only frequently occurs in the context of schizophrenia but also in other conditions. The neural correlates of catatonia remain unclear due to small-sized studies. We therefore compared resting-state cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and gray matter (GM) density between schizophrenia patients with current catatonia and without catatonia and healthy controls. We included 42 schizophrenia patients and 41 controls. Catatonia was currently present in 15 patients (scoring >2 items on the Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale screening). Patients did not differ in antipsychotic medication or positive symptoms. We acquired whole-brain rCBF using arterial spin labeling and GM density. We compared whole-brain perfusion and GM density over all and between the groups using 1-way ANCOVAs (F and T tests). We found a group effect (F test) of rCBF within bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA), anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, left interior parietal lobe, and cerebellum. T tests indicated 1 cluster (SMA) to be specific to catatonia. Moreover, catatonia of excited and retarded types differed in SMA perfusion. Furthermore, increased catatonia severity was associated with higher perfusion in SMA. Finally, catatonia patients had a distinct pattern of GM density reduction compared to controls with prominent GM loss in frontal and insular cortices. SMA resting-state hyperperfusion is a marker of current catatonia in schizophrenia. This is highly compatible with a dysregulated motor system in catatonia, particularly affecting premotor areas. Moreover, SMA perfusion was differentially altered in retarded and excited catatonia subtypes, arguing for distinct pathobiology. PMID:27729486

Impacts of geothermal energy developments on hydrological environment in hot spring areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taniguchi, M.

2015-12-01

Water-energy nexus such as geothermal energy developments and its impacts on groundwater, river water, and coastal water is one of the key issues for the sustainable society. This is because the demand of both water and energy resources will be increasing in near future, and the tradeoff between both resources and conflict between stakeholders will be arisen. Geothermal power generation, hot springs heat power generation, and steam power generation, are developing in hot spring areas in Ring of Fire countries including Japan, as renewable and sustainable energy. Impacts of the wasted hot water after using hot springs heat and steam power generation on ecosystem in the rivers have been observed in Beppu, Oita prefecture, Japan. The number of the fish species with wasted hot water in the Hirata river is much less than that without wasted hot water in Hiyakawa river although the dominant species of tilapia was found in the Hirata river with wasted hot water. The water temperature in Hirata rive is increased by wasted hot water by 10 degree C. The impacts of the developments of steam power generations on hot spring water and groundwater in downstream are also evaluated in Beppu. The decreases in temperature and volume of the hot spring water and groundwater after the development are concerning. Stakeholder analysis related to hot spa and power generation business and others in Beppu showed common interests in community development among stakeholders and gaps in prerequisite knowledge and recognition of the geothermal resource in terms of economic/non-economic value and utilization as power generation/hot-spring. We screened stakeholders of four categories (hot spring resorts inhabitants, industries, supporters, environmentalists), and set up three communities consisting of 50 persons of the above categories. One remarkable result regarding the pros and cons of geothermal power in general terms was that the supporter count increased greatly while the neutralities count

To remove from the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System the areas included in Indian Peninsula Unit FL-92 and Cape San Blas Unit P-30 in Florida.

THOMAS, 112th Congress

Rep. Southerland, Steve II [R-FL-2

2012-03-07

House - 03/09/2012 Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

To remove from the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System the areas included in Indian Peninsula Unit FL-92 and Cape San Blas Unit P-30 in Florida.

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Rep. Southerland, Steve II [R-FL-2

2013-03-04

House - 03/07/2013 Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

7 CFR 3419.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., INCLUDING TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY, AND AT 1862 LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS IN INSULAR AREAS § 3419.1 Definitions. As...), including Tuskegee University, or a college or university designated under the Act of July 2, 1862 (7 U.S.C...

7 CFR 3419.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., INCLUDING TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY, AND AT 1862 LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS IN INSULAR AREAS § 3419.1 Definitions. As...), including Tuskegee University, or a college or university designated under the Act of July 2, 1862 (7 U.S.C...

Connectivity of Marine Protected Areas and Its Relation with Total Kinetic Energy

PubMed Central

D’Agostini, Andressa; Gherardi, Douglas Francisco Marcolino; Pezzi, Luciano Ponzi

2015-01-01

The East Continental Shelf (ECS) of Brazil is a hotspot of endemism and biodiversity of reef biota in the South Atlantic, hosting a number of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Connectivity of MPAs through larval dispersal influences recruitment, population dynamics, genetic structure and biogeography in coral reef ecosystems. Connectivity of protected reef ecosystem in the ECS was investigated with a hydrodynamic model (ROMS) forcing an Individual Based Model (IBM—Ichthyop), and used groupers (genus Mycteroperca) as functional group. The hydrodynamic output from ROMS was compared with satellite data and showed good agreement with observed surface fields. Eggs were released, in IBM experiments, from April to September along six years (2002–2007) in five MPAs along the ECS. Intrannual variability in recruitment and self-recruitment of grouper larvae was observed, as well as a negative correlation of these population parameters with total Kinetic Energy (KE) used as a metric of the physical environment. Higher KE leads to increased offshore advection of larvae, reduced total recruitment and connectivity of MPAs. Our results indicate high and uni-directional connectivity between MPAs from north to south influenced by the Brazil Current flowing in the same direction. Results also showed that some MPAs act predominantly as “sink” while others are mainly “source” areas. PMID:26448650

Geology and mineral and energy resources, Roswell Resource Area, New Mexico; an interactive computer presentation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tidball, Ronald R.; Bartsch-Winkler, S. B.

1995-01-01

This Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) contains a program illustrating the geology and mineral and energy resources of the Roswell Resource Area, an administrative unit of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in east-central New Mexico. The program enables the user to access information on the geology, geochemistry, geophysics, mining history, metallic and industrial mineral commodities, hydrocarbons, and assessments of the area. The program was created with the display software, SuperCard, version 1.5, by Aldus. The program will run only on a Macintosh personal computer. This CD-ROM was produced in accordance with Macintosh HFS standards. The program was developed on a Macintosh II-series computer with system 7.0.1. The program is a compiled, executable form that is nonproprietary and does not require the presence of the SuperCard software.

Energy efficient fluid powered linear actuator with variable area

DOEpatents

Lind, Randall F.; Love, Lonnie J.

2016-09-13

Hydraulic actuation systems having variable displacements and energy recovery capabilities include cylinders with pistons disposed inside of barrels. When operating in energy consuming modes, high speed valves pressurize extension chambers or retraction chambers to provide enough force to meet or counteract an opposite load force. When operating in energy recovery modes, high speed valves return a working fluid from extension chambers or retraction chambers, which are pressurized by a load, to an accumulator for later use.

A Review of Protocol Implementations and Energy Efficient Cross-Layer Design for Wireless Body Area Networks

PubMed Central

Hughes, Laurie; Wang, Xinheng; Chen, Tao

2012-01-01

The issues inherent in caring for an ever-increasing aged population has been the subject of endless debate and continues to be a hot topic for political discussion. The use of hospital-based facilities for the monitoring of chronic physiological conditions is expensive and ties up key healthcare professionals. The introduction of wireless sensor devices as part of a Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) integrated within an overall eHealth solution could bring a step change in the remote management of patient healthcare. Sensor devices small enough to be placed either inside or on the human body can form a vital part of an overall health monitoring network. An effectively designed energy efficient WBAN should have a minimal impact on the mobility and lifestyle of the patient. WBAN technology can be deployed within a hospital, care home environment or in the patient's own home. This study is a review of the existing research in the area of WBAN technology and in particular protocol adaptation and energy efficient cross-layer design. The research reviews the work carried out across various layers of the protocol stack and highlights how the latest research proposes to resolve the various challenges inherent in remote continual healthcare monitoring. PMID:23202185

Ames Energy: A Consumer's Guide to Energy Conservation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Women's Support Network, Inc., Santa Rosa, CA.

Presented is an annotated bibliography of energy-related materials for the consumer. Materials (which include books, videotape recordings, magazines, pamphlets, and other media) are arranged by subject area. These area include: (1) earth sheltered buildings; (2) fuels; (3) general (including general energy conservation and insulation); (4) heat…

Comparison of volume and surface area nonpolar solvation free energy terms for implicit solvent simulations.

PubMed

Lee, Michael S; Olson, Mark A

2013-07-28

Implicit solvent models for molecular dynamics simulations are often composed of polar and nonpolar terms. Typically, the nonpolar solvation free energy is approximated by the solvent-accessible-surface area times a constant factor. More sophisticated approaches incorporate an estimate of the attractive dispersion forces of the solvent and∕or a solvent-accessible volume cavitation term. In this work, we confirm that a single volume-based nonpolar term most closely fits the dispersion and cavitation forces obtained from benchmark explicit solvent simulations of fixed protein conformations. Next, we incorporated the volume term into molecular dynamics simulations and find the term is not universally suitable for folding up small proteins. We surmise that while mean-field cavitation terms such as volume and SASA often tilt the energy landscape towards native-like folds, they also may sporadically introduce bottlenecks into the folding pathway that hinder the progression towards the native state.

Comparison of volume and surface area nonpolar solvation free energy terms for implicit solvent simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Michael S.; Olson, Mark A.

2013-07-01

Implicit solvent models for molecular dynamics simulations are often composed of polar and nonpolar terms. Typically, the nonpolar solvation free energy is approximated by the solvent-accessible-surface area times a constant factor. More sophisticated approaches incorporate an estimate of the attractive dispersion forces of the solvent and/or a solvent-accessible volume cavitation term. In this work, we confirm that a single volume-based nonpolar term most closely fits the dispersion and cavitation forces obtained from benchmark explicit solvent simulations of fixed protein conformations. Next, we incorporated the volume term into molecular dynamics simulations and find the term is not universally suitable for folding up small proteins. We surmise that while mean-field cavitation terms such as volume and SASA often tilt the energy landscape towards native-like folds, they also may sporadically introduce bottlenecks into the folding pathway that hinder the progression towards the native state.

Developing a Novel Hydrogen Sponge with Ideal Binding Energy and High Surface Area for Practical Hydrogen Storage

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

Chung, T. C. Mike

This Phase I (5 quarters) research project was to examine the validity of a new class of boron-containing polymer (B-polymer) frameworks, serving as the adsorbents for the practical onboard H2 storage applications. Three B-polymer frameworks were synthesized and investigated, which include B-poly(butyenylstyrene) (B-PBS) framework (A), B-poly(phenyldiacetyene) (B-PPDA) framework (B), and B-poly(phenyltriacetylene) (B-PPTA) framework (C). They are 2-D polymer structures with the repeating cyclic units that spontaneously form open morphology and the B-doped (p-type) π-electrons delocalized surfaces. The ideal B-polymer framework shall exhibit open micropores (pore size in the range of 1-1.5nm) with high surface area (>3000 m 2/g), and themore » B-dopants in the conjugated framework shall provide high surface energy for interacting with H 2 molecules (an ideal H 2 binding energy in the range of 15-25 kJ/mol). The pore size distribution and H2 binding energy were investigated at both Penn State and NREL laboratories. So far, the experimental results show the successful synthesis of B-polymer frameworks with the relatively well-defined planar (2-D) structures. The intrinsically formed porous morphology exhibits a broad pore size distribution (in the range of 0.5-10 nm) with specific surface area (~1000 m 2/g). The miss-alignment between 2-D layers may block some micropore channels and limit gas diffusion throughout the entire matrix. In addition, the 2-D planar conjugated structure may also allow free π-electrons delocalization throughout the framework, which significantly reduces the acidity of B-moieties (electron-deficiency).The resulting 2-D B-polymer frameworks only exhibit a small increase of H 2 binding energy in the range of 8-9 KJ/mole (quite constant over the whole sorption range).« less

10 CFR 835.1102 - Control of areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Control of areas. 835.1102 Section 835.1102 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Radioactive Contamination Control § 835.1102 Control of areas. (a) Appropriate controls shall be maintained and verified which prevent the inadvertent...

10 CFR 835.1102 - Control of areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Control of areas. 835.1102 Section 835.1102 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Radioactive Contamination Control § 835.1102 Control of areas. (a) Appropriate controls shall be maintained and verified which prevent the inadvertent...

10 CFR 835.1102 - Control of areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Control of areas. 835.1102 Section 835.1102 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Radioactive Contamination Control § 835.1102 Control of areas. (a) Appropriate controls shall be maintained and verified which prevent the inadvertent...

10 CFR 835.1102 - Control of areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Control of areas. 835.1102 Section 835.1102 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION Radioactive Contamination Control § 835.1102 Control of areas. (a) Appropriate controls shall be maintained and verified which prevent the inadvertent...

10 CFR Appendix A to Subpart A of... - Metropolitan Statistical Areas/Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas With 1980 Populations...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Metropolitan Statistical Areas/Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas With 1980 Populations of 250,000 or more A Appendix A to Subpart A of Part 490 Energy..., Subpt. A, App. A Appendix A to Subpart A of Part 490—Metropolitan Statistical Areas/Consolidated...

Analysis of wind energy potential for agriculture pump in mountain area Aceh Besar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syuhada, Ahmad; Maulana, Muhammad Ilham; Fuadi, Zahrul

2017-06-01

In this study, the potential of wind power for agricultural pump driver in Saree mountainous area of Aceh Besar is analyzed. It is found that the average usable wind speed is 6.41 m/s, which is potential to produce 893.96 Watt of electricity with the wind turbine rotor diameter of 3 m. This energy can be used to drive up to 614 Watt of water pump with static head of 20 m to irrigate 19 hectare of land, 7 hours a day. HOMER analysis indicated the lowest simulated NPC value of USD 10.028 with CoE of USD 0.717 kWh. It is also indicated that the wind has potential to produce 3452 kWh/year with lifetime of 15 years.

Optimal Sizing of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems: An Application for Real Demand in Qatar Remote Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alyafei, Nora

Renewable energy (RE) sources are becoming popular for power generations due to advances in renewable energy technologies and their ability to reduce the problem of global warming. However, their supply varies in availability (as sun and wind) and the required load demand fluctuates. Thus, to overcome the uncertainty issues of RE power sources, they can be combined with storage devices and conventional energy sources in a Hybrid Power Systems (HPS) to satisfy the demand load at any time. Recently, RE systems received high interest to take advantage of their positive benefits such as renewable availability and CO2 emissions reductions. The optimal design of a hybrid renewable energy system is mostly defined by economic criteria, but there are also technical and environmental criteria to be considered to improve decision making. In this study three main renewable sources of the system: photovoltaic arrays (PV), wind turbine generators (WG) and waste boilers (WB) are integrated with diesel generators and batteries to design a hybrid system that supplies the required demand of a remote area in Qatar using heuristic approach. The method utilizes typical year data to calculate hourly output power of PV, WG and WB throughout the year. Then, different combinations of renewable energy sources with battery storage are proposed to match hourly demand during the year. The design which satisfies the desired level of loss of power supply, CO 2 emissions and minimum costs is considered as best design.

Enhancement of Inhibitory Avoidance and Conditioned Taste Aversion Memory With Insular Cortex Infusions of 8-Br-cAMP: Involvement of the Basolateral Amygdala

PubMed Central

Miranda, María I.; McGaugh, James L.

2004-01-01

There is considerable evidence that in rats, the insular cortex (IC) and amygdala are involved in the learning and memory of aversively motivated tasks. The present experiments examined the effects of 8-Br-cAMP, an analog of cAMP, and oxotremorine, a muscarinic agonist, infused into the IC after inhibitory avoidance (IA) training and during the acquisition/consolidation of conditioned taste aversion (CTA). Posttraining infusion into the IC of 0.3 μg oxotremorine and 1.25 μg 8-Br-cAMP enhanced IA retention. Infusions of 8-Br-cAMP, but not oxotremorine, into the IC enhanced taste aversion. The experiments also examined whether noradrenergic activity in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is critical in enabling the enhancement of CTA and IA memory induced by drug infusions administered into the IC. For both CTA and IA, ipsilateral infusions of β-adrenergic antagonist propranolol administered into the BLA blocked the retention-enhancing effect of 8-Br-cAMP or oxotremorine infused into the IC. These results indicate that the IC is involved in the consolidation of memory for both IA and CTA, and this effect requires intact noradrenergic activity into the BLA. These findings provide additional evidence that the BLA interacts with other brain regions, including sensory cortex, in modulating memory consolidation. PMID:15169861

Plasticity in the Interoceptive System.

PubMed

Torrealba, Fernando; Madrid, Carlos; Contreras, Marco; Gómez, Karina

2017-01-01

The most outstanding manifestations of the plastic capacities of brain circuits and their neuronal and synaptic components in the adult CNS are learning and memory. A reduced number of basic plastic mechanisms underlie learning capacities at many levels and regions of the brain. The interoceptive system is no exception, and some of the most studied behavioral changes that involve learning and memory engage the interoceptive pathways at many levels of their anatomical and functional organization.In this chapter, we will review four examples of learning, mostly in rats, where the interoceptive system has a role. In the case of conditioned taste aversion, the interoceptive system is of outstanding importance. In drug addiction, the role of the insular cortex - the highest level of the interoceptive system- is unusual and complex, as many forebrain regions are engaged by the process of addiction. In the third example, neophobia, the gustatory region of the insular cortex plays a major role. Finally, the role of different areas of the insular cortex in different processes of aversive memory, particularly fear conditioning, will be reviewed.

Energy Engineering Analysis Program, limited energy study of steam distribution systems, Hawthorne Army Ammunition Depot, Hawthorne, Nevada. Energy report

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

NONE

1995-07-01

This report summarizes all work of the Limited Energy Study of Steam Distribution Systems, Energy Engineering Analysis Program, Hawthorne Army Ammunition Depot (HWAAD), Nevada. The purpose of this limited energy study is to evaluate steam distribution and condensate collection systems in both the Industrial Area and Ordnance Area of HWAAD to develop a set of replacement actions that will reduce energy consumption and operating costs. These efforts consist of corrections and revisions to previously submitted funding requests. A number of facilities covering over 140,000 acres constitute HWAAD; however, this study was limited to the Industrial and Ordnance Areas.

A Radial Glia Fascicle Leads Principal Neurons from the Pallial-Subpallial Boundary into the Developing Human Insula.

PubMed

González-Arnay, Emilio; González-Gómez, Miriam; Meyer, Gundela

2017-01-01

The human insular lobe, in the depth of the Sylvian fissure, displays three main cytoarchitectonic divisions defined by the differentiation of granular layers II and IV. These comprise a rostro-ventral agranular area, an intermediate dysgranular area, and a dorso-caudal granular area. Immunohistochemistry in human embryos and fetuses using antibodies against PCNA, Vimentin, Nestin, Tbr1, and Tb2 reveals that the insular cortex is unique in that it develops far away from the ventricular zone (VZ), with most of its principal neurons deriving from the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the pallial-subpallial boundary (PSB). In human embryos (Carnegie stage 16/17), the rostro-ventral insula is the first cortical region to develop; its Tbr1+ neurons migrate from the PSB along the lateral cortical stream. From 10 gestational weeks (GW) onward, lateral ventricle, ganglionic eminences, and PSB grow forming a C-shaped curvature. The SVZ of the PSB gives rise to a distinct radial glia fiber fascicle (RGF), which courses lateral to the putamen in the external capsule. In the RGF, four components can be established: PF, descending from the prefrontal PSB to the anterior insula; FP, descending from the fronto-parietal PSB toward the intermediate insula; PT, coursing from the PSB near the parieto-temporal junction to the posterior insula, and T, ascending from the temporal PSB and merging with components FP and PT. The RGF fans out at different dorso-ventral and rostro-caudal levels of the insula, with descending fibers predominating over ascending ones. The RGF guides migrating principal neurons toward the future agranular, dysgranular, and granular insular areas, which show an adult-like definition at 32 GW. Despite the narrow subplate, and the absence of an intermediate zone except in the caudal insula, most insular subdivisions develop into a 6-layered isocortex, possibly due to the well developed outer SVZ at the PSB, which is particularly prominent at the level of the dorso

Resting-State Hyperperfusion of the Supplementary Motor Area in Catatonia.

PubMed

Walther, Sebastian; Schäppi, Lea; Federspiel, Andrea; Bohlhalter, Stephan; Wiest, Roland; Strik, Werner; Stegmayer, Katharina

2017-09-01

Catatonia is a psychomotor syndrome that not only frequently occurs in the context of schizophrenia but also in other conditions. The neural correlates of catatonia remain unclear due to small-sized studies. We therefore compared resting-state cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and gray matter (GM) density between schizophrenia patients with current catatonia and without catatonia and healthy controls. We included 42 schizophrenia patients and 41 controls. Catatonia was currently present in 15 patients (scoring >2 items on the Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale screening). Patients did not differ in antipsychotic medication or positive symptoms. We acquired whole-brain rCBF using arterial spin labeling and GM density. We compared whole-brain perfusion and GM density over all and between the groups using 1-way ANCOVAs (F and T tests). We found a group effect (F test) of rCBF within bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA), anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, left interior parietal lobe, and cerebellum. T tests indicated 1 cluster (SMA) to be specific to catatonia. Moreover, catatonia of excited and retarded types differed in SMA perfusion. Furthermore, increased catatonia severity was associated with higher perfusion in SMA. Finally, catatonia patients had a distinct pattern of GM density reduction compared to controls with prominent GM loss in frontal and insular cortices. SMA resting-state hyperperfusion is a marker of current catatonia in schizophrenia. This is highly compatible with a dysregulated motor system in catatonia, particularly affecting premotor areas. Moreover, SMA perfusion was differentially altered in retarded and excited catatonia subtypes, arguing for distinct pathobiology. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center.

Alternative Energy: A Bay Area Reference Center Workshop. Proceedings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Kay, Ed.; And Others

Presented are proceedings and related documents of a workshop on alternative energy resources which was held in April, 1980. This information is intended to bring reference librarians up to date on alternative energy technologies and available reference materials to which library patrons may be directed. Among the speeches included are those…

Interventions to Reduce Drug Abuse in Pars Special Economic Energy Zone

PubMed Central

Damari, Behzad; Ahmadi Pishkuhi, Mahin; Masoudiasl, Irvan; Bostanmanesh, Golamreza

2015-01-01

Background: South Pars special economic energy zone is the world's second largest gas reservoir that was established two decades ago. High incidence of social harms is observed in this region due to various problems such as drug addiction which is of high prevalence. Objectives: The current study aimed at finding the strategies to prevent drug abuse and formulating policies in the region. Materials and Methods: The research method was a combination of nested type (qualitative-quantitative) and analysis of participated stakeholders’ views. The study was conducted from January 2014 to May 2015 in Bushehr province. Intentional sampling was used in qualitative section. Collected data were classified in 3 areas: recognition, directions, and implementation requirements. Results: Different factors were identified affecting the prevalence of drug addiction. Various prevention and treatment interventions have been conducted in response to drug abuse in the region, though they have been often sectional, insular, inconsistent, and immeasurable in terms of impact. After the study, a combination of compulsory, facilitative, and promotional interventions was proposed to reduce drug abuse by 10% within a strategic 5-year plan. These interventions are based on 3 aspects: people, industry, and governance, which have been announced and approved based on a memorandum of understanding. Conclusions: It is necessary to implement simultaneous national interventions as soon as possible to improve the economic, social, political, technological, international, and environmental conditions. In the current study, unlike the previous attempts, national stakeholders, including ministry of petroleum, ministry of health and medical education, interior ministry, ministry of cooperatives, labor, and social welfare, and Iran drug control headquarters have played active roles. This fact is evident in their formulation of a policy document in the region and action plan after reaching a memorandum of

Memory trace reactivation and behavioral response during retrieval are differentially modulated by amygdalar glutamate receptors activity: interaction between amygdala and insular cortex

PubMed Central

Osorio-Gómez, Daniel; Guzmán-Ramos, Kioko

2017-01-01

The insular cortex (IC) is required for conditioned taste aversion (CTA) retrieval. However, it remains unknown which cortical neurotransmitters levels are modified upon CTA retrieval. Using in vivo microdialysis, we observed that there were clear elevations in extracellular glutamate, norepinephrine, and dopamine in and around the center of the gustatory zone of the IC during CTA retrieval. Additionally, it has been reported that the amygdala–IC interaction is highly involved in CTA memory establishment. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of infusions of an AMPA receptor antagonist (CNQX) and a NMDA receptor antagonist (APV) into the amygdala on CTA retrieval and IC neurotransmitter levels. Infusion of APV into the amygdala impaired glutamate augmentation within the IC, whereas dopamine and norepinephrine levels augmentation persisted and a reliable CTA expression was observed. Conversely, CNQX infusion into the amygdala impaired the aversion response, as well as norepinephrine and dopamine augmentations in the IC. Interestingly, CNQX infusion did not affect glutamate elevation in the IC. To evaluate the functional meaning of neurotransmitters elevations within the IC on CTA response, we infused specific antagonists for the AMPA, NMDA, D1, and β-adrenergic receptor before retrieval. Results showed that activation of AMPA, D1, and β-adrenergic receptors is necessary for CTA expression, whereas NMDA receptors are not involved in the aversion response. PMID:27980072

Changing surface-atmosphere energy exchange and refreezing capacity of the lower accumulation area, West Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charalampidis, C.; van As, D.; Box, J. E.; van den Broeke, M. R.; Colgan, W. T.; Doyle, S. H.; Hubbard, A. L.; MacFerrin, M.; Machguth, H.; Smeets, C. J. P. P.

2015-11-01

We present 5 years (2009-2013) of automatic weather station measurements from the lower accumulation area (1840 m a.s.l. - above sea level) of the Greenland ice sheet in the Kangerlussuaq region. Here, the summers of 2010 and 2012 were both exceptionally warm, but only 2012 resulted in a strongly negative surface mass budget (SMB) and surface meltwater run-off. The observed run-off was due to a large ice fraction in the upper 10 m of firn that prevented meltwater from percolating to available pore volume below. Analysis reveals an anomalously low 2012 summer-averaged albedo of 0.71 (typically ~ 0.78), as meltwater was present at the ice sheet surface. Consequently, during the 2012 melt season, the ice sheet surface absorbed 28 % (213 MJ m-2) more solar radiation than the average of all other years. A surface energy balance model is used to evaluate the seasonal and interannual variability of all surface energy fluxes. The model reproduces the observed melt rates as well as the SMB for each season. A sensitivity analysis reveals that 71 % of the additional solar radiation in 2012 was used for melt, corresponding to 36 % (0.64 m) of the 2012 surface lowering. The remaining 64 % (1.14 m) of surface lowering resulted from high atmospheric temperatures, up to a +2.6 °C daily average, indicating that 2012 would have been a negative SMB year at this site even without the melt-albedo feedback. Longer time series of SMB, regional temperature, and remotely sensed albedo (MODIS) show that 2012 was the first strongly negative SMB year, with the lowest albedo, at this elevation on record. The warm conditions of recent years have resulted in enhanced melt and reduction of the refreezing capacity in the lower accumulation area. If high temperatures continue, the current lower accumulation area will turn into a region with superimposed ice in coming years.

A lightweight security scheme for wireless body area networks: design, energy evaluation and proposed microprocessor design.

PubMed

Selimis, Georgios; Huang, Li; Massé, Fabien; Tsekoura, Ioanna; Ashouei, Maryam; Catthoor, Francky; Huisken, Jos; Stuyt, Jan; Dolmans, Guido; Penders, Julien; De Groot, Harmke

2011-10-01

In order for wireless body area networks to meet widespread adoption, a number of security implications must be explored to promote and maintain fundamental medical ethical principles and social expectations. As a result, integration of security functionality to sensor nodes is required. Integrating security functionality to a wireless sensor node increases the size of the stored software program in program memory, the required time that the sensor's microprocessor needs to process the data and the wireless network traffic which is exchanged among sensors. This security overhead has dominant impact on the energy dissipation which is strongly related to the lifetime of the sensor, a critical aspect in wireless sensor network (WSN) technology. Strict definition of the security functionality, complete hardware model (microprocessor and radio), WBAN topology and the structure of the medium access control (MAC) frame are required for an accurate estimation of the energy that security introduces into the WBAN. In this work, we define a lightweight security scheme for WBAN, we estimate the additional energy consumption that the security scheme introduces to WBAN based on commercial available off-the-shelf hardware components (microprocessor and radio), the network topology and the MAC frame. Furthermore, we propose a new microcontroller design in order to reduce the energy consumption of the system. Experimental results and comparisons with other works are given.

Year-round spatiotemporal distribution of harbour porpoises within and around the Maryland wind energy area

PubMed Central

O’Brien, Michael; Lyubchich, Vyacheslav; Roberts, Jason J.; Halpin, Patrick N.; Rice, Aaron N.; Bailey, Helen

2017-01-01

Offshore windfarms provide renewable energy, but activities during the construction phase can affect marine mammals. To understand how the construction of an offshore windfarm in the Maryland Wind Energy Area (WEA) off Maryland, USA, might impact harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), it is essential to determine their poorly understood year-round distribution. Although habitat-based models can help predict the occurrence of species in areas with limited or no sampling, they require validation to determine the accuracy of the predictions. Incorporating more than 18 months of harbour porpoise detection data from passive acoustic monitoring, generalized auto-regressive moving average and generalized additive models were used to investigate harbour porpoise occurrence within and around the Maryland WEA in relation to temporal and environmental variables. Acoustic detection metrics were compared to habitat-based density estimates derived from aerial and boat-based sightings to validate the model predictions. Harbour porpoises occurred significantly more frequently during January to May, and foraged significantly more often in the evenings to early mornings at sites within and outside the Maryland WEA. Harbour porpoise occurrence peaked at sea surface temperatures of 5°C and chlorophyll a concentrations of 4.5 to 7.4 mg m-3. The acoustic detections were significantly correlated with the predicted densities, except at the most inshore site. This study provides insight into previously unknown fine-scale spatial and temporal patterns in distribution of harbour porpoises offshore of Maryland. The results can be used to help inform future monitoring and mitigate the impacts of windfarm construction and other human activities. PMID:28467455

Year-round spatiotemporal distribution of harbour porpoises within and around the Maryland wind energy area.

PubMed

Wingfield, Jessica E; O'Brien, Michael; Lyubchich, Vyacheslav; Roberts, Jason J; Halpin, Patrick N; Rice, Aaron N; Bailey, Helen

2017-01-01

Offshore windfarms provide renewable energy, but activities during the construction phase can affect marine mammals. To understand how the construction of an offshore windfarm in the Maryland Wind Energy Area (WEA) off Maryland, USA, might impact harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), it is essential to determine their poorly understood year-round distribution. Although habitat-based models can help predict the occurrence of species in areas with limited or no sampling, they require validation to determine the accuracy of the predictions. Incorporating more than 18 months of harbour porpoise detection data from passive acoustic monitoring, generalized auto-regressive moving average and generalized additive models were used to investigate harbour porpoise occurrence within and around the Maryland WEA in relation to temporal and environmental variables. Acoustic detection metrics were compared to habitat-based density estimates derived from aerial and boat-based sightings to validate the model predictions. Harbour porpoises occurred significantly more frequently during January to May, and foraged significantly more often in the evenings to early mornings at sites within and outside the Maryland WEA. Harbour porpoise occurrence peaked at sea surface temperatures of 5°C and chlorophyll a concentrations of 4.5 to 7.4 mg m-3. The acoustic detections were significantly correlated with the predicted densities, except at the most inshore site. This study provides insight into previously unknown fine-scale spatial and temporal patterns in distribution of harbour porpoises offshore of Maryland. The results can be used to help inform future monitoring and mitigate the impacts of windfarm construction and other human activities.

Rapid and repeated origin of insular gigantism and dwarfism in Australian tiger snakes.

PubMed

Keogh, J Scott; Scott, Ian A W; Hayes, Christine

2005-01-01

It is a well-known phenomenon that islands can support populations of gigantic or dwarf forms of mainland conspecifics, but the variety of explanatory hypotheses for this phenomenon have been difficult to disentangle. The highly venomous Australian tiger snakes (genus Notechis) represent a well-known and extreme example of insular body size variation. They are of special interest because there are multiple populations of dwarfs and giants and the age of the islands and thus the age of the tiger snake populations are known from detailed sea level studies. Most are 5000-7000 years old and all are less than 10,000 years old. Here we discriminate between two competing hypotheses with a molecular phylogeography dataset comprising approximately 4800 bp of mtDNA and demonstrate that populations of island dwarfs and giants have evolved five times independently. In each case the closest relatives of the giant or dwarf populations are mainland tiger snakes, and in four of the five cases, the closest relatives are also the most geographically proximate mainland tiger snakes. Moreover, these body size shifts have evolved extremely rapidly and this is reflected in the genetic divergence between island body size variants and mainland snakes. Within south eastern Australia, where populations of island giants, populations of island dwarfs, and mainland tiger snakes all occur, the maximum genetic divergence is only 0.38%. Dwarf tiger snakes are restricted to prey items that are much smaller than the prey items of mainland tiger snakes and giant tiger snakes are restricted to seasonally available prey items that are up three times larger than the prey items of mainland tiger snakes. We support the hypotheses that these body size shifts are due to strong selection imposed by the size of available prey items, rather than shared evolutionary history, and our results are consistent with the notion that adaptive plasticity also has played an important role in body size shifts. We suggest

10 CFR 1303.103 - Public reading area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Public reading area. 1303.103 Section 1303.103 Energy NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD PUBLIC INFORMATION AND REQUESTS § 1303.103 Public reading area. (a) A... policy adopted by the Board. (3) Board reports to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of Energy. (4...

10 CFR 1303.103 - Public reading area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Public reading area. 1303.103 Section 1303.103 Energy NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD PUBLIC INFORMATION AND REQUESTS § 1303.103 Public reading area. (a) A... policy adopted by the Board. (3) Board reports to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of Energy. (4...

10 CFR 1303.103 - Public reading area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Public reading area. 1303.103 Section 1303.103 Energy NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD PUBLIC INFORMATION AND REQUESTS § 1303.103 Public reading area. (a) A... policy adopted by the Board. (3) Board reports to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of Energy. (4...

10 CFR 1303.103 - Public reading area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Public reading area. 1303.103 Section 1303.103 Energy NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD PUBLIC INFORMATION AND REQUESTS § 1303.103 Public reading area. (a) A... policy adopted by the Board. (3) Board reports to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of Energy. (4...

STRAWBERRY CRATER ROADLESS AREAS, ARIZONA.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wolfe, Edward W.; Light, Thomas D.

1984-01-01

The results of a mineral survey conducted in the Strawberry Crater Roadless Areas, Arizona, indicate little promise for the occurrence of metallic mineral or fossil fuel resources in the area. The area contains deposits of cinder, useful for the production of aggregate block, and for deposits of decorative stone; however, similar deposits occur in great abundance throughout the San Francisco volcanic field outside the roadless areas. There is a possibility that the Strawberry Crater Roadless Areas may overlie part of a crustal magma chamber or still warm pluton related to the San Francisco Mountain stratovolcano or to basaltic vents of late Pleistocene or Holocene age. Such a magma chamber or pluton beneath the Strawberry Crater Roadless Areas might be an energy source from which a hot-, dry-rock geothermal energy system could be developed, and a probable geothermal resource potential is therefore assigned to these areas. 9 refs.

Applications of large-area nanopatterning to energy generation and storage devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mills, Eric N.

This dissertation encompasses the creation and testing of nanostructured, electrochemically-active energy generation and storage devices, and development of the associated fabrication techniques. The fabricated devices include nanopatterned, plasmonically-active, TiO2+Au thin films for Photocatalytic Water Splitting (PCW), TiO2-based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) incorporating nanopatterned, plasmonically-active metallic front electrodes, and Si nanopillar anodes for Li-ion batteries. Techniques were also developed for encapsulation and removal of wet-etched Si nanowires from their mother substrates. TiO2 was the first material to be widely used for PCW. Its use is hampered by its large bandgap (~3.2eV), and poor recombination lifetimes. Au nanoparticles (NPs) have been previously used to improve recombination lifetimes in TiO2 by separating photogenerated carriers near the NP edges, and to increase photocurrents by injecting plasmonically-excited hot electrons into the TiO2 conduction band. Using nanostructured TiO 2+Au electrodes, we aim to increase the PCW efficiency of TiO2 -based electrodes. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) employ visible-absorbing dyes anchored to a high-surface-area semiconducting scaffold. The front transparent conducting electrode (TCE) is typically ITO, a scarce and expensive material. We aim to increase the efficiency of thin-film DSSCs and eliminate the use of ITO by using a metallic subwavelength array (MESH) of nanoholes as the front TCE. Silicon holds promise as a high-capacity anode material for Li-ion batteries, as it can store ~10x the Li of graphite, the current leading anode material (3569 vs. 372 mAh/g). However, Si undergoes dramatic (>300%) volume expansion upon "lithiation", pulverizing any structure with non-nanoscopic dimensions (>250nm). We created large-area arrays of "nanopillars" with sub-100nm diameters, using roll-to-roll-compatible flexible-mold NIL on commercially-available metal substrates. Ordered

Economic viability of phytoremediation of a cadmium contaminated agricultural area using energy maize. Part I: effect on the farmer's income.

PubMed

Thewys, T; Witters, N; Van Slycken, S; Ruttens, A; Meers, E; Tack, F M G; Vangronsveld, J

2010-09-01

This paper deals with the economic viability of using energy maize as a phytoremediation crop in a vast agricultural area moderately contaminated with metals. The acceptance of phytoremediation as a remediation technology is, besides the extraction rate, determined by its profitability, being the effects it has on the income of the farmer whose land is contaminated. This income can be supported by producing renewable energy through anaerobic digestion of energy maize, a crop that takes up only relatively low amounts of metals, but that can be valorised as a feedstock for energy production. The effect on the income per hectare of growing energy maize instead of fodder maize seems positive, given the most likely values of variables and while keeping the basic income stable, originating from dairy cattle farming activities. We propose growing energy maize aiming at risk-reduction, and generating an alternative income for farmers, yet in the long run also generating a gradual reduction of the pollution levels. In this way, remediation is demoted to a secondary objective with sustainable risk-based land use as primary objective.

CANNIBAL PLATEAU ROADLESS AREA AND POWDERHORN WILDERNESS STUDY AREA, COLORADO.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sharp, William N.; Lane, M.E.

1984-01-01

The Cannibal Plateau Roadless Area and the adjoining Powderhorn Wilderness study area are on the Gunnison-Hinsdale County boundary, approximately 50 mi southwest of Gunnison and a few miles east of Lake City. Part of the area has been known as the Powderhorn Primitive Area. The mineral-resource potential involved a basic geologic study, a geophysical survey, and a geochemical survey. No mining districts exist within the two areas, but the Lake City mining district adjoins the Cannibal Plateau Roadless Area at the southwest edge. The mineral-resource survey indicates that the southwest part of the Cannibal Plateau Roadless Area has probable mineral-resource potential, for gold, silver, and molybdenum. There is little promise for the occurrence of mineral and energy resources for the remainder of the areas.

Effect of electrode contact area on the information content of the recorded electrogastrograms: An analysis based on Rényi entropy and Teager-Kaiser Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alagumariappan, Paramasivam; Krishnamurthy, Kamalanand; Kandiah, Sundravadivelu; Ponnuswamy, Mannar Jawahar

2017-06-01

Electrogastrograms (EGG) are electrical signals originating from the digestive system, which are closely correlated with its mechanical activity. Electrogastrography is an efficient non-invasive method for examining the physiological and pathological states of the human digestive system. There are several factors such as fat conductivity, abdominal thickness, change in electrode surface area etc, which affects the quality of the recorded EGG signals. In this work, the effect of variations in the contact area of surface electrodes on the information content of the measured electrogastrograms is analyzed using Rényi entropy and Teager-Kaiser Energy (TKE). Two different circular cutaneous electrodes with approximate contact areas of 201.14 mm2 and 283.64 mm2, have been adopted and EGG signals were acquired using the standard three electrode protocol. Further, the information content of the measured EGG signals were analyzed using the computed values of entropy and energy. Results demonstrate that the information content of the measured EGG signals increases by 6.72% for an increase in the contact area of the surface electrode by 29.09%. Further, it was observed that the average energy increases with increase in the contact surface area. This work appears to be of high clinical significance since the accurate measurement of EGG signals without loss in its information content, is highly useful for the design of diagnostic assistance tools for automated diagnosis and mass screening of digestive disorders.

Necessary, yet dissociable contributions of the insular and ventromedial prefrontal cortices to norm adaptation: computational and lesion evidence in humans.

PubMed

Gu, Xiaosi; Wang, Xingchao; Hula, Andreas; Wang, Shiwei; Xu, Shuai; Lohrenz, Terry M; Knight, Robert T; Gao, Zhixian; Dayan, Peter; Montague, P Read

2015-01-14

Social norms and their enforcement are fundamental to human societies. The ability to detect deviations from norms and to adapt to norms in a changing environment is therefore important to individuals' normal social functioning. Previous neuroimaging studies have highlighted the involvement of the insular and ventromedial prefrontal (vmPFC) cortices in representing norms. However, the necessity and dissociability of their involvement remain unclear. Using model-based computational modeling and neuropsychological lesion approaches, we examined the contributions of the insula and vmPFC to norm adaptation in seven human patients with focal insula lesions and six patients with focal vmPFC lesions, in comparison with forty neurologically intact controls and six brain-damaged controls. There were three computational signals of interest as participants played a fairness game (ultimatum game): sensitivity to the fairness of offers, sensitivity to deviations from expected norms, and the speed at which people adapt to norms. Significant group differences were assessed using bootstrapping methods. Patients with insula lesions displayed abnormally low adaptation speed to norms, yet detected norm violations with greater sensitivity than controls. Patients with vmPFC lesions did not have such abnormalities, but displayed reduced sensitivity to fairness and were more likely to accept the most unfair offers. These findings provide compelling computational and lesion evidence supporting the necessary, yet dissociable roles of the insula and vmPFC in norm adaptation in humans: the insula is critical for learning to adapt when reality deviates from norm expectations, and that the vmPFC is important for valuation of fairness during social exchange. Copyright © 2015 Gu et al.

Necessary, Yet Dissociable Contributions of the Insular and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortices to Norm Adaptation: Computational and Lesion Evidence in Humans

PubMed Central

Gu, Xiaosi; Wang, Xingchao; Hula, Andreas; Wang, Shiwei; Xu, Shuai; Lohrenz, Terry M.; Knight, Robert T.; Gao, Zhixian; Dayan, Peter

2015-01-01

Social norms and their enforcement are fundamental to human societies. The ability to detect deviations from norms and to adapt to norms in a changing environment is therefore important to individuals' normal social functioning. Previous neuroimaging studies have highlighted the involvement of the insular and ventromedial prefrontal (vmPFC) cortices in representing norms. However, the necessity and dissociability of their involvement remain unclear. Using model-based computational modeling and neuropsychological lesion approaches, we examined the contributions of the insula and vmPFC to norm adaptation in seven human patients with focal insula lesions and six patients with focal vmPFC lesions, in comparison with forty neurologically intact controls and six brain-damaged controls. There were three computational signals of interest as participants played a fairness game (ultimatum game): sensitivity to the fairness of offers, sensitivity to deviations from expected norms, and the speed at which people adapt to norms. Significant group differences were assessed using bootstrapping methods. Patients with insula lesions displayed abnormally low adaptation speed to norms, yet detected norm violations with greater sensitivity than controls. Patients with vmPFC lesions did not have such abnormalities, but displayed reduced sensitivity to fairness and were more likely to accept the most unfair offers. These findings provide compelling computational and lesion evidence supporting the necessary, yet dissociable roles of the insula and vmPFC in norm adaptation in humans: the insula is critical for learning to adapt when reality deviates from norm expectations, and that the vmPFC is important for valuation of fairness during social exchange. PMID:25589742

44 CFR 304.4 - Allocations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Allocations. 304.4 Section 304.4 Emergency Management and Assistance FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PREPAREDNESS CONSOLIDATED GRANTS TO INSULAR AREAS § 304.4 Allocations. For each Federal fiscal...

44 CFR 304.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Definitions. 304.2 Section 304.2 Emergency Management and Assistance FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PREPAREDNESS CONSOLIDATED GRANTS TO INSULAR AREAS § 304.2 Definitions. Except as otherwise stated...

PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ sources at an insular location in the western Mediterranean by using source apportionment techniques.

PubMed

Pey, Jorge; Alastuey, Andrés; Querol, Xavier

2013-07-01

PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ chemical composition has been determined at a suburban insular site in the Balearic Islands (Spain) during almost one and a half year. As a result, 200 samples with more than 50 chemical parameters analyzed have been obtained. The whole database has been analyzed by two receptor modelling techniques (Principal Component Analysis and Positive Matrix Factorisation) in order to identify the main PM sources. After that, regression analyses with respect to the PM mass concentrations were conducted to quantify the daily contributions of each source. Four common sources were identified by both receptor models: secondary nitrate coupled with vehicular emissions, secondary sulphate influenced by fuel-oil combustion, aged marine aerosols and mineral dust. In addition, PCA isolated harbour emissions and a mixed anthropogenic factor containing industrial emissions; whereas PMF isolated an additional mineral factor interpreted as road dust+harbour emissions, and a vehicular abrasion products factor. The use of both methodologies appeared complementary. Nevertheless, PMF sources by themselves were better differentiated. Besides these receptor models, a specific methodology to quantify African dust was also applied. The combination of these three source apportionment tools allowed the identification of 8 sources, being 4 of them mineral (African, regional, urban and harbour dusts). As a summary, 29% of PM₁₀ was attributed to natural sources (African dust, regional dust and sea spray), whereas the proportion diminished to 11% in PM₂.₅. Furthermore, the secondary sulphate source, which accounted for about 22 and 32% of PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅, is strongly linked to the aged polluted air masses residing over the western Mediterranean in the warm period. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Decontamination & decommissioning focus area

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

NONE

1996-08-01

In January 1994, the US Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (DOE EM) formally introduced its new approach to managing DOE`s environmental research and technology development activities. The goal of the new approach is to conduct research and development in critical areas of interest to DOE, utilizing the best talent in the Department and in the national science community. To facilitate this solutions-oriented approach, the Office of Science and Technology (EM-50, formerly the Office of Technology Development) formed five Focus AReas to stimulate the required basic research, development, and demonstration efforts to seek new, innovative cleanup methods. In Februarymore » 1995, EM-50 selected the DOE Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC) to lead implementation of one of these Focus Areas: the Decontamination and Decommissioning (D & D) Focus Area.« less

Energy conservation investment program FY95 limited energy study for the area `a` package boiler Holston Army Ammunition Plant Kingsport, Tennessee. Final report

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

NONE

1995-11-03

In March 1995, Affiliated Engineers SE, Inc. (AESE) was retained by the Mobile District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform a Limited Energy Study for Holston Army Ammunition Plant, Kingsport, Tennessee. The field survey of existing conditions was completed in May 1995. The results of this field survey were subsequently tabulated and used to generate single line building drawings on Autocad. This report summarizes the results obtained from this field investigation and the analysis of various alternative Energy Conservation Opportunities (ECO`s). To develop the field data into various alternative ECO concepts or models, we utilized an `Excel` spreadsheet tomore » tabulate and compare energy consumption, installation and operating costs for various ECO`s. These ECO`s were then analyzed for suitability for the Energy Conservation Investment Program (ECIP) using the government`s software package called Life Cycle Cost in Design (LCCID). The Scope of Work developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave the following tasks: (1) Perform a field survey to gather information on existing operating conditions and equipment at Hoiston Army Ammunition Plant, Area `A`. (2) Perform a field survey to gather information on existing boilers laid away at Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. (3) Provide a list of suggested ECO`s. (4) Analyze ECO`s using the LCCID program. (5) Perform savings to investment ratio (SIR) calculation. (6) Rank ECO`s per SIR`s. (7) Provide information on study assumptions and document equations used in calculations. (8) Perform Life Cycle Cost Analysis. (9) Perform Synergism Analysis. (10) Calculate Energy/Cost Ratios. (11) Calculate Benefit/Cost Ratios. (12) Provide documentation in the form of Project Development Brochures (PDB`s) and DD Form 139« less

Strawberry Crater Roadless Areas, Arizona

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

Wolfe, E.W.; Light, T.D.

1984-01-01

The results of a mineral survey conducted in 1980 in the Strawberry Crater Roadless Areas, Arizona, indicate little promise for the occurrence of metallic mineral or fossil fuel resources in the area. The area contains deposits of cinder, useful for the production of aggregate block, and for deposits of decorative stone; however, similar deposits occur in great abundance throughout the San Francisco volcanic field outside the roadless areas. There is a possibility that the Strawberry Crater Roadless Areas may overlie part of a crustal magma chamber or still warm pluton related to the San Francisco Mountain stratovolcano or to basalticmore » vents of late Pleistocene or Holocene age. Such a magma chamber or pluton beneath the Strawberry Crater Roadless Areas might be an energy source from which a hot-, dry-rock geothermal energy system could be developed, and a probable geothermal resource potential is therefore assigned to these areas.« less

Turning soil survey data into digital soil maps in the Energy Region Eger Research Model Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pásztor, László; Dobos, Anna; Kürti, Lívia; Takács, Katalin; Laborczi, Annamária

2015-04-01

Agria-Innoregion Knowledge Centre of the Eszterházy Károly College has carried out targeted basic researches in the field of renewable energy sources and climate change in the framework of TÁMOP-4.2.2.A-11/1/KONV project. The project has covered certain issues, which require the specific knowledge of the soil cover; for example: (i) investigation of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of natural and landscape resources; (ii) determination of local amount and characteristics of renewable energy sources; (iii) natural/environmental risk analysis by surveying the risk factors. The Energy Region Eger Research Model Area consists of 23 villages and is located in North-Hungary, at the Western part of Bükkalja. Bükkalja is a pediment surface with erosional valleys and dense river network. The diverse morphology of this area results diversity in soil types and soil properties as well. There was large-scale (1:10,000 and 1:25,000 scale) soil mappings in this area in the 1960's and 1970's which provided soil maps, but with reduced spatial coverage and not with fully functional thematics. To achive the recent tasks (like planning suitable/optimal land-use system, estimating biomass production and development of agricultural and ecomonic systems in terms of sustainable regional development) new survey was planned and carried out by the staff of the College. To map the soils in the study area 10 to 22 soil profiles were uncovered per settlement in 2013 and 2014. Field work was carried out according to the FAO Guidelines for Soil Description and WRB soil classification system was used for naming soils. According to the general goal of soil mapping the survey data had to be spatially extended to regionalize the collected thematic local knowledge related to soil cover. Firstly three thematic maps were compiled by digital soil mapping methods: thickness of topsoil, genetic soil type and rate of surface erosion. High resolution digital elevation model, Earth

Energy Control Systems: Energy Savings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

School Business Affairs, 1980

1980-01-01

The installation of proper control systems is estimated as saving up to 25 percent of the energy used in schools. Other potential energy-saving areas are transmission (heat loss or gain through walls, especially ceilings); internal load (heat from students, lights, and machinery); ventilation; and equipment maintenance. (Author/MLF)

Highly Enhanced Electromechanical Stability of Large-Area Graphene with Increased Interfacial Adhesion Energy by Electrothermal-Direct Transfer for Transparent Electrodes.

PubMed

Kim, Jangheon; Kim, Gi Gyu; Kim, Soohyun; Jung, Wonsuk

2016-09-07

Graphene, a two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms in a hexagonal lattice structure, has been extensively investigated for research and industrial applications as a promising material with outstanding electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties. To fabricate graphene-based devices, graphene transfer to the target substrate with a clean and minimally defective surface is the first step. However, graphene transfer technologies require improvement in terms of uniform transfer with a clean, nonfolded and nontorn area, amount of defects, and electromechanical reliability of the transferred graphene. More specifically, uniform transfer of a large area is a key challenge when graphene is repetitively transferred onto pretransferred layers because the adhesion energy between graphene layers is too low to ensure uniform transfer, although uniform multilayers of graphene have exhibited enhanced electrical and optical properties. In this work, we developed a newly suggested electrothermal-direct (ETD) transfer method for large-area high quality monolayer graphene with less defects and an absence of folding or tearing of the area at the surface. This method delivers uniform multilayer transfer of graphene by repetitive monolayer transfer steps based on high adhesion energy between graphene layers and the target substrate. To investigate the highly enhanced electromechanical stability, we conducted mechanical elastic bending experiments and reliability tests in a highly humid environment. This ETD-transferred graphene is expected to replace commercial transparent electrodes with ETD graphene-based transparent electrodes and devices such as a touch panels with outstanding electromechanical stability.

Make Energy at the Bay Area Maker Faire

ScienceCinema

None

2018-01-16

Think. Make. Innovate. A festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness that gathers makers of all kinds. Scientists are seeking to find innovative solutions to the energy challenges in the world.

Seasonal Variability in Calorimetric Energy Content of Two Caribbean Mesophotic Corals

PubMed Central

Brandtneris, Viktor W.; Brandt, Marilyn E.; Glynn, Peter W.; Gyory, Joanna; Smith, Tyler B.

2016-01-01

Energetic responses of zooxanthellate reef corals along depth gradients have relevance to the refugia potential of mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs). Previous observations suggested that MCEs in the Caribbean are thermally buffered during the warmest parts of the year and occur within or just below the chlorophyll maximum, suggesting abundant trophic resources. However, it is not known if mesophotic corals can maintain constant energy needs throughout the year with changing environmental and biological conditions. The energetic content of tissues from the stony coral species Orbicella faveolata and Agaricia lamarcki was measured on the southern insular shelf of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands (USVI), using micro-bomb calorimetry. Three sites for each species, at depths of 6m, 25m, 38m and 63m, were selected to capture energetic differences across the major vertical range extent of both species in the USVI—and sampled over five periods from April 2013 to April 2014. Mesophotic colonies of O. faveolata exhibited a significant reduction in energetic content during the month of September 2013 compared to mid-depth and shallow colonies (p = 0.032), whereas A. lamarcki experienced similar energetic variability, but with a significant reduction in energy content that occurred in July 2013 for colonies at sites deeper than 25m (p = 0.014). The results of calorimetric analyses indicate that O. faveolata may be at risk during late summer stress events, possibly due to the timing of reproductive activities. The low-point of A. lamarcki energy content, which may also coincide with reproduction, occurs prior to seasonal stress events, indicating contrasting, species-specific responses to environmental variability on MCEs. PMID:27050430

47 CFR 54.101 - Supported services for rural, insular and high cost areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) Dual tone multi-frequency signaling or its functional equivalent. “Dual tone multi-frequency” (DTMF) is a method of signaling that facilitates the transportation of signaling through the network... systems; (6) Access to operator services. “Access to operator services” is defined as access to any...

47 CFR 54.101 - Supported services for rural, insular and high cost areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) Dual tone multi-frequency signaling or its functional equivalent. “Dual tone multi-frequency” (DTMF) is... information (ANI), which enables the PSAP to call back if the call is disconnected, and automatic location information (ALI), which permits emergency service providers to identify the geographic location of the...

Groundwater level responses to precipitation variability in Mediterranean insular aquifers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenzo-Lacruz, Jorge; Garcia, Celso; Morán-Tejeda, Enrique

2017-09-01

Groundwater is one of the largest and most important sources of fresh water on many regions under Mediterranean climate conditions, which are exposed to large precipitation variability that includes frequent meteorological drought episodes, and present high evapotranspiration rates and water demand during the dry season. The dependence on groundwater increases in those areas with predominant permeable lithologies, contributing to aquifer recharge and the abundance of ephemeral streams. The increasing pressure of tourism on water resources in many Mediterranean coastal areas, and uncertainty related to future precipitation and water availability, make it urgent to understand the spatio-temporal response of groundwater bodies to precipitation variability, if sustainable use of the resource is to be achieved. We present an assessment of the response of aquifers to precipitation variability based on correlations between the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) at various time scales and the Standardized Groundwater Index (SGI) across a Mediterranean island. We detected three main responses of aquifers to accumulated precipitation anomalies: (i) at short time scales of the SPI (<6 months); (ii) at medium time scales (6-24 months); and at long time scales (>24 months). The differing responses were mainly explained by differences in lithology and the percentage of highly permeable rock strata in the aquifer recharge areas. We also identified differences in the months and seasons when aquifer storages are more dependent on precipitation; these were related to climate seasonality and the degree of aquifer exploitation or underground water extraction. The recharge of some aquifers, especially in mountainous areas, is related to precipitation variability within a limited spatial extent, whereas for aquifers located in the plains, precipitation variability influence much larger areas; the topography and geological structure of the island explain these differences. Results

7 CFR 755.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... freight, ocean freight, and land freight of chemicals, feed, fertilizer, fuel, seeds, plants, supplies, equipment parts, and other inputs as determined by FSA. Insular area means the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico... America, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and...

7 CFR 755.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... freight, ocean freight, and land freight of chemicals, feed, fertilizer, fuel, seeds, plants, supplies, equipment parts, and other inputs as determined by FSA. Insular area means the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico... America, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and...

7 CFR 755.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... freight, ocean freight, and land freight of chemicals, feed, fertilizer, fuel, seeds, plants, supplies, equipment parts, and other inputs as determined by FSA. Insular area means the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico... America, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and...

Thermal and hydrodynamic studies for micro-channel cooling for large area silicon sensors in high energy physics experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flaschel, Nils; Ariza, Dario; Díez, Sergio; Gerboles, Marta; Gregor, Ingrid-Maria; Jorda, Xavier; Mas, Roser; Quirion, David; Tackmann, Kerstin; Ullan, Miguel

2017-08-01

Micro-channel cooling initially aiming at small-sized high-power integrated circuits is being transferred to the field of high energy physics. Today's prospects of micro-fabricating silicon opens a door to a more direct cooling of detector modules. The challenge in high energy physics is to save material in the detector construction and to cool large areas. In this paper, we are investigating micro-channel cooling as a candidate for a future cooling system for silicon detectors in a generic research and development approach. The work presented in this paper includes the production and the hydrodynamic and thermal testing of a micro-channel equipped prototype optimized to achieve a homogeneous flow distribution. Furthermore, the device was simulated using finite element methods.

To determine the feasibility of additional agreements for long-term use of existing or expanded non-Federal storage and conveyance facilities to augment Federal water supply, ecosystem, and operational flexibility benefits in certain areas, and for other purposes.

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Rep. Miller, George [D-CA-11

2014-04-10

House - 04/16/2014 Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Hydrogeological Report, Lajes Field, Azores, Portugal

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-02-01

fractured volcanic rocks and has groundwater levels near sea level. 2. Numerous discontinuous perched aquifers that occur in areas where precipitation...insular region that includes also the archipelagos of Madeira, Selvagens, Canary, and Cape Verde Islands. Terceira Island is built by tree volcanic ...area are predominantly typical Andosols. These volcanic soils are characterized by a high permeability up to 70 percent in some cases (Faria, 1974

Critical areas: Satellite power systems concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

Critical Areas are defined and discussed in the various areas pertinent to satellite power systems. The presentation is grouped into five areas (General, Space Systems, Solar Energy Conversion, Microwave Systems, and Environment/Ecology) with a sixth area (Power Relay) considered separately in an appendix. Areas for Future Consideration as critical areas are discussed in a second appendix.

Area deficits and the Bel–Robinson tensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobson, Ted; Senovilla, José M. M.; Speranza, Antony J.

2018-04-01

The first law of causal diamonds relates the area deficit of a small ball relative to flat space to the matter energy density it contains. At second order in the Riemann normal coordinate expansion, this energy density should receive contributions from the gravitational field itself. In this work, we study the second-order area deficit of the ball in the absence of matter and analyze its relation to possible notions of gravitational energy. In the small ball limit, a reasonable expectation for any proposed gravitational energy functional is that it evaluate to the Bel–Robinson energy density W in vacuum spacetimes. A direct calculation of the area deficit reveals a result that is not simply proportional to W. We discuss how the deviation from W is related to ambiguities in defining the shape of the ball in curved space, and provide several proposals for fixing these shape ambiguities.

Compact, high energy gas laser

DOEpatents

Rockwood, Stephen D.; Stapleton, Robert E.; Stratton, Thomas F.

1976-08-03

An electrically pumped gas laser amplifier unit having a disc-like configuration in which light propagation is radially outward from the axis rather than along the axis. The input optical energy is distributed over a much smaller area than the output optical energy, i.e., the amplified beam, while still preserving the simplicity of parallel electrodes for pumping the laser medium. The system may thus be driven by a comparatively low optical energy input, while at the same time, owing to the large output area, large energies may be extracted while maintaining the energy per unit area below the threshold of gas breakdown.

MOUNT SHASTA WILDERNESS STUDY AREA, CALIFORNIA.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Christiansen, Robert L.; Tuchek, Ernest T.

1984-01-01

The Mount Shasta Wilderness lies wholly on the slopes and summit area of Mount Shasta and consists almost entirely of the products of geologically young volcanism. Small deposits of volcanic cinders and pumice are present. The volcanic system of Mount Shasta is judged to have probable resource potential for geothermal energy but that potential is least within the wilderness study area boundaries. Because any geothermal energy resource beneath the volcano would lie at considerable depths, exploration or development would be most likely at lower altitudes on the gentler slopes outside the study area.

Incentive memory: evidence the basolateral amygdala encodes and the insular cortex retrieves outcome values to guide choice between goal-directed actions.

PubMed

Parkes, Shauna L; Balleine, Bernard W

2013-05-15

Choice between goal-directed actions is determined by the relative value of their consequences. Such values are encoded during incentive learning and later retrieved to guide performance. Although the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the gustatory region of insular cortex (IC) have been implicated in these processes, their relative contribution is still a matter of debate. Here we assessed whether these structures interact during incentive learning and retrieval to guide choice. In these experiments, rats were trained on two actions for distinct outcomes after which one of the two outcomes was devalued by specific satiety immediately before a choice extinction test. We first confirmed that, relative to appropriate controls, outcome devaluation recruited both the BLA and IC based on activation of the immediate early gene Arc; however, we found that infusion of the NMDAr antagonist ifenprodil into the BLA only abolished outcome devaluation when given before devaluation. In contrast, ifenprodil infusion into the IC was effective whether made before devaluation or test. We hypothesized that the BLA encodes and the IC retrieves incentive value for choice and, to test this, developed a novel sequential disconnection procedure. Blocking NMDAr activation unilaterally in the BLA before devaluation and then contralaterally in the IC before test abolished selective devaluation. In contrast, reversing the order of these infusions left devaluation intact. These results confirm that the BLA and IC form a circuit mediating the encoding and retrieval of outcome values, with the BLA encoding and the IC retrieving such values to guide choice.

24 CFR 570.911 - Reduction, withdrawal, or adjustment of a grant or other appropriate action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban Development (Continued) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR COMMUNITY... this section, the recipient shall be notified of such proposed action and given an opportunity within a... Hawaii, and Insular Areas grants. Consistent with the procedures described in § 570.900(b), the Secretary...

44 CFR 304.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Purpose. 304.1 Section 304.1 Emergency Management and Assistance FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PREPAREDNESS CONSOLIDATED GRANTS TO INSULAR AREAS § 304.1 Purpose. The purpose of the regulations in this part...

24 CFR 570.421 - New York Small Cities Program design.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false New York Small Cities Program... HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY FACILITIES COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS Small Cities, Non-Entitlement CDBG Grants in Hawaii and Insular Areas Programs § 570.421 New York Small Cities Program design...

24 CFR 92.61 - Program description.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Development HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM Allocation Formula Insular Areas Program § 92.61 Program... occupied) and, for tenant assistance, number of households to be assisted; (3) A timetable for the... use other forms of investment not described in § 92.205(b), a description of the other forms of...

24 CFR 92.61 - Program description.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Development HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM Allocation Formula Insular Areas Program § 92.61 Program... occupied) and, for tenant assistance, number of households to be assisted; (3) A timetable for the... use other forms of investment not described in § 92.205(b), a description of the other forms of...

24 CFR 92.65 - Funding sanctions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Funding sanctions. 92.65 Section 92.65 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM Allocation Formula Insular Areas Program § 92.65 Funding sanctions...

24 CFR 92.65 - Funding sanctions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Funding sanctions. 92.65 Section 92.65 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM Allocation Formula Insular Areas Program § 92.65 Funding sanctions...

24 CFR 92.65 - Funding sanctions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Funding sanctions. 92.65 Section 92.65 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM Allocation Formula Insular Areas Program § 92.65 Funding sanctions...