The last SPR dinner awards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsurutani, Bruce

1992-03-01

Because the Solar-Planetary Relationships section of AGU has officially changed its name to Space Physics and Aeronomy (SPA), the December 10, 1991, section dinner award ceremony at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco was the last of the series. Presumably an SPA dinner award series will be started under President-elect Andy Nagy.We have followed our tradition of recognizing the special talents of section members at the annual dinner. This year we had eight awardees. These awards are given in fun and are intended to be humorous. The selection committee defining the awards (the awards are changed regularly to keep people from trying to win one) and selecting the awardees will have to remain anonymous. (The committee is similar to Skull and Bones, but we are politically correct in that we allow women as members.)

The Last 40 Years in Finnish Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tirri, Kirsi

2014-01-01

This article sets out to identify and discuss the changes that have taken place in Finnish teacher education during the last 40 years (1974-2014). A brief history of teacher education in Finland is presented, followed by the goals and aims of current research-based teacher education in Finland. Finally, the major changes in Finnish teacher…

[Survey of the use of long-lasting expanding gases in ophthalmology in Japan].

PubMed

Sakamoto, Taiji; Hida, Tetsuo; Tano, Yasuo; Negi, Akira; Takeuchi, Shinobu; Ishibashi, Tatsuro; Inoue, Yoshitsugu; Ohguro, Nobuyuki; Okada, Annabelle Ayame

2008-01-01

To survey the use of long-lasting expanding gases in ophthalmology in Japan. A questionnaire was sent to 1,236 teaching hospitals approved by the Japanese Ophthalmological Society requesting information regarding indications, methods, efficacy and complications related to the use of long-lasting expanding gases administered from January through December 2005. Four-hundred and fifty-nine hospitals responded to the survey (response rate 37.1%). A total of 174,221 ophthalmic surgeries were performed during the survey period, with long-lasting expanding gases used in 19,816 of cases (11.4%). The surgical procedure was vitrectomy in 89.6% of cases in which gas was administered. The most frequent indication for gas use was rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, for which SF6 was the preferred gas. Industrial use gas was utilized in 76.1% of cases, while 22.4% of cases received medical use gas. Increase in intraocular pressure was the most common complication of intraocular gas tamponade (3121 cases, 15.7%), followed by cataract formation. Ninety-eight percent of ophthalmologists responding supported the use of long-lasting expanding gases with vitrectomy, 85% with scleral buckling procedures, and 84% with surgery to remove subretinal hemorrhage. The consensus was that substantial deterioration of surgical results would occur if long-lasting expanding gases could not be used. Long-lasting expanding gases are being widely administered in ophthalmology in Japan, and appear to have good efficacy for a variety of indications. Several complications related to the use of these gases were reported, however the rates of complications were low.

A Window into Longer Lasting Batteries

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

None

2016-11-29

There’s a new tool in the push to engineer rechargeable batteries that last longer and charge more quickly. An X-ray microscopy technique recently developed at Berkeley Lab has given scientists the ability to image nanoscale changes inside lithium-ion battery particles as they charge and discharge. The real-time images provide a new way to learn how batteries work, and how to improve them. The method was developed at Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, by a team of researchers from the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Berkeley Lab, Stanford University, and other institutions.

Trials of Improved Practices (TIPs): A Strategy for Making Long-Lasting Nets Last Longer?

PubMed Central

Harvey, Steven A.; Paredes Olórtegui, Maribel; Leontsini, Elli; Ramal Asayag, César; Scott, Kerry; Winch, Peter J.

2013-01-01

Long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN) use is a proven malaria prevention method. Mass distribution has greatly expanded LLIN access in sub-Saharan Africa, but a gap remains between LLIN ownership and use. Furthermore, LLINs wear out more quickly than anticipated. This paper suggests a participatory research strategy—trials of improved practices (TIPs)—that could identify locally appropriate approaches to prolonging net life and increasing effective use. We used TIPs to overcome barriers to optimal net use in the Peruvian Amazon. Working with 15 families in three villages, we tested home treatment of cotton nets, use of an alternative netting fabric, and alternative washing and care instructions. TIPs helped confirm feasibility of these interventions. Although our findings are time- and context-specific, TIPs could help improve consistency and effectiveness of current LLIN use and prolong net lifespan in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere. This would help maximize the value of shrinking donor resources for malaria. PMID:23530074

Leaf and root glucosinolate profiles of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis) as a systemic response to methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid elicitation.

PubMed

Zang, Yun-xiang; Ge, Jia-li; Huang, Ling-hui; Gao, Fei; Lv, Xi-shan; Zheng, Wei-wei; Hong, Seung-beom; Zhu, Zhu-jun

2015-08-01

Glucosinolates (GSs) are an important group of defensive phytochemicals mainly found in Brassicaceae. Plant hormones jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) are major regulators of plant response to pathogen attack. However, there is little information about the interactive effect of both elicitors on inducing GS biosynthesis in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis). In this study, we applied different concentrations of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and/or SA onto the leaf and root of Chinese cabbage to investigate the time-course interactive profiles of GSs. Regardless of the site of the elicitation and the concentrations of the elicitors, the roots accumulated much more GSs and were more sensitive and more rapidly responsive to the elicitors than leaves. Irrespective of the elicitation site, MeJA had a greater inducing and longer lasting effect on GS accumulation than SA. All three components of indole GS (IGS) were detected along with aliphatic and aromatic GSs. However, IGS was a major component of total GSs that accumulated rapidly in both root and leaf tissues in response to MeJA and SA elicitation. Neoglucobrassicin (neoGBC) did not respond to SA but to MeJA in leaf tissue, while it responded to both SA and MeJA in root tissue. Conversion of glucobrassicin (GBC) to neoGBC occurred at a steady rate over 3 d of elicitation. Increased accumulation of 4-methoxy glucobrassicin (4-MGBC) occurred only in the root irrespective of the type of elicitors and the site of elicitation. Thus, accumulation of IGS is a major metabolic hallmark of SA- and MeJA-mediated systemic response systems. SA exerted an antagonistic effect on the MeJA-induced root GSs irrespective of the site of elicitation. However, SA showed synergistic and antagonistic effects on the MeJA-induced leaf GSs when roots and leaves are elicitated for 3 d, respectively.

Last Days of Life (PDQ®)—Health Professional Version

Cancer.gov

The last days of life in cancer involves managing end-of-life (EOL) care issues for a wide range of possible symptoms and ethical dilemmas. Get detailed information about EOL issues and the role of the oncologist in this clinician summary.

Adolescent ethanol exposure: does it produce long-lasting electrophysiological effects?

PubMed

Ehlers, Cindy L; Criado, José R

2010-02-01

This review discusses evidence for long-lasting neurophysiological changes that may occur following exposure to ethanol during adolescent development in animal models. Adolescence is the time that most individuals first experience ethanol exposure, and binge drinking is not uncommon during adolescence. If alcohol exposure is neurotoxic to the developing brain during adolescence, not unlike it is during fetal development, then understanding how ethanol affects the developing adolescent brain becomes a major public health issue. Adolescence is a critical time period when cognitive, emotional, and social maturation occurs and it is likely that ethanol exposure may affect these complex processes. To study the effects of ethanol on adolescent brain, animal models where the dose and time of exposure can be carefully controlled that closely mimic the human condition are needed. The studies reviewed provide evidence that demonstrates that relatively brief exposure to high levels of ethanol, via ethanol vapors, during a period corresponding to parts of adolescence in the rat is sufficient to cause long-lasting changes in functional brain activity. Disturbances in waking electroencephalogram and a reduction in the P3 component of the event-related potential (ERP) have been demonstrated in adult rats that were exposed to ethanol vapor during adolescence. Adolescent ethanol exposure was also found to produce long-lasting reductions in the mean duration of slow-wave sleep (SWS) episodes and the total amount of time spent in SWS, a finding consistent with a premature aging of sleep. Further studies are necessary to confirm these findings, in a range of strains, and to link those findings to the neuroanatomical and neurochemical mechanisms potentially underlying the lasting effects of adolescent ethanol exposure. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

CAD system for footwear design based on whole real 3D data of last surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Wanzhong; Su, Xianyu

2000-10-01

Two major parts of application of CAD in footwear design are studied: the development of last surface; computer-aided design of planar shoe-template. A new quasi-experiential development algorithm of last surface based on triangulation approximation is presented. This development algorithm consumes less time and does not need any interactive operation for precisely development compared with other development algorithm of last surface. Based on this algorithm, a software, SHOEMAKERTM, which contains computer aided automatic measurement, automatic development of last surface and computer aide design of shoe-template has been developed.

Last Advances in Silicon-Based Optical Biosensors.

PubMed

Fernández Gavela, Adrián; Grajales García, Daniel; Ramirez, Jhonattan C; Lechuga, Laura M

2016-02-24

We review the most important achievements published in the last five years in the field of silicon-based optical biosensors. We focus specially on label-free optical biosensors and their implementation into lab-on-a-chip platforms, with an emphasis on developments demonstrating the capability of the devices for real bioanalytical applications. We report on novel transducers and materials, improvements of existing transducers, new and improved biofunctionalization procedures as well as the prospects for near future commercialization of these technologies.

Last Advances in Silicon-Based Optical Biosensors

PubMed Central

Fernández Gavela, Adrián; Grajales García, Daniel; Ramirez, Jhonattan C.; Lechuga, Laura M.

2016-01-01

We review the most important achievements published in the last five years in the field of silicon-based optical biosensors. We focus specially on label-free optical biosensors and their implementation into lab-on-a-chip platforms, with an emphasis on developments demonstrating the capability of the devices for real bioanalytical applications. We report on novel transducers and materials, improvements of existing transducers, new and improved biofunctionalization procedures as well as the prospects for near future commercialization of these technologies. PMID:26927105

Socioeconomic status and morbidity in the last years of life.

PubMed Central

Liao, Y; McGee, D L; Kaufman, J S; Cao, G; Cooper, R S

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the effect of socioeconomic status, as characterized by level of education, on morbidity and disability in the last years of life. METHODS: The analysis used data from the National Health Interview Survey (1986-1990), with mortality follow-up through December 1991. RESULTS: Among 10,932 decedents 50 years or older at baseline interview, educational attainment was inversely associated with long-term limitation of activity, number of chronic conditions, number of bed days, and days of short hospital stay during the year preceding the interview. CONCLUSIONS: Decedents with higher socioeconomic status experienced lower morbidity and disability and better quality of life even in their last years of life. PMID:10191805

Citrus leprosis virus C Infection Results in Hypersensitive-Like Response, Suppression of the JA/ET Plant Defense Pathway and Promotion of the Colonization of Its Mite Vector

PubMed Central

Arena, Gabriella D.; Ramos-González, Pedro L.; Nunes, Maria A.; Ribeiro-Alves, Marcelo; Camargo, Luis E. A.; Kitajima, Elliot W.; Machado, Marcos A.; Freitas-Astúa, Juliana

2016-01-01

Leprosis is a serious disease of citrus caused by Citrus leprosis virus C (CiLV-C, genus Cilevirus) whose transmission is mediated by false spider mites of the genus Brevipalpus. CiLV-C infection does not systemically spread in any of its known host plants, thus remaining restricted to local lesions around the feeding sites of viruliferous mites. To get insight into this unusual pathosystem, we evaluated the expression profiles of genes involved in defense mechanisms of Arabidopsis thaliana and Citrus sinensis upon infestation with non-viruliferous and viruliferous mites by using reverse-transcription qPCR. These results were analyzed together with the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the appearance of dead cells as assessed by histochemical assays. After interaction with non-viruliferous mites, plants locally accumulated ROS and triggered the salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonate/ethylene (JA/ET) pathways. ERF branch of the JA/ET pathways was highly activated. In contrast, JA pathway genes were markedly suppressed upon the CiLV-C infection mediated by viruliferous mites. Viral infection also intensified the ROS burst and cell death, and enhanced the expression of genes involved in the RNA silencing mechanism and SA pathway. After 13 days of infestation of two sets of Arabidopsis plants with non-viruliferous and viruliferous mites, the number of mites in the CiLV-C infected Arabidopsis plants was significantly higher than in those infested with the non-viruliferous ones. Oviposition of the viruliferous mites occurred preferentially in the CiLV-C infected leaves. Based on these results, we postulated the first model of plant/Brevipalpus mite/cilevirus interaction in which cells surrounding the feeding sites of viruliferous mites typify the outcome of a hypersensitive-like response, whereas viral infection induces changes in the behavior of its vector. PMID:27933078

[The listening doctor; appropriate care in the last phase of life].

PubMed

Molenaar, Jan C

2015-01-01

In his report 'Everything that can be done should not necessarily be done. Appropriate care in the last phase of life', the chairman of the steering committee of the Royal Dutch Medical Association says: 'I wish that doctors would listen to their patients.' This wish sets the tone of the report, which signals overtreatment in patients' last years of life and advocates a more restrained approach by doctors in this phase. The message is, however, that for this to take place a complete U-turn in modern medical thinking and management is needed.

[Reimbursed health expenditures during the last year of life, in France, in the year 2008].

PubMed

Ricci, P; Mezzarobba, M; Blotière, P O; Polton, D

2013-02-01

To measure the reimbursed health expenditures in the last year of life and the proportion it represents in total reimbursement costs in 2008, to analyse the structure of such expenditures and to identify costs by cause of death. Data were obtained from the French national insurance information system (SNIIRAM). Data from the national hospital discharge database were linked to the outpatient reimbursement database for patients covered by the general health insurance scheme (n=49 million persons). The cost of the last year of life was calculated for the exhaustive population (361,328 deaths in 2008). The supposed cause of death was mainly derived from the primary diagnosis of the last hospital stay during which the patient died. The average reimbursed expenses during the last year of life were estimated at 22,000 € per person in 2008, with 12,500 € accounting for public hospital costs. Reimbursed health expenditures varied according to different medical causes of death: 52,300 € for HIV disease and about 40,000 € for tumors. A negative effect of age on the expenditure during the last year of life was observed. Health care spending increased with shorter time before death, the last month of life corresponding to 28% of reimbursed expenditures during the last year of life. Health care use in the last year of life represented 10.5% of the total health expenditures in 2008. This study found results similar to those observed in the past or in other countries. Our results show in particular that the weight of health expenditures during the last year of life on total health expenditures remains stable over the years. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Mineralogy of the last lunar basalts: Results from Clementine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Staid, M.I.; Pieters, C.M.

2001-01-01

The last major phase of lunar volcanism produced extensive high-titanium mare deposits on the western nearside which remain unsampled by landing missions. The visible and near-infrared reflectance properties of these basalts are examined using Clementine multispectral images to better constrain their mineralogy. A much stronger 1 ??m ferrous absorption was observed for the western high-titanium basalts than within earlier maria, suggesting that these last major mare eruptions also may have been the most iron-rich. These western basalts also have a distinctly long-wavelength, 1 ??m ferrous absorption which was found to be similar for both surface soils and materials excavated from depth, supporting the interpretation of abundant olivine within these deposits. Spectral variation along flows within the Imbrium basin also suggests variations in ilmenite content along previously mapped lava flows as well as increasing olivine content within subsequent eruptions. Copyright 2001 by the American Geophysical Union.

Arctic sea ice variability during the last deglaciation: a biomarker approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Müller, J.; Stein, R. H.

2014-12-01

The last transition from full glacial to current interglacial conditions was accompanied by distinct short-term climate fluctuations caused by changes in the global ocean circulation system. Most palaeoceanographic studies focus on the documentation of the behaviour of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) during the last deglaciation in response to freshwater forcing events. In this respect, the role of Arctic sea ice remained relatively unconsidered - primarily because of the difficulty of its reconstruction. Here we present new proxy data on late glacial (including the Last Glacial Maximum; LGM) and deglacial sea ice variability in the Arctic Ocean and its main gateway - the Fram Strait - and how these changes in sea ice coverage contributed to AMOC perturbations observed during Heinrich Event 1 and the Younger Dryas. Recurrent short-term advances and retreats of sea ice in Fram Strait, prior and during the LGM, are in line with a variable (or intermittent) North Atlantic heat flow along the eastern corridor of the Nordic Seas. Possibly in direct response to the initial freshwater discharge from melting continental ice-sheets, a permanent sea ice cover established only at about 19 ka BP (i.e. post-LGM) and lasted until 17.6 ka BP, when an abrupt break-up of this thick ice cover and a sudden discharge of huge amounts of sea ice and icebergs through Fram Strait coincided with the weakening of the AMOC during Heinrich Event 1. Similarly, another sea ice maximum at about 12.8 ka BP is associated with the slowdown of the AMOC during the Younger Dryas. The new data sets clearly highlight the important role of Arctic sea ice for the re-organisation of the oceanographic setting in the North Atlantic during the last deglaciation. Further studies and sensitivity experiments to identify crucial driving (and feedback) mechanisms within the High Latitude ice-ocean-atmosphere system will contribute the understanding of rapid climate changes.

Spastic long-lasting reflexes in the awake rat after sacral spinal cord injury.

PubMed

Bennett, D J; Sanelli, L; Cooke, C L; Harvey, P J; Gorassini, M A

2004-05-01

Following chronic sacral spinal cord transection in rats the affected tail muscles exhibit marked spasticity, with characteristic long-lasting tail spasms evoked by mild stimulation. The purpose of the present paper was to characterize the long-lasting reflex seen in tail muscles in response to electrical stimulation of the tail nerves in the awake spastic rat, including its development with time and relation to spasticity. Before and after sacral spinal transection, surface electrodes were placed on the tail for electrical stimulation of the caudal nerve trunk (mixed nerve) and for recording EMG from segmental tail muscles. In normal and acute spinal rats caudal nerve trunk stimulation evoked little or no EMG reflex. By 2 wk after injury, the same stimulation evoked long-lasting reflexes that were 1) very low threshold, 2) evoked from rest without prior EMG activity, 3) of polysynaptic latency with >6 ms central delay, 4) about 2 s long, and 5) enhanced by repeated stimulation (windup). These reflexes produced powerful whole tail contractions (spasms) and developed gradually over the weeks after the injury (< or =52 wk tested), in close parallel to the development of spasticity. Pure low-threshold cutaneous stimulation, from electrical stimulation of the tip of the tail, also evoked long-lasting spastic reflexes, not seen in acute spinal or normal rats. In acute spinal rats a strong C-fiber stimulation of the tip of the tail (20 x T) could evoke a weak EMG response lasting about 1 s. Interestingly, when this C-fiber stimulation was used as a conditioning stimulation to depolarize the motoneuron pool in acute spinal rats, a subsequent low-threshold stimulation of the caudal nerve trunk evoked a 300-500 ms long reflex, similar to the onset of the long-lasting reflex in chronic spinal rats. A similar conditioned reflex was not seen in normal rats. Thus there is an unusually long low-threshold polysynaptic input to the motoneurons (pEPSP) that is normally inhibited by

Strong and deep Atlantic meridional overturning circulation during the last glacial cycle.

PubMed

Böhm, E; Lippold, J; Gutjahr, M; Frank, M; Blaser, P; Antz, B; Fohlmeister, J; Frank, N; Andersen, M B; Deininger, M

2015-01-01

Extreme, abrupt Northern Hemisphere climate oscillations during the last glacial cycle (140,000 years ago to present) were modulated by changes in ocean circulation and atmospheric forcing. However, the variability of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), which has a role in controlling heat transport from low to high latitudes and in ocean CO2 storage, is still poorly constrained beyond the Last Glacial Maximum. Here we show that a deep and vigorous overturning circulation mode has persisted for most of the last glacial cycle, dominating ocean circulation in the Atlantic, whereas a shallower glacial mode with southern-sourced waters filling the deep western North Atlantic prevailed during glacial maxima. Our results are based on a reconstruction of both the strength and the direction of the AMOC during the last glacial cycle from a highly resolved marine sedimentary record in the deep western North Atlantic. Parallel measurements of two independent chemical water tracers (the isotope ratios of (231)Pa/(230)Th and (143)Nd/(144)Nd), which are not directly affected by changes in the global cycle, reveal consistent responses of the AMOC during the last two glacial terminations. Any significant deviations from this configuration, resulting in slowdowns of the AMOC, were restricted to centennial-scale excursions during catastrophic iceberg discharges of the Heinrich stadials. Severe and multicentennial weakening of North Atlantic Deep Water formation occurred only during Heinrich stadials close to glacial maxima with increased ice coverage, probably as a result of increased fresh-water input. In contrast, the AMOC was relatively insensitive to submillennial meltwater pulses during warmer climate states, and an active AMOC prevailed during Dansgaard-Oeschger interstadials (Greenland warm periods).

Arctic Ocean sea ice cover during the penultimate glacial and the last interglacial.

PubMed

Stein, Ruediger; Fahl, Kirsten; Gierz, Paul; Niessen, Frank; Lohmann, Gerrit

2017-08-29

Coinciding with global warming, Arctic sea ice has rapidly decreased during the last four decades and climate scenarios suggest that sea ice may completely disappear during summer within the next about 50-100 years. Here we produce Arctic sea ice biomarker proxy records for the penultimate glacial (Marine Isotope Stage 6) and the subsequent last interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage 5e). The latter is a time interval when the high latitudes were significantly warmer than today. We document that even under such warmer climate conditions, sea ice existed in the central Arctic Ocean during summer, whereas sea ice was significantly reduced along the Barents Sea continental margin influenced by Atlantic Water inflow. Our proxy reconstruction of the last interglacial sea ice cover is supported by climate simulations, although some proxy data/model inconsistencies still exist. During late Marine Isotope Stage 6, polynya-type conditions occurred off the major ice sheets along the northern Barents and East Siberian continental margins, contradicting a giant Marine Isotope Stage 6 ice shelf that covered the entire Arctic Ocean.Coinciding with global warming, Arctic sea ice has rapidly decreased during the last four decades. Here, using biomarker records, the authors show that permanent sea ice was still present in the central Arctic Ocean during the last interglacial, when high latitudes were warmer than present.

Last hired, first fired? Black-white unemployment and the business cycle.

PubMed

Couch, Kenneth A; Fairlie, Robert

2010-02-01

Studies have tested the claim that blacks are the last hired during periods of economic growth and the first fired in recessions by examining the movement of relative unemployment rates over the business cycle. Any conclusion drawn from this type of analysis must be viewed as tentative because cyclical movements in the underlying transitions into and out of unemployment are not examined. Using Current Population Survey data matched across adjacent months from 1989-2004, this article provides the first detailed examination of labor market transitions for prime-age black and white men to test the last hired, first fired hypothesis. Considerable evidence is presented that blacks are the first fired as the business cycle weakens. However no evidence is found that blacks are the last hired. Instead, blacks appear to be initially hired from the ranks of the unemployed early in the business cycle and later are drawn from nonparticipation. The narrowing of the racial unemployment gap near the peak of the business cycle is driven by a reduction in the rate of job loss for blacks rather than increases in hiring.

Hydrological and climate changes in southeast Siberia over the last 33 kyr

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katsuta, Nagayoshi; Ikeda, Hisashi; Shibata, Kenji; Saito-Kokubu, Yoko; Murakami, Takuma; Tani, Yukinori; Takano, Masao; Nakamura, Toshio; Tanaka, Atsushi; Naito, Sayuri; Ochiai, Shinya; Shichi, Koji; Kawakami, Shin-ichi; Kawai, Takayoshi

2018-05-01

Paleoenvironmental and paleoclimate changes in intracontinental Siberia were reconstructed by continuous, high-resolution records (biogenic silica, U, total organic carbon and N, total S, and grain size) from a sediment core retrieved from the Buguldeika Saddle, Lake Baikal, dating back to the last 33 cal. ka BP. The Holocene climate was wet relative to the last glacial period. The climate became gradually warm and wet from the early to middle Holocene, followed by a shift at ca. 6.5 cal. ka BP toward warm and dry, possibly because of evapotranspiration. This suggests that the climate system transition from the glacial to interglacial state occurred at that time. In the last glacial, the deposition of carbonate mud from the Primorsky Range was associated with Heinrich events (H3 and H1) and the Selenga River inflow during the Last Glacial Maximum was caused by meltwater of mountain glaciers in the Khamar-Daban Range. The anoxic bottom-water during the Allerød-Younger Dryas was probably a result of weakened ventilation associated with reduced Selenga River inflow and microbial decomposition of organic matters originating from moderate input of nutrients from the Primorsky Range. The rapid decline in precipitation during the early Holocene may have been a response to the 8.2 ka cooling event.

Breakup of last glacial deep stratification in the South Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basak, Chandranath; Fröllje, Henning; Lamy, Frank; Gersonde, Rainer; Benz, Verena; Anderson, Robert F.; Molina-Kescher, Mario; Pahnke, Katharina

2018-02-01

Stratification of the deep Southern Ocean during the Last Glacial Maximum is thought to have facilitated carbon storage and subsequent release during the deglaciation as stratification broke down, contributing to atmospheric CO2 rise. Here, we present neodymium isotope evidence from deep to abyssal waters in the South Pacific that confirms stratification of the deepwater column during the Last Glacial Maximum. The results indicate a glacial northward expansion of Ross Sea Bottom Water and a Southern Hemisphere climate trigger for the deglacial breakup of deep stratification. It highlights the important role of abyssal waters in sustaining a deep glacial carbon reservoir and Southern Hemisphere climate change as a prerequisite for the destabilization of the water column and hence the deglacial release of sequestered CO2 through upwelling.

Last interglacial climates

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kukla, G.J.; Bender, M.L.; de Beaulieu, J. -L.; Bond, G.; Broecker, W.S.; Cleveringa, P.; Gavin, J.E.; Herbert, T.D.; Imbrie, J.; Jouzel, J.; Keigwin, L.D.; Knudsen, K.-L.; McManus, J.F.; Merkt, J.; Muhs, D.R.; Muller, H.; Poore, R.Z.; Porter, S.C.; Seret, G.; Shackleton, N.J.; Turner, C.; Tzedakis, P.C.; Winograd, I.J.

2002-01-01

The last interglacial, commonly understood as an interval with climate as warm or warmer than today, is represented by marine isotope stage (MIS) 5e, which is a proxy record of low global ice volume and high sea level. It is arbitrarily dated to begin at approximately 130,000 yr B.P. and end at 116,000 yr B.P. with the onset of the early glacial unit MIS 5d. The age of the stage is determined by correlation to uranium-thorium dates of raised coral reefs. The most detailed proxy record of interglacial climate is found in the Vostok ice core where the temperature reached current levels 132,000 yr ago and continued rising for another two millennia. Approximately 127,000 yr ago the Eemian mixed forests were established in Europe. They developed through a characteristic succession of tree species, probably surviving well into the early glacial stage in southern parts of Europe. After ca. 115,000 yr ago, open vegetation replaced forests in northwestern Europe and the proportion of conifers increased significantly farther south. Air temperature at Vostok dropped sharply. Pulses of cold water affected the northern North Atlantic already in late MIS 5e, but the central North Atlantic remained warm throughout most of MIS 5d. Model results show that the sea surface in the eastern tropical Pacific warmed when the ice grew and sea level dropped. The essentially interglacial conditions in southwestern Europe remained unaffected by ice buildup until late MIS 5d when the forests disappeared abruptly and cold water invaded the central North Atlantic ca. 107,000 yr ago. ?? 2002 University of Washington.

Women authorship in radiology research in France: An analysis of the last three decades.

PubMed

Pyatigorskaya, N; Di Marco, L

2017-11-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the evolution of women authorship in France and to analyze the recent trends of the evolution of gender differences in French academic radiology. A retrospective bibliometric analysis was performed by searching for articles published in Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging (Diagn Interv Imaging) and in Journal de Radiologie (J Radiol) in Pubmed over the last three decades. For each of these articles, we determined the gender of the first and last author. The specific radiological field of each article was also determined. The proportion of women authors has significantly increased from 12% in 1984 to 34% in 2014 (P<0.0001) for the first authors and from 11% (11/96) in 1984 to 20% (38/193) in 2014 for last authors (P =0.03). Women authorship in Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging has increased over the last years together with the proportion of women first authors. However, the fraction of women last authors is still underrepresented. More women need to become leaders in radiological research to contribute to stimulate women authorship. Copyright © 2017 Éditions françaises de radiologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The Iceman's last weeks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spindler, Konrad

1994-06-01

The author presents the archaeological, botanical and anatomical of medical evidence relating to the events of the last few days of the Iceman's life. The unfinished arrows and the half-completed bow indicate that he had lost his weapons and was in the process of re-arming himself. The quiver and the two primed arrows show clear signs of damage that has been proved to originate from before entombment in the ice of Hauslabjoch. An intravital series of fractured ribs and atrophic changes to the humerus on the same side of the body are also indicative of a violent conflict. The presence of threshing and winnowing fragments proves that, shortly before his death, the Iceman spent some time in a human settlement in which the grain crop was threshed. The theory is therefore proposed that shortly before his death the Iceman suffered some personal catastrophe involving damage to his possessions and physical injury. He fled in the direction of the inner Ötz Valley, a region of high alpine pastures he may have been familiar with from summer transhumance. Just beyond the ridge of the main Alpine chain he was caught by a sudden fall in temperature and snowfall, which he did not survive.

The imprints of the last jets in core collapse supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bear, Ealeal; Grichener, Aldana; Soker, Noam

2017-12-01

We analyse the morphologies of three core collapse supernova remnants (CCSNRs) and the energy of jets in other CCSNRs and in Super Luminous Supernovae (SLSNe) of type Ib/Ic/IIb, and conclude that these properties are well explained by the last jets' episode as expected in the jet feedback explosion mechanism of core collapse supernovae (CCSNe). The presence of two opposite protrusions, termed ears, and our comparison of the CCSNR morphologies with morphologies of planetary nebulae strengthen the claim that jets play a major role in the explosion mechanism of CCSNe. We crudely estimate the energy that was required to inflate the ears in two CCSNRs and assume that the ears were inflated by jets. We find that the energies of the jets which inflated ears in 11 CCSNRs span a range that is similar to that of jets in some energetic CCSNe (SLSNe) and that this energy, only of the last jets' episode, is much less than the explosion energy. This finding is compatible with the jet feedback explosion mechanism of CCSNe, where only the last jets, which carry a small fraction of the total energy carried by earlier jets, are expected to influence the outer parts of the ejecta. We reiterate our call for a paradigm shift from neutrino-driven to jet-driven explosion models of CCSNe.

NREL Report Shows Utility-Scale Solar PV System Cost Fell Nearly 30% Last

Science.gov Websites

Year | NREL | News | NREL Report Shows Utility-Scale Solar PV System Cost Fell Nearly 30% Last Year News Release: NREL Report Shows Utility-Scale Solar PV System Cost Fell Nearly 30% Last Year September 12, 2017 Record-low costs enabled by decline in module and inverter prices The installed cost of

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum M.) Sprout Treated with Methyl Jasmonate (MeJA) Improved Anti-Adipogenic Activity Associated with the Oxidative Stress System in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

PubMed Central

Lee, Young-Jun; Kim, Kui-Jin; Park, Kee-Jai; Yoon, Bo-Ra; Lim, Jeong-Ho; Lee, Ok-Hwan

2013-01-01

Buckwheat sprouts contain various bioactive compounds including rutin which have a number of biological activities. We have previously shown that buckwheat sprouts (TBWE) treated with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) significantly increased the amount of phenolics and the antioxidant activity. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effect of TBWE on anti-adipogenesis and pro-oxidant enzyme in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. We also evaluated the anti-oxidative activity of TBWE in adipocytes by using the nitroblue tetrazolium assay. Our data showed that TBWE markedly inhibited adipocyte differentiation and ROS production in 3T3-L1 cells compared with control groups. Moreover, TBWE has strongly shown the inhibition of adipogenic transcription factor as well as pro-oxidant enzymes. Together, we demonstrate that the MeJA treatment significantly increased the amount of phenolic compound, resulting in the suppression of adipogenesis and ROS production in the 3T3-L1 cells. These findings indicate that TBWE has the potential for anti-adipogenesis activity with anti-oxidative properties. PMID:23344050

The last illnesses of Robert and Horace Walpole.

PubMed Central

Viseltear, A. J.

1983-01-01

Urinary lithiasis and gout were uncommonly prevalent in the eighteenth century. This essay considers the history of both afflictions and especially tells of the last illnesses of Sir Robert Walpole, who died from complications of stone, and his son, Horace, who throughout his life was a sufferer of gout. Images FIG. 1 FIG. 3 FIG. 4 FIG. 5 FIG. 6 FIG. 7 FIG. 8 FIG. 9 PMID:6356637

The futility study—progress over the last decade

PubMed Central

Levin, Bruce

2015-01-01

We review the futility clinical trial design (also known as the non-superiority design) with respect to its emergence and methodologic developments over the last decade, especially in regard to its application to clinical trials for neurological disorders. We discuss the design’s strengths as a programmatic screening device to weed out unpromising new treatments, its limitations and pitfalls, and a recent critique of the logic of the method. PMID:26123873

A cosmogenic nuclide chronology of the last glacial transition in North-West Nelson, New Zealand-new insights in Southern Hemisphere climate forcing during the last deglaciation [rapid communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shulmeister, James; Fink, David; Augustinus, Paul C.

2005-05-01

We present a new glacial chronology for the last glacial interglacial transition, c. 20 to 10 ka, from the Cobb Valley, NW Nelson, New Zealand, based on a suite of 10Be and 26Al cosmogenic exposure ages. This chronology describes one of the most comprehensive deglaciation sequences from a late Quaternary valley system in the Southern Hemisphere. We chronicle the decay from the last (local) glacial maximum as follows: onset of the last deglaciation that commenced no earlier than 18-19 ka, followed by numerous short-term still-stands and/or minor re-advances over the ensuing 3-4 kyr, and complete evacuation of ice by 14 ka. We find no evidence to indicate a late glacial re-advance commensurate with the Northern Hemisphere Younger Dryas chronozone. The absence of a major glacial re-advance in this valley during the latter stages of the last glacial interglacial transition (LGIT) precludes a thermal decline in excess of about 3 °C and suggests no decline. The absence of late LGIT re-advances in the mountains of North-West Nelson, while deglacial readvances occurred in the main ranges of the Southern Alps can be best explained if westerly wind forcing rather than large-scale thermal decline is the primary control on glacier fluctuations, at least during the deglaciation. These findings challenge models of global climate change predicated on synchrony of millennial-scale glacial transitions due to thermal changes between Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

The early rise and late demise of New Zealand's last glacial maximum.

PubMed

Rother, Henrik; Fink, David; Shulmeister, James; Mifsud, Charles; Evans, Michael; Pugh, Jeremy

2014-08-12

Recent debate on records of southern midlatitude glaciation has focused on reconstructing glacier dynamics during the last glacial termination, with different results supporting both in-phase and out-of-phase correlations with Northern Hemisphere glacial signals. A continuing major weakness in this debate is the lack of robust data, particularly from the early and maximum phase of southern midlatitude glaciation (∼30-20 ka), to verify the competing models. Here we present a suite of 58 cosmogenic exposure ages from 17 last-glacial ice limits in the Rangitata Valley of New Zealand, capturing an extensive record of glacial oscillations between 28-16 ka. The sequence shows that the local last glacial maximum in this region occurred shortly before 28 ka, followed by several successively less extensive ice readvances between 26-19 ka. The onset of Termination 1 and the ensuing glacial retreat is preserved in exceptional detail through numerous recessional moraines, indicating that ice retreat between 19-16 ka was very gradual. Extensive valley glaciers survived in the Rangitata catchment until at least 15.8 ka. These findings preclude the previously inferred rapid climate-driven ice retreat in the Southern Alps after the onset of Termination 1. Our record documents an early last glacial maximum, an overall trend of diminishing ice volume in New Zealand between 28-20 ka, and gradual deglaciation until at least 15 ka.

Last Hired, First Fired? Black-White Unemployment and the Business Cycle

PubMed Central

COUCH, KENNETH A.; FAIRLIE, ROBERT

2010-01-01

Studies have tested the claim that blacks are the last hired during periods of economic growth and the first fired in recessions by examining the movement of relative unemployment rates over the business cycle. Any conclusion drawn from this type of analysis must be viewed as tentative because cyclical movements in the underlying transitions into and out of unemployment are not examined. Using Current Population Survey data matched across adjacent months from 1989–2004, this article provides the first detailed examination of labor market transitions for prime-age black and white men to test the last hired, first fired hypothesis. Considerable evidence is presented that blacks are the first fired as the business cycle weakens. However, no evidence is found that blacks are the last hired. Instead, blacks appear to be initially hired from the ranks of the unemployed early in the business cycle and later are drawn from nonparticipation. The narrowing of the racial unemployment gap near the peak of the business cycle is driven by a reduction in the rate of job loss for blacks rather than increases in hiring. PMID:20355692

Energizing the last phase of common-envelope removal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soker, Noam

2017-11-01

We propose a scenario where a companion that is about to exit a common-envelope evolution (CEE) with a giant star accretes mass from the remaining envelope outside its deep orbit and launches jets that facilitate the removal of the remaining envelope. The jets that the accretion disc launches collide with the envelope and form hot bubbles that energize the envelope. Due to gravitational interaction with the envelope, which might reside in a circumbinary disc, the companion migrates farther in, but the inner boundary of the circumbinary disc continues to feed the accretion disc. While near the equatorial plane mass leaves the system at a very low velocity, along the polar directions velocities are very high. When the primary is an asymptotic giant branch star, this type of flow forms a bipolar nebula with very narrow waists. We compare this envelope-removal process with four other last-phase common-envelope-removal processes. We also note that the accreted gas from the envelope outside the orbit in the last phase of the CEE might carry with it angular momentum that is anti-aligned to the orbital angular momentum. We discuss the implications to the possibly anti-aligned spins of the merging black hole event GW170104.

Taking Successful Programs to Scale and Creating Lasting Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Math and Science Initiative, 2008

2008-01-01

Scaling Effective Programs is a category of giving that is quite unique. Philanthropists have many different interests that guide their giving, but Scaling Effective Programs offers an approach that can produce lasting transformation. This guide speaks to funders who: (1) view their giving as venture capital that stimulates other giving; (2) want…

Millennial Climatic Fluctuations Are Key to the Structure of Last Glacial Ecosystems

PubMed Central

Huntley, Brian; Allen, Judy R. M.; Collingham, Yvonne C.; Hickler, Thomas; Lister, Adrian M.; Singarayer, Joy; Stuart, Anthony J.; Sykes, Martin T.; Valdes, Paul J.

2013-01-01

Whereas fossil evidence indicates extensive treeless vegetation and diverse grazing megafauna in Europe and northern Asia during the last glacial, experiments combining vegetation models and climate models have to-date simulated widespread persistence of trees. Resolving this conflict is key to understanding both last glacial ecosystems and extinction of most of the mega-herbivores. Using a dynamic vegetation model (DVM) we explored the implications of the differing climatic conditions generated by a general circulation model (GCM) in “normal” and “hosing” experiments. Whilst the former approximate interstadial conditions, the latter, designed to mimic Heinrich Events, approximate stadial conditions. The “hosing” experiments gave simulated European vegetation much closer in composition to that inferred from fossil evidence than did the “normal” experiments. Given the short duration of interstadials, and the rate at which forest cover expanded during the late-glacial and early Holocene, our results demonstrate the importance of millennial variability in determining the character of last glacial ecosystems. PMID:23613985

Millennial climatic fluctuations are key to the structure of last glacial ecosystems.

PubMed

Huntley, Brian; Allen, Judy R M; Collingham, Yvonne C; Hickler, Thomas; Lister, Adrian M; Singarayer, Joy; Stuart, Anthony J; Sykes, Martin T; Valdes, Paul J

2013-01-01

Whereas fossil evidence indicates extensive treeless vegetation and diverse grazing megafauna in Europe and northern Asia during the last glacial, experiments combining vegetation models and climate models have to-date simulated widespread persistence of trees. Resolving this conflict is key to understanding both last glacial ecosystems and extinction of most of the mega-herbivores. Using a dynamic vegetation model (DVM) we explored the implications of the differing climatic conditions generated by a general circulation model (GCM) in "normal" and "hosing" experiments. Whilst the former approximate interstadial conditions, the latter, designed to mimic Heinrich Events, approximate stadial conditions. The "hosing" experiments gave simulated European vegetation much closer in composition to that inferred from fossil evidence than did the "normal" experiments. Given the short duration of interstadials, and the rate at which forest cover expanded during the late-glacial and early Holocene, our results demonstrate the importance of millennial variability in determining the character of last glacial ecosystems.

Accumulation patterns around Dome C, East Antarctica, in the last 73 kyr

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavitte, Marie G. P.; Parrenin, Frédéric; Ritz, Catherine; Young, Duncan A.; Van Liefferinge, Brice; Blankenship, Donald D.; Frezzotti, Massimo; Roberts, Jason L.

2018-04-01

We reconstruct the pattern of surface accumulation in the region around Dome C, East Antarctica, since the last glacial. We use a set of 18 isochrones spanning all observable depths of the ice column, interpreted from various ice-penetrating radar surveys and a 1-D ice flow model to invert for accumulation rates in the region. The shallowest four isochrones are then used to calculate paleoaccumulation rates between isochrone pairs using a 1-D assumption where horizontal advection is negligible in the time interval of each layer. We observe that the large-scale (100s km) surface accumulation gradient is spatially stable through the last 73 kyr, which reflects current modeled and observed precipitation gradients in the region. We also observe small-scale (10 s km) accumulation variations linked to snow redistribution at the surface, due to changes in its slope and curvature in the prevailing wind direction that remain spatially stationary since the last glacial.

Last name analysis of mobility, gender imbalance, and nepotism across academic systems

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

In biology, last names have been used as proxy for genetic relatedness in pioneering studies of neutral theory and human migrations. More recently, analyzing the last name distribution of Italian academics has raised the suspicion of nepotism, with faculty hiring their relatives for academic posts. Here, we analyze three large datasets containing the last names of all academics in Italy, researchers from France, and those working at top public institutions in the United States. Through simple randomizations, we show that the US academic system is geographically well-mixed, whereas Italian academics tend to work in their native region. By contrasting maiden and married names, we can detect academic couples in France. Finally, we detect the signature of nepotism in the Italian system, with a declining trend. The claim that our tests detect nepotism as opposed to other effects is supported by the fact that we obtain different results for the researchers hired after 2010, when an antinepotism law was in effect. PMID:28673985

Last name analysis of mobility, gender imbalance, and nepotism across academic systems.

PubMed

Grilli, Jacopo; Allesina, Stefano

2017-07-18

In biology, last names have been used as proxy for genetic relatedness in pioneering studies of neutral theory and human migrations. More recently, analyzing the last name distribution of Italian academics has raised the suspicion of nepotism, with faculty hiring their relatives for academic posts. Here, we analyze three large datasets containing the last names of all academics in Italy, researchers from France, and those working at top public institutions in the United States. Through simple randomizations, we show that the US academic system is geographically well-mixed, whereas Italian academics tend to work in their native region. By contrasting maiden and married names, we can detect academic couples in France. Finally, we detect the signature of nepotism in the Italian system, with a declining trend. The claim that our tests detect nepotism as opposed to other effects is supported by the fact that we obtain different results for the researchers hired after 2010, when an antinepotism law was in effect.

Iceberg discharges of the last glacial period driven by oceanic circulation changes

PubMed Central

Alvarez-Solas, Jorge; Robinson, Alexander; Montoya, Marisa; Ritz, Catherine

2013-01-01

Proxy data reveal the existence of episodes of increased deposition of ice-rafted detritus in the North Atlantic Ocean during the last glacial period interpreted as massive iceberg discharges from the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Although these have long been attributed to self-sustained ice sheet oscillations, growing evidence of the crucial role that the ocean plays both for past and future behavior of the cryosphere suggests a climatic control of these ice surges. Here, we present simulations of the last glacial period carried out with a hybrid ice sheet–ice shelf model forced by an oceanic warming index derived from proxy data that accounts for the impact of past ocean circulation changes on ocean temperatures. The model generates a time series of iceberg discharge that closely agrees with ice-rafted debris records over the past 80 ka, indicating that oceanic circulation variations were responsible for the enigmatic ice purges of the last ice age. PMID:24062437

Vegetation and climate of the southern Levant during the last Interglacial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chunzhu; Litt, Thomas

2015-04-01

Sediments in the Dead Sea basin are outstanding archives for understanding the paleoenvironment of the southern Levant because of their locations at the boundary between the Mediterranean and Arabian-Sahara climate zones. During the past decades, extensive investigations have demonstrated high lake levels during the last Glacial but low lake levels during the present and last Interglacial. However, palynological results from Lake Kinneret and Birkat Ram suggested a dry last Glacial and wet Holocene (Schiebel, 2013; Chen and Miebach, unpublished). Studies on Lake Samra (last interglacial precursor of the modern Dead Sea) became a focus after deep drilling cores were retrieved in 2011. Core 5017-1A encompasses the most complete Samra profile in the region, which exhibits thick halite layers indicating extremely low lake levels (Neugebauer et al., 2014). As interpreted based on lithological and hydrological results, the marine isotope stage (MIS) 5e was the most arid period (work in progress). In this case, pollen analysis would provide independent evidence of the regional climate changes. Our preliminary result shows that late MIS 6 was characterized by an expansion of goosefoot (Chenopodiaceae)-dominated desert/semi-desert. During the MIS 6/5 transition, an abrupt increase of grasses and a corresponding decline of goosefoot suggest the occurrence of a more humid grass steppe, whereas the woodlands were still open. The MIS 5e has witnessed higher woodland density and moisture availability provided high values of Mediterranean woodland components (mainly olives and deciduous oaks). From MIS 5d to 5a, a drying trend was recorded from the contraction of the Mediterranean biome and the expansion of steppe/semi-steppe. As a key time interval of our study, MIS 5e comprised a typical vegetation succession process that is also prevalent in other Mediterranean pollen records. Therefore, in biostratigraphical terms, high abundances of woody taxa marks the MIS 5e, although the

Biological accidents in last-year medical students from three hospitals in Lima Peru.

PubMed

Charca-Benavente, Lilyan Consuelo; Huanca-Ruelas, Grozny Howell; Moreno-Loaiza, Oscar

2016-08-11

To determine the frequency and characteristics of biological accidents in last-year medical students from three hospitals in Lima. Cross-sectional study performed at three Public Health Insurance hospitals in Lima, in December 2014. The study population comprised last-year medical interns. Biological accidents were recorded with a questionnaire of exposure to blood and body fluids based on the formats used by the Exposure Prevention Information Network system and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We inquired about occurrence and number of biological accidents as well as the characteristics of the last accident. Categorical data are presented as absolute and percentage frequencies and numeric data, as median and interquartile ranges. We collected 100 respondents; 85% of them had had a biological accident during the last year, with a median of 2 and interquartile range of 3. The most frequent type of exposure was percutaneous (71.8%) and the most common device was the hollow needle (54.1%). The most frequent place of occurrence and activities at the moment of exposure were at the delivery room (44.7%), while supervising a vaginal delivery (24.7%), and during suturing (24.7%). Three accidents involved high-risk patients, but only one student received antiviral prophylaxis; 49.4% attributed the cause of the accident to fatigue, and 75.3% of accidents are not reported. Gloves are the most used protective barrier (95%). The frequency of biological accidents among last-year medical students is high. Underreporting and inappropriate use of protective barriers increase the risk of medical students for biological accidents.

Interhemispheric ice-sheet synchronicity during the Last Glacial Maximum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, M. E.; Clark, P. U.; Ricken, W.; Mitrovica, J. X.; Hostetler, S. W.; Kuhn, G.

2012-04-01

The timing of the last maximum extent of the Antarctic ice sheets relative to those in the Northern Hemisphere remains poorly understood because only a few findings with robust chronologies exist for Antarctic ice sheets. We developed a chronology for the Weddell Sea sector of the East Antarctic ice sheet that, combined with ages from other Antarctic ice-sheet sectors, indicates the advance to their maximum extent at 29 -28 ka, and retreat from their maximum extent at 19 ka was nearly synchronous with Northern Hemisphere ice sheets (Weber, M.E., Clark, P. U., Ricken, W., Mitrovica, J. X., Hostetler, S. W., and Kuhn, G. (2011): Interhemispheric ice-sheet synchronicity during the Last Glacial Maximum. - Science, 334, 1265-1269, doi: 10.1126:science.1209299). As for the deglaciation, modeling studies suggest a late ice-sheet retreat starting around 14 ka BP and ending around 7 ka BP with a large impact of an unstable West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and a small impact of a stable East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS). However, the Weddell Sea sites studied here, as well as sites from the Scotia Sea, provide evidence that specifically the EAIS responded much earlier, possibly provided a significant contribution to the last sea-level rise, and was much more dynamic than previously thought. Using the results of an atmospheric general circulation we conclude that surface climate forcing of Antarctic ice mass balance would likely cause an opposite response, whereby a warming climate would increase accumulation but not surface melting. Furthermore, our new data support teleconnections involving a sea-level fingerprint forced from Northern Hemisphere ice sheets as indicated by gravitational modeling. Also, changes in North Atlantic Deepwater formation and attendant heat flux to Antarctic grounding lines may have contributed to synchronizing the hemispheric ice sheets.

Creating Lasting Behavioral Change through the Generalization Analysis Worksheet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brady, John; Kotkin, Ron

2011-01-01

The goal of any behavioral program is to facilitate lasting change. A significant criticism of behavioral programs is that they work in the clinical setting but do not generalize once the clinical program is stopped. The authors suggest that behavioral programs often do not generalize because clinicians fail to plan for generalization to occur…

Medicaid's lasting impressions: Population health and insurance at birth.

PubMed

Sohn, Heeju

2017-03-01

This article examines lasting mortality improvements associated with availability of Medicaid at time and place of birth. Using the US Vital Statistics (1959-2010), I exploit the variation in when each of the 50 states adopted Medicaid to estimate overall infant mortality improvements that coincided with Medicaid participation. 0.23 less infant deaths per 1000 live births was associated with states' Medicaid implementation. Second, I find lasting associations between Medicaid and mortality improvements across the life-course. I build state-specific cohort life-tables and regress age-specific mortality on availability of Medicaid in their states at time of birth. Cohorts born after Medicaid adoption had lower mortality rates throughout childhood and into adulthood. Being born after Medicaid was associated with between 2.03 and 3.64 less deaths per 100,000 person-years in childhood and between 1.35 and 3.86 less deaths per 100,000 person-years in the thirties. The association between Medicaid at birth and mortality was the strongest in the oldest age group (36-40) in this study. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Deoxygenation of the Baltic Sea during the last century

PubMed Central

Carstensen, Jacob; Andersen, Jesper H.; Gustafsson, Bo G.; Conley, Daniel J.

2014-01-01

Deoxygenation is a global problem in coastal and open regions of the ocean, and has led to expanding areas of oxygen minimum zones and coastal hypoxia. The recent expansion of hypoxia in coastal ecosystems has been primarily attributed to global warming and enhanced nutrient input from land and atmosphere. The largest anthropogenically induced hypoxic area in the world is the Baltic Sea, where the relative importance of physical forcing versus eutrophication is still debated. We have analyzed water column oxygen and salinity profiles to reconstruct oxygen and stratification conditions over the last 115 y and compare the influence of both climate and anthropogenic forcing on hypoxia. We report a 10-fold increase of hypoxia in the Baltic Sea and show that this is primarily linked to increased inputs of nutrients from land, although increased respiration from higher temperatures during the last two decades has contributed to worsening oxygen conditions. Although shifts in climate and physical circulation are important factors modulating the extent of hypoxia, further nutrient reductions in the Baltic Sea will be necessary to reduce the ecosystems impacts of deoxygenation. PMID:24706804

Medicaid's Lasting Impressions: Population Health and Insurance at Birth

PubMed Central

Sohn, Heeju

2017-01-01

This article examines lasting mortality improvements associated with availability of Medicaid at time and place of birth. Using the US Vital Statistics (1959-2010), I exploit the variation in when each of the 50 states adopted Medicaid to estimate overall infant mortality improvements that coincided with Medicaid participation. 0.23 less infant deaths per 1000 live births was associated with states' Medicaid implementation. Second, I find lasting associations between Medicaid and mortality improvements across the life-course. I build state-specific cohort life-tables and regress age-specific mortality on availability of Medicaid in their states at time of birth. Cohorts born after Medicaid adoption had lower mortality rates throughout childhood and into adulthood. Being born after Medicaid was associated with between 2.03 and 3.64 less deaths per 100,000 person-years in childhood and between 1.35 and 3.86 less deaths per 100,000 person-years in the thirties. The association between Medicaid at birth and mortality was the strongest in the oldest age group (36-40) in this study. PMID:28187304

Vaccine refusal and the endgame: walking the last mile first.

PubMed

Saint-Victor, Diane S; Omer, Saad B

2013-08-05

As multiple papers within this special issue illustrate, the dynamics of disease eradication are different from disease control. When it comes to disease eradication, 'the last mile is longest'. For social and ecological reasons such as vaccine refusal, further ending incidence of a disease when it has reached low levels is frequently complex. Issues of non-compliance within a target population often influence the outcome of disease eradication efforts. Past eradication efforts confronted such obstacles towards the tail end of the campaign, when disease incidence was lowest. This article provides a comparison of non-compliance within polio, measles and smallpox campaigns, demonstrating the tendency of vaccine refusal to rise as disease incidence falls. In order to overcome one of the most intractable challenges to eradication, future disease eradication efforts must prioritize vaccine refusal from the start, i.e. 'walk the last mile first'.

17. Detail view looking south showing elevation of last two ...

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

17. Detail view looking south showing elevation of last two panels and abutment at west end. Jet Lowe, photographer, 1983 - Neshanic Station Lenticular Truss Bridge, State Route 567, spanning South Branch of Raritan River, Neshanic Station, Somerset County, NJ

Missing Aircraft Crash Sites and Spatial Relationships to the Last Radar Fix.

PubMed

Koester, Robert J; Greatbatch, Ian

2016-02-01

Few studies have examined the spatial characteristics of missing aircraft in actual distress. No previous studies have looked at the distance from the last radar plot to the crash site. The purpose of this study was to characterize this distance and then identify environmental and flight characteristics that might be used to predict the spatial relationship and, therefore, aid search and rescue planners. Detailed records were obtained from the U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center for missing aircraft in distress from 2002 to 2008. The data was combined with information from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Accident Database. The spatial relationship between the last radar plot and crash site was then determined using GIS analysis. A total of 260 missing aircraft incidents involving 509 people were examined, of which 216 (83%) contained radar information. Among the missing aircraft the mortality rate was 89%; most occurred in mountainous terrain (57%); Part 91 flight accounted for 95% of the incidents; and 50% of the aircraft were found within 0.8 nmi from the last radar plot. Flight characteristics, descent rate, icing conditions, and instrument flight rule vs. visual flight rule flight could be used to predict spatial characteristics. In most circumstances, the last radar position is an excellent predictor of the crash site. However, 5% of aircraft are found further than 45.4 nmi. The flight and environmental conditions were identified and placed into an algorithm to aid search planners in determining how factors should be prioritized.

Numerical simulations of the Cordilleran ice sheet through the last glacial cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seguinot, Julien; Rogozhina, Irina; Stroeven, Arjen P.; Margold, Martin; Kleman, Johan

2016-03-01

After more than a century of geological research, the Cordilleran ice sheet of North America remains among the least understood in terms of its former extent, volume, and dynamics. Because of the mountainous topography on which the ice sheet formed, geological studies have often had only local or regional relevance and shown such a complexity that ice-sheet-wide spatial reconstructions of advance and retreat patterns are lacking. Here we use a numerical ice sheet model calibrated against field-based evidence to attempt a quantitative reconstruction of the Cordilleran ice sheet history through the last glacial cycle. A series of simulations is driven by time-dependent temperature offsets from six proxy records located around the globe. Although this approach reveals large variations in model response to evolving climate forcing, all simulations produce two major glaciations during marine oxygen isotope stages 4 (62.2-56.9 ka) and 2 (23.2-16.9 ka). The timing of glaciation is better reproduced using temperature reconstructions from Greenland and Antarctic ice cores than from regional oceanic sediment cores. During most of the last glacial cycle, the modelled ice cover is discontinuous and restricted to high mountain areas. However, widespread precipitation over the Skeena Mountains favours the persistence of a central ice dome throughout the glacial cycle. It acts as a nucleation centre before the Last Glacial Maximum and hosts the last remains of Cordilleran ice until the middle Holocene (6.7 ka).

Spurious Additional Warming Reconstructed From Borehole Temperatures Corrected for the Effect of the Last Glacial Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šafanda, Jan

2018-03-01

Reconstructions of past ground surface temperature changes from temperature logs conducted in several hundred meter deep boreholes have proved to be a valuable independent source of information on climate variations over the last millennium. The reconstruction techniques have been evolving for more than two decades to extract optimally the climate signal of the last millennium contained in the temperature logs of different length performed in sites with different histories of the Last Glacial Cycle. This paper analyzes the method of the Last Glacial Cycle thermal effect removal from such borehole temperature profiles used by Beltrami et al. (2017, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL071317) in reconstructing the last 500 year history. I show that the reported results of additional warming in this period reconstructed from the corrected borehole data for North America are an artifact generated by the correction.

Identifying Asteroidal Parent Bodies of the Meteorites: The Last Lap

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaffey, M. J.

2000-01-01

Spectral studies of asteroids and dynamical models have converged to yield, at last, a clear view of asteroid-meteorite linkages. Plausible parent bodies for most meteorite types have either been identified or it has become evident where to search for them.

Cancer-related symptoms most concerning to parents during the last week and last day of their child's life.

PubMed

Pritchard, Michele; Burghen, Elizabeth; Srivastava, Deo Kumar; Okuma, James; Anderson, Lisa; Powell, Brent; Furman, Wayne L; Hinds, Pamela S

2008-05-01

Studies of symptoms in children dying a cancer-related death typically rely on medical chart reviews or parental responses to symptom checklists. However, the mere presence of a symptom does not necessarily correspond with the distress it can cause the child's parents. The purpose of this study was to identify the cancer-related symptoms that most concerned parents during the last days of their child's life and the strategies parents identified as helpful with their child's care. Sixty-five parents of 52 children who had died a cancer-related death within the previous 6 to 10 months participated in telephone interviews. Eligibility criteria included being the parent or guardian of a child aged 0 to 21 years who had died within the previous 6 to 10 months after being treated at a pediatric cancer center, having been with their child during the last week of the child's life, speaking English, being willing to participate, and having access to a telephone. Eighteen symptoms of concern were identified as occurring during their child's final week and final day of life. The most frequently reported symptoms at both times included changes in behavior, changes in appearance, pain, weakness and fatigue, and breathing changes. The proportion of reported symptoms did not differ according to patient gender, disease, or location of death (intensive care, elsewhere in the hospital, or home). The most helpful strategies used by health care professionals to assist the child or parents included giving pain and anxiety medications, spending time with the child or family, providing competent care, and giving advice. This knowledge can guide professionals in preparing parents for the symptoms that a child imminently dying of cancer is likely to experience and in providing care that will be helpful to parents.

Uveitic secondary glaucoma: influence in James Joyce's (1882-1941) last works.

PubMed

Ascaso, Francisco J; Bosch, Jordi

2010-02-01

James Joyce, considered one of the pre-eminent novelists of the 20th century, attained international renown with his work Ulysses. Its lack of standard punctuation makes it difficult to read. An example would be the famous non-punctuated 'Molly Bloom soliloquy' in the last chapter of Ulysses. Why is Joyce considered so difficult to read? He wrote and proofread Ulysses and Finnegans wake, his last works, during his battle against glaucoma, when his vision was seriously blurred. The distracting and confusing diacritical marks might be explained by Joyce's reduced visual acuity. Could Ulysses and Finnegans wake have been different if Joyce's visual problems had begun in the second rather than the first half of 20th century?

Condom use at last sexual relationship among adolescents of Santiago Island, Cape Verde, - West Africa

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Objective To estimate factors associated with condom use at last sexual intercourse among adolescents. Methods Cross-sectional study of a representative sample of 368 sexually active adolescents aged 13–17 years from eight public high schools on Santiago Island, Cape Verde, 2007. The level of significance was 5.0% obtained from logistic regression, considering the association between condom use and socio-demographic, sexual and reproductive variables. Results The prevalence of condom use at last sexual intercourse was 94.9%. Factors associated with condom use at last sexual relationship were: non-Catholic religion (OR=0.68, 95%CI: 0.52; 0.88) and affective-sexual partnership before the interview (OR=5.15, 95%CI: 1.79; 14.80). Conclusions There was a high prevalence of condom use at last sexual intercourse of adolescents. PMID:23153259

Prostate cancer in East Asia: evolving trend over the last decade

PubMed Central

Zhu, Yao; Wang, Hong-Kai; Qu, Yuan-Yuan; Ye, Ding-Wei

2015-01-01

Prostate cancer is now becoming an emerging health priority in East Asia. Most of our current knowledge on Prostate cancer has been generated from studies conducted in Western population; however, there is considerable heterogeneity of Prostate cancer between East and West. In this article, we reviewed epidemiologic trends, risk factors, disease characteristics and management of Prostate cancer in East Asian population over the last decade. Growing evidence from East Asia suggests an important role of genetic and environmental risk factors interactions in the carcinogenesis of Prostate cancer. Exposure to westernized diet and life style and improvement in health care in combination contribute substantially to the increasing epidemic in this region. Diagnostic and treatment guidelines in East Asia are largely based on Western knowledge. Although there is a remarkable improvement in the outcome over the last decade, ample evidence suggests an inneglectable difference in diagnostic accuracy, treatment efficacy and adverse events between different populations. The knowledge from western countries should be calibrated in the Asian setting to provide a better race-based treatment approach. In this review, we intend to reveal the evolving trend of Prostate cancer in the last decade, in order to gain evidence to improve Prostate cancer prevention and control in East Asia. PMID:25080928

Last Glacial vegetation and climate change in the southern Levant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miebach, Andrea; Chen, Chunzhu; Litt, Thomas

2015-04-01

Reconstructing past climatic and environmental conditions is a key task for understanding the history of modern mankind. The interaction between environmental change and migration processes of the modern Homo sapiens from its source area in Africa into Europe is still poorly understood. The principal corridor of the first human dispersal into Europe and also later migration dynamics crossed the Middle East. Therefore, the southern Levant is a key area to investigate the paleoenvironment during times of human migration. In this sense, the Last Glacial (MIS 4-2) is particularly interesting to investigate for two reasons. Firstly, secondary expansions of the modern Homo sapiens are expected to occur during this period. Secondly, there are ongoing discussions on the environmental conditions causing the prominent lake level high stand of Lake Lisan, the precursor of the Dead Sea. This high stand even culminated in the merging of Lake Lisan and Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). To provide an independent proxy for paleoenvironmental reconstructions in the southern Levant during the Last Glacial, we investigated pollen assemblages of the Dead Sea/Lake Lisan and Lake Kinneret. Located at the Dead Sea Transform, the freshwater Lake Kinneret is nowadays connected via the Jordan with the hypersaline Dead Sea, which occupies Earth's lowest elevation on land. The southern Levant is a transition area of three different vegetation types. Therefore, also small changes in the climate conditions effect the vegetation and can be registered in the pollen assemblage. In contrast to the Holocene, our preliminary results suggest another vegetation pattern during the Last Glacial. The vegetation belt of the fragile Mediterranean biome did no longer exist in the vicinity of Lake Kinneret. Moreover, the vegetation was rather similar in the whole study area. A steppe vegetation with dwarf shrubs, herbs, and grasses predominated. Thermophilous elements like oaks occurred in limited amounts. The

Surface Temperature Reconstructions for the Last 1000 Years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

North, G. R.

2006-12-01

This is a presentation of results from a recently released report written by a committee established by the National Research Council and chaired by the speaker. The report was titled the same as the title of this talk. It focused on the methods of reconstructing the large scales of such surface temperature fields, since there has been considerable discussion in the scientific literature, assessments such as the IPCC, the popular press, blogs and even Congressional Hearings. The so-called `hockey stick' curve indicating a gradual cooling from the beginning of the record at about 1000AD to roughly 150 years ago when the curve take a steep upward trend (the so-called global warming). The original publications by Mann, Bradley and Hughes were careful to present and emphasize error margins that have been ignored by many in the controversy. The Committee found that numerous subsequent publications have reported reconstructions that utilized different data and different statistical assumptions. These all fall within the error margins of the original studies. While the committee has some reservations about the period prior to the year 1600AD, it still concludes that it is plausible that surface temperatures averaged over the Northern Hemisphere over the last three decades are plausibly the warmest for any such comparable period in the last 1000 years.

Laurentide ice-sheet instability during the last deglaciation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ullman, David J.; Carlson, Anders E.; Anslow, Faron S.; Legrande, Allegra N.; Licciardi, Joseph M.

2015-07-01

Changes in the amount of summer incoming solar radiation (insolation) reaching the Northern Hemisphere are the underlying pacemaker of glacial cycles. However, not all rises in boreal summer insolation over the past 800,000 years resulted in deglaciation to present-day ice volumes, suggesting that there may be a climatic threshold for the disappearance of land-based ice. Here we assess the surface mass balance stability of the Laurentide ice sheet--the largest glacial ice mass in the Northern Hemisphere--during the last deglaciation (24,000 to 9,000 years ago). We run a surface energy balance model with climate data from simulations with a fully coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model for key time slices during the last deglaciation. We find that the surface mass balance of the Laurentide ice sheet was positive throughout much of the deglaciation, and suggest that dynamic discharge was mainly responsible for mass loss during this time. Total surface mass balance became negative only in the early Holocene, indicating the transition to a new state where ice loss occurred primarily by surface ablation. We conclude that the Laurentide ice sheet remained a viable ice sheet before the Holocene and began to fully deglaciate only once summer temperatures and radiative forcing over the ice sheet increased by 6-7 °C and 16-20 W m-2, respectively, relative to full glacial conditions.

Was millennial scale climate change during the Last Glacial triggered by explosive volcanism?

PubMed Central

Baldini, James U.L.; Brown, Richard J.; McElwaine, Jim N.

2015-01-01

The mechanisms responsible for millennial scale climate change within glacial time intervals are equivocal. Here we show that all eight known radiometrically-dated Tambora-sized or larger NH eruptions over the interval 30 to 80 ka BP are associated with abrupt Greenland cooling (>95% confidence). Additionally, previous research reported a strong statistical correlation between the timing of Southern Hemisphere volcanism and Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) events (>99% confidence), but did not identify a causative mechanism. Volcanic aerosol-induced asymmetrical hemispheric cooling over the last few hundred years restructured atmospheric circulation in a similar fashion as that associated with Last Glacial millennial-scale shifts (albeit on a smaller scale). We hypothesise that following both recent and Last Glacial NH eruptions, volcanogenic sulphate injections into the stratosphere cooled the NH preferentially, inducing a hemispheric temperature asymmetry that shifted atmospheric circulation cells southward. This resulted in Greenland cooling, Antarctic warming, and a southward shifted ITCZ. However, during the Last Glacial, the initial eruption-induced climate response was prolonged by NH glacier and sea ice expansion, increased NH albedo, AMOC weakening, more NH cooling, and a consequent positive feedback. Conversely, preferential SH cooling following large SH eruptions shifted atmospheric circulation to the north, resulting in the characteristic features of DO events. PMID:26616338

Was millennial scale climate change during the Last Glacial triggered by explosive volcanism?

PubMed

Baldini, James U L; Brown, Richard J; McElwaine, Jim N

2015-11-30

The mechanisms responsible for millennial scale climate change within glacial time intervals are equivocal. Here we show that all eight known radiometrically-dated Tambora-sized or larger NH eruptions over the interval 30 to 80 ka BP are associated with abrupt Greenland cooling (>95% confidence). Additionally, previous research reported a strong statistical correlation between the timing of Southern Hemisphere volcanism and Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) events (>99% confidence), but did not identify a causative mechanism. Volcanic aerosol-induced asymmetrical hemispheric cooling over the last few hundred years restructured atmospheric circulation in a similar fashion as that associated with Last Glacial millennial-scale shifts (albeit on a smaller scale). We hypothesise that following both recent and Last Glacial NH eruptions, volcanogenic sulphate injections into the stratosphere cooled the NH preferentially, inducing a hemispheric temperature asymmetry that shifted atmospheric circulation cells southward. This resulted in Greenland cooling, Antarctic warming, and a southward shifted ITCZ. However, during the Last Glacial, the initial eruption-induced climate response was prolonged by NH glacier and sea ice expansion, increased NH albedo, AMOC weakening, more NH cooling, and a consequent positive feedback. Conversely, preferential SH cooling following large SH eruptions shifted atmospheric circulation to the north, resulting in the characteristic features of DO events.

Interior, detail view of last original windows and filed in ...

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

Interior, detail view of last original windows and filed in wall arches, also concrete block wall of beryllum/uranium labs to left, looking southwest near center of west elevation, main building. - Watertown Arsenal, Building No. 312, Wooley Avenue, Watertown, Middlesex County, MA

Long-lasting effects of subliminal affective priming from facial expressions.

PubMed

Sweeny, Timothy D; Grabowecky, Marcia; Suzuki, Satoru; Paller, Ken A

2009-12-01

Unconscious processing of stimuli with emotional content can bias affective judgments. Is this subliminal affective priming merely a transient phenomenon manifested in fleeting perceptual changes, or are long-lasting effects also induced? To address this question, we investigated memory for surprise faces 24 h after they had been shown with 30-ms fearful, happy, or neutral faces. Surprise faces subliminally primed by happy faces were initially rated as more positive, and were later remembered better, than those primed by fearful or neutral faces. Participants likely to have processed primes supraliminally did not respond differentially as a function of expression. These results converge with findings showing memory advantages with happy expressions, though here the expressions were displayed on the face of a different person, perceived subliminally, and not present at test. We conclude that behavioral biases induced by masked emotional expressions are not ephemeral, but rather can last at least 24 h.

Vaccine refusal and the endgame: walking the last mile first

PubMed Central

Saint-Victor, Diane S.; Omer, Saad B.

2013-01-01

As multiple papers within this special issue illustrate, the dynamics of disease eradication are different from disease control. When it comes to disease eradication, ‘the last mile is longest’. For social and ecological reasons such as vaccine refusal, further ending incidence of a disease when it has reached low levels is frequently complex. Issues of non-compliance within a target population often influence the outcome of disease eradication efforts. Past eradication efforts confronted such obstacles towards the tail end of the campaign, when disease incidence was lowest. This article provides a comparison of non-compliance within polio, measles and smallpox campaigns, demonstrating the tendency of vaccine refusal to rise as disease incidence falls. In order to overcome one of the most intractable challenges to eradication, future disease eradication efforts must prioritize vaccine refusal from the start, i.e. ‘walk the last mile first’. PMID:23798696

Marcos Zapata's "Last Supper": a feast of European religion and Andean culture.

PubMed

Zendt, Christina

2010-01-01

In Marcos Zapata's 1753 painting of the Last Supper in Cuzco, Peru, Christian symbolism is filtered through Andean cultural tradition. Zapata was a late member of the Cuzco School of Painting, a group comprised of few European immigrants and handfuls of mestizo and Indian artists. The painters in Cuzco learned mostly from prints of European paintings, and their style tends to blend local culture into the traditional painting of their conquistadors. Imagery was the most successful tool used by the Spaniards in their quest to Christianize the Andean population. By teaching locals to paint Christian subjects, they were able to infuse Christianity into Andean traditions. Zapata's rendering of the Last Supper utilizes this cultural blending while staying true to the Christian symbolism within the subject. Instead of the traditional lamb, Zapata's Last Supper features a platter of cuy, or guinea pig, an Andean delicacy stocked with protein as well as cultural significance. Cuy was traditionally a sacrificial animal at Inca agricultural festivals and in this way it offers poignant parallel to the lamb, as a traditional Christian sacrificial animal.

Ocean Cooling Pattern at the Last Glacial Maximum

DOE PAGES

Zhuang, Kelin; Giardino, John R.

2012-01-01

Ocean temperature and ocean heat content change are analyzed based on four PMIP3 model results at the Last Glacial Maximum relative to the prehistorical run. Ocean cooling mostly occurs in the upper 1000 m depth and varies spatially in the tropical and temperate zones. The Atlantic Ocean experiences greater cooling than the rest of the ocean basins. Ocean cooling is closely related to the weakening of meridional overturning circulation and enhanced intrusion of Antarctic Bottom Water into the North Atlantic.

Periodical climate variations and their impact on Earth rotation for the last 800Kyr

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapanov, Yavor; Gambis, Daniel

2010-05-01

The Earth rotation variations are highly affected by climatic variations associated with the glacial cycles in the late Pleistocene. The processes of glaciation, followed by ice melting, are connected with significant changes of the mean sea level. These processes redistribute great amount of water masses between oceans and ice sheets, which lead to changes of the axial moment of inertia and corresponding variations of the Universal Time UT1 and Length of Day LOD, according to the law of angular momentum conservation. The climatic variations for the last 800Kyr are analyzed by means of time series of temperature changes, determined by deuterium data from Antarctica ice core. Reconstructed glacial sea level variations for the last 380Kyr, determined by the sediments from the Red sea, are used, too. Common periodicities of the temperature and mean sea level variations are determined. Time series of the long-periodical UT1 and LOD oscillations for the last 380Kyr and 800Kyr are reconstructed by means of empirical hydrological model of global water redistribution between the ocean and ice sheets during the last glacial events.

Pink light emitting long-lasting phosphorescence in Sm 3+-doped CdSiO 3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Bingfu; Liu, Yingliang; Liu, Jie; Ye, Zeren; Shi, Chunshan

2004-04-01

Novel pink light emitting long-lasting afterglow CdSiO 3:Sm 3+ phosphors are prepared by the conventional high-temperature solid-state method and their luminescent properties are investigated. XRD and photoluminescence (PL) spectra are used to characterize the synthesized phosphors. The phosphors are well crystallized by calcinations at 1050°C for 5 h. These phosphors emit pink light and show long-lasting phosphorescence after they are excited with 254 nm ultraviolet light. The phosphorescence lasts for nearly 5 h in the light perception of the dark-adapted human eye (0.32 mcd/m 2). The phosphorescence mechanism is also investigated. All the results indicate that these phosphors have promising potential practical applications.

Mechanical Properties of Aerojet, Thiokol, and JA2 High-Energy Gun Propellants at 1.5 m/s Deformation Rate

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

a2 6 n -32 4C La /C A> i c 4S Figure 5. Remains of specimens tested at 210, 630, and -32 0C. 5 I AUg 2001 "-1t AERQJET/"THIDKOL LOTS 0111W PM 4-40.00...10.00 +78.00 STRESS (Mra) -THIOKOL LOT LA -10T3--01 +5.C THIOKOL LOT JA-IEZ35--Z-02 JAZ LOT HCL03JO14-001 -28.00 AE J>:T? +0.00 4.00 0.0 .0 *20.0 O30 +40M0...WARREN MI 48397-5000 MATERIAL SCIENCE TEAM AMSSB RSS 14 BENET LABORATORIES J HERBERT AMSTA AR CCB M SENNETT R FISCELLA KANSAS ST M SOJA NATICK MA 01760

An enigmatic long-lasting gamma-ray burst not accompanied by a bright supernova.

PubMed

Della Valle, M; Chincarini, G; Panagia, N; Tagliaferri, G; Malesani, D; Testa, V; Fugazza, D; Campana, S; Covino, S; Mangano, V; Antonelli, L A; D'Avanzo, P; Hurley, K; Mirabel, I F; Pellizza, L J; Piranomonte, S; Stella, L

2006-12-21

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are short, intense flashes of soft gamma-rays coming from the distant Universe. Long-duration GRBs (those lasting more than approximately 2 s) are believed to originate from the deaths of massive stars, mainly on the basis of a handful of solid associations between GRBs and supernovae. GRB 060614, one of the closest GRBs discovered, consisted of a 5-s hard spike followed by softer, brighter emission that lasted for approximately 100 s (refs 8, 9). Here we report deep optical observations of GRB 060614 showing no emerging supernova with absolute visual magnitude brighter than M(V) = -13.7. Any supernova associated with GRB 060614 was therefore at least 100 times fainter, at optical wavelengths, than the other supernovae associated with GRBs. This demonstrates that some long-lasting GRBs can either be associated with a very faint supernova or produced by different phenomena.

Long-Lasting Enhancement of Visual Perception with Repetitive Noninvasive Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

PubMed Central

Behrens, Janina R.; Kraft, Antje; Irlbacher, Kerstin; Gerhardt, Holger; Olma, Manuel C.; Brandt, Stephan A.

2017-01-01

Understanding processes performed by an intact visual cortex as the basis for developing methods that enhance or restore visual perception is of great interest to both researchers and medical practitioners. Here, we explore whether contrast sensitivity, a main function of the primary visual cortex (V1), can be improved in healthy subjects by repetitive, noninvasive anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Contrast perception was measured via threshold perimetry directly before and after intervention (tDCS or sham stimulation) on each day over 5 consecutive days (24 subjects, double-blind study). tDCS improved contrast sensitivity from the second day onwards, with significant effects lasting 24 h. After the last stimulation on day 5, the anodal group showed a significantly greater improvement in contrast perception than the sham group (23 vs. 5%). We found significant long-term effects in only the central 2–4° of the visual field 4 weeks after the last stimulation. We suspect a combination of two factors contributes to these lasting effects. First, the V1 area that represents the central retina was located closer to the polarization electrode, resulting in higher current density. Second, the central visual field is represented by a larger cortical area relative to the peripheral visual field (cortical magnification). This is the first study showing that tDCS over V1 enhances contrast perception in healthy subjects for several weeks. This study contributes to the investigation of the causal relationship between the external modulation of neuronal membrane potential and behavior (in our case, visual perception). Because the vast majority of human studies only show temporary effects after single tDCS sessions targeting the visual system, our study underpins the potential for lasting effects of repetitive tDCS-induced modulation of neuronal excitability. PMID:28860969

38. From hilltop, Route 14, last segment of flume before ...

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

38. From hilltop, Route 14, last segment of flume before Broughton Lumber Company. Section of flume and broken out section. Columbia River and Oregon in background. West/southwest 240 degrees. - Broughton Flume, Hood River Junction on Columbia River at Washington/Oregon border, Hood, Skamania County, WA

20 CFR 404.1509 - How long the impairment must last.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false How long the impairment must last. 404.1509 Section 404.1509 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION FEDERAL OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY INSURANCE (1950- ) Determining Disability and Blindness Definition of Disability § 404.1509 How...

Long-Lasting Effects of Subliminal Affective Priming from Facial Expressions

PubMed Central

Sweeny, Timothy D.; Grabowecky, Marcia; Suzuki, Satoru; Paller, Ken A.

2009-01-01

Unconscious processing of stimuli with emotional content can bias affective judgments. Is this subliminal affective priming merely a transient phenomenon manifested in fleeting perceptual changes, or are long-lasting effects also induced? To address this question, we investigated memory for surprise faces 24 hours after they had been shown with 30-ms fearful, happy, or neutral faces. Surprise faces subliminally primed by happy faces were initially rated as more positive, and were later remembered better, than those primed by fearful or neutral faces. Participants likely to have processed primes supraliminally did not respond differentially as a function of expression. These results converge with findings showing memory advantages with happy expressions, though here the expressions were displayed on the face of a different person, perceived subliminally, and not present at test. We conclude that behavioral biases induced by masked emotional expressions are not ephemeral, but rather can last at least 24 hours. PMID:19695907

North Atlantic Deep Water Production during the Last Glacial Maximum

PubMed Central

Howe, Jacob N. W.; Piotrowski, Alexander M.; Noble, Taryn L.; Mulitza, Stefan; Chiessi, Cristiano M.; Bayon, Germain

2016-01-01

Changes in deep ocean ventilation are commonly invoked as the primary cause of lower glacial atmospheric CO2. The water mass structure of the glacial deep Atlantic Ocean and the mechanism by which it may have sequestered carbon remain elusive. Here we present neodymium isotope measurements from cores throughout the Atlantic that reveal glacial–interglacial changes in water mass distributions. These results demonstrate the sustained production of North Atlantic Deep Water under glacial conditions, indicating that southern-sourced waters were not as spatially extensive during the Last Glacial Maximum as previously believed. We demonstrate that the depleted glacial δ13C values in the deep Atlantic Ocean cannot be explained solely by water mass source changes. A greater amount of respired carbon, therefore, must have been stored in the abyssal Atlantic during the Last Glacial Maximum. We infer that this was achieved by a sluggish deep overturning cell, comprised of well-mixed northern- and southern-sourced waters. PMID:27256826

Breakup of last glacial deep stratification in the South Pacific.

PubMed

Basak, Chandranath; Fröllje, Henning; Lamy, Frank; Gersonde, Rainer; Benz, Verena; Anderson, Robert F; Molina-Kescher, Mario; Pahnke, Katharina

2018-02-23

Stratification of the deep Southern Ocean during the Last Glacial Maximum is thought to have facilitated carbon storage and subsequent release during the deglaciation as stratification broke down, contributing to atmospheric CO 2 rise. Here, we present neodymium isotope evidence from deep to abyssal waters in the South Pacific that confirms stratification of the deepwater column during the Last Glacial Maximum. The results indicate a glacial northward expansion of Ross Sea Bottom Water and a Southern Hemisphere climate trigger for the deglacial breakup of deep stratification. It highlights the important role of abyssal waters in sustaining a deep glacial carbon reservoir and Southern Hemisphere climate change as a prerequisite for the destabilization of the water column and hence the deglacial release of sequestered CO 2 through upwelling. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Patterns of Healthcare Spending in the Last Year of Life

PubMed Central

Davis, Matthew A.; Nallamothu, Brahmajee K.; Banerjee, Mousumi; Bynum, Julie P.W.

2016-01-01

The underlying assumption that healthcare spending skyrockets at the end-of-life may suggest that policymakers should target the last few months of life to control costs. However, spending patterns leading up to death have not been fully examined. We applied a new methodology to administrative claims data for older Medicare beneficiaries who died in 2012 to characterize trajectories of healthcare spending in the last year of life. After adjustment, we identified four unique spending trajectories among decedents: 48.7 percent had High Persistent spending, 29.0 percent had Moderate Persistent spending, 10.2 percent had Progressive spending, and only 12.1 percent had Late Rise spending. High spending throughout the full year before death (approximately half of all decedents) was associated with having multiple chronic conditions but not any specific diseases. These findings suggest that spending at the end-of-life is a marker of general spending patterns often set in motion long before death. PMID:27307350

The INTIMATE event stratigraphy of the last glacial period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olander Rasmussen, Sune; Svensson, Anders

2015-04-01

The North Atlantic INTIMATE (INtegration of Ice-core, MArine and TErrestrial records) group has previously recommended an Event Stratigraphy approach for the synchronisation of records of the Last Termination using the Greenland ice core records as the regional stratotypes. A key element of these protocols has been the formal definition of numbered Greenland Stadials (GS) and Greenland Interstadials (GI) within the past glacial period as the Greenland expressions of the characteristic Dansgaard-Oeschger events that represent cold and warm phases of the North Atlantic region, respectively. Using a recent synchronization of the NGRIP, GRIP, and GISP2 ice cores that allows the parallel analysis of all three records on a common time scale, we here present an extension of the GS/GI stratigraphic template to the entire glacial period. In addition to the well-known sequence of Dansgaard-Oeschger events that were first defined and numbered in the ice core records more than two decades ago, a number of short-lived climatic oscillations have been identified in the three synchronized records. Some of these events have been observed in other studies, but we here propose a consistent scheme for discriminating and naming all the significant climatic events of the last glacial period that are represented in the Greenland ice cores. In addition to presenting the updated event stratigraphy, we make a series of recommendations on how to refer to these periods in a way that promotes unambiguous comparison and correlation between different proxy records, providing a more secure basis for investigating the dynamics and fundamental causes of these climatic perturbations. The work presented is a part of a newly published paper in an INTIMATE special issue of Quaternary Science Reviews: Rasmussen et al., 'A stratigraphic framework for abrupt climatic changes during the Last Glacial period based on three synchronized Greenland ice-core records: refining and extending the INTIMATE event

A Last Look at Titan

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-09-15

As it glanced around the Saturn system one final time, NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured this view of the planet's giant moon Titan. Interest in mysterious Titan was a major motivating factor to return to Saturn with Cassini-Huygens following the Voyager mission flybys of the early 1980s. Cassini and its Huygens probe, supplied by European Space Agency, revealed the moon to be every bit as fascinating as scientists had hoped. These views were obtained by Cassini's narrow-angle camera on Sept. 13, 2017. They are among the last images Cassini sent back to Earth. This natural color view, made from images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters, shows Titan much as Voyager saw it -- a mostly featureless golden orb, swathed in a dense atmospheric haze. An enhanced-color view (Figure 1) adds to this color a separate view taken using a spectral filter (centered at 938 nanometers) that can partially see through the haze. The views were acquired at a distance of 481,000 miles (774,000 kilometers) from Titan. The image scale is about 3 miles (5 kilometers) per pixel. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21890

30 CFR 250.170 - How long does a suspension last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Section 250.170 Mineral Resources MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS AND SULPHUR OPERATIONS IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF General Suspensions § 250.170 How long does a suspension last? (a) MMS may issue suspensions for up to 5 years per suspension. The Regional...

20 CFR 220.28 - How long the impairment must last.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2013-04-01 2012-04-01 true How long the impairment must last. 220.28 Section 220.28 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD REGULATIONS UNDER THE RAILROAD RETIREMENT ACT DETERMINING DISABILITY Disability Under the Railroad Retirement Act for Any Regular Employment § 220.28 How...

The substrate for long-lasting memory: if not protein synthesis, then what?

PubMed Central

Routtenberg, Aryeh

2011-01-01

The prevailing textbook view that de novo protein synthesis is required for memory (e.g., Bear, 2006) is seriously flawed and the alternative hypothesis has been proposed in which post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins already synthesized and already present within the synapse is ‘the’ substrate for long-lasting memory (Routtenberg and Rekart, 2005). Protein synthesis serves a replenishment role. The first part of this review discusses how long-lasting memory can be achieved with ‘only’ PTM of existing synaptic proteins. The second part critically reviews a recent report published in Neuron 2007 that exemplifies the current view of protein synthesis and memory while also illustrating how these results can be understood within this new PTM framework. A necessary yet unexpected conclusion to emerge from consideration of the consequences of a PTM mechanism as the necessary, sufficient and exclusive substrate for long-lasting memory (Routtenberg and Rekart, 2005), is that the central Hebbian dogma that cells that ‘fire together, wire together’ is an unlikely mechanism for long-lasting memory. Thus, a unique feature of the PTM model is that longevity of information storage is achieved not by stability of the synaptic mechanism, but by impermanent pseudoredundant circuits. This is so because PTM is a reversible process and thus any permanent connection, any ‘lasting effect’ cannot be in the form of stable synapse formation. We have therefore proposed a solution in which network level processes regulate cellular mechanisms, even as such mechanisms regulate the network. Thus, synapses are ‘meta-stabilized’ by regulated feedback mediated by the circuit in which the synapse is embedded. For example, spontaneous activity is proposed to be a substrate feedback mechanism we term ‘cryptic rehearsal’ to sustain for some period of time after learning an approximation to the state initially created by input. Additionally, because the duplication

A glacial record of the last termination in the southern tropical Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bromley, G. R.; Schaefer, J. M.; Winckler, G.; Hall, B. L.; Todd, C. E.; Rademaker, K.

2012-12-01

The last glacial termination represents the highest-magnitude climate change of the last hundred thousand years. Accurate resolution of events during the termination is vital to our understanding of how - and why - the global climate system transitions from a full glacial to interglacial state, as well as the causes of abrupt climate change during the late-glacial period. Palaeoclimate data from low latitudes, though relatively sparse, are particularly valuable, since the tropical ocean and atmosphere likely play a crucial role in Quaternary climate variability on all timescales. We present a detailed glacier record from the Andes of southern Peru (15°S), resolved with 3He surface-exposure dating and spanning the last glacial maximum and termination. Our dataset reveals that glaciers in this part of the Southern Hemisphere maintained their Late Pleistocene maxima for several millennia and that the onset of the termination may have occurred relatively late. Deglaciation was punctuated by two major advances during the late-glacial period. Following the glacial-interglacial transition, our preliminary chronologic and morphologic data suggest that, in contrast to the Northern Hemisphere, glaciers in the southern tropical Andes have experienced overall shrinkage during the Holocene.

Fossil Coral Records of ENSO during the Last Glacial Period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Partin, J. W.; Taylor, F. W.; Shen, C. C.; Edwards, R. L.; Quinn, T. M.; DiNezro, P.

2017-12-01

Only a handful of paleoclimate records exist that can resolve interannual changes, and hence El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability, during the last glacial period, a time of altered mean climate. The few existing data suggest reduced ENSO variability compared to the Holocene, possibly due to a weaker zonal sea surface temperature gradient across the tropical Pacific and/or a deeper thermocline in the eastern tropical Pacific. Our goal is to add crucial data to this extremely limited subset using sub-annually resolved fossil corals that grew during this time period to reconstruct ENSO. We seek to recover fossil corals from Vanuatu, SW Pacific (16°S, 167°E) with the objective of using coral δ18O to reconstruct changes in the ENSO during and near the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Modern δ18O coral records from Vanuatu show a high degree of skill in capturing ENSO variability, making it a suitable site for reconstructing ENSO variability. We have custom designed and are building a drill system that can rapidly core many 0-25 m holes resulting in much more meters of penetration than achieved by previous land-based reef drilling. As the new drill system is extremely portable and can be quickly relocated by workers without landing craft or vehicles, it is time and cost efficient. Because the proposed drilling sites have uplifted extremely fast, 7 mm/year, the LGM shoreline has been raised from 120-140 m depth to within a depth range of 10 below to 20 m above present sea level. This enables all the drilling to be within the time range of interest ( 15-25 ka). A last advantage is that the LGM corals either are still submersed in seawater or emerged only within the last 2000 years at the uplift rate of 7 mm/yr. This greatly reduces the chances of disruption of the original climate signal because sea water is less diagenetically damaging than meteoric water in the mixed, phreatic, or vadose zones. LGM coral records will enable us to compare the proxy variability

[Reducing occupational burnout and enhancing job performance in new nurses: the efficacy of "last mile" programs].

PubMed

Wu, Hsiu-Mei; Liu, Pei-Fen; Ho, Hsueh-Hua; Chen, Ping-Ling; Chao, Hui-Lin; Chen, Hsiao-Lien

2012-08-01

New nurses undergo a stressful and challenging transition process in the nursing workplace. Lack of patient care knowledge and skills and work adaption difficulties lead to a high turnover rate that drains essential new talent away from the nursing profession and further exacerbates professional staffing shortages in the healthcare sector. The "last mile" program is a program developed jointly by a nursing school and hospital as a mechanism to bridge classroom learning to clinical practice and smooth the transition of nursing students into nursing professionals. The purpose of this study was to understand the effect of the "last mile" program on job performance and occupational burnout among new nurses. We conducted a quasi-experimental study in 2009 on a convenience sample of new nurses in a medical center. Participants were assigned into two groups, namely those enrolled in the last mile program (n = 29) and those not enrolled in the program (n = 94). Research team members and several collaborative universities developed the last mile program used in this study; Seven experts established content validity; The last mile program included 84 hours of lecture courses and 160 hours of clinical practice. Data was collected using the nursing job performance scale developed in 2007 by Greenslade and Jimmieson and translated ÷ back translated into an equivalent Chinese version. Exploratory factor analysis showed all items aggraded into 8 factors, which could be divided into task performance and contextual performance concept categories. Task performance concepts included: social support, information, coordination of care, and technical care; Contextual performance concepts included: interpersonal support, job-task support, volunteering for additional duties and compliance. The Cronbach's α for the 8 factors were .70-.95. The occupational burnout inventory included the 4 subscales of personal burnout, work-related burnout, client-related burnout, and over

Loess deposits in Beijing and their paleoclimatic implications during the last interglacial-glacial cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Shengchen; Sun, Jimin; Gong, Zhijun

2017-12-01

Loess-paleosol sequences are important terrestrial paleoclimatic archives in the semi-arid region of north-central China. Compared with the numerous studies on the loess of the Chinese Loess Plateau, the eolian deposits, near Beijing, have not been well studied. A new loess section in the northeast suburb of Beijing provides an opportunity for reconstructing paleoenvironmental changes in this region. An optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) chronology yields ages of 145.1 to 20.5 ka, demonstrating that the loess deposits accumulated during the last interglacial-glacial cycle. High-resolution climatic proxies, including color-index, particle size and magnetic parameters, reveal orbital-scale climatic cycles, corresponding to marine oxygen isotope stages (MIS) 6 to MIS 2. In contrast to the loess deposits of the central Loess Plateau, loess near Beijing is a mixture of distal dust materials from gobi and sand deserts in the arid part of northwestern China and proximal, local alluvial sediments. Climatic change in Beijing during the last interglacial-glacial cycle was controlled primarily by the changing strength of the East Asian monsoon. Paleosols developed during the last interglacial complex (between 144.0 and 73.0 ka) and the interstadial of the last glaciation (between 44.6 and 36.2 ka), being associated with an enhanced summer monsoon in response to increased low-latitude insolation and a weakened Siberia High. Loess accumulation occurred during cold-dry stages of the last glaciation, in response to the intensified winter monsoon driven by the strengthened Siberia High and its longer residence time.

42 CFR 65.6 - How long does grant support last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false How long does grant support last? 65.6 Section 65.6 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES HAZARDOUS WASTE WORKER TRAINING § 65.6 How...

42 CFR 65.6 - How long does grant support last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false How long does grant support last? 65.6 Section 65.6 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES HAZARDOUS WASTE WORKER TRAINING § 65.6 How...

42 CFR 65.6 - How long does grant support last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false How long does grant support last? 65.6 Section 65.6 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES HAZARDOUS WASTE WORKER TRAINING § 65.6 How...

Identification of last interglacial deposits in eastern Beringia: a cautionary note from the Palisades, interior Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reyes, Alberto V.; Zazula, Grant D.; Kuzmina, Svetlana; Ager, Thomas A.; Froese, Duane G.

2011-01-01

Last interglacial sediments in unglaciated Alaska and Yukon (eastern Beringia) are commonly identified by palaeoecological indicators and stratigraphic position ~2-5m above the regionally prominent Old Crow tephra (124 + or - 10ka). We demonstrate that this approach can yield erroneous age assignments using data from a new exposure at the Palisades, a site in interior Alaska with numerous exposures of last interglacial sediments. Tephrochronology, stratigraphy, plant macrofossils, pollen and fossil insects from a prominent wood-rich organic silt unit are all consistent with a last interglacial age assignment. However, six 14C dates on plant and insect macrofossils from the organic silt range from non-finite to 4.0 14C ka BP, indicating that the organic silt instead represents a Holocene deposit with a mixed-age assemblage of organic material. In contrast, wood samples from presumed last interglacial organic-rich sediments elsewhere at the Palisades, in a similar stratigraphic position with respect to Old Crow tephra, yield non-finite 14C ages. Given that local permafrost thaw since the last interglaciation may facilitate reworking of older sediments into new stratigraphic positions, minimum constraining ages based on 14C dating or other methods should supplement age assignments for last interglacial sediments in eastern Beringia that are based on palaeoecology and stratigraphic association with Old Crow tephra.

The timing and duration of the Last Interglacial Asian Monsoon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, D.; Cheng, H.; Edwards, R.; Kelly, M.; Qing, J.; Lin, Y.; Zhang, M.

2002-12-01

An accurate estimate for the timing and duration of regional and global climate change associated with the Last Interglacial is important for elucidating climate change mechanisms. We present a 230Th-dated δ18O record of 2 stalagmites (D3 and D4) from Dongge Cave, southern China (25°N, 109°E, an area affected by East Asian and Indian Monsoons), which record Asian Monsoon history over 3 periods, 160-110 ka, 65-43 ka and 15.5 ka - present. The stalagmites have different precipitation environments and water flow paths as indicated by different growth histories, growth rates and δ234U values. D3 grew faster between 123-118 ka (12 vs. 0.4 cm/ka), but D4 grew faster between 138-126 ka (3.4 vs. 0.7 cm/ka). The mean initial δ234U value of D3 is -272 (range of -261 to -287). D4 values are higher (mean = -78, range of -27 to -160). Despite these differences, both have similar large δ18O variations for the interval over which both were active (148 to 113 ka), suggesting that water-rock interactions and kinetic fractionation did not affect δ18O values significantly. Dongge Cave stalagmites exhibit features similar to the Younger Dryas (YD) and the Bolling/Allerod as recorded in Greenland ice cores (GISP, 1997) and stalagmites from Hulu Cave, eastern China (Wang et al., 2001). The Dongge YD lies between 12640 +/-140 and 11550 +/-80 years BP, synchronous with Greenland and Hulu Cave YD analogues. Similar to Hulu Cave, light Dongge Cave δ18O excursions correspond to heavy isotopic excursions in Greenland, consistent with a positive correlation between the intensity of the Asian summer monsoon and Greenland temperature. The most prominent feature in the Dongge record is a peak that approximates a square wave and is contemporaneous with at least portions of the Last Interglacial sea level high. Dongge Termination II is a large, abrupt negative shift in δ18O (>3 per mil). The mid-point is at 129.3 +/-0.9 ka, based on direct dating of D4. D3 gives an age indistinguishable

Last light: Sunset at the South Pole | National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Science.gov Websites

Observatory, Sunday March 20 marks the start of the austral autumn, the last time they see the sun for six months. The National Science Foundation's Atmospheric Research Observatory illuminated by the sun

The early rise and late demise of New Zealand’s last glacial maximum

PubMed Central

Rother, Henrik; Fink, David; Shulmeister, James; Mifsud, Charles; Evans, Michael; Pugh, Jeremy

2014-01-01

Recent debate on records of southern midlatitude glaciation has focused on reconstructing glacier dynamics during the last glacial termination, with different results supporting both in-phase and out-of-phase correlations with Northern Hemisphere glacial signals. A continuing major weakness in this debate is the lack of robust data, particularly from the early and maximum phase of southern midlatitude glaciation (∼30–20 ka), to verify the competing models. Here we present a suite of 58 cosmogenic exposure ages from 17 last-glacial ice limits in the Rangitata Valley of New Zealand, capturing an extensive record of glacial oscillations between 28–16 ka. The sequence shows that the local last glacial maximum in this region occurred shortly before 28 ka, followed by several successively less extensive ice readvances between 26–19 ka. The onset of Termination 1 and the ensuing glacial retreat is preserved in exceptional detail through numerous recessional moraines, indicating that ice retreat between 19–16 ka was very gradual. Extensive valley glaciers survived in the Rangitata catchment until at least 15.8 ka. These findings preclude the previously inferred rapid climate-driven ice retreat in the Southern Alps after the onset of Termination 1. Our record documents an early last glacial maximum, an overall trend of diminishing ice volume in New Zealand between 28–20 ka, and gradual deglaciation until at least 15 ka. PMID:25071171

Long-lasting upper D-region ionospheric modifications caused by intense +/- CG lightning discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haldoupis, Christos

2013-04-01

In a recent Geophysical Research Letter we have presented observations from a single maritime storm showing that intense positive cloud-to-ground (+CG) lightning discharges during nighttime, which trigger both an elve and a sprite, are associated with long-lasting conductivity modifications in the upper D-region ionosphere. The ionospheric disturbances can be observed as perturbations in the amplitude and phase of VLF (very low frequency) signals propagating through or near the disturbed region. They are manifested as LOng Recovery early VLF Events (LOREs) which can last up to 20 - 30 minutes. The same ionospheric modifications may also produce abrupt step-like changes in VLF transmissions which offset signal levels for longer times (>30-60 min). Here we discuss these observations supplementing them with new evidence and some statistics. Among other things, the unpublished results show that very intense (currents > 250-300 kA) CG lightning discharges of either positive or negative polarity are always accompanied mainly by step-like LOREs. The evidence suggests that the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) of a very high peak current CG lightning stroke, which is likely able to produce an elve, produces by electron impact long lasting and spatially extended elevations in electron density at VLF ionospheric reflection heights in the upper D region ionosphere. The results identify a mechanism for the LORE VLF signatures and confirm predictions and postulations that elves may be accompanied by significant and long-lasting electron density perturbations in the upper D- lower E- region ionosphere.

Induction of soybean resistance to the Mexican bean beetle (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Treesearch

A.L. Iverson; R.B. Hammond; L.R. Iverson

2001-01-01

We tested chemical and insect feeding-induced insect resistance on soybean plants.The chemical induction effects of jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) were investigated. We also evaluated the effects of plants stressed with previous insect herbivory. A larval antibiosis screening technique (LAST) and a preference test were performed in petri dishes using...

Paleomagnetic secular variation at the Azores during the last 3 ka

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

di Chiara, Anita; Speranza, Fabio; Porreca, Massimiliano

2012-07-01

We report on 33 new paleomagnetic directions obtained from 16 lava flows emplaced in the last 3 ka on São Miguel, the largest island of the Azores. The data provide 27 well-dated directions from historical or 14C dated flows which, together with 6 directions previously gathered from the same flows by Johnson et al. (1998), yield the first paleomagnetic directional record of the last 3 ka from the Atlantic Ocean. Within-flow directions are consistent, suggesting that inclination swings from 60° to 25° and declination changes between -10° to 20° reflect variations in the geomagnetic field over the last 3 ka. To a first approximation, the declination record is consistent with predictions from CALS3k.4 and gufm1 global field models. Conversely, inclination values are lower than model predictions at two different ages: 1) four sites from the 1652 AD flow yield I = 48° instead of I = 63° predicted by gufm1; 2) data from several flows nicely mimic the inclination minimum of 800-1400 AD, but inclination values are lower by ˜10° than CALS3k.4 model predictions. By interpolating a cubic spline fit on declination / inclination versus age data, we tentatively infer the directional evolution of the geomagnetic field at the Azores from 1000 BC to 1600 AD. The obtained curve shows three tracks in virtual overlap during the 1000-800 BC, 800-500 BC, and 400-700 AD time spans.

Last Passage Percolation and Traveling Fronts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Comets, Francis; Quastel, Jeremy; Ramírez, Alejandro F.

2013-08-01

We consider a system of N particles with a stochastic dynamics introduced by Brunet and Derrida (Phys. Rev. E 70:016106, 2004). The particles can be interpreted as last passage times in directed percolation on {1,…, N} of mean-field type. The particles remain grouped and move like a traveling front, subject to discretization and driven by a random noise. As N increases, we obtain estimates for the speed of the front and its profile, for different laws of the driving noise. As shown in Brunet and Derrida (Phys. Rev. E 70:016106, 2004), the model with Gumbel distributed jumps has a simple structure. We establish that the scaling limit is a Lévy process in this case. We study other jump distributions. We prove a result showing that the limit for large N is stable under small perturbations of the Gumbel. In the opposite case of bounded jumps, a completely different behavior is found, where finite-size corrections are extremely small.

A Chronological Perspective on Suicide--The Last Days of Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orbach, I.; Gilboa-Schechtman, E.; Ofek, H.; Lubin, G.; Mark, M.; Bodner, E.; Cohen, D.; King, R.

2007-01-01

A combined psychological autopsy and narrative approach was used to study the completed suicides of 67 Israeli soldiers. Three issues were addressed. First, the authors examined the typology of the life narratives of suicide completed during active army duty. Second, focusing on the last 3 weeks of the soldiers' lives, they sought to examine their…

31 CFR 19.865 - How long may my debarment last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false How long may my debarment last? 19.865 Section 19.865 Money and Finance: Treasury Office of the Secretary of the Treasury GOVERNMENTWIDE...) If the debarment is for a violation of the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, your...

31 CFR 19.865 - How long may my debarment last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false How long may my debarment last? 19.865 Section 19.865 Money and Finance: Treasury Office of the Secretary of the Treasury GOVERNMENTWIDE...) If the debarment is for a violation of the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, your...

31 CFR 19.865 - How long may my debarment last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false How long may my debarment last? 19.865 Section 19.865 Money and Finance: Treasury Office of the Secretary of the Treasury GOVERNMENTWIDE...) If the debarment is for a violation of the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, your...

31 CFR 19.865 - How long may my debarment last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false How long may my debarment last? 19.865 Section 19.865 Money and Finance: Treasury Office of the Secretary of the Treasury GOVERNMENTWIDE...) If the debarment is for a violation of the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, your...

31 CFR 19.865 - How long may my debarment last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false How long may my debarment last? 19.865 Section 19.865 Money and Finance: Treasury Office of the Secretary of the Treasury GOVERNMENTWIDE...) If the debarment is for a violation of the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, your...

Long-lasting permethrin impregnated uniforms: A randomized-controlled trial for tick bite prevention.

PubMed

Vaughn, Meagan F; Funkhouser, Sheana Whelan; Lin, Feng-Chang; Fine, Jason; Juliano, Jonathan J; Apperson, Charles S; Meshnick, Steven R

2014-05-01

Because of frequent exposure to tick habitats, outdoor workers are at high risk for tick-borne diseases. Adherence to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-recommended tick bite prevention methods is poor. A factory-based method for permethrin impregnation of clothing that provides long-lasting insecticidal and repellent activity is commercially available, and studies are needed to assess the long-term effectiveness of this clothing under field conditions. To evaluate the protective effectiveness of long-lasting permethrin impregnated uniforms among a cohort of North Carolina outdoor workers. A double-blind RCT was conducted between March 2011 and September 2012. Subjects included outdoor workers from North Carolina State Divisions of Forestry, Parks and Recreation, and Wildlife who worked in eastern or central North Carolina. A total of 159 volunteer subjects were randomized, and 127 and 101 subjects completed the first and second years of follow-up, respectively. Uniforms of participants in the treatment group were factory-impregnated with long-lasting permethrin whereas control group uniforms received a sham treatment. Participants continued to engage in their usual tick bite prevention activities. Incidence of work-related tick bites reported on weekly tick bite logs. Study subjects reported 1,045 work-related tick bites over 5,251 person-weeks of follow-up. The mean number of reported tick bites in the year prior to enrollment was similar for both the treatment and control groups, but markedly different during the study period. In our analysis conducted in 2013, the effectiveness of long-lasting permethrin impregnated uniforms for the prevention of work-related tick bites was 0.82 (95% CI=0.66, 0.91) and 0.34 (95% CI=-0.67, 0.74) for the first and second years of follow-up. These results indicate that long-lasting permethrin impregnated uniforms are highly effective for at least 1 year in deterring tick bites in the context of typical tick bite

How much have California winters warmed over the last century?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, K. J.; Williams, A. P.; Lettenmaier, D. P.

2017-09-01

Extraordinarily warm 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 winter temperatures in California accompanied by drought conditions contributed to low snow accumulations and stressed water resources, giving rise to the question: how much has California's climate warmed over the last century? We examine long-term trends in maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) daily temperatures in winter estimated from five gridded data sets. Resulting trends show some consistent features, such as higher trends in Tmin than Tmax; however, substantial differences exist in the trend magnitudes and spatial patterns due mostly to the nature of spatial interpolation employed in the different data sets. Averaged across California over 1920-2015, Tmax trends vary from -0.30 to 1.2°C/century, while Tmin trends range from 1.2 to 1.9°C/century. The differences in temperature strongly impact modeled changes in snow water equivalent over the last century (from -5.0 to -7.6 km3/century).

Western Arctic Ocean temperature variability during the last 8000 years

USGS Publications Warehouse

Farmer, Jesse R.; Cronin, Thomas M.; De Vernal, Anne; Dwyer, Gary S.; Keigwin, Loyd D.; Thunell, Robert C.

2011-01-01

We reconstructed subsurface (∼200–400 m) ocean temperature and sea-ice cover in the Canada Basin, western Arctic Ocean from foraminiferal δ18O, ostracode Mg/Ca ratios, and dinocyst assemblages from two sediment core records covering the last 8000 years. Results show mean temperature varied from −1 to 0.5°C and −0.5 to 1.5°C at 203 and 369 m water depths, respectively. Centennial-scale warm periods in subsurface temperature records correspond to reductions in summer sea-ice cover inferred from dinocyst assemblages around 6.5 ka, 3.5 ka, 1.8 ka and during the 15th century Common Era. These changes may reflect centennial changes in the temperature and/or strength of inflowing Atlantic Layer water originating in the eastern Arctic Ocean. By comparison, the 0.5 to 0.7°C warm temperature anomaly identified in oceanographic records from the Atlantic Layer of the Canada Basin exceeded reconstructed Atlantic Layer temperatures for the last 1200 years by about 0.5°C.

Origin of last-glacial loess in the western Yukon-Tanana Upland, central Alaska, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Muhs, Daniel; Pigati, Jeffrey S.; Budahn, James R.; Skipp, Gary L.; Bettis, E. Arthur; Jensen, Britta

2018-01-01

Loess is widespread over Alaska, and its accumulation has traditionally been associated with glacial periods. Surprisingly, loess deposits securely dated to the last glacial period are rare in Alaska, and paleowind reconstructions for this time period are limited to inferences from dune orientations. We report a rare occurrence of loess deposits dating to the last glacial period, ~19 ka to ~12 ka, in the Yukon-Tanana Upland. Loess in this area is very coarse grained (abundant coarse silt), with decreases in particle size moving south of the Yukon River, implying that the drainage basin of this river was the main source. Geochemical data show, however, that the Tanana River valley to the south is also a likely distal source. The occurrence of last-glacial loess with sources to both the south and north is explained by both regional, synoptic-scale winds from the northeast and opposing katabatic winds that could have developed from expanded glaciers in both the Brooks Range to the north and the Alaska Range to the south. Based on a comparison with recent climate modeling for the last glacial period, seasonality of dust transport may also have played a role in bringing about contributions from both northern and southern sources.

Last Call at Loon Lake: Counter-Narratives in Human Ecology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaylie, Veronica

2014-01-01

In cultures of excess, the challenge is to see. In a time of climate change, how will humans find the questions, the reflections, the poems, or the prayers that will bring ecological justice and peace? This writing begins a response to the call made on the last day of our gathering at Loon Lake for a "commonist manifesto" around…

3 CFR 8632 - Proclamation 8632 of February 28, 2011. Death of Army Corporal Frank W. Buckles, the Last...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Army Corporal Frank W. Buckles, the Last Surviving American Veteran of World War I 8632 Proclamation... Army Corporal Frank W. Buckles, the Last Surviving American Veteran of World War IBy the President of... W. Buckles, the last surviving American veteran of World War I, and in remembrance of the generation...

Quality indicators for care of cancer patients in their last days of life: literature update and experts' evaluation.

PubMed

Raijmakers, Natasja; Galushko, Maren; Domeisen, Franzisca; Beccaro, Monica; Lundh Hagelin, Carina; Lindqvist, Olav; Popa-Velea, Ovidiu; Romotzky, Vanessa; Schuler, Stefanie; Ellershaw, John; Ostgathe, Christoph

2012-03-01

Quality indicators (QIs) are needed to monitor and to improve palliative care. Care of patients in the last days of life is a discrete phase of palliative care and therefore specific QIs are needed. This study aimed to identify and evaluate current QIs against which to measure future care of patients in the last days of life. To identify QIs for patients in the last days of life an update of the literature and national guidelines was conducted. Subsequently, an international panel of palliative care experts was asked to evaluate the identified QIs: how well they describe care and how applicable they are for care in the last days of life. Also additional QIs were asked. In total, 34 QIs for care in the last days were identified in the literature and guidelines. The experts (response rate 58%) agreed with seven QIs as being good descriptors and applicable: concerning a home visit for the family following a patient's death, the presence of a dedicated family room, limited patients receiving chemotherapy, limited need for pain control, gastrointestinal symptoms, and communication from professional to patient and family. The experts also suggested 18 additional topics for QIs for the last days of life. Currently no definite set of QIs exist to describe quality of care of patients in their last days of life. New QIs that are focused on care for patients in their last days of life, their relatives, as well as their professional caregivers are needed.

Belize--a last stronghold for manatees in the Caribbean

USGS Publications Warehouse

O'Shea, T.J.; Salisbury, C.A.

1991-01-01

Belize is a small country but it offers a safe haven for the largest number of manatees in the Caribbean. The authors' survey in 1989 revealed that there has been no apparent decline since the last study in 1977. However, there is no evidence for population growth either and as the Belize economy develops threats from fisheries, human pressure and declining habitat quality will increase. Recommendations are made to ensure that Belize safeguards its manatee populations.

Temporal evolution of mechanisms controlling ocean carbon uptake during the last glacial cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohfeld, Karen E.; Chase, Zanna

2017-08-01

Many mechanisms have been proposed to explain the ∼85-90 ppm decrease in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) during the last glacial cycle, between 127,000 and 18,000 yrs ago. When taken together, these mechanisms can, in some models, account for the full glacial-interglacial CO2 drawdown. Most proxy-based evaluations focus on the peak of the Last Glacial Maximum, 24,000-18,000 yrs ago, and little has been done to determine the sequential timing of processes affecting CO2 during the last glacial cycle. Here we use a new compilation of sea-surface temperature records together with time-sequenced records of carbon and Nd isotopes, and other proxies to determine when the most commonly proposed mechanisms could have been important for CO2 drawdown. We find that the initial major drawdown of 35 ppm 115,000 yrs ago was most likely a result of Antarctic sea ice expansion. Importantly, changes in deep ocean circulation and mixing did not play a major role until at least 30,000 yrs after the first CO2 drawdown. The second phase of CO2 drawdown occurred ∼70,000 yrs ago and was also coincident with the first significant influences of enhanced ocean productivity due to dust. Finally, minimum concentrations of atmospheric CO2 during the Last Glacial Maximum resulted from the combination of physical and biological factors, including the barrier effect of expanded Southern Ocean sea ice, slower ventilation of the deep sea, and ocean biological feedbacks.

Palynology of the Last Interglacial Complex at Lake Ohrid: palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic inferences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinopoli, Gaia; Masi, Alessia; Regattieri, Eleonora; Wagner, Bernd; Francke, Alexander; Peyron, Odile; Sadori, Laura

2018-01-01

In this article, we present new, high-resolution, pollen results obtained from the DEEP site sequence recovered from Lake Ohrid (Albania/FYROM) for the Last Interglacial Complex (LIC), corresponding to Marine Isotope Stage 5 (MIS 5) of the marine isotope stratigraphy. LIC covers the period between 130 and 70 ka and includes the Eemian (Last Interglacial, LI) and the succession of stadial and interstadial phases of the Early Last Glacial. During the LIC, the pollen record shows an alternation of periods characterized by forest and open vegetation, clearly resembling the well-known vegetational succession of other European records. Our results reveal three key phases for the LI: a first period (128-125 ka) with a rapid increase in temperature and precipitation, a central phase (125-118.5 ka) characterized by a slight cooling, and a late phase (118.5-112 ka), with a decline both in temperatures and precipitation. Besides the LI, we identify four more forested periods dominated by mesophilous trees and intercalated by colder and drier steppe phases, during which, however, most arboreal taxa never disappear. During the Early Last Glacial we also identify several abrupt events that can be correlated to the succession of cold events recorded in the Greenland ice core records, associated to a weakening of the North Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. The new high-resolution record indicates that Lake Ohrid is an important site to understand the response of vegetation to fluctuations in regional moisture availability and temperature changes, and thus provides new evidence for the connection between the Mediterranean Region and Northern Hemisphere climate oscillations.

Long-lasting ovulation inhibition with a new injectable progestagen ORG-2154.

PubMed

Coutinho, E M; De Souza, J C; Barbosa, I C; Dourado Silva, V

1982-06-01

A new long-acting injectable progestagen was tested in 15 women who volunteered for the study. The occurrence of ovulation was assumed by the elevation of progesterone levels above 2ng/ml following a pre-ovulatory estradiol peak. Following a 200mg injection, ovulation was inhibited in all 15 women for five to ten months. In four subjects the interval between the injection and the first progesterone peak was five months. For eight, the interval was six to eight months. In the other three women, ovulation occurred more than eight months following injection. Bleeding episodes, similar to menstruation, occurred in most patients. Bleeding intervals lasting longer than 45 days occurred in nine subjects but more prolonged amenorrhea lasting longer than 60 days was reported by only five subjects. Blood chemistry which included blood cell counts, cholesterol, glucose, alkaline phosphatase, transaminases, urea nitrogen and creatinine remained within normal limits throughout the treatment.

77 FR 42790 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “The Last Days of Pompeii...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-20

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 7858] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given... hereby determine that the objects to be included in the exhibition ``The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence...

The steady enhancement of the Australian Summer Monsoon in the last 200 years.

PubMed

Gallego, David; García-Herrera, Ricardo; Peña-Ortiz, Cristina; Ribera, Pedro

2017-11-23

A new bicentennial series of the Australian monsoon strength based on historical wind observations has allowed for the assessment of the variability of this system since the early 19th century. Our series covers a period in which the scarcity of meteorological observations in the area had precluded the evaluation of long-term climatic trends. Results indicate that the increase in precipitation over Northern Australia reported for the last 60 years is just a manifestation of a much longer lasting trend related to the strengthening of the Australian monsoon that has been occurring since at least 1816.

Comparison of simulated and reconstructed variations in East African hydroclimate over the last millennium

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

Klein, Francois; Goosse, Hugues; Graham, Nicholas E.

The multi-decadal to centennial hydroclimate changes in East Africa over the last millennium are studied by comparing the results of forced transient simulations by six general circulation models (GCMs) with published hydroclimate reconstructions from four lakes: Challa and Naivasha in equatorial East Africa, and Masoko and Malawi in southeastern inter-tropical Africa. All GCMs simulate fairly well the unimodal seasonal cycle of precipitation in the Masoko–Malawi region, while the bimodal seasonal cycle characterizing the Challa–Naivasha region is generally less well captured by most models. Model results and lake-based hydroclimate reconstructions display very different temporal patterns over the last millennium. Additionally, theremore » is no common signal among the model time series, at least until 1850. This suggests that simulated hydroclimate fluctuations are mostly driven by internal variability rather than by common external forcing. After 1850, half of the models simulate a relatively clear response to forcing, but this response is different between the models. Overall, the link between precipitation and tropical sea surface temperatures (SSTs) over the pre-industrial portion of the last millennium is stronger and more robust for the Challa–Naivasha region than for the Masoko–Malawi region. At the inter-annual timescale, last-millennium Challa–Naivasha precipitation is positively (negatively) correlated with western (eastern) Indian Ocean SST, while the influence of the Pacific Ocean appears weak and unclear. Although most often not significant, the same pattern of correlations between East African rainfall and the Indian Ocean SST is still visible when using the last-millennium time series smoothed to highlight centennial variability, but only in fixed-forcing simulations. Furthermore, this means that, at the centennial timescale, the effect of (natural) climate forcing can mask the imprint of internal climate variability in large

Comparison of simulated and reconstructed variations in East African hydroclimate over the last millennium

DOE PAGES

Klein, Francois; Goosse, Hugues; Graham, Nicholas E.; ...

2016-07-13

The multi-decadal to centennial hydroclimate changes in East Africa over the last millennium are studied by comparing the results of forced transient simulations by six general circulation models (GCMs) with published hydroclimate reconstructions from four lakes: Challa and Naivasha in equatorial East Africa, and Masoko and Malawi in southeastern inter-tropical Africa. All GCMs simulate fairly well the unimodal seasonal cycle of precipitation in the Masoko–Malawi region, while the bimodal seasonal cycle characterizing the Challa–Naivasha region is generally less well captured by most models. Model results and lake-based hydroclimate reconstructions display very different temporal patterns over the last millennium. Additionally, theremore » is no common signal among the model time series, at least until 1850. This suggests that simulated hydroclimate fluctuations are mostly driven by internal variability rather than by common external forcing. After 1850, half of the models simulate a relatively clear response to forcing, but this response is different between the models. Overall, the link between precipitation and tropical sea surface temperatures (SSTs) over the pre-industrial portion of the last millennium is stronger and more robust for the Challa–Naivasha region than for the Masoko–Malawi region. At the inter-annual timescale, last-millennium Challa–Naivasha precipitation is positively (negatively) correlated with western (eastern) Indian Ocean SST, while the influence of the Pacific Ocean appears weak and unclear. Although most often not significant, the same pattern of correlations between East African rainfall and the Indian Ocean SST is still visible when using the last-millennium time series smoothed to highlight centennial variability, but only in fixed-forcing simulations. Furthermore, this means that, at the centennial timescale, the effect of (natural) climate forcing can mask the imprint of internal climate variability in large

Time‐dependent renewal‐model probabilities when date of last earthquake is unknown

USGS Publications Warehouse

Field, Edward H.; Jordan, Thomas H.

2015-01-01

We derive time-dependent, renewal-model earthquake probabilities for the case in which the date of the last event is completely unknown, and compare these with the time-independent Poisson probabilities that are customarily used as an approximation in this situation. For typical parameter values, the renewal-model probabilities exceed Poisson results by more than 10% when the forecast duration exceeds ~20% of the mean recurrence interval. We also derive probabilities for the case in which the last event is further constrained to have occurred before historical record keeping began (the historic open interval), which can only serve to increase earthquake probabilities for typically applied renewal models.We conclude that accounting for the historic open interval can improve long-term earthquake rupture forecasts for California and elsewhere.

Condensed-Phase Processes during Solid Propellant Combustion. Part 2: Chemical and Microscopic Examination of Conductively Quenched Samples of RDX, XM39, JA2, M30, and HMX-Binder Compositions

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-05-01

combustion of most of the propellants, with the possible exception of JA2; scanning electron microcope examination shows the existence of a liquid layer but... compounds are similar (Fifer et Sl. 1985; Hoffsommer, Glover, and Elban 1985), the relative Intensities In Table 2 should provide rough, order-of...top of the liquid layer. In addition, the HPLC chromatograms contained a number of very weak, unknown peaks apparently corresponding to compounds

78 FR 50135 - AIMS Worldwide, Inc., Apollo Capital Group, Inc., CommunitySouth Financial Corp., Last Mile...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-16

... SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [File No. 500-1] AIMS Worldwide, Inc., Apollo Capital Group, Inc., CommunitySouth Financial Corp., Last Mile Logistics Group, Inc., Made in America Entertainment... concerning the securities of Last Mile Logistics Group, Inc. because it has not filed any periodic reports...

419th Brookhaven Lecture. The Last 20 Years in Neutrino Science

ScienceCinema

Hahn, Richard

2017-12-11

In this talk, Hahn reviews highlights of the last 20 years in neutrino science and discusses a few ideas for new precision neutrino experiments, some of which will involve collaborative efforts of his group in the Chemistry Department and colleagues in the Physics Department.

Neural Consequences of Chronic Short Sleep: Reversible or Lasting?

PubMed Central

Zhao, Zhengqing; Zhao, Xiangxiang; Veasey, Sigrid C.

2017-01-01

Approximately one-third of adolescents and adults in developed countries regularly experience insufficient sleep across the school and/or work week interspersed with weekend catch up sleep. This common practice of weekend recovery sleep reduces subjective sleepiness, yet recent studies demonstrate that one weekend of recovery sleep may not be sufficient in all persons to fully reverse all neurobehavioral impairments observed with chronic sleep loss, particularly vigilance. Moreover, recent studies in animal models demonstrate persistent injury to and loss of specific neuron types in response to chronic short sleep (CSS) with lasting effects on sleep/wake patterns. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the effects of chronic sleep disruption on neurobehavioral performance and injury to neurons, astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes and discuss what is known and what is not yet established for reversibility of neural injury. Recent neurobehavioral findings in humans are integrated with animal model research examining long-term consequences of sleep loss on neurobehavioral performance, brain development, neurogenesis, neurodegeneration, and connectivity. While it is now clear that recovery of vigilance following short sleep requires longer than one weekend, less is known of the impact of CSS on cognitive function, mood, and brain health long term. From work performed in animal models, CSS in the young adult and short-term sleep loss in critical developmental windows can have lasting detrimental effects on neurobehavioral performance. PMID:28620347

Neural Consequences of Chronic Short Sleep: Reversible or Lasting?

PubMed

Zhao, Zhengqing; Zhao, Xiangxiang; Veasey, Sigrid C

2017-01-01

Approximately one-third of adolescents and adults in developed countries regularly experience insufficient sleep across the school and/or work week interspersed with weekend catch up sleep. This common practice of weekend recovery sleep reduces subjective sleepiness, yet recent studies demonstrate that one weekend of recovery sleep may not be sufficient in all persons to fully reverse all neurobehavioral impairments observed with chronic sleep loss, particularly vigilance. Moreover, recent studies in animal models demonstrate persistent injury to and loss of specific neuron types in response to chronic short sleep (CSS) with lasting effects on sleep/wake patterns. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the effects of chronic sleep disruption on neurobehavioral performance and injury to neurons, astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes and discuss what is known and what is not yet established for reversibility of neural injury. Recent neurobehavioral findings in humans are integrated with animal model research examining long-term consequences of sleep loss on neurobehavioral performance, brain development, neurogenesis, neurodegeneration, and connectivity. While it is now clear that recovery of vigilance following short sleep requires longer than one weekend, less is known of the impact of CSS on cognitive function, mood, and brain health long term. From work performed in animal models, CSS in the young adult and short-term sleep loss in critical developmental windows can have lasting detrimental effects on neurobehavioral performance.

Characterizing the Last Latrine Nonowners in Rural Malawi.

PubMed

Slekiene, Jurgita; Mosler, Hans-Joachim

2018-01-01

Open defecation is a public health problem worldwide. Non-governmental organizations in developing countries use various approaches to increase latrine coverage, but for little-understood reasons, some of the population does not adopt latrine construction. The objective of our research was to uncover which of the factors predicting latrine construction are relevant to the last nonowners of latrines, termed laggards in the diffusion of innovations theory. In a cross-sectional study, quantitative face-to-face interviews were conducted in households in rural Malawi ( N = 824) to assess the behavioral determinants of latrine construction, mental health, and leadership. Around 14% of the households interviewed did not own a latrine. Study results suggest that nonowners have limited economic resources and perceive that latrine construction is expensive, that it is difficult to find money for latrine construction, and that it needs a lot of time and effort. The last nonowners of latrines live in smaller groups than latrine owners, communicate less with others about latrine construction, and are less influenced by the opinion of their leaders. They consist, in particular, of socially vulnerable households, are younger, are less educated, often have more impaired mental health, feel more vulnerable to contracting diseases, are less aware of the latrine construction of others in the village, feel less personally obliged to construct their own latrines, and are less confident in their ability to rebuild latrines damaged by flooding. The study confirmed that the assumptions of the diffusion of innovation theory are useful in combination with the risks, attitudes, norms, abilities, and self-regulation behavior change approach for developing evidence-based behavior change strategies in developing countries.

Efficacy of topical mosquito repellent (picaridin) plus long-lasting insecticidal nets versus long-lasting insecticidal nets alone for control of malaria: a cluster randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Sluydts, Vincent; Durnez, Lies; Heng, Somony; Gryseels, Charlotte; Canier, Lydie; Kim, Saorin; Van Roey, Karel; Kerkhof, Karen; Khim, Nimol; Mao, Sokny; Uk, Sambunny; Sovannaroth, Siv; Grietens, Koen Peeters; Sochantha, Tho; Menard, Didier; Coosemans, Marc

2016-10-01

Although effective topical repellents provide personal protection against malaria, whether mass use of topical repellents in addition to long-lasting insecticidal nets can contribute to a further decline of malaria is not known, particularly in areas where outdoor transmission occurs. We aimed to assess the epidemiological efficacy of a highly effective topical repellent in addition to long-lasting insecticidal nets in reducing malaria prevalence in this setting. A cluster randomised controlled trial was done in the 117 most endemic villages in Ratanakiri province, Cambodia, to assess the efficacy of topical repellents in addition to long-lasting insecticidal nets in controlling malaria in a low-endemic setting. We did a pre-trial assessment of village accessibility and excluded four villages because of their inaccessibility during the rainy season. Another 25 villages were grouped because of their proximity to each other, resulting in 98 study clusters (comprising either a single village or multiple neighbouring villages). Clusters were randomly assigned (1:1) to either a control (long-lasting insecticidal nets) or intervention (long-lasting insecticidal nets plus topical repellent) study group after a restricted randomisation. All clusters received one long-lasting insecticidal net per individual, whereas those in the intervention group also received safe and effective topical repellents (picaridin KBR3023, SC Johnson, Racine, WI, USA), along with instruction and promotion of its daily use. Cross-sectional surveys of 65 randomly selected individuals per cluster were done at the beginning and end of the malaria transmission season in 2012 and 2013. The primary outcome was Plasmodium species-specific prevalence in participants obtained by real-time PCR, assessed in the intention-to-treat population. Complete safety analysis data will be published seperately; any ad-hoc adverse events are reported here. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT

Health and housing collaboration at LAST: the Philadelphia Lead Abatement Strike Team.

PubMed Central

Campbell, Carla; Himmelsbach, Robert; Palermo, Peter; Tobin, Richard

2005-01-01

The Lead Abatement Strike Team (LAST) was developed in 2002 by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) in response to community concern about management of children with elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs). Fourteen hundred backlog properties (housing at least one child with EBLLs) were identified through inspection as having housing-based lead hazards for which no satisfactory environmental remediation (control of lead hazards) had been achieved. In the first two years of LAST, 834 new housing cases also were identified. The heightened awareness of this problem, sparked in part by community advocacy efforts, led to the appropriation of 1.5 million dollars for environmental remediation. A collaborative group of health, housing, and other officials was convened. Enforcement for remediation of properties with lead hazards was strengthened with the development of the Lead Court, a special judicial court devoted exclusively to hearing cases where owners had violated local lead poisoning prevention laws. Identifying a group of Pennsylvania-certified lead abatement contractors, expanding the health department's abatement team, creating temporary relocation capacity, and providing funding for basic housing system repair work were crucial to obtaining rapid remediation of homes. In the first two years of the LAST program, 1,037 properties (both backlog and new properties) that housed 1,476 children were remediated, representing a significant increase in remediation capacity. PMID:16134560

A Universal Trend among Proteomes Indicates an Oily Last Common Ancestor

PubMed Central

Mannige, Ranjan V.; Brooks, Charles L.; Shakhnovich, Eugene I.

2012-01-01

Despite progresses in ancestral protein sequence reconstruction, much needs to be unraveled about the nature of the putative last common ancestral proteome that served as the prototype of all extant lifeforms. Here, we present data that indicate a steady decline (oil escape) in proteome hydrophobicity over species evolvedness (node number) evident in 272 diverse proteomes, which indicates a highly hydrophobic (oily) last common ancestor (LCA). This trend, obtained from simple considerations (free from sequence reconstruction methods), was corroborated by regression studies within homologous and orthologous protein clusters as well as phylogenetic estimates of the ancestral oil content. While indicating an inherent irreversibility in molecular evolution, oil escape also serves as a rare and universal reaction-coordinate for evolution (reinforcing Darwin's principle of Common Descent), and may prove important in matters such as (i) explaining the emergence of intrinsically disordered proteins, (ii) developing composition- and speciation-based “global” molecular clocks, and (iii) improving the statistical methods for ancestral sequence reconstruction. PMID:23300421

Solar-cosmic-ray fluxes during the last ten million years

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reedy, Robert C.; Marti, Kurt

1991-01-01

The fluxes of energetic (E is greater than or approximately equal to 10 MeV) solar particles in the vicinity of the earth in the past can be determined from nuclides that they produced in the top centimeter of lunar rocks. Activity-vs-depth profiles of short-lived radioactivities measured in the top centimeter of lunar rocks agree with profiles calculated with directly measured solar-proton fluxes since about 1965 and were used with indirect observations to get solar-proton fluxes back to 1956. Lunar-rock profiles for long-lived radionuclides have been used to infer solar-proton fluxes averaged over several time periods in the past. New results are reported for solar-proton-produced Kr-81 measured in lunar rock 68815. Activities of 76,000-yr Ni-59 can be used to get fluxes of solar alpha particles averaged over the last 100,000 yr. The average solar-proton fluxes in the past are not greatly different from those observed during the last three 11-yr solar cycles. The work that needs to be done to determine more and better fluxes of energetic particles from the sun in the past is discussed.

Long-lasting ibogaine protection against NMDA-induced convulsions in mice.

PubMed

Leal, M B; de Souza, D O; Elisabetsky, E

2000-08-01

Ibogaine, a putative antiaddictive drug, is remarkable in its apparent ability to downgrade withdrawal symptoms and drug craving for extended periods of time after a single dose. Ibogaine acts as a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, while NMDA has been implicated in long lasting changes in neuronal function and in the physiological basis of drug addiction. The purpose of this study was to verify if persistent changes in NMDA receptors could be shown in vivo and in vitro after a single administration of ibogaine. The time course of ibogaine effects were examined on NMDA-induced seizures and [3H] MK-801 binding to cortical membranes in mice 30 min, 24, 48, and 72 h post treatment. Ibogaine (80 mg/kg, ip) was effective in inhibiting convulsions induced by NMDA at 24 and 72 hours post administration. Likewise, [3H] MK-801 binding was significantly decreased at 24 and 72 h post ibogaine. No significant differences from controls were found at 30 min or 48 h post ibogaine. This long lasting and complex pattern of modulation of NMDA receptors prompted by a single dose of ibogaine may be associated to its antiaddictive properties.

Life Adaptation Skills Training (LAST) for persons with depression: A randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Chen, Yun-Ling; Pan, Ay-Woan; Hsiung, Ping-Chuan; Chung, Lyinn; Lai, Jin-Shei; Shur-Fen Gau, Susan; Chen, Tsyr-Jang

2015-10-01

To investigate the efficacy of the "Life Adaptation Skills Training (LAST)" program for persons with depression. Sixty-eight subjects with depressive disorder were recruited from psychiatric outpatient clinics in Taipei city and were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (N=33), or a control group (N=35). The intervention group received 24-sessions of the LAST program, as well as phone contact mainly related to support for a total of 24 times. The control group only received phone contact 24 times. The primary outcome measure utilized was the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF-Taiwan version. Secondary outcome measures included the Occupational self-assessment, the Mastery scale, the Social support questionnaire, the Beck anxiety inventory, the Beck depression inventory-II, and the Beck scale for suicide ideation. The mixed-effects linear model was applied to analyze the incremental efficacy of the LAST program, and the partial eta squared (ηp(2)) was used to examine the within- and between- group effect size. The subjects who participated in the LAST program showed significant incremental improvements with moderate to large between-group effect sizes on their level of anxiety (-5.45±2.34, p<0.05; ηp(2)=0.083) and level of suicidal ideation (-3.09±1.11, p<0.01; ηp(2)=0.157) when compared to the control group. The reduction of suicidal ideations had a maintenance effect for three months after the end of intervention (-3.44±1.09, p<0.01), with moderate between-group effect sizes (ηp(2)=0.101). Both groups showed significant improvement on overall QOL, overall health, physical QOL, psychological QOL, level of anxiety, and level of depression. The within-group effect sizes achieved large effects in the intervention group (ηp(2)=0.328-0.544), and were larger than that of the control group. A small sample size in the study, a high dropout rate, lower compliance rates for the intervention group, and lacking of true control group. The

NADS versus CAMP closed-course comparison examining "last-second" braking and steering maneuvers under various kinematic conditions

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-08-01

Drivers last-second braking and last-second steering judgments have been studied extensively by the Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership (CAMP) Forward Collision Warning (FCW) Requirements project. This previous work was conducted under closed-cour...

Nearly synchronous climate change in the Northern Hemisphere during the last glacial termination

USGS Publications Warehouse

Benson, L.; Burdett, J.; Lund, S.; Kashgarian, Michaele; Mensing, S.

1997-01-01

The climate of the North Atlantic region underwent a series of abrupt cold/warm oscillations when the ice sheets of the Northern Hemisphere retreated during the last glacial termination (17.711.5 kyr ago). Evidence for these oscillations, which are recorded in European terrestrial sediments as the Oldest Dryas/Bolling/Older Dryas/Allerod/Younger Dryas vegetational sequence, has been found in Greenland ice cores. The geographical extent of many of these oscillations is not well known, but the last major cold event (the Younger Dryas) seems to have been global in extent. Here we present evidence of four major oscillations in the hydrological balance of the Owens basin, California, that occurred during the last glacial termination. Dry events in western North America occurred at approximately the same time as cold events recorded in Greenland ice, with transitions between climate regimes in the two regions taking place within a few hundred years of each other. Our observations thus support recent climate simulations which indicate that cooling of the North Atlantic Ocean results in cooling of the North Pacific Ocean which, in turn, leads to a drier climate in western North America.

42 CFR 65a.8 - How long does grant support last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false How long does grant support last? 65a.8 Section 65a.8 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES BASIC RESEARCH...

42 CFR 65a.8 - How long does grant support last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false How long does grant support last? 65a.8 Section 65a.8 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES BASIC RESEARCH...

42 CFR 65a.8 - How long does grant support last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false How long does grant support last? 65a.8 Section 65a.8 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES BASIC RESEARCH...

42 CFR 65a.8 - How long does grant support last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false How long does grant support last? 65a.8 Section 65a.8 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES BASIC RESEARCH...

42 CFR 65a.8 - How long does grant support last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false How long does grant support last? 65a.8 Section 65a.8 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES BASIC RESEARCH...

Long-Lasting Permethrin-Impregnated Clothing Protects against Mosquito Bites in Outdoor Workers

PubMed Central

Londono-Renteria, Berlin; Patel, Jaymin C.; Vaughn, Meagan; Funkhauser, Sheana; Ponnusamy, Loganathan; Grippin, Crystal; Jameson, Sam B.; Apperson, Charles; Mores, Christopher N.; Wesson, Dawn M.; Colpitts, Tonya M.; Meshnick, Steven R.

2015-01-01

Outdoor exposure to mosquitoes is a risk factor for many diseases, including malaria and dengue. We have previously shown that long-lasting permethrin-impregnated clothing protects against tick and chigger bites in a double-blind randomized controlled trial in North Carolina outdoor workers. Here, we evaluated whether this clothing is protective against mosquito bites by measuring changes in antibody titers to mosquito salivary gland extracts. On average, there was a 10-fold increase in titer during the spring and summer when mosquito exposure was likely to be the highest. During the first year of the study, the increase in titer in subjects wearing treated uniforms was 2- to 2.5-fold lower than that of control subjects. This finding suggests that long-lasting permethrin-impregnated clothing provided protection against mosquito bites. PMID:26195460

Last Millennium ENSO-Mean State Interactions in the Tropical Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyman, D. A.; Conroy, J. L.; Karamperidou, C.

2017-12-01

The nature and degree of interaction between the mean state of the tropical Pacific and ENSO remains an open question. Here we use high temporal resolution, tropical Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) records from the last millennium to investigate the relationship between ENSO and the tropical Pacific zonal sea surface temperature gradient (hereafter dSST). A dSST time series was created by standardizing, interpolating, and compositing 7 SST records from the western and 3 SST records from the eastern tropical Pacific. Propagating the age uncertainty of each of these records was accomplished through a Monte Carlo Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis. We find last millennium dSST is strong from 700 to 1300 CE, begins to weaken at approximately 1300 CE, and decreases more rapidly at 1700 CE. dSST was compared to 14 different ENSO reconstructions, independent of the records used to create dSST, to assess the nature of the ENSO-mean state relationship. dSST correlations with 50-year standard deviations of ENSO reconstructions are consistently negative, suggesting that more frequent, strong El Niño events on this timescale reduces dSST. To further assess the strength and direction of the ENSO-dSST relationship, moving 100-year standard deviations of ENSO reconstructions were compared to moving 100-year averages of dSST using Cohen's Kappa statistic, which measures categorical agreement. The Li et al. (2011) and Li et al. (2013) Nino 3.4 ENSO reconstructions had the highest agreement with dSST (k=0.80 and 0.70, respectively), with greater ENSO standard deviation coincident with periods of weak dSST. Other ENSO reconstructions showed weaker agreement with dSST, which may be partly due to low sample size. The consistent directional agreement of dSST with ENSO, coupled with the inability of strong ENSO events to develop under a weak SST gradient, suggests periods of more frequent strong El Niño events reduced tropical Pacific dSST on centennial timescales over the

Food transitions in last 50 years and related environmental implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pradhan, P.; Reusser, D. E.; Kropp, J. P.

2012-04-01

Food production is an important driver for global change processes such as land use change and green-house-gas emissions. We analyzed a global, long term data set on food consumption per country to identify typical patterns of diets for the last 50 years. From changes in these patterns, we derived food transitions on a global scale. Subsequently we assessed the environmental consequences from green-house-gas (GHG) emission and anthropogenic inputs. More specifically, we applied Self Organizing Maps (SOM) to identify the dietary patterns based on supply of 12 food groups from FAOSTAT dataset for a period 1961-2007. Using the data on energy output/input ratio for crop production and agricultural emission, we estimated fossil energy and GHG emission associated with the diets. We found 16 typical consumption patterns consisting of high, moderate, low and lowest calorie supply with varied food compositions. The high calorie diets are associated with a higher supply of cereals, animal-products, vegetable-oils and sugar-sweeteners featuring a total supply greater than 2800 kcal/cap/day. During the last 50 years, we observed food transitions from lower calories diets to higher calories diets. On the one hand, food transition towards affluent diet, sometime with shortcuts, occurred in developing countries. On the other hand, developed countries increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. Some of the developing countries are also stagnated in the low consumption level during the last 50 years. The high calorie diets also embed higher fossil energy (1800-3500 kcal/cap/day) and are associated with higher GHG emissions (3.7-6.1 kg CO2 eq/cap/day). However, their non-CO2 GHG emission intensities per kilo calorie of food are relatively low. Changes in dietary patterns are a part of the global change processes. Identification of past transitions is way to predict possible future transitions. This in turn supports policy processes and negotiations in the fields of climate

30 CFR 75.507-1 - Electric equipment other than power-connection points; outby the last open crosscut; return air...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... points; outby the last open crosscut; return air; permissibility requirements. 75.507-1 Section 75.507-1... other than power-connection points; outby the last open crosscut; return air; permissibility... permit for noncompliance may be used in return air outby the last open crosscut for the duration of such...

Extending MAM5 Meta-Model and JaCalIV E Framework to Integrate Smart Devices from Real Environments

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

This paper presents the extension of a meta-model (MAM5) and a framework based on the model (JaCalIVE) for developing intelligent virtual environments. The goal of this extension is to develop augmented mirror worlds that represent a real and virtual world coupled, so that the virtual world not only reflects the real one, but also complements it. A new component called a smart resource artifact, that enables modelling and developing devices to access the real physical world, and a human in the loop agent to place a human in the system have been included in the meta-model and framework. The proposed extension of MAM5 has been tested by simulating a light control system where agents can access both virtual and real sensor/actuators through the smart resources developed. The results show that the use of real environment interactive elements (smart resource artifacts) in agent-based simulations allows to minimize the error between simulated and real system. PMID:26926691

Extending MAM5 Meta-Model and JaCalIV E Framework to Integrate Smart Devices from Real Environments.

PubMed

Rincon, J A; Poza-Lujan, Jose-Luis; Julian, V; Posadas-Yagüe, Juan-Luis; Carrascosa, C

2016-01-01

This paper presents the extension of a meta-model (MAM5) and a framework based on the model (JaCalIVE) for developing intelligent virtual environments. The goal of this extension is to develop augmented mirror worlds that represent a real and virtual world coupled, so that the virtual world not only reflects the real one, but also complements it. A new component called a smart resource artifact, that enables modelling and developing devices to access the real physical world, and a human in the loop agent to place a human in the system have been included in the meta-model and framework. The proposed extension of MAM5 has been tested by simulating a light control system where agents can access both virtual and real sensor/actuators through the smart resources developed. The results show that the use of real environment interactive elements (smart resource artifacts) in agent-based simulations allows to minimize the error between simulated and real system.

Validity of gestational age estimates by last menstrual period and neonatal examination compared to ultrasound in Vietnam.

PubMed

Deputy, Nicholas P; Nguyen, Phuong H; Pham, Hoa; Nguyen, Son; Neufeld, Lynnette; Martorell, Reynaldo; Ramakrishnan, Usha

2017-01-11

Accurate estimation of gestational age is important for both clinical and public health purposes. Estimates of gestational age using fetal ultrasound measurements are considered most accurate but are frequently unavailable in low- and middle-income countries. The objective of this study was to assess the validity of last menstrual period and Farr neonatal examination estimates of gestational age, compared to ultrasound estimates, in a large cohort of women in Vietnam. Data for this analysis come from a randomized, placebo-controlled micronutrient supplementation trial in Vietnam. We analyzed 912 women with ultrasound and prospectively-collected last menstrual period estimates of gestational age and 685 women with ultrasound and Farr estimates of gestational age. We used the Wilcoxon signed rank sum test to assess differences in gestational age estimated by last menstrual period or Farr examination compared to ultrasound and computed the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) to quantify agreement between methods. We computed the Kappa coefficient (κ) to quantify agreement in preterm, term and post-term classification. The median gestational age estimated by ultrasound was 273.9 days. Gestational age was slightly overestimated by last menstrual period (median 276.0 days, P < 0.001) and more greatly overestimated by Farr examination (median 286.7 days, P < 0.001). Gestational age estimates by last menstrual period and ultrasound were moderately correlated (ICC = 0.78) and concordant (CCC = 0.63), whereas gestational age estimates by Farr examination and ultrasound were weakly correlated (ICC = 0.26) and concordant (CCC = 0.05). Last menstrual period and ultrasound estimates of gestational age were within ± 14 days for 88.4% of women; Farr and ultrasound estimates were within ± 14 days for 55.8% of women. Last menstrual period and ultrasound estimates of gestational age had higher

The Last Interglacial History of the Antarctic Ice sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradley, Sarah; Siddall, Mark; Milne, Glenn A.; Masson-Delmotte, Valerie; Wolff, Eric; Hindmarsh, Richard C. A.

2014-05-01

In this paper we present a summary of the work which was conducted as part of the 'PAST4FUTURE -WP4.1: Sea Level and Ice sheets' project. The overall aim of this study was to understand the response of the Antarctic Ice sheet (AIS) to climate forcing during the Last interglacial (LIG) and its contribution to the observed higher than present sea level during this period. The study involved the application and development of a novel technique which combined East Antarctic stable isotope ice core data with the output from a Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) model [Bradley et al., 2012]. We investigated if the stable isotope ice core data are sensitive to detecting isostatically driven changes in the surface elevation driven by changes in the ice-loading history of the AIS and if so, could we address some key questions relating to the LIG history of the AIS. Although it is believed that the West Antarctic Ice sheet (WAIS) reduced in size during the LIG compared to the Holocene, major uncertainties and unknowns remain unresolved: Did the WAIS collapse? What would the contribution of such a collapse be the higher than present LIG eustatic sea level (ESL)? We will show that a simulated collapse of the WAIS does not generate a significant elevation driven signal at the EAIS LIG ice core sites, and as such, these ice core records cannot be used to assess WAIS stability over this period. However, we will present 'treasure maps' [Bradley et al., 2012] to identify regions of the AIS where results from geological studies and/or new paleoclimate data may be sensitive to detecting a WAIS collapse. These maps can act as a useful tool for the wider science community/field scientists as a guide to highlight sites suitable to constrain the evolution of the WAIS during the LIG. Studies have proposed that the surface temperature across the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) was significantly warmer, 2-5°C during the LIG compared to present [Lang and Wolff, 2011]. These higher

Systematic review: has disease outcome in Crohn's disease changed during the last four decades?

PubMed

Wolters, F L; Russel, M G V M; Stockbrügger, R W

2004-09-01

Disease outcome in Crohn's disease might have changed during the last four decades. Disease outcome measurement in Crohn's disease has methodological difficulties because of patient selection and lack of proper definition of diagnostic and outcome measurement criteria. To assess possible changes in disease outcome in Crohn's disease during the last four decades. A systematic literature search was performed using the MEDLINE search engine and major international conference libraries. Articles and abstracts were selected according to stringent inclusion criteria. Forty articles and nine abstracts complied with the inclusion criteria. Seven studies with a median follow-up time between 11.1 and 17 years showed standard mortality ratios in Crohn's disease ranging between 2.16 and 0.72 with a tendency of decline during the last four decades. One study with 11.4 years mean follow-up time showed a statistically significant increased relative risk for colorectal cancer that was not confirmed by three others. Sixteen publications applied in the disease recurrence category. Probability of first resective surgery ranged between 38 and 96% during the first 15 years after diagnosis. The overall recurrence and surgical recurrence rates after first resective surgery ranged between 50 and 60, and 28 and 45% respectively during the following 15 years without an apparent time trend. This structured literature review provides no hard evidence for change in disease outcome in Crohn's disease during the last four decades. Copyright 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Deciphering the evolution of the last Eurasian ice sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Anna; Gyllencreutz, Richard; Mangerud, Jan; Svendsen, John Inge

2016-04-01

Glacial geologists need ice sheet-scale chronological reconstructions of former ice extent to set individual records in a wider context and compare interpretations of ice sheet response to records of past environmental changes. Ice sheet modellers require empirical reconstructions on size and volume of past ice sheets that are fully documented, specified in time and include uncertainty estimates for model validation or constraints. Motivated by these demands, in 2005 we started a project (Database of the Eurasian Deglaciation, DATED) to compile and archive all published dates relevant to constraining the build-up and retreat of the last Eurasian ice sheets, including the British-Irish, Scandinavian and Svalbard-Barents-Kara Seas ice sheets (BIIS, SIS and SBKIS respectively). Over 5000 dates were assessed for reliability and used together with published ice-sheet margin positions to reconstruct time-slice maps of the ice sheets' extent, with uncertainty bounds, every 1000 years between 25-10 kyr ago and at four additional periods back to 40 kyr ago. Ten years after the idea for a database was conceived, the first version of results (DATED-1) has now been released (Hughes et al. 2016). We observe that: i) both the BIIS and SBKIS achieve maximum extent, and commence retreat earlier than the larger SIS; ii) the eastern terrestrial margin of the SIS reached its maximum extent up to 7000 years later than the westernmost marine margin; iii) the combined maximum ice volume (~24 m sea-level equivalent) was reached c. 21 ka; iv) large uncertainties exist; predominantly across marine sectors (e.g. the timing of coalescence and separation of the SIS and BKIS) but also in well-studied areas due to conflicting yet equally robust data. In just three years since the DATED-1 census (1 January 2013), the volume of new information (from both dates and mapped glacial geomorphology) has grown significantly (~1000 new dates). Here, we present the DATED-1 results in the context of the

The Last Descendant of Tycho Brahe Lives in Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stavinschi, M.

On 24 October 1601 passed away, in the 55th year of his life, the great astronomer Tycho Brahe. Now, four centuries since his death, his last descendant is living in Romania: Lydia Baroness Løvendal-Papae. An encyclopedic culture and training as hers can rarely be found today; she also is an excellent specialist in genealogy and heraldry. She has not only the merit of studying the cosmic symbols in heraldry, but especially that of establishing the genealogical tree of the famous Danish astronomer. She also holds a genealogical record: as the last descendant of the old Danish dynasty, she descends from all European dynasties, including the founders of the Romanian countries. We shall dwell here neither upon the great personality of Tycho Brahe, nor on his role in the modern astronomy. We shall not refer to the Tycho catalogue resulted from the space mission Hipparcos. We shall dwell upon the ancient aristocratic family Brahe. The oldest firm mention goes as far back as in 1364, but there are data enough on the existence of some members of this family in the 13th century. The Brahe family was related to a no less famous family, that of the Barons Løvendal. One of the ancestors of Lydia Baroness Løvendal is the renowned Ulrik Frederik Voldemar, Baron, then Count Lovendal, marshal of France (1700-1755), whose name was assigned to one of the most important boulevards of Paris.

Condom and Substance Use at Last Sex: Differences between MSMO and MSWO High School Youth.

PubMed

Phillips, Gregory; Kalmin, Mariah M; Turner, Blair; Felt, Dylan; Marro, Rachel; Salamanca, Paul; Beach, Lauren B

2018-05-15

HIV disproportionately impacts youth, particularly young men who have sex with men (YMSM), a population that includes subgroups of young men who have sex with men only (YMSMO) and young men who have sex with men and women (YMSMW). In 2015, among male youth, 92% of new HIV diagnoses were among YMSM. The reasons why YMSM are disproportionately at risk for HIV acquisition, however, remain incompletely explored. We performed event-level analyses to compare how the frequency of condom use, drug and/or alcohol use at last sex differed among YMSMO and YMSWO (young men who have sex with women only) over a ten-year period from 2005⁻2015 within the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). YMSMO were less likely to use condoms at last sex compared to YMSWO. However, no substance use differences at last sexual encounter were detected. From 2005⁻2015, reported condom use at last sex significantly declined for both YMSMO and YMSWO, though the decline for YMSMO was more notable. While there were no significant differences in alcohol and substance use at last sex over the same ten-year period for YMSMO, YMSWO experienced a slight but significant decrease in reported alcohol and substance use. These event-level analyses provide evidence that YMSMO, similar to adult MSMO, may engage in riskier sexual behaviors compared to YMSWO, findings which may partially explain the increased burden of HIV in this population. Future work should investigate how different patterns of event-level HIV risk behaviors vary over time among YMSMO, YMSWO, and YMSMW, and are tied to HIV incidence among these groups.

A last interglacial fauna from the Eastern Sahara

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowalski, Kazimierz; Neer, Wim van; Bocheński, Zygmunt; Młynarski, Marian; Rzebik-Kowalska, Barbara; Szyndlar, Zbigniew; Gautier, Achilles; Schild, Romuald; Close, Angela E.; Wendorf, Fred

1989-11-01

Recent work on the middle Paleolithic at Bir Tarfawi, in the hyperarid Eastern Sahara (<1 mm of rain per annum), has yielded a rich faunal assemblage, including several thousand remains of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small mammals. They are derived from the sediments of two consecutive lakes dated by several techniques to about 135,000 yr B.P. Fifty-nine taxa have been identified and indicate that at times during the Last Interglaciation the area received at least 500 mm of rainfall as a result of the northward shift of the monsoon belt, and that, on several occasions, there may have been water connections between Bir Tarfawi and unidentified but permanent bodies of water elsewhere.

Still Polishing the Diamond: School Library Research over the Last Decade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnston, Melissa P.; Green, Lucy Santos

2018-01-01

In 2003 Delia Neuman wrote "Research in School Library Media for the Next Decade: Polishing the Diamond." One of the most influential pieces on school library research written in the last twenty years, the article provided a map for school library research by defining areas of concern and importance. Neuman developed questions grounded…

Forest contraction in north equatorial Southeast Asia during the Last Glacial Period

PubMed Central

Wurster, Christopher M.; Bird, Michael I.; Bull, Ian D.; Creed, Frances; Bryant, Charlotte; Dungait, Jennifer A. J.; Paz, Victor

2010-01-01

Today, insular Southeast Asia is important for both its remarkably rich biodiversity and globally significant roles in atmospheric and oceanic circulation. Despite the fundamental importance of environmental history for diversity and conservation, there is little primary evidence concerning the nature of vegetation in north equatorial Southeast Asia during the Last Glacial Period (LGP). As a result, even the general distribution of vegetation during the Last Glacial Maximum is debated. Here we show, using the stable carbon isotope composition of ancient cave guano profiles, that there was a substantial forest contraction during the LGP on both peninsular Malaysia and Palawan, while rainforest was maintained in northern Borneo. These results directly support rainforest “refugia” hypotheses and provide evidence that environmental barriers likely reduced genetic mixing between Borneo and Sumatra flora and fauna. Moreover, it sheds light on possible early human dispersal events. PMID:20660748

Long-Lasting Permethrin-Impregnated Clothing Protects Against Mosquito Bites in Outdoor Workers.

PubMed

Londono-Renteria, Berlin; Patel, Jaymin C; Vaughn, Meagan; Funkhauser, Sheana; Ponnusamy, Loganathan; Grippin, Crystal; Jameson, Sam B; Apperson, Charles; Mores, Christopher N; Wesson, Dawn M; Colpitts, Tonya M; Meshnick, Steven R

2015-10-01

Outdoor exposure to mosquitoes is a risk factor for many diseases, including malaria and dengue. We have previously shown that long-lasting permethrin-impregnated clothing protects against tick and chigger bites in a double-blind randomized controlled trial in North Carolina outdoor workers. Here, we evaluated whether this clothing is protective against mosquito bites by measuring changes in antibody titers to mosquito salivary gland extracts. On average, there was a 10-fold increase in titer during the spring and summer when mosquito exposure was likely to be the highest. During the first year of the study, the increase in titer in subjects wearing treated uniforms was 2- to 2.5-fold lower than that of control subjects. This finding suggests that long-lasting permethrin-impregnated clothing provided protection against mosquito bites. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Climatic records of the last and penultimate deglaciations in the South Atlantic and South Indian Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michel, Elisabeth; Waelbroeck, Claire; Govin, Aline; Skinner, Luke; Vàzquez Riveiros, Natalia; Dewilde, Fabien; Isguder, Gulay; Rebaubier, Hélène

2013-04-01

Surface and deep-water records of Termination I and II in two twin South Atlantic deep-sea cores (44°09' S, 14°14' W, 3770 m depth) and one South Indian core (46°29' S, 88°01' E, 3420 m depth) are presented. Sea surface temperature has been reconstructed based on planktonic foraminifera census counts in all cases, as well as Mg/Ca of G. bulloides and N. pachyderma s. over the last deglaciation. The uncertainty on reconstructed SST using different statistical methods and different faunal databases is assessed. Over the last deglaciation, combined 14C dating and correlation of the SST record with the air temperature signal recorded in Antarctic ice cores allowed us to correct for variable surface reservoir ages in the South Atlantic core (Skinner et al., 2010). Preliminary dating of the South Indian core over the last termination has been done by correlation of its magnetic signal with those of a neighboring 14C dated core (Smart et al., 2010). We have refined the later age scale using the Atlantic core age scale as reference. Benthic isotopic signals in the South Atlantic and South Indian cores over the last deglaciation exhibit the same amplitude and timing. Our results thus indicate that bottom waters at the South Indian site remained isolated from better ventilated deep waters of northern origin until ~15 ka (Waelbroeck et al., 2011). Over Termination II, the two cores have been dated by correlation of their SST records with the air temperature signal recorded in EDC versus the EDC3 age scale (Govin et al., 2009; 2012). A careful examination of the various sources of uncertainty on the derived dating has been performed. Benthic and planktonic isotopic signals reveal analogies but also differences with respect to the last termination. SST was significantly warmer during the Last Interglacial than during the Holocene in both sites. South Atlantic deep waters were also significantly better ventilated during the Last Interglacial than during the Holocene, whereas

The last interglaciation in Alaska: Stratigraphy and paleoecology of potential sites

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hamilton, T.D.; Brigham-Grette, J.

1991-01-01

At least 20 localities in Alaska contain deposits that may provide information on the last interglaciation (Oxygen-Isotope Substage 5e). These widely dispersed localities include river bluffs, coastal bluffs and terraces, elevated marine shorelines, lake basins, and artificial excavations. Most of the inferred interglacial deposits contain macrofossils or pollen that are older than the range of radiocarbon dating and commonly indicate climate as warm as or warmer than the present. At a few localities, evidence for deep thaw of permafrost also indicates a warm paleoclimate. At eight localities, the Old Crow tephra occurs at or below organic deposits that may represent Substage 5e. The tephra occurs beneath conspicuous organic deposits at Fairbanks, the Yukon Palisades, and Holitna lowland, and directly above a peat bed at Hogatza Mine. At Birch Creek, Halfway House, Ky-11, and Imuruk Lake, the tephra occurs within a paleosol or organic deposit, but other organic horizons that more likely indicate interglacial conditions occur at higher stratigraphic levels. The varied stratigraphic relations of the Old Crow tephra suggest that it may have been deposited close to the boundary between Isotope Substages 6 and 5, which is dated at about 130 ka in the marine record and between 132 and 140 ka on land. These age relations suggests that the tephra may have been deposited about 135 ?? 5 ka, validating the recent fission-track age determination of 140 ?? 10 ka for this deposit. Six coastal localities contain deposits of probable interglacial age, and these commonly are associated with evidence for eustatic sea levels higher than those of the present. Beach and sublittoral sediments of the Pelukian transgression occur up to 12 m asl along the northwest coast of Alaska, and are correlative with barrier island and lagoonal sediments on the Alaskan Arctic Coastal Plain. Both sets of deposits commonly contain extralimital mollusks and microfauna that indicate marine water slightly

Evidence that long-lasting potentiation in limbic circuits mediating defensive behaviour in the right hemisphere underlies pharmacological stressor (FG-7142) induced lasting increases in anxiety-like behaviour: role of benzodiazepine receptors.

PubMed

Adamec, R E

2000-01-01

The hypothesis that benzodiazepine receptors mediate initiation of lasting behavioural changes induced by FG-7142 was supported in this study. Behavioural changes normally induced by FG-7142 were blocked by prior administration of the competitive benzodiazepine receptor blocker, Flumazenil. When cats were subsequently given FG-7142 alone, the drug produced lasting behavioural changes in species characteristic defensive responses to rodent and cat vocal threat. FG-7142 also induced long-lasting potentiation (LLP) of evoked potentials in a number of efferent pathways from the amygdala in both hemispheres. Flumazenil given prior to FG-7142 blocked LLP in all but one of the amygdala efferent pathways, suggesting benzodiazepine receptor dependence of initiation of LLP. Three physiological changes were most closely correlated with behavioural changes. LLP in the right amygdalo-ventromedial hypothalamic (VMH) and amygdalo-periacqueductal gray (PAG) pathways coincided closely with behavioural changes, as did a reduced threshold for the right amygdalo-VMH evoked potential. Administration of Flumazenil after FG-7142 returned defensive behaviour to pre FG-7142 baseline levels in a drug-dependent manner. At the same time LLP only in the right amygdalo-PAG pathway was reduced by Flumazenil. LLP in other pathways and amygdalo-VMH threshold were unaltered by Flumazenil. Moreover, covariance analyses indicated that increased defensiveness depended solely on LLP in the right amygdalo-PAG. These findings support the view that maintenance of lasting increases in defensive behaviour depend upon LLP of excitatory neural transmission between amygdala and lateral column of the PAG in the right hemisphere. Moreover, FG-7142 may be a useful model of the effects of traumatic stressors on limbic system function in anxiety, especially in view of the recent data in humans implicating right hemispheric function in persisting negative affective states in post-traumatic stress disorder.

Suicide Risk Documented During Veterans' Last Veterans Affairs Health Care Contacts Prior to Suicide.

PubMed

Denneson, Lauren M; Kovas, Anne E; Britton, Peter C; Kaplan, Mark S; McFarland, Bentson H; Dobscha, Steven K

2016-06-01

A total of 295 veterans who died by suicide in 2009 across 11 states and received Veterans Affairs (VA) health care in the 6 months prior to death were identified. The suicide risk factors documented and the care received at these veterans' last VA contacts are described, and the study explores whether veterans present differently to VA care (i.e., different risk factors documented or different care settings accessed) based on the proximity of their last contact to suicide. Many veterans were seen in primary care (n = 136; 46%) for routine follow-up (n = 168; 57%). Fifty-three (18%) were assessed for suicidal thoughts; 20 (38%) of whom endorsed such thoughts. Although higher frequencies of some risk factors at last contacts more proximal to suicide compared to those more distal were observed, findings overall highlight the challenges clinicians face detecting enhanced risk prior to suicide. © Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Climate Events and Cycles During the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Eun Hee; Lee, Dae-Young; Park, Mi-Young

2017-09-01

During the last glacial-interglacial transition, there were multiple intense climatic events such as the Bølling-Allerød warming and Younger Dryas cooling. These events show abrupt and rapid climatic changes. In this study, the climate events and cycles during this interval are examined through wavelet analysis of Arctic and Antarctic ice-core 18O and tropical marine 14C records. The results show that periods of 1383-1402, 1029-1043, 726-736, 441-497 and 202-247 years are dominant in the Arctic region, whereas periods of 1480, 765, 518, 311, and 207 years are prominent in the Antarctic TALDICE. In addition, cycles of 1019, 515, and 209 years are distinct in the tropical region. Among these variations, the de Vries cycle of 202-209 years, correlated with variations in solar activity, was detected globally. In particular, this cycle shows a strong signal in the Antarctic between about 13,000 and 10,500 yr before present (BP). In contrast, the Eddy cycle of 1019-1043 years was prominent in Greenland and the tropical region, but was not detected in the Antarctic TALDICE records. Instead, these records showed that the Heinrich cycle of 1480 year was very strong and significant throughout the last glacial-interglacial interval.

The last Deglaciation in the Mediterranean region: a multi-archives synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bazin, Lucie; Siani, Giuseppe; Landais, Amaelle; Bassinot, Frank; Genty, Dominique; Govin, Aline; Michel, Elisabeth; Nomade, Sebastien; Waelbroeck, Claire

2016-04-01

Multiple proxies record past climatic changes in different climate archives. These proxies are influenced by different component of the climate system and bring complementary information on past climate variability. The major limitation when combining proxies from different archives comes from the coherency of their chronologies. Indeed, each climate archives possess their own dating methods, not necessarily coherent with each other's. Consequently, when we want to assess the latitudinal changes and mechanisms behind a climate event, we often have to rely on assumptions of synchronisation between the different archives, such as synchronous temperature changes during warming events (Austin and Hibbert 2010). Recently, a dating method originally developed to produce coherent chronologies for ice cores (Datice,Lemieux-Dudon et al., 2010) has been adapted in order to integrate different climate archives (ice cores, sediment cores and speleothems (Lemieux-Dudon et al., 2015, Bazin et al., in prep)). In this presentation we present the validation of this multi-archives dating tool with a first application covering the last Deglaciation in the Mediterranean region. For this experiment, we consider the records from Monticchio, the MD90-917, Tenaghi Philippon and Lake Orhid sediment cores as well as continuous speleothems from Sofular, Soreq and La Mine caves. Using the Datice dating tool, and with the identification of common tephra layers between the cores considered, we are able to produce a multi-archives coherent chronology for this region, independently of any climatic assumption. Using this common chronological framework, we show that the usual climatic synchronisation assumptions are not valid over this region for the last glacial-interglacial transition. Finally, we compare our coherent Mediterranean chronology with Greenland ice core records in order to discuss the sequence of events of the last Deglaciation between these two regions.

Florida Current surface temperature and salinity variability during the last millennium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lund, David C.; Curry, William

2006-06-01

The salinity and temperature of the Florida Current are key parameters affecting the transport of heat into the North Atlantic, yet little is known about their variability on centennial timescales. Here we report replicated, high-resolution foraminiferal records of Florida Current surface hydrography for the last millennium from two coring sites, Dry Tortugas and the Great Bahama Bank. The oxygen isotopic composition of Florida Current surface water (δ18Ow) near Dry Tortugas increased 0.4‰ during the course of the Little Ice Age (LIA) (˜1200-1850 A.D.), equivalent to a salinity increase of 0.8-1.5. On the Great Bahama Bank, where surface waters are influenced by the North Atlantic subtropical gyre, δ18Ow increased by 0.3‰ during the last 200 years. Although a portion (˜0.1‰) of this shift may be an artifact of anthropogenically driven changes in surface water ΣCO2, the remaining δ18Ow signal implies a 0.4-1 increase in salinity after 200 years B.P. The simplest explanation of the δ18Ow data is southward migration of the Atlantic Hadley circulation during the LIA. Scaling of the δ18Ow records to salinity using the modern low-latitude δ18Ow-S slope produces an unrealistic reversal in the salinity gradient between the two sites. Only if δ18Ow is scaled to salinity using a high-latitude δ18Ow-S slope can the records be reconciled. Variable atmospheric 14C paralleled Dry Tortugas δ18Ow, suggesting that solar irradiance paced centennial-scale migration of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone and changes in Florida Current salinity during the last millennium.

[Bacterial flora in the genital tract the last trimester of pregnancy].

PubMed

Balaka, B; Agbèrè, A D; Baeta, S; Kessie, K; Assimadi, K

2003-10-01

Very widespread in our clinical setting, early-onset sepsis is due to organisms that commonly colonize or infect the maternal genital tract; identifying such organisms would help improve prevention and treatment. To determine the bacterial ecology and the pathological status of the genital organs during the last trimester of pregnancy, in order to evaluate the risk of materno-fetal infections and to improve the present prophylactic measures based on monitoring bacterial carriage during the first trimester. Vaginal and endocervical samples, usually taken during the first trimester of pregnancy were delayed and taken during the last trimester of pregnancy, in patients with no signs of sepsis and not taking antibiotics. A macroscopic examination described the aspect of the vagina, the cervix uteri, leukorrhea and possible inflammatory lesions or ulcerations. A microscopic examination searched for parasites, epithelial cells, Clue cells and leukocytes. The appropriate bacteriological cultures were performed after reading the Gram stain and scoring the vaginal flora. The clinical and cytobacteriological aspects were used to identify the bacterial ecology and the pathological genital states. Genital samples were collected from 306 pregnant women. Among them 118 were at 29-32 weeks of gestation, 104 at 33-36 and 84 at 37-40. The most frequent germs were C. albicans (33.3%), Enterobacteriaceae (20.3%) including E. coli (10.9%), S. aureus (15.4%), Gardnerella (13.6%), and Trichomonas (10.6%), in monomicrobian (79.2%) or polymicrobian carriage (20.8%). Lower genital tract pathological states such as vaginitis (29.4%), bacterial vaginosis (21.5%) or cervicitis (10.4%) and asymptomatic bacterial carriage (23.5%) and normal genital flora (15%) were identified. This is the first report of genital bacterial carriage in African women during the last trimester of pregnancy. Larger studies are required to evaluate the risk of maternofetal infections and to improve current

Word recognition using a lexicon constrained by first/last character decisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Sheila X.; Srihari, Sargur N.

1995-03-01

In lexicon based recognition of machine-printed word images, the size of the lexicon can be quite extensive. The recognition performance is closely related to the size of the lexicon. Recognition performance drops quickly when lexicon size increases. Here, we present an algorithm to improve the word recognition performance by reducing the size of the given lexicon. The algorithm utilizes the information provided by the first and last characters of a word to reduce the size of the given lexicon. Given a word image and a lexicon that contains the word in the image, the first and last characters are segmented and then recognized by a character classifier. The possible candidates based on the results given by the classifier are selected, which give us the sub-lexicon. Then a word shape analysis algorithm is applied to produce the final ranking of the given lexicon. The algorithm was tested on a set of machine- printed gray-scale word images which includes a wide range of print types and qualities.

Methane release from the southern Brazilian margin during the last glacial.

PubMed

Portilho-Ramos, R C; Cruz, A P S; Barbosa, C F; Rathburn, A E; Mulitza, S; Venancio, I M; Schwenk, T; Rühlemann, C; Vidal, L; Chiessi, C M; Silveira, C S

2018-04-13

Seafloor methane release can significantly affect the global carbon cycle and climate. Appreciable quantities of methane are stored in continental margin sediments as shallow gas and hydrate deposits, and changes in pressure, temperature and/or bottom-currents can liberate significant amounts of this greenhouse gas. Understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of marine methane deposits and their relationships to environmental change are critical for assessing past and future carbon cycle and climate change. Here we present foraminiferal stable carbon isotope and sediment mineralogy records suggesting for the first time that seafloor methane release occurred along the southern Brazilian margin during the last glacial period (40-20 cal ka BP). Our results show that shallow gas deposits on the southern Brazilian margin responded to glacial-interglacial paleoceanographic changes releasing methane due to the synergy of sea level lowstand, warmer bottom waters and vigorous bottom currents during the last glacial period. High sea level during the Holocene resulted in an upslope shift of the Brazil Current, cooling the bottom waters and reducing bottom current strength, reducing methane emissions from the southern Brazilian margin.

Nursing care of dead bodies: a discursive analysis of last offices.

PubMed

Quested, Beverleigh; Rudge, Trudy

2003-03-01

Nurses care for patients before they are born, after they have died and during the lifetime in between. This paper explores nursing care of the patient after they have died including the actions by nurses in preparation of the body, the covering with a shroud, and the transfer to the mortuary. The analysis of a procedure manual excerpt Last Offices, which directs care of the dead patient aims to explore nursing care practices in regard to dead patients, as well as the impact of the health care institution and society at large on these care practices. An acute care teaching hospital located in a major Australian city was approached and permission was granted to access their procedure and policy manuals. The Last Offices excerpt of the procedure manual was discursively analysed. It is the contention of this paper that, through their care, nurses enact the transition between life and death, and from person to corpse. Furthermore, nurses mediate the move from embodied person to becoming dead, and in so doing traverse the cultural, ontological and epistemological breaks that death entails.

Neuropeptide y gates a stress-induced, long-lasting plasticity in the sympathetic nervous system.

PubMed

Wang, Qian; Wang, Manqi; Whim, Matthew D

2013-07-31

Acute stress evokes the fight-or-flight reflex, which via release of the catecholamine hormones affects the function of every major organ. Although the reflex is transient, it has lasting consequences that produce an exaggerated response when stress is reexperienced. How this change is encoded is not known. We investigated whether the reflex affects the adrenal component of the sympathetic nervous system, a major branch of the stress response. Mice were briefly exposed to the cold-water forced swim test (FST) which evoked an increase in circulating catecholamines. Although this hormonal response was transient, the FST led to a long-lasting increase in the catecholamine secretory capacity measured amperometrically from chromaffin cells and in the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase. A variety of approaches indicate that these changes are regulated postsynaptically by neuropeptide Y (NPY), an adrenal cotransmitter. Using immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, and NPY(GFP) BAC mice, we find that NPY is synthesized by all chromaffin cells. Stress failed to increase secretory capacity in NPY knock-out mice. Genetic or pharmacological interference with NPY and Y1 (but not Y2 or Y5) receptor signaling attenuated the stress-induced change in tyrosine hydroxylase expression. These results indicate that, under basal conditions, adrenal signaling is tonically inhibited by NPY, but stress overrides this autocrine negative feedback loop. Because acute stress leads to a lasting increase in secretory capacity in vivo but does not alter sympathetic tone, these postsynaptic changes appear to be an adaptive response. We conclude that the sympathetic limb of the stress response exhibits an activity-dependent form of long-lasting plasticity.

Gulf Stream Temperature, Salinity and Transport During the Last Millennium

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-02-01

their relationship to 9 one another and to proxies of solar variability. Chapter 3 addresses the temperature and salinity components of the...Florida Current 618Oc varied coherently with proxies of atmospheric radiocarbon at low frequencies over 10 the last 5,000 years, suggesting a link...cooling that began around 1000 A.D. models and proxies used. This two-stage character of the LIA is not apparent in the Florida margin cores. 6.4

Acculturation and Perceptions of a Good Death Among Japanese Americans and Japanese Living in the U.S.

PubMed

Mori, Masanori; Kuwama, Yuichiro; Ashikaga, Takamaru; Parsons, Henrique A; Miyashita, Mitsunori

2018-01-01

Acculturation is the phenomenon of the attitudinal changes of individuals who come into continuous contact with another culture. Despite the long history of Japanese immigration to America, little is known about the impact of acculturation on perceptions of a good death. To examine differences in perceptions of a good cancer death among Japanese Americans (JA/A), Japanese living in America (J/A), and the Japanese living in Japan (J/J). We administered surveys among JA/A and J/A and used historical J/J data for reference. Primary endpoint was the proportion of respondents who expressed the necessity of core and optional items of the Good Death Inventory. Group differences ≥20% were deemed clinically important. In total, 441 survey responses in America and 2548 in Japan were obtained. More than 80% of respondents consistently considered nine of 10 core items necessary without significant group differences. No core item reached a ≥20% group difference. Three of the eight optional items reached ≥20% group difference: fighting against disease until one's last moment (49%, P < 0.0001; 52%, P < 0.0001; and 73% in JA/A, J/A, and J/J, respectively), knowing what to expect about one's condition in the future (83%, P < 0.0001; 80%, P < 0.0001; and 58%, respectively), and having faith (64%, P = 0.0548; 43%, P = 0.0127; and 38%, respectively). Although most core items of a good death were preserved throughout the levels of acculturation, perceptions of some optional items shifted away from Japanese attitudes as individuals became more acculturated. Understanding of different levels of acculturation may help clinicians provide culturally sensitive end-of-life care. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The vegetation history of the last glacial-interglacial cycle in eastern New South Wales, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, N. J.; Harle, K. J.; Gale, S. J.; Heijnis, H.

2006-10-01

We present a reconstruction of the vegetation history of the last glacial-interglacial cycle (ca. 75 k cal. yr BP-present) at Redhead Lagoon, an enclosed lake basin in coastal, eastern New South Wales, Australia. The sequence of vegetation change at the site is broadly comparable with the pattern of climatically induced changes observed in many other pollen records in southeast Australia. Open woodland-herbland and woodland-forest communities correspond with glacial and interglacial periods respectively, with an additional change towards a more open understorey vegetation assemblage over the last 40 000 yr. The driest conditions appear to have occurred during the height of the last glacial (some time between 30 and 20 k cal. yr BP). This is consistent with other records from southeast Australia, and provides support for a poleward shift in the subtropical anticyclone belt and, less certainly, for the thesis that the Southern Hemisphere westerlies intensified during this period. In marked contrast to most sites in southeast Australia, Casuarinaceae dominates the pollen record through the height of the last glacial period and into the Holocene. The postglacial climatic amelioration is accompanied by the general reappearance of tree pollen in the record, by the disappearance of several open and disturbed environment indicator taxa, by increases in organic sediment deposition and pollen taxon diversity, and by higher water balances. While climate appears to have been the major control on patterns of vegetation change at this site throughout most of the last glacial-interglacial cycle, changes in depositional environment and hydrology have also played a role. Significantly, substantial increases in the rate and magnitude of many indicators of environmental disturbance since European settlement suggest that humans are now the most important mechanism for environmental change. Copyright

The movement of pre-adapted cool taxa in north-central Amazonia during the last glacial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Apolito, Carlos; Absy, Maria Lúcia; Latrubesse, Edgardo M.

2017-08-01

The effects of climate change on the lowland vegetation of Amazonia during the last glacial cycle are partially known for the middle and late Pleniglacial intervals (late MIS 3, 59-24 ka and MIS 2, 24-11 ka), but are still unclear for older stages of the last glacial and during the last interglacial. It is known that a more seasonal dry-wet climate caused marginal forest retraction and together with cooling rearranged forest composition to some extent. This is observed in pollen records across Amazonia depicting presence of taxa at glacial times in localities where they do not live presently. The understanding of taxa migration is hindered by the lack of continuous interglacial-glacial lowland records. We present new data from a known locality in NW Amazonia (Six Lakes Hill), showing a vegetation record that probably started during MIS 5 (130-71 ka) and lasted until the onset of the Holocene. The vegetation record unravels a novel pattern in tree taxa migration: (1) from the beginning of this cycle Podocarpus and Myrsine are recorded and (2) only later do Hedyosmum and Alnus appear. The latter group is largely restricted to montane biomes or more distant locations outside Amazonia, whereas the first is found in lowlands close to the study site on sandy soils. These findings imply that Podocarpus and Myrsine responded to environmental changes equally and this reflects their concomitant niche use in NW Amazonia. Temperature drop is not discarded as a trigger of internal forest composition change, but its effects are clearer later in the Pleniglacial rather than the Early Glacial. Therefore early climatic/environmental changes had a first order effect on vegetation that invoke alternative explanations. We claim last glacial climate-induced modifications on forest composition favoured the expansion of geomorphologic-soil related processes that initiated forest rearrangement.

Beryllium-10 dating of the duration and retreat of the last pinedale glacial sequence

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

Gosse, J.C.; Klein, J.; Evenson, E.B.

Accurate terrestrial glacial chronologies are needed for comparison with the marine record to establish the dynamics of global climate change during transitions from glacial to interglacial regimes. Cosmogenic beryllium-10 measurements in the Wind River Range indicate that the last glacial maximum (marine oxygen isotope stage 2) was achieved there by 21,700 {+-} 700 beryllium-10 years and lasted 5900 years. Ages of a sequence of recessional moraines and striated bedrock surfaces show that the initial deglaciation was rapid and that the entire glacial system retreated 33 kilometers to the cirque basin by 12,100 {+-} 500 beryllium-10 years.

13 CFR 124.1005 - How long does an SDB certification last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false How long does an SDB certification... Protests Relating to Federal Small Disadvantaged Business Programs § 124.1005 How long does an SDB certification last? (a) A firm that is certified to be an SDB will generally be certified for a period of three...

13 CFR 124.1005 - How long does an SDB certification last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false How long does an SDB certification... Protests Relating to Federal Small Disadvantaged Business Programs § 124.1005 How long does an SDB certification last? (a) A firm that is certified to be an SDB will generally be certified for a period of three...

13 CFR 124.1005 - How long does an SDB certification last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false How long does an SDB certification... Protests Relating to Federal Small Disadvantaged Business Programs § 124.1005 How long does an SDB certification last? (a) A firm that is certified to be an SDB will generally be certified for a period of three...

13 CFR 124.1005 - How long does an SDB certification last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false How long does an SDB certification... Protests Relating to Federal Small Disadvantaged Business Programs § 124.1005 How long does an SDB certification last? (a) A firm that is certified to be an SDB will generally be certified for a period of three...

13 CFR 124.1005 - How long does an SDB certification last?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false How long does an SDB certification... Protests Relating to Federal Small Disadvantaged Business Programs § 124.1005 How long does an SDB certification last? (a) A firm that is certified to be an SDB will generally be certified for a period of three...

From the Last Interglacial to the Anthropocene: Modelling a Complete Glacial Cycle (PalMod)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brücher, Tim; Latif, Mojib

2017-04-01

We will give a short overview and update on the current status of the national climate modelling initiative PalMod (Paleo Modelling, www.palmod.de). PalMod focuses on the understanding of the climate system dynamics and its variability during the last glacial cycle. The initiative is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and its specific topics are: (i) to identify and quantify the relative contributions of the fundamental processes which determined the Earth's climate trajectory and variability during the last glacial cycle, (ii) to simulate with comprehensive Earth System Models (ESMs) the climate from the peak of the last interglacial - the Eemian warm period - up to the present, including the changes in the spectrum of variability, and (iii) to assess possible future climate trajectories beyond this century during the next millennia with sophisticated ESMs tested in such a way. The research is intended to be conducted over a period of 10 years, but with shorter funding cycles. PalMod kicked off in February 2016. The first phase focuses on the last deglaciation (app. the last 23.000 years). From the ESM perspective PalMod pushes forward model development by coupling ESM with dynamical ice sheet models. Computer scientists work on speeding up climate models using different concepts (like parallelisation in time) and one working group is dedicated to perform a comprehensive data synthesis to validate model performance. The envisioned approach is innovative in three respects. First, the consortium aims at simulating a full glacial cycle in transient mode and with comprehensive ESMs which allow full interactions between the physical and biogeochemical components of the Earth system, including ice sheets. Second, we shall address climate variability during the last glacial cycle on a large range of time scales, from interannual to multi-millennial, and attempt to quantify the relative contributions of external forcing and processes

Long-lasting D-region ionospheric modifications, caused by intense lightning in association with elve and sprite pairs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haldoupis, Christos; Cohen, Morris; Cotts, Benjamin; Arnone, Enrico; Inan, Umran

2012-08-01

Observations show that intense +CG lightning discharges which trigger both an elve and a sprite are associated with long-lasting conductivity modifications in the upper D-region ionosphere. They are observed as strong perturbations in VLF signals propagating through the disturbed region, manifested as LOng Recovery Early VLF events (LORE), which can last up to 30 minutes. These same ionospheric modifications are also responsible for step-like changes, seen mostly in off-storm VLF transmissions, which offset signal levels even for longer times. The evidence suggests that when a very intense positive cloud to ground lightning stroke leads to an elve and a high altitude sprite, and possibly a sprite halo as well, there is production of long lasting elevations in electron density at VLF reflection heights that cause LOREs and severe effects on VLF propagation. The present results confirm past predictions and postulations that elves may be accompanied by long-lasting electron density perturbations in the lower ionosphere.

Dramatical reduction of Cotopaxi Glaciers during the last volcano awakening 2015-2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cáceres, B. E.

2016-12-01

Cotopaxi Volcano is located over the eastern cordillera in the Ecuadorian Andes. During the last 50 years it has been a high reduction in its ice coverage corresponding to 54.8%. The ice lost was increased during the last volcano awakening. There was an increment on ice coverage lost of 4,5 % during August 2015 to January 2016. The increment on ice coverage lost was correlated to the presence of volcanic ash over the volcano. The quantity of volcanic ash was about 50% of the total area of glacier. This increment produced the change of albedo values from migration since white to gray-black appearance. The normal glaciers behavior related to the location of the equilibrium altitude(ELA) for the Ecuadorian Andes which correspond to 5100 meters above sea level and the response to climate change during August 2015 to January 2016 was also influenced by the increment on the volcano activity. The temperature on various zones of the volcano top was increased during that period. The ice cover for the Cotopaxi glaciers was analyzed using the method provided by World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS). Recent monitoring parameters such as seismicity, gas emissions and others show that the volcano activity has been reduced. During the last four months an increment on the precipitation and frequent snow falls have been wash out the recent ash falls and covered the ancient ash. This produced a lowering of the albedo to normal values. The rapid retreat of the glacier was reduced due to the recent climatic conditions.

A fresh look at the Last Glacial Maximum using Paleoclimate Data Assimilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malevich, S. B.; Tierney, J. E.; Hakim, G. J.; Tardif, R.

2017-12-01

Quantifying climate conditions during the Last Glacial Maximum ( 21ka) can help us to understand climate responses to forcing and climate states that are poorly represented in the instrumental record. Paleoclimate proxies may be used to estimate these climate conditions, but proxies are sparsely distributed and possess uncertainties from environmental and biogeochemical processes. Alternatively, climate model simulations provide a full-field view, but may predict unrealistic climate states or states not faithful to proxy records. Here, we use data assimilation - combining climate proxy records with a theoretical understanding from climate models - to produce field reconstructions of the LGM that leverage the information from both data and models. To date, data assimilation has mainly been used to produce reconstructions of climate fields through the last millennium. We expand this approach in order to produce a climate fields for the Last Glacial Maximum using an ensemble Kalman filter assimilation. Ensemble samples were formed from output from multiple models including CCSM3, CESM2.1, and HadCM3. These model simulations are combined with marine sediment proxies for upper ocean temperature (TEX86, UK'37, Mg/Ca and δ18O of foraminifera), utilizing forward models based on a newly developed suite of Bayesian proxy system models. We also incorporate age model and radiocarbon reservoir uncertainty into our reconstructions using Bayesian age modeling software. The resulting fields show familiar patterns based on comparison with previous proxy-based reconstructions, but additionally reveal novel patterns of large-scale shifts in ocean-atmosphere dynamics, as the surface temperature data inform upon atmospheric circulation and precipitation patterns.

Hydroclimate variability in NE Brazil over the last 2K

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giselle, Utida; Ioanna, Bouloubassi; Francisco, Cruz; Enno, Schefuβ; Abdel, Sifeddine; Vincent, Klein; Johan, Etourneau; Renata, Zocatelli; André, Zular; Hai, Cheng; Laurence, Edwards R.

2016-04-01

Precipitation associated with the South American Summer Monsoon (SASM) and the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) supplies more than 70% of tropical South America's annual precipitation and is fundamental in sustaining the water regime for regional socioeconomic activities. Motivated by the fact that the greatest uncertainty in model projections of future precipitation trends lies in the tropics, and particularly in South America, a number of recent proxy and modeling studies have aimed at understanding SASM spatiotemporal variability regarding its dynamics, driving mechanisms and teleconnections. Exact reconstructions of past meridional ITCZ displacements (timing, sign, amplitude), however, are currently lacking, mainly because of the paucity of suited high-resolution archives. This restricts our ability to assess regional rainfall variability at decadal to centennial timescales, especially in the hydroclimatic-sensitive semi-arid Nordeste, needed to understand the interactions between SASM and ITCZ and to evaluate the impact of Pacific-Atlantic climate interactions on the regional rainfall variability at decadal/multi-decadal scale. Here we present two new and complementary high-resolution records of past precipitation over the last 2K from the north area of Nordeste, an area ideally located to track fluctuations in the southernmost edge of ITCZ movement. We present a new δO18 record from a local speleothem and combine it, for the first time, with δD analyses of wax lipids in well-dated sediments from a nearby lake. The two independent records show a remarkable similarity and are characterized by strong decadal to multidecadal variability as well as century-scale changes. The period 250-450 yrs CE appears as the wettest phase over the last 2K, while the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) is characterized by extremely dry conditions. Following the MCA, the Little Ice Age (LIA) is a relatively wetter phase. The data document fluctuations of southern meridional

Fluorescence imaging in the last two decades

PubMed Central

Miyawaki, Atsushi

2013-01-01

In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the molecular cloning of the gene for the green fluorescent protein from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria, I would like to reflect on the development of new fluorescence imaging technology in the last two decades. As this technology has become increasingly diversified, it has become more and more of a challenge to come up with a comprehensive and exhaustive review of it. Here I will focus on optogenetics and large-scale, three-dimensional reconstruction. Those two technological innovations have been achieved in the neuroscience community owing to the combined efforts of molecular biologists and light microscopists. In addition, modern fluorescence imaging has indeed improved our understanding of the spatiotemporal regulation of fundamental biological functions at cellular level. As an example, I will introduce some findings we made regarding the movement of biomolecules across the nuclear membrane. The above-mentioned imaging approaches are possible today but were impossible two decades ago. PMID:23393311

Changes in Space Food over the Last 45 Years

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Scott M.; Lane, Helen W.; Kloeris, Vickie; Perchonok, Michele; Zwart, Sara

2006-01-01

The space food system has improved over the last 45 years. With the advances for a Moon base, there is a potential that foods in space will be more like home cooked foods. However, until that happens, there will continue to be dehydrated and thermostablized foods providing the bulk of the astronauts food. In order for the astronauts to have adequate macronutrients, a food system must be developed including raising plants and food preparation, both a major challenge given the limited water, volume, and power. The lunar kitchens will be very different, but good food is essential to maintain good health.

14 CFR 47.37 - Aircraft last previously registered in a foreign country.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRCRAFT REGISTRATION Certificates of Aircraft Registration § 47.37 Aircraft last..., 47.13, 47.15, and 47.17, as applicable; (2) Submits with his Aircraft Registration Application, AC... Equipment on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment (the Cape Town Treaty), the foreign registration has...

14 CFR 47.37 - Aircraft last previously registered in a foreign country.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRCRAFT REGISTRATION Certificates of Aircraft Registration § 47.37 Aircraft last..., 47.13, 47.15, and 47.17, as applicable; (2) Submits with his Aircraft Registration Application, AC... Equipment on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment (the Cape Town Treaty), the foreign registration has...

CONDOM USE AT LAST SEX AS A PROXY FOR OTHER MEASURES OF CONDOM USE: IS IT GOOD ENOUGH?

PubMed Central

Younge, Sinead N.; Salazar, Laura F.; Crosby, Richard F.; DiClemente, Richard J.; Wingood, Gina M.; Rose, Eve

2009-01-01

Condom use at last sex is a widely used indicator in sexual behavior research; however, there is little empirical research validating this indicator. This study examined whether a single-event recall period (the last time coitus occurred) was consistent with longer recall periods (14 days and 60 days) for a sample of African American adolescent females (N = 566). The findings from this study demonstrate that condom use at last coitus is a valid proxy for condom use behaviors spanning longer time periods. PMID:19149154

Extent of the last ice sheet in northern Scotland tested with cosmogenic 10Be exposure ages

USGS Publications Warehouse

Phillips, W.M.; Hall, A.M.; Ballantyne, C.K.; Binnie, S.; Kubik, P.W.; Freeman, S.

2008-01-01

The extent of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) in northern Scotland is disputed. A restricted ice sheet model holds that at the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ca. 23-19 ka) the BIIS terminated on land in northern Scotland, leaving Buchan, Caithness and the Orkney Islands ice-free. An alternative model implies that these three areas were ice-covered at the LGM, with the BIIS extending offshore onto the adjacent shelves. We test the two models using cosmogenic 10Be surface exposure dating of erratic boulders and glacially eroded bedrock from the three areas. Our results indicate that the last BIIS covered all of northern Scotland during the LGM, but that widespread deglaciation of Caithness and Orkney occurred prior to rapid warming at ca. 14.5 ka. Copyright ?? 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Degradation and Local Survival of Permafrost Through the Last Interglaciation in Interior Alaska and Yukon Territory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reyes, A. V.; Froese, D. G.; Jensen, B. J.

2006-12-01

Permafrost in northern North America is warming, and recent modeling efforts have predicted the widespread disappearance of permafrost through much of the northern hemisphere over the next century. However, little is known of the impacts of past sustained warm intervals on permafrost dynamics, antiquity, and distribution due to difficulties in establishing reliable chronologies. Permafrost thus remains the last element of the Arctic cryosphere for which there is poor understanding of its adaptability to past warmer-than-present climate. Here we present observations from three sites in the region of interior Alaska and Yukon Territory that remained ice-free during Plio-Pleistocene glaciations, which collectively demonstrate the variable nature of the response of permafrost to warming during the last interglaciation. Chronology for all sites is based on identification of Old Crow tephra (OCt; 140±10 ka) by glass major element composition. Throughout the study region, OCt is consistently associated with organic-rich sediments that represent the last interglaciation on the basis of pollen, insect, and macrofossil assemblages. At the Palisades site on the Yukon River, 250 km west of Fairbanks, OCt is 1.5-3.5 m below thick (>1m) organic-rich silts and peats that are locally rich in beaver-chewed wood and large wood stumps, some of which are in growth position. In contrast, placer mining at Thistle Creek in central Yukon Territory exposes a dramatic thaw unconformity that is presumably related to local, but incomplete, permafrost degradation during the last interglaciation. In upslope positions at Thistle Creek, OCt is incorporated into a steeply dipping, 30 cm thick, organic-rich silt horizon that truncates at least one intact, relict ice wedge. The steeply dipping organic- rich horizon grades downslope into organic-rich silt with dense accumulations of wood fragments, including tree stems up to 2 m long. Evidence for similar permafrost degradation during the last

Long-Lasting Orthostatic Hypotension and Constipation After Celiac Plexus Block; A Case Report.

PubMed

Yousefshahi, Fardin; Tahmasebi, Mamak

2018-02-01

This case report presents a 55 years old man, presented with abdominal pain and diagnosed with a metastatic pancreatic tumor, who developed long lasting orthostatic hypotension and constipation following a celiac plexus block.

Religiousness and mood in the last week of life: an explorative approach based on after-death proxy interviews.

PubMed

Braam, Arjan W; Klinkenberg, Marianne; Deeg, Dorly J H

2011-01-01

Although religiousness may, to a certain extent, be expected to alleviate emotional suffering in the last week of life, some religious beliefs might also provoke emotional distress. For the current study, after-death interviews with proxy respondents of deceased sample members of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam provided information on depressive mood and anxiety in the last week of life, as well as on the presence of a sense of peace at the approaching end of life. Proxy respondents also were asked about serious physical symptoms in the last week of life of the respondent, the respondent's cognitive decline, and their estimate of the salience of religion for the sample member. Other characteristics were derived from the last interviews with the sample members when still alive: depressive symptoms, chronic diseases, religious affiliation, church attendance, belief in Heaven, belief in Hell, and salience of religion. None of the characteristics of religiousness was significantly associated with depressive mood or anxiety, as estimated by the proxy respondent. A sense of peace, however, was predicted by higher church attendance, belief in Hell (among church-members), and the proxy's estimate of the salience of religion. It can be concluded that religiousness did not affect depressive mood or anxiety in the last week of life in the current sample. It is possible that religiousness supports a sense of peace, which may be a more-existential facet of mood and is discussed as relevant in the last phase of life and in palliative care.

Persistent ERK Activation Maintains Learning-Induced Long-Lasting Modulation of Synaptic Connectivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen-Matsliah, Sivan Ida; Seroussi, Yaron; Rosenblum, Kobi; Barkai, Edi

2008-01-01

Pyramidal neurons in the piriform cortex from olfactory-discrimination (OD) trained rats undergo synaptic modifications that last for days after learning. A particularly intriguing modification is reduced paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) in the synapses interconnecting these cells; a phenomenon thought to reflect enhanced synaptic release. The…

14 CFR 47.37 - Aircraft last previously registered in a foreign country.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRCRAFT REGISTRATION Certificates of Aircraft Registration § 47.37 Aircraft last... Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment (the Cape Town Treaty), the foreign registration has ended or is... registration has ended or is invalid, and showing the official's name and title and describing the aircraft by...

Progress in thermal comfort research over the last twenty years.

PubMed

de Dear, R J; Akimoto, T; Arens, E A; Brager, G; Candido, C; Cheong, K W D; Li, B; Nishihara, N; Sekhar, S C; Tanabe, S; Toftum, J; Zhang, H; Zhu, Y

2013-12-01

Climate change and the urgency of decarbonizing the built environment are driving technological innovation in the way we deliver thermal comfort to occupants. These changes, in turn, seem to be setting the directions for contemporary thermal comfort research. This article presents a literature review of major changes, developments, and trends in the field of thermal comfort research over the last 20 years. One of the main paradigm shift was the fundamental conceptual reorientation that has taken place in thermal comfort thinking over the last 20 years; a shift away from the physically based determinism of Fanger's comfort model toward the mainstream and acceptance of the adaptive comfort model. Another noticeable shift has been from the undesirable toward the desirable qualities of air movement. Additionally, sophisticated models covering the physics and physiology of the human body were developed, driven by the continuous challenge to model thermal comfort at the same anatomical resolution and to combine these localized signals into a coherent, global thermal perception. Finally, the demand for ever increasing building energy efficiency is pushing technological innovation in the way we deliver comfortable indoor environments. These trends, in turn, continue setting the directions for contemporary thermal comfort research for the next decades. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sterilization as last resort in women with intellectual disabilities: protection or disservice?

PubMed

Insogna, Iris; Fiester, Autumn

2015-01-01

The legacy of the eugenics movement in the United States, including the involuntary sterilization of those deemed unfit to reproduce, has created a profound backlash against sterilization among certain populations. Particularly in treating women with intellectual disabilities, the field of obstetrics and gynecology has widely adopted an antisterilization stance. When treating women with intellectual disabilities, sterilization is generally considered a last resort. This essay revisits the issue of sterilization in women with intellectual disabilities, asking whether the field's stance of sterilization as a last resort is best viewed as a protection of this vulnerable population or one that actually does significant harm. We use a hypothetical but realistic patient case to examine the potential risks and benefits of sterilization. After reviewing the arguments against sterilization as a first-line treatment, we defend the controversial position that, in some cases, sterilization should be presented as an equally legitimate choice to reversible contraceptives. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Last Interglacial Climate Variability in Northern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, X.; Lu, Y.; Sinha, A.; Ma, Z.; Tan, M.; Edwards, R.; Cheng, H.

2013-12-01

Speleothem oxygen isotope (δ18O) records can reconstruct high-resolution and absolutely dated climate history, in particular, the variability of monsoon precipitation that is associated with the changes in atmospheric circulation and, in turn, the δ18O of precipitation. In the East Asian monsoon domain, although speleothem records have been established in southeastern China over the last decade, including several records covering the last interglacial period (MIS 5e), similar records are virtually absent in northern China. This hampers our understanding of the mechanism of the East Asian monsoon changes, because the northern China δ18O record is, as recently shown by modeling work, more sensitive to changes in summer monsoon precipitation than that from southeastern China. Here we provide a high-resolution and absolutely dated speleothem δ18O record between ~129 and 119 ka BP from Kulishu cave, Beijing, northern China. It shows an abrupt onset of MIS 5e at 129.4×0.7 ka BP, similar within dating uncertainty to the Dongge, Hulu, and Sanbao records from southeastern China. However, the end of MIS 5e is rather gradual in comparison to the southern China counterparts. While overall MIS5e monsoon climate appears to be rather stable on orbital timescales, broadly following northern hemisphere summer insolation, millennial/centennial-scale events punctuate the Kulishu record. Spectral analysis reveals a significant quasi-1500 year periodicity, comparable to the Bond cycle, first observed in the North Atlantic during the Holocene, and more recently in interglacial East Asian monsoon cave records. As such, events with a ~1500 year pacing appear to be a persistent characteristic of the East Asian monsoon for good portions of the past two glacial-interglacial periods. Changes in solar output would be one possibility for the trigger; changes in ocean circulation with a ~1500-year time constant would be another. Comparison with Hulu(MSX, Cheng et al., 2006)-Dongge(D3, D4

LAST, a c-Myc-inducible long noncoding RNA, cooperates with CNBP to promote CCND1 mRNA stability in human cells

PubMed Central

Li, Jinming

2017-01-01

Cyclin D1 is a critical regulator of cell cycle progression and works at the G1 to S-phase transition. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of the novel c-Myc-regulated lncRNA LAST (LncRNA-Assisted Stabilization of Transcripts), which acts as a CCND1 mRNA stabilizer. Mechanistically, LAST was shown to cooperate with CNBP to bind to the 5′UTR of CCND1 mRNA to protect against possible nuclease targeting. In addition, data from CNBP RIP-seq and LAST RNA-seq showed that CCND1 mRNA might not be the only target of LAST and CNBP; three additional mRNAs were shown to be post-transcriptional targets of LAST and CNBP. In a xenograft model, depletion of LAST diminished and ectopic expression of LAST induced tumor formation, which are suggestive of its oncogenic function. We thus report a previously unknown lncRNA involved in the fine-tuned regulation of CCND1 mRNA stability, without which CCND1 exhibits, at most, partial expression. PMID:29199958

Making lasting memories: Remembering the significant

PubMed Central

McGaugh, James L.

2013-01-01

Although forgetting is the common fate of most of our experiences, much evidence indicates that emotional arousal enhances the storage of memories, thus serving to create, selectively, lasting memories of our more important experiences. The neurobiological systems mediating emotional arousal and memory are very closely linked. The adrenal stress hormones epinephrine and corticosterone released by emotional arousal regulate the consolidation of long-term memory. The amygdala plays a critical role in mediating these stress hormone influences. The release of norepinephrine in the amygdala and the activation of noradrenergic receptors are essential for stress hormone-induced memory enhancement. The findings of both animal and human studies provide compelling evidence that stress-induced activation of the amygdala and its interactions with other brain regions involved in processing memory play a critical role in ensuring that emotionally significant experiences are well-remembered. Recent research has determined that some human subjects have highly superior autobiographic memory of their daily experiences and that there are structural differences in the brains of these subjects compared with the brains of subjects who do not have such memory. Understanding of neurobiological bases of such exceptional memory may provide additional insights into the processes underlying the selectivity of memory. PMID:23754441

Gravity-Driven Deposits in an Active Margin (Ionian Sea) Over the Last 330,000 Years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köng, Eléonore; Zaragosi, Sébastien; Schneider, Jean-Luc; Garlan, Thierry; Bachèlery, Patrick; Sabine, Marjolaine; San Pedro, Laurine

2017-11-01

In the Ionian Sea, the subduction of the Nubia plate underneath the Eurasia plate leads to an important sediment remobilization on the Calabrian Arc and the Mediterranean Ridge. These events are often associated with earthquakes and tsunamis. In this study, we analyze gravity-driven deposits in order to establish their recurrence time on the Calabrian Arc and the western Mediterranean Ridge. Four gravity cores collected on ridges and slope basins of accretionary prisms record turbidites, megaturbidites, slumping and micro-faults over the last 330,000 years. These turbidites were dated by correlation with a hemipelagic core with a multi-proxy approach: radiometric dating, δ18O, b* colour curve, sapropels and tephrochronology. The origin of the gravity-driven deposits was studied with a sedimentary approach: grain-size, lithology, thin section, geochemistry of volcanic glass. The results suggest three periods of presence/absence of gravity-driven deposits: a first on the western lobe of the Calabrian Arc between 330,000 and 250,000 years, a second between 120,000 years and present day on the eastern lobe of the Calabrian Arc and over the last 60,000 years on the western lobe, and a third on the Mediterranean Ridge over the last 37,000 years. Return times for gravity-driven deposits are around 1,000 years during the most important record periods. The turbidite activity also highlights the presence of volcaniclastic turbidites that seems to be link to the Etna changing morphology over the last 320,000 years.

Long-Lasting Orthostatic Hypotension and Constipation After Celiac Plexus Block; A Case Report

PubMed Central

Yousefshahi, Fardin; Tahmasebi, Mamak

2018-01-01

This case report presents a 55 years old man, presented with abdominal pain and diagnosed with a metastatic pancreatic tumor, who developed long lasting orthostatic hypotension and constipation following a celiac plexus block. PMID:29868459

The effects of embodied rhythm and robotic interventions on the spontaneous and responsive social attention patterns of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A pilot randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Srinivasan, Sudha M.; Eigsti, Inge-Marie; Neelly, Linda; Bhat, Anjana N.

2016-01-01

We compared the effects of 8-weeks of rhythm and robotic interventions with those of a comparison, standard-of-care intervention, on the spontaneous and responsive social attention patterns of school-age children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Attention patterns were examined within a standardized pretest/posttest measure of joint attention (JA) and a training-specific social attention measure during early, mid, and late training sessions. The rhythm and comparison groups demonstrated improvements in JA. Social attention was greater in the rhythm followed by the robot and lastly the comparison group. The robot and comparison groups spent maximum time fixating on the robot and objects, respectively. Across sessions, the robot group decreased attention to the robot and increased attention to elsewhere. Overall, rhythmic movement contexts afford sustained social monitoring in children with autism. PMID:27453721

Evaluating Self-Concept and Ego Status in Erikson's Last Three Psychosocial Stages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamachek, Don

1990-01-01

Suggests behavioral criteria that can be used for assessing the status of self-concept and ego development in Erikson's last three psychosocial stages. Presents three tables of different behavioral expressions, each providing examples of possible behaviors and implicit attitudes related to positive and negative ego resolutions associated with last…

Why do women stop reproducing before menopause? A life-history approach to age at last birth

PubMed Central

Nenko, Ilona; Walton, Savannah E.

2016-01-01

Evolutionary biologists have long considered menopause to be a fundamental puzzle in understanding human fertility behaviour, as post-menopausal women are no longer physiologically capable of direct reproduction. Menopause typically occurs between 45 and 55 years of age, but across cultures and history, women often stop reproducing many years before menopause. Unlike age at first reproduction or even birth spacing, a woman nearing the end of her reproductive cycle is able to reflect upon the offspring she already has—their numbers and phenotypic qualities, including sexes. This paper reviews demographic data on age at last birth both across and within societies, and also presents a case study of age at last birth in rural Bangladeshi women. In this Bangladeshi sample, age at last birth preceded age at menopause by an average of 11 years, with marked variation around that mean, even during a period of high fertility. Moreover, age at last birth was not strongly related to age at menopause. Our literature review and case study provide evidence that stopping behaviour needs to be more closely examined as an important part of human reproductive strategies and life-history theory. Menopause may be a final marker of permanent reproductive cessation, but it is only one piece of the evolutionary puzzle. PMID:27022074

Why do women stop reproducing before menopause? A life-history approach to age at last birth.

PubMed

Towner, Mary C; Nenko, Ilona; Walton, Savannah E

2016-04-19

Evolutionary biologists have long considered menopause to be a fundamental puzzle in understanding human fertility behaviour, as post-menopausal women are no longer physiologically capable of direct reproduction. Menopause typically occurs between 45 and 55 years of age, but across cultures and history, women often stop reproducing many years before menopause. Unlike age at first reproduction or even birth spacing, a woman nearing the end of her reproductive cycle is able to reflect upon the offspring she already has--their numbers and phenotypic qualities, including sexes. This paper reviews demographic data on age at last birth both across and within societies, and also presents a case study of age at last birth in rural Bangladeshi women. In this Bangladeshi sample, age at last birth preceded age at menopause by an average of 11 years, with marked variation around that mean, even during a period of high fertility. Moreover, age at last birth was not strongly related to age at menopause. Our literature review and case study provide evidence that stopping behaviour needs to be more closely examined as an important part of human reproductive strategies and life-history theory. Menopause may be a final marker of permanent reproductive cessation, but it is only one piece of the evolutionary puzzle. © 2016 The Author(s).

The evolution of the treatment of esophageal achalasia: a look at the last two decades.

PubMed

Allaix, Marco E; Herbella, Fernando A; Patti, Marco G

2012-09-01

Thanks to the development of minimally invasive surgery, the last 20 years have witnessed a revolution in the treatment of benign esophageal disorders, particularly for esophageal achalasia. This has brought a shift in the treatment algorithm of this disease, as today a laparoscopic Heller myotomy with partial fundoplication is considered the primary form of treatment in most Centers in North America. This article reviews the evolution of the treatment of esophageal achalasia during the last two decades, with particular stress on the key technical elements of this operation.

Vegetation and Climate Change during the Last Deglaciation in the Great Khingan Mountain, Northeastern China

PubMed Central

Wu, Jing; Liu, Qiang; Wang, Luo; Chu, Guo-qiang; Liu, Jia-qi

2016-01-01

The Great Khingan Mountain range, Northeast China, is located on the northern limit of modern East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) and thus highly sensitive to the extension of the EASM from glacial to interglacial modes. Here, we present a high-resolution pollen record covering the last glacial maximum and the early Holocene from a closed crater Lake Moon to reconstruct vegetation history during the glacial-interglacial transition and thus register the evolution of the EASM during the last deglaciation. The vegetation history has gone through distinct changes from subalpine meadow in the last glacial maximum to dry steppe dominated by Artemisia from 20.3 to 17.4 ka BP, subalpine meadow dominated by Cyperaceae and Artemisia between 17.4 and 14.4 ka BP, and forest steppe dominated by Betula and Artemisia after 14.4 ka BP. The pollen-based temperature index demonstrates a gradual warming trend started at around 20.3 ka BP with interruptions of several brief events. Two cold conditions occurred around at 17.2–16.6 ka BP and 12.8–11.8 ka BP, temporally correlating to the Henrich 1 and the Younger Dryas events respectively, 1and abrupt warming events occurred around at 14.4 ka BP and 11.8 ka BP, probably relevant to the beginning of the Bølling-Allerød stages and the Holocene. The pollen-based moisture proxy shows distinct drought condition during the last glacial maximum (20.3–18.0 ka BP) and the Younger Dryas. The climate history based on pollen record of Lake Moon suggests that the regional temperature variability was coherent with the classical climate in the North Atlantic, implying the dominance of the high latitude processes on the EASM evolution from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to early Holocene. The local humidity variability was influenced by the EASM limitedly before the Bølling-Allerød warming, which is mainly controlled by the summer rainfall due to the EASM front covering the Northeast China after that. PMID:26730966

Vegetation and Climate Change during the Last Deglaciation in the Great Khingan Mountain, Northeastern China.

PubMed

Wu, Jing; Liu, Qiang; Wang, Luo; Chu, Guo-qiang; Liu, Jia-qi

2016-01-01

The Great Khingan Mountain range, Northeast China, is located on the northern limit of modern East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) and thus highly sensitive to the extension of the EASM from glacial to interglacial modes. Here, we present a high-resolution pollen record covering the last glacial maximum and the early Holocene from a closed crater Lake Moon to reconstruct vegetation history during the glacial-interglacial transition and thus register the evolution of the EASM during the last deglaciation. The vegetation history has gone through distinct changes from subalpine meadow in the last glacial maximum to dry steppe dominated by Artemisia from 20.3 to 17.4 ka BP, subalpine meadow dominated by Cyperaceae and Artemisia between 17.4 and 14.4 ka BP, and forest steppe dominated by Betula and Artemisia after 14.4 ka BP. The pollen-based temperature index demonstrates a gradual warming trend started at around 20.3 ka BP with interruptions of several brief events. Two cold conditions occurred around at 17.2-16.6 ka BP and 12.8-11.8 ka BP, temporally correlating to the Henrich 1 and the Younger Dryas events respectively, 1and abrupt warming events occurred around at 14.4 ka BP and 11.8 ka BP, probably relevant to the beginning of the Bølling-Allerød stages and the Holocene. The pollen-based moisture proxy shows distinct drought condition during the last glacial maximum (20.3-18.0 ka BP) and the Younger Dryas. The climate history based on pollen record of Lake Moon suggests that the regional temperature variability was coherent with the classical climate in the North Atlantic, implying the dominance of the high latitude processes on the EASM evolution from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to early Holocene. The local humidity variability was influenced by the EASM limitedly before the Bølling-Allerød warming, which is mainly controlled by the summer rainfall due to the EASM front covering the Northeast China after that.

Environmental evolution in the Picos de Europa (Cantabrian Mountains, SW Europe) since the Last Glaciation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz-Fernández, Jesús; Oliva, Marc; Cruces, Anabela; Lopes, Vera; Freitas, Maria da Conceição; Andrade, César; García-Hernández, Cristina; López-Sáez, José Antonio; Geraldes, Miguel

2016-04-01

The Western Massif of the Picos de Europa (latitude 43° N, longitude 4-5° W) includes some of the highest peaks in the Cantabrian Mountains. This massif was heavily glaciated during the Last Glaciation, though the post-glacial environmental evolution is still poorly understood. Using a complementary geomorphological and sedimentological approach, we have reconstructed the environmental events occurred in this massif since the last Pleistocene glaciation. The geomorphological distribution of glacial landforms suggests the occurrence of four main glacial stages: maximum glacial advance, glacial expansion after the maximum advance, Late Glacial and Little Ice Age. Moreover, a 5.4-m long sedimentary sequence was retrieved from the karstic depression of Belbín providing a continuous record of the paleoenvironmental conditions in this area since the Last Glaciation until nowadays. This section suggests that the maximum glacial expansion occurred at a minimum age of 37.2 ka cal BP, significantly prior to the global Last Glacial Maximum. Subsequently, periglacial processes prevailed in the mid lands of the massif until glaciers expanded between 22.5 and 18.7 ka cal BP. Following the melting of the glaciers, a shallow lake appeared in the Belbín depression. Lake sediments do not show evidence of a cold stage during the Late Glacial, when moraine systems formed at higher locations. The terrestrification of this lake started at 8 ka cal BP and the area turned into grassland. At 4.9 ka cal BP the existence of charcoal particles in the sediments of Belbín sequence reveals the onset of human occupation in the massif through the use of fire activity for grazing purposes. Finally, the presence of moraines inside the highest northern cirques shows evidence of the last glacial phase that occurred during the Little Ice Age cold event. Since then, the warming climate has led to the melting of these glaciers and periglacial processes prevail in the high lands of the massif.

Reconstructing last 2000 years of temperature variation from Pyrenean caves (N Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno, Ana; Bartolomé, Miguel; Pérez, Carlos; Sancho, Carlos; Cacho, Isabel; Stoll, Heather; Delgado-Huertas, Antonio; Edwards, R. Lawrence; Cheng, Hai

2016-04-01

The Central Pyrenees, and particularly the protected area known as Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park, is a high-altitude karstic region rich in cavities with active drips and present precipitation of carbonates. Although not generally very abundant, there are speleothems growths in several of those cavities. We present here (1) a three-year seasonal monitoring survey to isolate the environmental parameters influencing isotopic composition of farmed carbonate and (2) the last 2000 years isotopic record resulting from compiling seven stalagmites from three different caves. In temperate regions such as the NE Iberian Peninsula is difficult to discern the influences on δ18O variation in speleothems since temperature, amount of precipitation or even source effect are usually acting simultaneously. Main results after three years monitoring period indicate a strong dependence on air temperature through its influence on rainfall δ18O, although a small amount effect is not discarded. The good overlapping during the observational period of δ18O from actively growing modern stalagmites and air temperature in the area supports this dependence and provides a reliable proxy for the temperature evolution along last millennia. The stalagmites belong to three different caves (Seso, Gloces and B-1 caves) but still present a very coherent isotopic signal allowing us to discard local effects (diagenetic imprint, non-equilibrium fractionation) and to produce a stacked record with decadal resolution. Interpreting this signal as regional temperature variation divides the temporal sequence in five main periods, in consonance with historical stages. Thus, a continuous decrease in temperature characterized the end of the Roman period (0-500 AD). Lower temperatures are dominant during "Dark Ages" (500-1000 AD) that increase during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA, 1000-1400 AD). Following this warm period, the cold signal during the Little Ice Age is very well replicated in several

Episodic methane release events from Last Glacial marginal sediments in the western North Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uchida, Masao; Shibata, Yasuyuki; Ohkushi, Ken'ichi; Ahagon, Naokazu; Hoshiba, Mayumi

2004-08-01

According to recent observations of anomalous bottom-simulating reflections (BSR), the northwest Pacific marginal sediments around Japan main islands bear large abundances of methane hydrate [, 2002]. During the Last Glacial, direct and indirect evidence accumulated from geochemical data suggests that methane episodically released from hydrate trapped in the seafloor sediments [, 1995; , 2003; , 2000]. Here we show that marginal sediments from the western North Pacific contain a hopanoid 17α(H), 21β(H)-hop-22(29)-ene (diploptene) derived from the activity of methanotrophic bacteria in water column and/or surface sediment during a warming period (Interstadial 3) in the Last Glacial. The carbon isotopic compositions of diploptene range between -41.0‰ and -27.9‰ (relative to PDB). In the horizon indicative of a contribution of methanotrophic bacteria, foraminiferal isotope signals were also found with highly depleted 13C compositions of planktonic foraminifera (˜-1.9‰, PDB) and benthic foraminifera (˜-0.8‰, PDB), suggesting indirect records of enhanced incorporation of 13C-depleted CO2 formed by methanotrophic process that use 12C-enriched methane as their main source of carbon. From combined isotopic data of molecular (diploptene) and foraminifera, the most prominent signal of methane release was detected in the sediments deposited around 25.4 cal. kyr BP (˜100 year time span), corresponding to the Interstadial 3. This is the first evidence of methane hydrate instability in the open western North Pacific during the Last Glacial. Considering the glacial-interglacial hydrographic conditions in this region, the instability of methane hydrate may be modulated by intermediate water warming and/or the lowering of sea level. Our results suggest that the western North Pacific marginal regions may be a profound effect on rapid global warming climate changes during the Last Glacial.

Termination of the Last Glacial Maximum sea-level lowstand: The Sunda-Shelf data revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanebuth, T. J. J.; Stattegger, K.; Bojanowski, A.

2009-03-01

The sea-level history around the last glaciation is in the focus of recent, controversial debates. A profound understanding of sea-level changes during this time interval is, however, essential since sea level is a central parameter in the climate system as well as a major force on continental margin sedimentation. Here, we present a seismic record together with augmented data from the Sunda Shelf [Hanebuth, T.J.J., Stattegger, K., Saito, Y., 2002. The architecture of the central Sunda Shelf (SE Asia) recorded by shallow-seismic surveying. Geo-Marine Letters 22, 86-94.] and compare our results in a careful evaluation with the sparse existing data sets of global validity, i.e. the Bonaparte Gulf record [Yokoyama, Y., Lambeck, K., DeDeckker, P., Johnston, P., Fifield, L.K., 2000. Timing of the Last Glacial Maximum from observed sea-level minima. Nature 406, 713-716.; Yokoyama, Y., De Deckker, P., Lambeck, K., Johnston, P., Fifield, L.K., 2001. Sea-level at the Last Glacial Maximum: evidence from nortwestern Australia to constrain ice volumes for oxygen isotope stage 2. Paleogeography Paleoclimatology Paleoecology 165, 281-297.], the Barbados coral record [Fairbanks, R.G., 1989. A 17,000-year glacio-eustatic sea level record: influence of glacial melting dates on the Younger Dryas event and deep ocean circulation. Nature 342, 637-642.; Peltier, W.R., Fairbanks, R.G., 2006. Global glacial ice volume and Last Glacial Maximum duration from an extended Barbados sea level record. Quaternary Science Reviews 25 (23-24), 3322-3337.] and the latest numerical model of continental deglaciation [Peltier, W.R., Fairbanks, R.G., 2006. Global glacial ice volume and Last Glacial Maximum duration from an extended Barbados sea level record. Quaternary Science Reviews 25 (23-24), 3322-3337.]. Sea level seems to have been lower shortly prior to the conventional Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; 21-19 cal kyr BP). The time interval around this glacial lowstand is not covered by ages from the

[Risk of long-lasting negative cognitive consequences after electroconvulsive therapy].

PubMed

Svendsen, Anne Marie; Miskowiak, Kamilla; Vinberg, Maj

2013-10-28

This case study describes a patient who had a unipolar depression and experienced long-lasting cognitive problems after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Neuropsychological testing revealed lower scores on measures of learning, memory and sustained attention. These results stress the importance of informing patients who have ECT of the potential cognitive consequences of this treatment as it may influence the patients' functional capabilities. Prospective studies are needed since we do not have sufficient knowledge regarding the 3-5% of these patients who experience sustained cognitive problems.

A review of zooplankton investigations of the Black Sea over the last decade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kideys, Ahmet E.; Kovalev, Alexander V.; Shulman, Gregory; Gordina, Anna; Bingel, Ferit

2000-03-01

Investigations performed in the last decade indicate that there have been important changes in the zooplankton composition and structure in the Black Sea. However, contrasting events taking place in different regions of the Black Sea indicate a non-uniform structure of its ecosystem. Several fodder zooplankton species have either disappeared from or substantially decreased in number at different sampling sites of the Black Sea over the last one or two decades. Some other species adapted to thrive in eutrophic conditions have either appeared or increased in quantity. Meanwhile the biomass of the fodder zooplankton has also fluctuated considerably through the years. However, there seems to be a reverse trend in the long-term variation of fodder zooplankton between the shallow western and deep eastern areas. Over the last few decades the abundance of fish larvae has decreased significantly when compared either to past records or with larval abundances of other seas. This was shown to be due mainly to malnutrition of larvae. One of the most striking changes in the ichthyoplankton has been the shift in the spawning areas of the main fish species, the anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus from the northwestern to the southeastern Black Sea. Even the invading ctenophore Mnemiopsis were found to be starving. The condition of other species ( Calanus euxinus and Pleurobrachia pileus) disclosed the fact that cyclonic regions where chlorophyll and nutrient concentrations are high, provide better nutrition than anticyclonic regions.

Seed germination ecology of feather lovegrass [Eragrostis tenella (L.) Beauv. Ex Roemer & J.A. Schultes].

PubMed

Chauhan, Bhagirath S

2013-01-01

Feather lovegrass [Eragrostis tenella (L.) Beauv. Ex Roemer & J.A. Schultes] is a C4 grass weed that has the ability to grow in both lowland and upland conditions. Experiments were conducted in the laboratory and screenhouse to evaluate the effect of environmental factors on germination, emergence, and growth of this weed species. Germination in the light/dark regime was higher at alternating day/night temperatures of 30/20 °C (98%) than at 35/25 °C (83%) or 25/15 °C (62%). Germination was completely inhibited by darkness. The osmotic potential and sodium chloride concentrations required for 50% inhibition of maximum germination were -0.7 MPa and 76 mM, respectively. The highest seedling emergence (69%) was observed from the seeds sown on the soil surface and no seedlings emerged from seeds buried at depths of 0.5 cm or more. The use of residue as mulches significantly reduced the emergence and biomass of feather lovegrass seedlings. A residue amount of 0.5 t ha(-1) was needed to suppress 50% of the maximum seedlings. Because germination was strongly stimulated by light and seedling emergence was the highest for the seeds sown on the soil surface, feather lovegrass is likely to become a problematic weed in zero-till systems. The knowledge gained from this study could help in developing effective and sustainable weed management strategies.

LastQuake: a comprehensive strategy for rapid engagement of earthquake eyewitnesses, massive crowdsourcing and risk reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bossu, R.; Roussel, F.; Mazet-Roux, G.; Steed, R.; Frobert, L.

2015-12-01

LastQuake is a smartphone app, browser add-on and the most sophisticated Twitter robot (quakebot) for earthquakes currently in operation. It fulfills eyewitnesses' needs by offering information on felt earthquakes and their effects within tens of seconds of their occurrence. Associated with an active presence on Facebook, Pinterest and on websites, this proves a very efficient engagement strategy. For example, the app was installed thousands of times after the Ghorka earthquake in Nepal. Language barriers have been erased by using visual communication; for example, felt reports are collected through a set of cartoons representing different shaking levels. Within 3 weeks of the magnitude 7.8 Ghorka earthquakes, 7,000 felt reports with thousands of comments were collected related to the mainshock and tens of its aftershocks as well as 100 informative geo-located pics. The QuakeBot was essential in allowing us to be identified so well and interact with those affected. LastQuake is also a risk reduction tool since it provides rapid information. Rapid information is similar to prevention since when it does not exist, disasters can happen. When no information is available after a felt earthquake, the public block emergency lines by trying to find out the cause of the shaking, crowds form potentially leading to unpredictable crowd movement, rumors spread. In its next release LastQuake will also provide people with guidance immediately after a shaking through a number of pop-up cartoons illustrating "do/don't do" items (go to open places, do not phone emergency services except if people are injured…). LastQuake's app design is simple and intuitive and has a global audience. It benefited from a crowdfunding campaign (and the support of the Fondation MAIF) and more improvements have been planned after an online feedback campaign organized in early June with the Ghorka earthquake eyewitnesses. LastQuake is also a seismic risk reduction tools thanks to its very rapid

Sexual practices in youth: analysis of lifetime sexual trajectory and last sexual intercourse.

PubMed

Heilborn, Maria Luiza; Cabral, Cristiane S

2006-07-01

This article examines the sexual practices of young Brazilians based on data from the GRAVAD Research Project, a household survey targeting males and females from 18 to 24 years of age (n = 4,634) in three Brazilian State capitals: Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, and Salvador. The set of practices experienced over the course of their sexual careers is characterized by traits of social belonging, elements from individual life histories, and prescribed rules of conduct for men and women. The authors compared the young people's range of lifetime practices and those from last sexual relations in order to discuss the spread and incorporation of practices into life histories. The data point to the hegemony of vaginal sex in both the lifetime repertoire of sexual practices and the last sexual encounters, such that vaginal sex provides the prime definition of heterosexuality.

Chronology and provenance of last-glacial (Peoria) loess in western Iowa and paleoclimatic implications

USGS Publications Warehouse

Muhs, Daniel R.; Bettis, E. Arthur; Roberts, Helen M.; Harlan, Stephen S.; Paces, James B.; Reynolds, Richard L.

2013-01-01

Geologic archives show that the Earth was dustier during the last glacial period. One model suggests that increased gustiness (stronger, more frequent winds) enhanced dustiness. We tested this at Loveland, Iowa, one of the thickest deposits of last-glacial-age (Peoria) loess in the world. Based on K/Rb and Ba/Rb, loess was derived not only from glaciogenic sources of the Missouri River, but also distal loess from non-glacial sources in Nebraska. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages provide the first detailed chronology of Peoria Loess at Loveland. Deposition began after ~ 27 ka and continued until ~ 17 ka. OSL ages also indicate that mass accumulation rates (MARs) of loess were not constant. MARs were highest and grain size was coarsest during the time of middle Peoria Loess accretion, ~ 23 ka, when ~ 10 m of loess accumulated in no more than ~ 2000 yr and possibly much less. The timing of coarsest grain size and highest MAR, indicating strongest winds, coincides with a summer-insolation minimum at high latitudes in North America and the maximum southward extent of the Laurentide ice sheet. These observations suggest that increased dustiness during the last glacial period was driven largely by enhanced gustiness, forced by a steepened meridional temperature gradient.

The JaCVAM international validation study on the in vivo comet assay: Selection of test chemicals.

PubMed

Morita, Takeshi; Uno, Yoshifumi; Honma, Masamitsu; Kojima, Hajime; Hayashi, Makoto; Tice, Raymond R; Corvi, Raffaella; Schechtman, Leonard

2015-07-01

The Japanese Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods (JaCVAM) sponsored an international prevalidation and validation study of the in vivo rat alkaline pH comet assay. The main objective of the study was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the assay for correctly identifying genotoxic carcinogens, as compared with the traditional rat liver unscheduled DNA synthesis assay. Based on existing carcinogenicity and genotoxicity data and chemical class information, 90 chemicals were identified as primary candidates for use in the validation study. From these 90 chemicals, 46 secondary candidates and then 40 final chemicals were selected based on a sufficiency of carcinogenic and genotoxic data, differences in chemical class or genotoxic or carcinogenic mode of action (MOA), availability, price, and ease of handling. These 40 chemicals included 19 genotoxic carcinogens, 6 genotoxic non-carcinogens, 7 non-genotoxic carcinogens and 8 non-genotoxic non-carcinogens. "Genotoxicity" was defined as positive in the Ames mutagenicity test or in one of the standard in vivo genotoxicity tests (primarily the erythrocyte micronucleus assay). These chemicals covered various chemicals classes, MOAs, and genotoxicity profiles and were considered to be suitable for the purpose of the validation study. General principles of chemical selection for validation studies are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Publications on hypertension in the last year].

PubMed

Vinyoles, E

2017-01-01

We review and comment original articles published in the main peer reviewed journals between September 2015 and September 2016 on hypertension, with relevance and potential impact in clinical practice. The selection of the original papers has been necessarily limited and subjective, given the extremely high volume of publications over the period. Some large clinical trials such as SPRINT, HOPE3 or PATHWAY-2, epidemiological studies, cohort studies or studies about ambulatory blood pressure evaluation are discussed. Aspects of the target blood pressure level and treatment are also discussed. In all cases, we present the new evidences on the diagnosis, evaluation and therapeutic management of hypertension published in the last year. Our goal is to motivate thorough reading of the originals that can only be commented briefy here. © 2017 SEHLELHA. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Hipertension-Liga Española para la Lucha de la Hipertensión Arterial (SEH-LELHA). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Student Projects that Make a Meaningful and Lasting Contribution to Course Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Shelly J.

2013-01-01

The objective of this teaching tip is to share with others an idea of how to transform student projects from a dead-end process to a value-added end product, value-added end products that make a meaningful and lasting contribution to course content for use by future students. (Contains 2 tables.)

The evolutionary history of the hominin hand since the last common ancestor of Pan and Homo

PubMed Central

Tocheri, Matthew W; Orr, Caley M; Jacofsky, Marc C; Marzke, Mary W

2008-01-01

Molecular evidence indicates that the last common ancestor of the genus Pan and the hominin clade existed between 8 and 4 million years ago (Ma). The current fossil record indicates the Pan-Homo last common ancestor existed at least 5 Ma and most likely between 6 and 7 Ma. Together, the molecular and fossil evidence has important consequences for interpreting the evolutionary history of the hand within the tribe Hominini (hominins). Firstly, parsimony supports the hypothesis that the hand of the last common ancestor most likely resembled that of an extant great ape overall (Pan, Gorilla, and Pongo), and that of an African ape in particular. Second, it provides a context for interpreting the derived changes to the hand that have evolved in various hominins. For example, the Australopithecus afarensis hand is likely derived in comparison with that of the Pan–Homo last common ancestor in having shorter fingers relative to thumb length and more proximo-distally oriented joints between its capitate, second metacarpal, and trapezium. This evidence suggests that these derived features evolved prior to the intensification of stone tool-related hominin behaviors beginning around 2.5 Ma. However, a majority of primitive features most likely present in the Pan-Homo last common ancestor are retained in the hands of Australopithecus, Paranthropus/early Homo, and Homo floresiensis. This evidence suggests that further derived changes to the hands of other hominins such as modern humans and Neandertals did not evolve until after 2.5 Ma and possibly even later than 1.5 Ma, which is currently the earliest evidence of Acheulian technology. The derived hands of modern humans and Neandertals may indicate a morphological commitment to tool-related manipulative behaviors beyond that observed in other hominins, including those (e.g. H. floresiensis) which may be descended from earlier tool-making species. PMID:18380869

Geomorphological and sedimentological evidences in the Western Massif of Picos de Europa since the Last Glaciation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz-Fernández, Jesus; Oliva, Marc; Cruces, Anabela; Lopes, Vera; Conceição Freitas, Maria; García-Hernández, Cristina; Nieuwendam, Alexandre; López-Sáez, José Antonio; Gallinar, David; Geraldes, Miguel

2015-04-01

The Western Massif of Picos de Europa includes some of the highest peaks of the Cantabrian Mountains. However, the environmental evolution in this massif since the Last Glaciation is still poorly understood. This research provides a new geochronological approach to the sequence of environmental events occurred here since the maximum expansion of glaciers during the last Pleistocene glaciation. The distribution of the glacial landforms suggests four main stages regarding the environmental evolution in the massif: maximum glacial advance, phase of second maximum glacial expansion, Late Glacial and Little Ice Age. A 5.4-m long sedimentological section retrieved from the kame terrace of Belbín, in a mid-height area of the massif, complements the geomorphological interpretation and provides a continuous paleoenvironmental sequence from this area since the Last Glaciation until nowadays. This section suggests that the maximum glacial expansion occurred at a minimum age of 37.2 ka cal BP, significantly prior to the global Last Glacial Maximum. Subsequently, a new glacial expansion occurred around 18.7-22.5 ka cal BP. The melting of the glaciers after this phase generated a shallow lake in the Belbín depression. Lake sediments do not reveal the occurrence of a cold stage during the Late Glacial, whilst, at higher locations, moraine complexes were formed suggesting a glacier readvance. The terrestrification of this lake started at 8 ka cal BP, when Belbín changed to a peaty environment. At 5 ka cal BP human occupation started at the high lands of the massif according to the existence of charcoal particles in the section. The presence of moraines in the highest northern cirques evidences the last phase with formation of small glaciers in the Western Massif of Picos de Europa, corresponding to the Little Ice Age cold event. Since then, the warming climate has led to the melting of these glaciers.

[Analysis on characteristics of red tide in Fujian coastal waters during the last 10 years].

PubMed

Li, Xue-Ding

2012-07-01

There were 161 red tide events collected during the last 10 years from 2001 to 2010 in Fujian coastal waters. Comprehensive analysis was performed using statistical methods and the results indicated the following characteristics of the temporal and spatial distribution of red tide in Fujian coastal waters: (1) Outbreaks of red tide often occurred between April and September, and the peak period was in May and June. Most red tide events lasted for 2 to 4 days, and the affected area was below 50 square kilometers. The first outbreak of red tide tended to occur earlier in recent years, and the lasting time became longer. (2) There were 20 species of organisms causing the red tides in Fujian coastal waters, among which 10 species were Bacillariophyta, 9 species were Dinophyta and 1 species was Protozoa. Prorocentrum donghaiense was the most frequent cause of red tides, followed by Noctiluca scintillans, Skeletonema costatum and Chaetoceros sp.. The species caused red tides obeyed the succession law and there were always new species involved. (2) In terms of spatial distribution, outbreaks of red tides mainly occurred in the coastal waters of Ningde, Fuzhou and Xiamen. The species causing red tides were Prorocentrum donghaiense and Noctiluca in the coastal waters in the north of Pingtan, Fujian Province, Skeletonema costatum and Chaetoceros in the coastal waters in the south of Pingtan, Fujian Province. The comprehensive analysis of the characteristics of red tides during the last 10 years is expected to provide scientific and reasonable basis for the prevention, reduction and forecast of red tides in Fujian coastal waters.

Bacterial Urease and its Role in Long-Lasting Human Diseases

PubMed Central

Konieczna, Iwona; Żarnowiec, Paulina; Kwinkowski, Marek; Kolesińska, Beata; Frączyk, Justyna; Kamiński, Zbigniew; Kaca, Wiesław

2012-01-01

Urease is a virulence factor found in various pathogenic bacteria. It is essential in colonization of a host organism and in maintenance of bacterial cells in tissues. Due to its enzymatic activity, urease has a toxic effect on human cells. The presence of ureolytic activity is an important marker of a number of bacterial infections. Urease is also an immunogenic protein and is recognized by antibodies present in human sera. The presence of such antibodies is connected with progress of several long-lasting diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis or urinary tract infections. In bacterial ureases, motives with a sequence and/or structure similar to human proteins may occur. This phenomenon, known as molecular mimicry, leads to the appearance of autoantibodies, which take part in host molecules destruction. Detection of antibodies-binding motives (epitopes) in bacterial proteins is a complex process. However, organic chemistry tools, such as synthetic peptide libraries, are helpful in both, epitope mapping as well as in serologic investigations. In this review, we present a synthetic report on a molecular organization of bacterial ureases - genetic as well as structural. We characterize methods used in detecting urease and ureolytic activity, including techniques applied in disease diagnostic processes and in chemical synthesis of urease epitopes. The review also provides a summary of knowledge about a toxic effect of bacterial ureases on human body and about occurrence of anti-urease antibodies in long-lasting diseases. PMID:23305365

Constraints on the thermosteric component of Last Interglacial sea level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shackleton, S. A.; Severinghaus, J. P.; Petrenko, V. V.; Dyonisius, M.; Hmiel, B.

2016-12-01

With global temperatures 1 to 2°C above preindustrial, but sea level exceeding current levels by upwards of 8 meters, the Last Interglacial (LIG) period at 125 ka may provide valuable insight into Earth system constraints under future global warming. The relative contributions of thermal expansion and ice sheet loss to sea level rise over this period are of particular interest in seeking to improve sea level projections in the upcoming decades and beyond. Here we quantify this thermosteric component from a reconstruction of global ocean temperature over the LIG from atmospheric noble gases trapped in glacial ice. With no major sources or sinks outside of the ocean-atmosphere system, the relative changes in the atmospheric content of krypton, xenon, and nitrogen reflect changes in ocean gas storage. This storage is primarily governed by solubility and ocean temperature, making dKr/N2, dXe/N2­, and dXe/Kr unique tracers of globally integrated oceanic heat content. However, processes within the firn can fractionate these gases, and firn effects on these tracers must be removed to derive an ocean temperature. We present high precision measurements of these gas ratios along with isotopes of argon, krypton, and xenon in firn air withdrawn from the snowpack at Summit, Greenland. We use these isotopes to identify sources of fractionation within the firn and quantify their effects on the noble gas tracers, enabling a reconstruction of Last Interglacial ocean temperature.

A Conditioned Behavioral Paradigm for Assessing Onset and Lasting Tinnitus in Rats

PubMed Central

Pace, Edward; Luo, Hao; Bobian, Michael; Panekkad, Ajay; Zhang, Xueguo; Zhang, Huiming; Zhang, Jinsheng

2016-01-01

Numerous behavioral paradigms have been developed to assess tinnitus-like behavior in animals. Nevertheless, they are often limited by prolonged training requirements, as well as an inability to simultaneously assess onset and lasting tinnitus behavior, tinnitus pitch or duration, or tinnitus presence without grouping data from multiple animals or testing sessions. To enhance behavioral testing of tinnitus, we developed a conditioned licking suppression paradigm to determine the pitch(s) of both onset and lasting tinnitus-like behavior within individual animals. Rats learned to lick water during broadband or narrowband noises, and to suppress licking to avoid footshocks during silence. After noise exposure, rats significantly increased licking during silent trials, suggesting onset tinnitus-like behavior. Lasting tinnitus-behavior, however, was exhibited in about half of noise-exposed rats through 7 weeks post-exposure tested. Licking activity during narrowband sound trials remained unchanged following noise exposure, while ABR hearing thresholds fully recovered and were comparable between tinnitus(+) and tinnitus(-) rats. To assess another tinnitus inducer, rats were injected with sodium salicylate. They demonstrated high pitch tinnitus-like behavior, but later recovered by 5 days post-injection. Further control studies showed that 1): sham noise-exposed rats tested with footshock did not exhibit tinnitus-like behavior, and 2): noise-exposed or sham rats tested without footshocks showed no fundamental changes in behavior compared to those tested with shocks. Together, these results demonstrate that this paradigm can efficiently test the development of noise- and salicylate-induced tinnitus behavior. The ability to assess tinnitus individually, over time, and without averaging data enables us to realistically address tinnitus in a clinically relevant way. Thus, we believe that this optimized behavioral paradigm will facilitate investigations into the mechanisms of

Modeling of severe persistent droughts over eastern China during the last millennium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Y.; Shen, C.; Cheng, H.; Xu, Y.

2013-11-01

We use proxy data and modeled data from 1000 yr model simulations with a variety of climate forcings to examine the occurrence of severe events of persistent drought over eastern China during the last millennium and to diagnose the mechanisms. Results show that the model was able to simulate many aspects of the low-frequency (periods greater than 10 yr) variations of precipitation over eastern China during the last millennium, including most of the severe persistent droughts such as those in the 1130s, 1200s, 1350s, 1430s, 1480s, and the late 1630s-mid-1640s. These six droughts are identified both in the proxy data and in the modeled data and are consistent with each other in terms of drought intensity, duration, and spatial coverage. Our analyses suggest that monsoon circulation can lock into a drought-prone mode that may last for years to decades and supports the suggestion that generally reduced monsoon in eastern Asia were associated with the land-sea thermal contrast. Study on the wavelet transform and spectral analysis reveals six well-captured events occurred all at the drought stages of statistically significant 15-35 yr timescale. A modeled data intercomparison suggests that solar activity is the primary driver in the occurrence of the 1130s, 1350s, 1480s, and late 1630s-mid-1640s droughts. Although the El-Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) plays an important role in monsoon variability, a temporally consistent relationship between the droughts and SST pattern in the Pacific Ocean could not be found in the model. Our analyses also indicate that large volcanic eruptions play a role as an amplifier in the drought of 1635-1645 and caused the model to overestimate the decreasing trends in summer precipitation over eastern China during the mid-1830s and the mid-1960s.

Coupled Northern Hemisphere permafrost-ice-sheet evolution over the last glacial cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willeit, M.; Ganopolski, A.

2015-09-01

Permafrost influences a number of processes which are relevant for local and global climate. For example, it is well known that permafrost plays an important role in global carbon and methane cycles. Less is known about the interaction between permafrost and ice sheets. In this study a permafrost module is included in the Earth system model CLIMBER-2, and the coupled Northern Hemisphere (NH) permafrost-ice-sheet evolution over the last glacial cycle is explored. The model performs generally well at reproducing present-day permafrost extent and thickness. Modeled permafrost thickness is sensitive to the values of ground porosity, thermal conductivity and geothermal heat flux. Permafrost extent at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) agrees well with reconstructions and previous modeling estimates. Present-day permafrost thickness is far from equilibrium over deep permafrost regions. Over central Siberia and the Arctic Archipelago permafrost is presently up to 200-500 m thicker than it would be at equilibrium. In these areas, present-day permafrost depth strongly depends on the past climate history and simulations indicate that deep permafrost has a memory of surface temperature variations going back to at least 800 ka. Over the last glacial cycle permafrost has a relatively modest impact on simulated NH ice sheet volume except at LGM, when including permafrost increases ice volume by about 15 m sea level equivalent in our model. This is explained by a delayed melting of the ice base from below by the geothermal heat flux when the ice sheet sits on a porous sediment layer and permafrost has to be melted first. Permafrost affects ice sheet dynamics only when ice extends over areas covered by thick sediments, which is the case at LGM.

Polypedogenic case of loess overlying red clay as a response to the Last Glacial-Interglacial cycle in mid-subtropical Southeast China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Xue-Feng; Du, Yan; Liu, Xiang-Jun; Zhang, Gan-Lin; Jiang, Ying; Xue, Yong

2015-03-01

To study the paleoclimatic implications of the loess-like Yellow-brown Earth (YBE) overlying red clay (RC) along the Yangtze River, mid-subtropical Southeast China, four YBE-RC profiles in southern Anhui Province were investigated. Grain-size and geochemical characteristics indicated that the YBE is homologous to the aeolian Xiashu Loess; and the underlying RC, sub-divided into uniform RC (URC) and reticulate RC (RRC), is more intensively weathered but also exhibits aeolian dust characteristics. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating indicated that the YBE was formed during the Last Glacial, the RRC mainly during the Last Interglacial, and the URC during the transitional period between the YBE and RC. The YBE-RC transition reflects a significant paleoclimatic change in mid-subtropical China during the Last Glacial-Interglacial cycle. Sub-events of the Last Glacial, correlated with the marine isotopic stages (MIS) 2 and 3, can be identified within the YBE; however, those of the Last Interglacial, potential correlated with MIS 5a-5e, cannot be identified within the RRC possibly due to paleoclimatic overprinting. The rubification had been replaced by loess deposition along the Yangtze River since the early Last Glacial. With both highly weathered and aeolian-dust characteristics, the underlying RRC may indicate paleoclimatic instability given the multiple alternations between loess deposition and rubification of the Last Interglacial. The climatic change during the Last Glacial-Interglacial cycle significantly influenced the pedogenesis and made soil diversified in the study areas.

The last large pelletron accelerator of the Herb era

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

Chopra, S.; Narayanan, M. M.; Joshi, R.

1999-04-26

Prof. Ray Herb pioneered the concept and design of the tandem Pelletron accelerator in the late sixties at NEC. The 15UD Pelletron at Nuclear Science Centre (NSC), upgraded for 16MV operation using compressed geometry accelerating tubes is the last such large Pelletron. It has unique features like offset and matching quadrupoles after the stripper for charge state selection inside the high voltage terminal and consequently the option of further stripping the ion species of the selected charge states at high energy dead section, and elaborate pulsing system in the pre-acceleration region consisting of a beam chopper, a travelling wave deflector,more » a light ion buncher (1-80 amu) and a heavy ion buncher (>80 amu). NSC was established as a heavy ion accelerator based inter university centre in 1985. It became operational in July 1991 to cater to the research requirements of a large user community which at present includes about fifty universities, twenty-eight colleges and a dozen other academic institutes and research laboratories. The number of users in Materials and allied sciences is about 500. Various important modifications have been made to improve the performance of the accelerator in the last seven years. These include replacement of the corona voltage grading system by a resistor based one, a pick-up loop to monitor charging system performance, conversion from basic double unit structure to singlet, installation of a spiral cavity based phase detector system with post-accelerator stripper after the analyzing magnet, and a high efficiency multi harmonic buncher. Installation of a turbo pump based stripper gas recirculation system in the terminal is also planned. A brief description of utilization of the machine will be given.« less

From a Moment of Totality to a Lasting Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gay, Pamela; Murph, Susan; Astronomy Cast

2018-01-01

The 2017 Great American Eclipse provided a reason for people from around the world to come together in one place and share their passion for astronomy. The Astronomy Cast podcast provided an opportunity and organizational structure for 100 people from more than 10 nations to come together for 3 days. These people are all listeners of the Astronomy Cast podcast, or family members of listeners. The majority of attendees did not know one another prior to this event. In this poster, we look at what organizational structure was provided to attendees before, during, and after this event, and how important different factors have been in building a lasting community from this group of attendees.The primary goals in hosting the Astronomy Cast event was to build a lasting community of people willing to attend real-world learning opportunities, and to facilitate the formation of social relationships between attendees that would encourage continued engagement. In order to meet these goals, we needed to construct an event that both met attendee expectations for science lectures and events, and also facilitated communications between attendees. We recognized that attendees would largely be introverts, and that this would present challenges to community building. Our strategy for success included: building a Facebook group well in advance of the event and using regular communications to build excitement; providing a space for community building as well as food and board games to communicate around; and following up the event with opportunities for participants to share the photos, experiences, and ways to connect.This work includes analysis of attendee surveys and commentaries that are used to study which aspects of this program were most (and least successful), and to see what self-maintaining community has been created.

14 CFR 47.35 - Aircraft last previously registered in the United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... United States. 47.35 Section 47.35 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRCRAFT REGISTRATION Certificates of Aircraft Registration § 47.35 Aircraft last... under this part if he complies with §§ 47.3, 47.7, 47.8, 47.9, 47.11, 47.13, 47.15, and 47.17, as...

From the First to the Last

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-04-30

On March 18, 2011, MESSENGER made history by becoming the first spacecraft ever to orbit Mercury. Eleven days later, the spacecraft captured the first image ever obtained from Mercury orbit, shown here on the left. Originally planned as a one-year orbital mission, the MESSENGER spacecraft orbited Mercury for more than four years, accomplishing technological firsts and making new scientific discoveries about the origin and evolution of the Solar System's innermost planet. Check out the Top 10 Science Results. Dates acquired: March 29, 2011; April 30, 2015 Image IDs: 65056, 8422953 Instrument: Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) Left Image Center Latitude: -53.3° Left Image Center Longitude: 13.0° E Left Image Resolution: 2.7 kilometers/pixel Left Image Scale: The rayed crater Debussy has a diameter of 80 kilometers (50 miles) Right Image Center Latitude: 72.0° Right Image Center Longitude: 223.8° E Right Image Resolution: 2.1 meters/pixel Right Image Scale: This image is about 1 kilometers (0.6 miles) across On April 30, 2015, MESSENGER again made history, becoming the first spacecraft to impact the planet. In total, MESSENGER acquired and returned to Earth more than 277,000 images from orbit about Mercury. The last of those images is shown here on the right. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19449

Leveraging socially networked mobile ICT platforms for the last-mile delivery problem.

PubMed

Suh, Kyo; Smith, Timothy; Linhoff, Michelle

2012-09-04

Increasing numbers of people are managing their social networks on mobile information and communication technology (ICT) platforms. This study materializes these social relationships by leveraging spatial and networked information for sharing excess capacity to reduce the environmental impacts associated with "last-mile" package delivery systems from online purchases, particularly in low population density settings. Alternative package pickup location systems (PLS), such as a kiosk on a public transit platform or in a grocery store, have been suggested as effective strategies for reducing package travel miles and greenhouse gas emissions, compared to current door-to-door delivery models (CDS). However, our results suggest that a pickup location delivery system operating in a suburban setting may actually increase travel miles and emissions. Only once a social network is employed to assist in package pickup (SPLS) are significant reductions in the last-mile delivery distance and carbon emissions observed across both urban and suburban settings. Implications for logistics management's decades-long focus on improving efficiencies of dedicated distribution systems through specialization, as well as for public policy targeting carbon emissions of the transport sector are discussed.

Sea-level highstands during the Last interglacial (MIS 5e) in Mallorca

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorscheid, T.; Stocchi, P.; Rovere, A.; Gómez-Pujol, L.; Mann, T.; Fornos, J. J.

2015-12-01

Last Intergalcial in the island of Mallorca (NW Mediterranean) have been the subject of research since the early 60's (Butzer & Cuerda 1960). Despite both the location and stratigraphy of MIS 5e outcrops in the island are well known, the elevation of relative sea level (RSL) markers around the island has never been measured with high-accuracy topographic techniques (e.g. DGPS) and the interpretation of the paleo RSL has never been carried out using standardized definition of the indicative meaning of each RSL marker. In this study we present the results of two field trips aimed at measuring last interglacial deposits in Mallorca with high-accuracy GPS and at establishing, surveying modern shorelines as analogs, indicative ranges and reference water level values for RSL markers across the island. Using an earth-ice coupled GIA-model we performed several model-runs for investigating isostatic adjustment since MIS 5e in the island. These results are compared with the elevation of our deposits in the field and discussed in terms of tectonics and eustasy.

Future climate forcing potentially without precedent in the last 420 million years

PubMed Central

Foster, Gavin L.; Royer, Dana L.; Lunt, Daniel J.

2017-01-01

The evolution of Earth's climate on geological timescales is largely driven by variations in the magnitude of total solar irradiance (TSI) and changes in the greenhouse gas content of the atmosphere. Here we show that the slow ∼50 Wm−2 increase in TSI over the last ∼420 million years (an increase of ∼9 Wm−2 of radiative forcing) was almost completely negated by a long-term decline in atmospheric CO2. This was likely due to the silicate weathering-negative feedback and the expansion of land plants that together ensured Earth's long-term habitability. Humanity's fossil-fuel use, if unabated, risks taking us, by the middle of the twenty-first century, to values of CO2 not seen since the early Eocene (50 million years ago). If CO2 continues to rise further into the twenty-third century, then the associated large increase in radiative forcing, and how the Earth system would respond, would likely be without geological precedent in the last half a billion years. PMID:28375201

A foraminiferal δ(18)O record covering the last 2,200 years.

PubMed

Taricco, Carla; Alessio, Silvia; Rubinetti, Sara; Vivaldo, Gianna; Mancuso, Salvatore

2016-06-21

Thanks to the precise core dating and the high sedimentation rate of the drilling site (Gallipoli Terrace, Ionian Sea) we were able to measure a foraminiferal δ(18)O series covering the last 2,200 years with a time resolution shorter than 4 years. In order to support the quality of this data-set we link the δ(18)O values measured in the foraminifera shells to temperature and salinity measurements available for the last thirty years covered by the core. Moreover, we describe in detail the dating procedures based on the presence of volcanic markers along the core and on the measurement of (210)Pb and (137)Cs activity in the most recent sediment layers. The high time resolution allows for detecting a δ(18)O decennial-scale oscillation, together with centennial and multicentennial components. Due to the dependence of foraminiferal δ(18)O on environmental conditions, these oscillations can provide information about temperature and salinity variations in past millennia. The strategic location of the drilling area makes this record a unique tool for climate and oceanographic studies of the Central Mediterranean.

Insights into Atlantic multidecadal variability using the Last Millennium Reanalysis framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Hansi K. A.; Hakim, Gregory J.; Tardif, Robert; Emile-Geay, Julien; Noone, David C.

2018-02-01

The Last Millennium Reanalysis (LMR) employs a data assimilation approach to reconstruct climate fields from annually resolved proxy data over years 0-2000 CE. We use the LMR to examine Atlantic multidecadal variability (AMV) over the last 2 millennia and find several robust thermodynamic features associated with a positive Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) index that reveal a dynamically consistent pattern of variability: the Atlantic and most continents warm; sea ice thins over the Arctic and retreats over the Greenland, Iceland, and Norwegian seas; and equatorial precipitation shifts northward. The latter is consistent with anomalous southward energy transport mediated by the atmosphere. Net downward shortwave radiation increases at both the top of the atmosphere and the surface, indicating a decrease in planetary albedo, likely due to a decrease in low clouds. Heat is absorbed by the climate system and the oceans warm. Wavelet analysis of the AMO time series shows a reddening of the frequency spectrum on the 50- to 100-year timescale, but no evidence of a distinct multidecadal or centennial spectral peak. This latter result is insensitive to both the choice of prior model and the calibration dataset used in the data assimilation algorithm, suggesting that the lack of a distinct multidecadal spectral peak is a robust result.

Evanescent wave fluorescence biosensors: Advances of the last decade

PubMed Central

Taitt, Chris Rowe; Anderson, George P.; Ligler, Frances S.

2015-01-01

Biosensor development has been a highly dynamic field of research and has progressed rapidly over the past two decades. The advances have accompanied the breakthroughs in molecular biology, nanomaterial sciences, and most importantly computers and electronics. The subfield of evanescent wave fluorescence biosensors has also matured dramatically during this time. Fundamentally, this review builds on our earlier 2005 review. While a brief mention of seminal early work will be included, this current review will focus on new technological developments as well as technology commercialized in just the last decade. Evanescent wave biosensors have found a wide array applications ranging from clinical diagnostics to biodefense to food testing; advances in those applications and more are described herein. PMID:26232145

Sylvia Plath: a protocol analysis of her last poems.

PubMed

Leenaars, A A; Wenckstern, S

1998-01-01

Personal documents have a significant place in psychological research. Suicide notes, diaries, novels, poems, and so on allow us to better understand the suicidal mind. The works of Sylvia Plath--a poet who killed herself at age 30--are prime examples for such protocol study. This article examines the last 6 months of Plath's poetry, revealing a suicidal malaise. Associating the results to the lives of Cesare Pavese and the case study of Natalie, a Terman-Shneidman subject of the intellectually gifted, the study shows a unit thema that facilitates the process of death. The poems reveal such themes as unbearable pain, loss, and abandonment that likely contributed significantly to death becoming the only solution.

Progress in neuro-otology research in the last year.

PubMed

Tarnutzer, Alexander A; Straumann, Dominik

2012-11-01

Herein, we summarize articles in the field of neuro-otology published in the Journal of Neurology over the last year. Topics included acute and chronic vertigo as well as auditory and ocular motor disorders. Characteristic lesion locations in Pusher syndrome are reported and the usefulness of bedside ocular motor tests in vertebrobasilar stroke is revisited. Probing the vestibular system and its value in predicting the outcome in vegetative state is discussed. Several articles address new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in different disorders associated with chronic vestibular, auditory or gait deficits. In a series of case reports, we focus on different eye movement disorders in the vertical plane, which are often difficult to assess.

[Mangrove dynamics in the Cispata lagoon system (Colombian Caribbean) during last 900 years].

PubMed

Castaño, Ana; Urrego, Ligia; Bernal, Gladys

2010-12-01

The lagoon complex of Cispatá (old Sinú river delta) located at the Northwestern coast of the Colombian Caribbean, encloses one of the biggest mangrove areas in this region. This area has changed during the last 330 years because of several environmental and climatic causes, mainly changes in the position of the delta (Sinú River), which is the main freshwater source in this area, and sea level rise. We hypothesized that the climatic and geomorphologic dynamics has caused changes in the extension and composition of mangrove vegetation, especially during last 150 years. The dynamics of mangroves during the last 900 years was reconstructed based on the changes in the stratigraphy, pollen record, calcite concentrations (CaCO3) and C/N ratio, along two sediment cores from La Flotante and Navio lagoons, located in Cispatá complex. The age model was built based on lineal interpolation of 210Pb ages and changes in granulometry. Establishment and expansion of mangrove forests during the last 900 years were related to fluviomarine dynamics in the area and the lagoon formation. During the period encompassed between 1064 and 1762 A.D., the Mestizos spit was formed when marine conditions predominated in the surroundings of La Flotante Lagoon. At the site of Navío, a river dominated lagoon, terrigenous conditions dominated since 1830. Although the colonization of herbaceous pioneer vegetation started between 1142 and 1331 A.D., mangrove colonization only took place since 1717 A.D. Mangrove colonization was a result of the delta progradation. In 1849 A.D. the Sinú river delta migrated to the Cispatá bay. The eustatic sea level rise, the increase in river discharges and sedimentation rates produced the establishment of mangrove forests dominated by Rhizophora since 1849. Since 1900 a marine intrusion was recorded in both lagoons. In 1938, the migration of the delta toward its actual location in Tinajones gave place to the formation of the present lagoon system and to the

Slavery and Cinema in Cuba: The Case of Gutierrez Alea's The Last Supper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Dennis

1979-01-01

"The Last Supper" deals with slavery and social stratification in late eighteenth century Cuba. In this article, the film is described in artistic and historical terms, and is discussed in relation to the larger body of theory on Latin American slavery. (EB)

Using Performance as an Interpretive Strategy in Teaching Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schevera, Nicholas

1997-01-01

Uses role-playing, dramatic monologues, and "tableaux vivant" to interpret Robert Browning's poem "My Last Duchess" in an introductory literature class at Westchester Community College. Notes that performative strategies illustrate connections in the poem that often remain unnoticed on a first reading. (PA)

Intensification of the meridional temperature gradient in the Great Barrier Reef following the Last Glacial Maximum.

PubMed

Felis, Thomas; McGregor, Helen V; Linsley, Braddock K; Tudhope, Alexander W; Gagan, Michael K; Suzuki, Atsushi; Inoue, Mayuri; Thomas, Alexander L; Esat, Tezer M; Thompson, William G; Tiwari, Manish; Potts, Donald C; Mudelsee, Manfred; Yokoyama, Yusuke; Webster, Jody M

2014-06-17

Tropical south-western Pacific temperatures are of vital importance to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), but the role of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the growth of the GBR since the Last Glacial Maximum remains largely unknown. Here we present records of Sr/Ca and δ(18)O for Last Glacial Maximum and deglacial corals that show a considerably steeper meridional SST gradient than the present day in the central GBR. We find a 1-2 °C larger temperature decrease between 17° and 20°S about 20,000 to 13,000 years ago. The result is best explained by the northward expansion of cooler subtropical waters due to a weakening of the South Pacific gyre and East Australian Current. Our findings indicate that the GBR experienced substantial meridional temperature change during the last deglaciation, and serve to explain anomalous deglacial drying of northeastern Australia. Overall, the GBR developed through significant SST change and may be more resilient than previously thought.

Isotopic evidence for cooler and drier conditions in the tropical Andes during the last glacial stage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mora, Germán; Pratt, Lisa M.

2001-06-01

Documentation of paleoclimatic conditions during the last glacial stage in the tropical Andes is sparse despite the importance of understanding past climate changes in the tropics. To reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions in the alpine neotropics, we measured the oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δD) isotopic composition of authigenic kaolinite within weathering profiles of the Bogota basin (Colombia) because of the strong dependence of isotopic values on both surface temperature and rainfall. While kaolinite isotope data from Holocene soils in the basin reflect modern mean annual temperature and mean weighted rainwater isotopic composition of the basin, kaolinite isotope data from paleosols developed during the last glacial stage suggest 6 ± 2 °C cooler temperatures. Moreover, the isotope data indicate higher isotopic values of paleorainwater, interpreted to reflect drier conditions. The combination of reduced rainfall, temperature, and pCO2 significantly affected the distribution of tropical montane flora during the last glacial stage.

Synchronous centennial abrupt events in the ocean and atmosphere during the last deglaciation.

PubMed

Chen, Tianyu; Robinson, Laura F; Burke, Andrea; Southon, John; Spooner, Peter; Morris, Paul J; Ng, Hong Chin

2015-09-25

Antarctic ice-core data reveal that the atmosphere experienced abrupt centennial increases in CO2 concentration during the last deglaciation (~18 thousand to 11 thousand years ago). Establishing the role of ocean circulation in these changes requires high-resolution, accurately dated marine records. Here, we report radiocarbon data from uranium-thorium-dated deep-sea corals in the Equatorial Atlantic and Drake Passage over the past 25,000 years. Two major deglacial radiocarbon shifts occurred in phase with centennial atmospheric CO2 rises at 14.8 thousand and 11.7 thousand years ago. We interpret these radiocarbon-enriched signals to represent two short-lived (less than 500 years) "overshoot" events, with Atlantic meridional overturning stronger than that of the modern era. These results provide compelling evidence for a close coupling of ocean circulation and centennial climate events during the last deglaciation. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Latitudinal species diversity gradient of marine zooplankton for the last three million years

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yasuhara, Moriaki; Hunt, Gene; Dowsett, Harry J.; Robinson, Marci M.; Stoll, Danielle K.

2012-01-01

High tropical and low polar biodiversity is one of the most fundamental patterns characterising marine ecosystems, and the influence of temperature on such marine latitudinal diversity gradients is increasingly well documented. However, the temporal stability of quantitative relationships among diversity, latitude and temperature is largely unknown. Herein we document marine zooplankton species diversity patterns at four time slices [modern, Last Glacial Maximum (18 000 years ago), last interglacial (120 000 years ago), and Pliocene (~3.3–3.0 million years ago)] and show that, although the diversity-latitude relationship has been dynamic, diversity-temperature relationships are remarkably constant over the past three million years. These results suggest that species diversity is rapidly reorganised as species' ranges respond to temperature change on ecological time scales, and that the ecological impact of future human-induced temperature change may be partly predictable from fossil and paleoclimatological records.

Part-List Cuing Can Be Transient and Lasting: The Role of Encoding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bauml, Karl-Heinz; Aslan, Alp

2006-01-01

The presentation of a subset of learned items as retrieval cues can have detrimental effects on recall of the remaining items. For 2 types of encoding conditions, the authors examined in 3 experiments whether such part-list cuing is a transient or a lasting phenomenon. Across the experiments, the detrimental effect of part-list cues was…

Quantifying Proxy Influence in the Last Millennium Reanalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hakim, G. J.; Anderson, D. N.; Emile-Geay, J.; Noone, D.; Tardif, R.

2017-12-01

We examine the influence of proxies in the climate field reconstruction known as the Last Millennium Reanalysis (Hakim et al. 2016; JGR-A). This data assimilation framework uses the CCSM4 Last Millennium simulation as an agnostic prior, proxies from the PAGES 2k Consortium (2017; Sci. Data), and an offline ensemble square-root filter for assimilation. Proxies are forward modeled using an observation model ("proxy system model") that maps from the prior space to the proxy space. We assess proxy impact using the method of Cardinali et al. (2004; QJRMS), where influence is measured in observation space; that is, at the location of observations. Influence is determined by three components: the prior at the location, the proxy at the location, and remote proxies as mediated by the spatial covariance information in the prior. Consequently, on a per-proxy basis, influence is higher for spatially isolated proxies having small error, and influence is lower for spatially dense proxies having large error. Results show that proxy influence depends strongly on the observation model. Assuming the proxies depend linearly on annual mean temperature yields the largest per-proxy influence for coral d18O and coral Sr/Ca records, and smallest influence for tree-ring width. On a global basis (summing over all proxies of a given type), tree-ring width and coral d18O have the largest influence. A seasonal model for the proxies yields very different results. In this case we model the proxies linearly on objectively determined seasonal temperature, except for tree proxies, which are fit to a bivariate model on seasonal temperature and precipitation. In this experiment, on a per-proxy basis, tree-ring density has by far the greatest influence. Total proxy influence is dominated by tree-ring width followed by tree-ring density. Compared to the results for the annual-mean observation model, the experiment where proxies are measured seasonally has more than double the total influence (sum over

Long lasting effects of chronic heavy cannabis abuse.

PubMed

Nestoros, Joannis N; Vakonaki, Elena; Tzatzarakis, Manolis N; Alegakis, Athanasios; Skondras, Markos D; Tsatsakis, Aristidis M

2017-06-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent of short-term memory impairment and schizophrenia-like symptoms in heavy and systematic cannabis users and the association between the severity of abuse and the longevity of its persistent symptoms after refraining from such use. A complete psychiatric examination and a psychometric evaluation were performed in 48 solely cannabis users. Additionally, head hair samples were analyzed and the detected cannabinoids levels were correlated with the psychometric findings. A total of 33.3% (n = 16) of the total examined cannabis users were currently imprisoned. The years of abuse ranged from 1 to 35 years and the median daily dose was 5.84.4 gr and 4.84.0 gr for prisoners (n = 16) and non prisoners (n = 32), respectively. A total of 39.6% of the users experienced hallucinations (mostly auditory), 54.2% experienced delusions (mostly ideas of reference and persecution), 85.4% had organic brain dysfunction in a test addressing visual-motor functioning and visual perception skills, and all users (100%) were found to have organic brain dysfunction in a test of visual memory immediate recall. The cannabinoid metabolite levels in the hair samples were consistent with the reported history of substance abuse and total grams of consumption for the participants below 35 years old (p < .001). Statistically elevated cannabinoids levels were observed in users with auditory hallucinations compared to users without any hallucinations (p = .019). The existence of hallucinations, delusions, and organic brain dysfunction in heavy cannabis users seems to be associated with cannabinoid levels in hair. The continuation of persistent symptoms 3 months after the discontinuation of cannabis abuse, was a remarkable finding. We provide evidence that chronic and heavy cannabis abuse results in long-lasting brain dysfunction in all users and in long-lasting schizophrenia-like psychotic symptoms in more than half of all users

Effects of Angular Variation on Split D Differential Eddy Current Probe Response (Postprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-10

AFRL-RX-WP-JA-2016-0327 EFFECTS OF ANGULAR VARIATION ON SPLIT D DIFFERENTIAL EDDY CURRENT PROBE RESPONSE (POSTPRINT) Ryan D...March 2014 – 22 September 2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE EFFECTS OF ANGULAR VARIATION ON SPLIT D DIFFERENTIAL EDDY CURRENT PROBE RESPONSE (POSTPRINT...last few years have seen increased levels of complexity added to push the state-of-the-art modeling software used in eddy current NDE today. The added

Timing of the last glaciation and subsequent deglaciation in the Ruby Mountains, Great Basin, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laabs, Benjamin J. C.; Munroe, Jeffrey S.; Best, Laura C.; Caffee, Marc W.

2013-01-01

The timing of the last Pleistocene glaciation in western North America is becoming increasingly well understood, largely due to improved methods of obtaining numerical ages of glacial deposits and landforms. Among these, cosmogenic radionuclide surface-exposure dating has been widely applied to moraines of mountain glaciers, providing the framework for understanding terrestrial climate change during and since the last glaciation in western North America. During the Late Pleistocene, the Great Basin of the western United States hosted numerous mountain glaciers, the deposits of which can provide valuable records of past climate changes if their ages can be precisely determined. In this study, twenty-nine cosmogenic radionuclide 10Be surface-exposure ages from a suite of moraines in Seitz Canyon, western Ruby Mountains, limit the timing of the last glacial episode in the interior Great Basin, known as the Angel Lake Glaciation. Results indicate that deposition of a terminal moraine and two recessional moraines began just prior to ˜20.5 ka and continued until ˜20.0 ka. Retreat from the next younger recessional moraine began at ˜17.2 ka, and final deglaciation began at ˜14.8 ka. These ages are broadly consistent with cosmogenic surface-exposure ages from the eastern Sierra Nevada and the western Wasatch Mountains, in the western and eastern extremes of the Great Basin respectively. Furthermore, these ages suggest that the valley glacier in Seitz Canyon was at or near its maximum extent before and during the hydrologic maxima of Pleistocene lakes in the Great Basin, supporting previous suggestions that a cool and wet climate persisted in this region during the early part of the last glacial-interglacial transition.

The narrow endemic Norwegian peat moss Sphagnum troendelagicum originated before the last glacial maximum

PubMed Central

Stenøien, H K; Shaw, A J; Stengrundet, K; Flatberg, K I

2011-01-01

It is commonly found that individual hybrid, polyploid species originate recurrently and that many polyploid species originated relatively recently. It has been previously hypothesized that the extremely rare allopolyploid peat moss Sphagnum troendelagicum has originated multiple times, possibly after the last glacial maximum in Scandinavia. This conclusion was based on low linkage disequilibrium in anonymous genetic markers within natural populations, in which sexual reproduction has never been observed. Here we employ microsatellite markers and chloroplast DNA (cpDNA)-encoded trnG sequence data to test hypotheses concerning the origin and evolution of this species. We find that S. tenellum is the maternal progenitor and S. balticum is the paternal progenitor of S. troendelagicum. Using various Bayesian approaches, we estimate that S. troendelagicum originated before the Holocene but not before c. 80 000 years ago (median expected time since speciation 40 000 years before present). The observed lack of complete linkage disequilibrium in the genome of this species suggests cryptic sexual reproduction and recombination. Several lines of evidence suggest multiple origins for S. troendelagicum, but a single origin is supported by approximate Bayesian computation analyses. We hypothesize that S. troendelagicum originated in a peat-dominated refugium before last glacial maximum, and subsequently immigrated to central Norway by means of spore flow during the last thousands of years. PMID:20717162

AB 9: California bill would end county mandate for last-resort care, including communicable diseases.

PubMed

1996-02-16

The California Assembly passed a bill to end the current requirement that counties provide general assistance and medical care as last resort care to persons who do not have access to Medi-Cal or private insurance. There is concern that all counties will close the facilities and reduce or eliminate last resort care, leaving people with no access to treatment when they become ill. The bill is now in the California State Senate. AIDS organizations are urging Californians to call their state senator and urge them to oppose the bill. More information is available by contacting AIDS Project Los Angeles, Life AIDS Lobby (916)444-0424, or ACT UP/Golden Gate.

ANABOLIC STEROIDS HAVE LONG-LASTING EFFECTS ON MALE SOCIAL BEHAVIORS

PubMed Central

Salas-Ramirez, Kaliris Y.; Montalto, Pamela R.; Sisk, Cheryl L.

2010-01-01

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) use by adolescents is steadily increasing. Adolescence involves remodeling of steroid-sensitive neural circuits that mediate social behaviors, and previous studies using animal models document effects of AAS on male social behaviors. The present experiments tested whether AAS have persistent and more pronounced behavioral consequences when drug exposure occurs during adolescence as compared to exposure in adulthood. Male Syrian hamsters were injected daily for 14 days with either vehicle or an AAS cocktail containing testosterone cypionate (2 mg/kg), nandrolone decanoate (2 mg/kg), and boldenone undecylenate (1 mg/kg), either during adolescence (27-41 days of age) or adulthood (63-77 days of age). As adults, subjects were tested two or four weeks after the last injection for either sexual behavior with a receptive female or male-male agonistic behavior in a resident-intruder test. Compared with vehicle-treated males, AAS-treated males, regardless of age of treatment, displayed fewer long intromissions and a significant increase in latency to the first long intromission, indicative of reduced potential to reach sexual satiety. Increased aggression was observed in males exposed to AAS compared with males treated with vehicle, independently of age of AAS treatment. However, unlike hamsters exposed to AAS in adulthood, hamsters exposed to AAS during adolescence did not display any submissive or risk-assessment behaviors up to 4 weeks after discontinuation of AAS treatment. Thus, AAS have long-lasting effects on male sexual and agonistic behaviors, with AAS exposure during adolescence resulting in a more pronounced reduction in submissive behavior compared to AAS exposure in adulthood. PMID:20036695

Climatic oscillations in central Italy during the Last Glacial-Holocene transition: the record from Lake Accesa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magny, Michel; de Beaulieu, Jacques-Louis; Drescher-Schneider, Ruth; Vannière, Boris; Walter-Simonnet, Anne-Véronique; Millet, Laurent; Bossuet, Gilles; Peyron, Odile

2006-05-01

This paper presents an event stratigraphy based on data documenting the history of vegetation cover, lake-level changes and fire frequency, as well as volcanic eruptions, over the Last Glacial-early Holocene transition from a terrestrial sediment sequence recovered at Lake Accesa in Tuscany (north-central Italy). On the basis of an age-depth model inferred from 13 radiocarbon dates and six tephra horizons, the Oldest Dryas-Bølling warming event was dated to ca. 14 560 cal. yr BP and the Younger Dryas event to ca. 12 700-11 650 cal. yr BP. Four sub-millennial scale cooling phases were recognised from pollen data at ca. 14 300-14 200, 13 900-13 700, 13 400-13 100 and 11 350-11 150 cal.yrBP. The last three may be Mediterranean equivalents to the Older Dryas (GI-1d), Intra-Allerød (GI-1b) and Preboreal Oscillation (PBO) cooling events defined from the GRIP ice-core and indicate strong climatic linkages between the North Atlantic and Mediterranean areas during the last Termination. The first may correspond to Intra-Bølling cold oscillations registered by various palaeoclimatic records in the North Atlantic region. The lake-level record shows that the sub-millennial scale climatic oscillations which punctuated the last deglaciation were associated in central Italy with different successive patterns of hydrological changes from the Bølling warming to the 8.2ka cold reversal. Copyright

Double Neutron Star Mergers and Short Gamma-ray Bursts: Long-lasting High-energy Signatures and Remnant Dichotomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murase, Kohta; Toomey, Michael W.; Fang, Ke; Oikonomou, Foteini; Kimura, Shigeo S.; Hotokezaka, Kenta; Kashiyama, Kazumi; Ioka, Kunihito; Mészáros, Peter

2018-02-01

The recent detection of gravitational waves and electromagnetic counterparts from the double neutron star merger event GW+EM170817 supports the standard paradigm of short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) and kilonovae/macronovae. It is important to reveal the nature of the compact remnant left after the merger, either a black hole or neutron star, and their physical link to the origin of the long-lasting emission observed in SGRBs. The diversity of the merger remnants may also lead to different kinds of transients that can be detected in future. Here we study the high-energy emission from the long-lasting central engine left after the coalescence, under certain assumptions. In particular, we consider the X-ray emission from a remnant disk and the nonthermal nebular emission from disk-driven outflows or pulsar winds. We demonstrate that late-time X-ray and high-frequency radio emission can provide useful constraints on properties of the hidden compact remnants and their connections to long-lasting SGRB emission, and we discuss the detectability of nearby merger events through late-time observations at ∼30–100 days after the coalescence. We also investigate the GeV–TeV gamma-ray emission that occurs in the presence of long-lasting central engines and show the importance of external inverse Compton radiation due to upscattering of X-ray photons by relativistic electrons in the jet. We also search for high-energy gamma rays from GW170817 in the Fermi-LAT data and report upper limits on such long-lasting emission. Finally, we consider the implications of GW+EM170817 and discuss the constraints placed by X-ray and high-frequency radio observations.

Negative and positive life events are associated with small but lasting change in neuroticism.

PubMed

Jeronimus, B F; Ormel, J; Aleman, A; Penninx, B W J H; Riese, H

2013-11-01

High neuroticism is prospectively associated with psychopathology and physical health. However, within-subject changes in neuroticism due to life experiences (LEs) or state effects of current psychopathology are largely unexplored. In this 2-year follow-up study, four hypotheses were tested: (1) positive LEs (PLEs) decrease and negative LEs (NLEs) increase neuroticism; (2) LE-driven change in neuroticism is partly long-lasting; and (3) partly independent of LE-driven changes in anxiety/depression; and (4) childhood adversity (before age 16 years) moderates the influence of NLEs/PLEs on neuroticism scores in adult life. Data came from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety [NESDA, n = 2981, mean age 41.99 years (s.d. = 13.08), 66.6% women]. At follow-up (T₂) we assessed PLEs/NLEs with the List of Threatening Experiences (LTE) over the prior 24 months and categorized them over recent and distant PLE/NLE measures (1-3 and 4-24 months prior to T₂ respectively) to distinguish distant NLE/PLE-driven change in trait neuroticism (using the Dutch version of the Neuroticism-Extroversion-Openness Five Factor Inventory, NEO-FFI) from state deviations due to changes in symptoms of depression (self-rated version of the 30-item Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, IDS-SR30) and anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory, BAI). Distant NLEs were associated with higher and distant PLEs with lower neuroticism scores. The effects of distant LEs were weak but long-lasting, especially for distant PLEs. Distant NLE-driven change in neuroticism was associated with change in symptoms of anxiety/depression whereas the effect of distant PLEs on neuroticism was independent of any such changes. Childhood adversity weakened the impact of distant NLEs but enhanced the impact of distant PLEs on neuroticism. Distant PLEs are associated with small but long-lasting decreases in neuroticism regardless of changes in symptom levels of anxiety/depression. Long-lasting increases in neuroticism

Visualization of the IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics Publications over the Last 25 Years.

PubMed

Yergens, D W; Tam-Tham, H; Minty, E P

2016-06-30

The last 25 years have been a period of innovation in the area of medical informatics. The International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) has published, every year for the last quarter century, the Yearbook of Medical Informatics, collating selected papers from various journals in an attempt to provide a summary of the academic medical informatics literature. The objective of this paper is to visualize the evolution of the medical informatics field over the last 25 years according to the frequency of word occurrences in the papers published in the IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics. A literature review was conducted examining the IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics between 1992 and 2015. These references were collated into a reference manager application to examine the literature using keyword searches, word clouds, and topic clustering. The data was considered in its entirety, as well as segregated into 3 time periods to examine the evolution of main trends over time. Several methods were used, including word clouds, cluster maps, and custom developed web-based information dashboards. The literature search resulted in a total of 1210 references published in the Yearbook, of which 213 references were excluded, resulting in 997 references for visualization. Overall, we found that publications were more technical and methods-oriented between 1992 and 1999; more clinically and patient-oriented between 2000 and 2009; and noted the emergence of "big data", decision support, and global health in the past decade between 2010 and 2015. Dashboards were additionally created to show individual reference data, as well as, aggregated information. Medical informatics is a vast and expanding area with new methods and technologies being researched, implemented, and evaluated. Determining visualization approaches that enhance our understanding of literature is an active area of research, and like medical informatics, is constantly evolving as new software and algorithms

Long-Lasting Neural and Behavioral Effects of Iron Deficiency in Infancy

PubMed Central

Lozoff, Betsy; Beard, John; Connor, James; Felt, Barbara; Georgieff, Michael; Schallert, Timothy

2006-01-01

Infants are at high risk for iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia. This review summarizes evidence of long-term effects of iron deficiency in infancy. Follow-up studies from preschool age to adolescence report poorer cognitive, motor, and social-emotional function, as well as persisting neurophysiologic differences. Research in animal models points to mechanisms for such long-lasting effects. Potential mechanisms relate to effects of iron deficiency during brain development on neurometabolism, myelination, and neurotransmitter function. PMID:16770951

Does developmental hypothyroidism produce lasting effects ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus (DO) of the adult hippocampus generates new neurons throughout life. Thyroid hormones (TH) are essential for brain development, but impaired neurogenesis with adult hypothyroidism has also been reported. We investigated the role of milder degrees of TH disruption on adult neurogenesis following hypothyroidism induced during development, in adulthood, or both. Pregnant dams were administered the TH synthesis inhibitor, propylthiouracil (PTU, 0 or 3ppm in drinking water) from gestational day 6 and pups were weaned to control water on postnatal day (PN)2 I. On PN6O, offspring from control or PTU dams were either re-exposed to PTU (3ppm) for I month or maintained on control. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU 50 mg/kg, ip, twice daily) was administered to all animals on the last 5 days of the re-exposure period, and animals sacrificed 28 d later. Animals were perfused intracardially, the brains were removed, embedded in a MultiBrain (NSA) array and freeze sectioned. Every 8th section throughout the hippocampus was stained with an antibody against BrdU to mark actively dividing cells. The volume of the DO and the number of BrdUpositive cells were assessed from images captured on a Nikon microscope (200X) and Nikon Elements software. Preliminary findings indicate that developmental exposure to PTU produced a persistent reduction in the volume of the adult DO. BrdU cell counts were reduced similarly in all P11J-exposed groups. These data

The Change in Publication Rates at Undergraduate Institutions during the Last Three Decades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leber, Phyllis A.; Williams, Benjamin R.; Yoder, Claude H.

2009-01-01

Publication rates for chemistry faculty at 55 predominantly undergraduate institutions were ascertained from the number of publications and presentations produced over the past three decades. Comparison of the publications for the last decade with those reported for the earlier decades showed that the majority of institutions surveyed have…

Geomorphical and Geochronological Constrains of the Last Glacial Period in Southern Patagonia, Southern South America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García, J.; Hall, B. L.; Kaplan, M. R.; Vega, R. M.; Binnie, S. A.; Hein, A.; Gómez, G. N.; Ferrada, J. J.

2013-12-01

Despite the outer limits of the former Patagonian ice sheet (PIS, ~38-55S) having been extensively mapped, it remains unknown if the Patagonian glaciers fluctuated synchronously or asynchronously during the last glacial period. Previous work has revealed asynchronous spatiotemporal ice dynamics along the eastern and western ice-margins at the end of the last glaciation but it is not well understood if the northern and southern parts of the PIS reached concurrent maximum glaciation during the last glacial cycle. The Patagonian Andes is the only landmass involving the southern westerly wind belt latitudinal range, which is thought to have played a key role in past glacial and climate changes. Therefore, reconstructing southern Andes glacier history constitutes a key element for understanding the cause of glaciations in Patagonia and the role of the westerlies in climate change. Here, we discuss paleoglaciological and paleoclimatological implications of new 10Be and 14C data obtained from moraines and strategically selected mires in two contiguous glacially molded basins of south Patagonia (48-55S): Torres del Paine (51S) and Última Esperanza (52S). In this region, we focused our 10Be cosmogenic-dating efforts in the previously undated outer moraines deposited (supposedly) during the last glacial cycle. In order to crosscheck cosmogenic data we collected boulders embedded in moraines and cobbles from the main glaciofluvial plains grading from the outermost moraines. Geomorphic and cosmogenic dating affords evidence for glacial maximum conditions occurring between 40-50 ka (ka = thousand of years before present) in southern Patagonia, which is different from other chronologies within southern South America. We obtained 14C basal ages from sites located within moraine depressions and on former paleolake shorelines and thus these may provide key data on deglaciation and debated regional paleolake history.

Quercus suber range dynamics by ecological niche modelling: from the Last Interglacial to present time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vessella, Federico; Simeone, Marco Cosimo; Schirone, Bartolomeo

2015-07-01

Ecological Niche Modelling (ENM) is widely used to depict species potential occurrence according to environmental variables under different climatic scenarios. We tested the ENM approach to infer past range dynamics of cork oak, a keystone species of the Mediterranean Biome, from 130 ka to the present time. Hindcasting implications would deal with a better species risk assessment and conservation management for the future. We modelled present and past occurrence of cork oak using seven ENM algorithms, starting from 63,733 spatially unique presence points at 30 arc-second resolution. Fourteen environmental variables were used and four time slices were considered (Last Interglacial, Last Glacial Maximum, mid-Holocene and present time). A threshold-independent evaluation of the goodness-of-fit of the models was evaluated by means of ROC curve and fossil or historical evidences were used to validate the results. Four weighted average maps depicted the dynamics of area suitability for cork oak in the last 130 ka. The derived species autoecology allowed its long-term occurrence in the Mediterranean without striking range reduction or shifting. Fossil and historical post-processing validation support the modelled past spatial extension and a neglected species presence at Levantine until the recent time. Despite the severe climatic oscillation since the Last Glacial Maximum, cork oak potential distribution area experienced limited range changes, confirming its strong link with the Mediterranean Basin. The ecological amplitude of Quercus suber could be therefore adopted as a reference to trace the Mediterranean bioclimate area. A better knowledge of the past events of Mediterranean vegetation, a wider range of study species and environmental determinants are essential to inform us about its current state, its sensitivity to human impact and the potential responses to future changes.

Variations in vital signs in the last days of life in patients with advanced cancer.

PubMed

Bruera, Sebastian; Chisholm, Gary; Dos Santos, Renata; Crovador, Camila; Bruera, Eduardo; Hui, David

2014-10-01

Few studies have examined variation in vital signs in the last days of life. We determined the variation of vital signs in the final two weeks of life in patients with advanced cancer and examined their association with impending death in three days. In this prospective, longitudinal, observational study, we enrolled consecutive patients admitted to two acute palliative care units and documented their vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and temperature) twice a day serially from admission to death or discharge. Of 357 patients, 203 (57%) died in hospital. Systolic blood pressure (P < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.001), and oxygen saturation (P < 0.001) decreased significantly in the final three days of life, and temperature increased slightly (P < 0.04). Heart rate (P = 0.22) and respiratory rate (P = 0.24) remained similar in the last three days. Impending death in three days was significantly associated with increased heart rate (odds ratio [OR] = 2; P = 0.01), decreased systolic blood pressure (OR = 2.5; P = 0.004), decreased diastolic blood pressure (OR = 2.3; P = 0.002), and decreased oxygen saturation (OR = 3.7; P = 0.003) from baseline readings on admission. These changes had high specificity (≥ 80%), low sensitivity (≤ 35%), and modest positive likelihood ratios (≤ 5) for impending death within three days. A large proportion of patients had normal vital signs in the last days of life. Blood pressure and oxygen saturation decreased in the last days of life. Clinicians and families cannot rely on vital sign changes alone to rule in or rule out impending death. Our findings do not support routine vital signs monitoring of patients who are imminently dying. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Variations in Vital Signs in the Last Days of Life in Patients With Advanced Cancer

PubMed Central

Bruera, Sebastian; Chisholm, Gary; Dos Santos, Renata; Crovador, Camila; Bruera, Eduardo; Hui, David

2014-01-01

Context Few studies have examined variation in vital signs in the last days of life. Objectives We determined the variation of vital signs in the final two weeks of life in patients with advanced cancer and examined their association with impending death in three days. Methods In this prospective, longitudinal, observational study, we enrolled consecutive patients admitted to two acute palliative care units and documented their vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and temperature) twice a day serially from admission to death or discharge. Results Of 357 patients, 203 (55%) died in hospital. Systolic blood pressure (P < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.001), and oxygen saturation (P < 0.001) decreased significantly in the final three days of life, and temperature increased slightly (P < 0.04). Heart rate (P = 0.22) and respiratory rate (P = 0.24) remained similar in the last three days. Impending death in three days was significantly associated with increased heart rate (odds ratio [OR] = 2; P = 0.01), decreased systolic blood pressure (OR = 2.5; P = 0.004), decreased diastolic blood pressure (OR = 2.3; P = 0.002), and decreased oxygen saturation (OR = 3.7; P = 0.003) from baseline readings on admission. These changes had high specificity (≥80%), low sensitivity (≤35%), and modest positive likelihood ratios (≤5) for impending death within three days. A large proportion of patients had normal vital signs in the last days of life. Conclusion Blood pressure and oxygen saturation decreased in the last days of life. Clinicians and families cannot rely on vital sign changes alone to rule in or rule out impending death. Our findings do not support routine vital signs monitoring of patients who are imminently dying. PMID:24731412

A transient fully coupled climate-ice-sheet simulation of the last glacial inception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lofverstrom, M.; Otto-Bliesner, B. L.; Lipscomb, W. H.; Fyke, J. G.; Marshall, S.; Sacks, B.; Brady, E. C.

2017-12-01

The last glacial inception occurred around 115 ka, following a relative minimum in the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation. It is believed that small and spatially separated ice caps initially formed in the high elevation regions of northern Canada, Scandinavia, and along the Siberian Arctic coast. These ice caps subsequently migrated down in the valleys where they coalesced and formed the initial seeds of the large coherent ice masses that covered the northern parts of the North American and Eurasian continents over most of the last glacial cycle. Sea level records show that the initial growth period lasted for about 10 kyrs, and the resulting ice sheets may have lowered the global sea level by as much as 30 to 50 meters. Here we examine the transient climate system evolution over the period between 118 and 110 ka, using the fully coupled Community Earth System Model, version 2 (CESM2). This model features a two-way coupled high-resolution (4x4 km) ice-sheet component (Community Ice Sheet model, version 2; CISM2) that simulates ice sheets as an interactive component of the climate system. We impose a transient forcing protocol where the greenhouse gas concentrations and the orbital parameters follow the nominal year in the simulation; the model topography is also dynamically evolving in order to reflect changes in ice elevation throughout the simulation. The analysis focuses on how the climate system evolves over this time interval, with a special focus on glacial inception in the high-latitude continents. Results will highlight how the evolving ice sheets compare to data and previous model based reconstructions.

The Last Possible Outposts for Life on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davila, Alfonso F.; Schulze-Makuch, Dirk

2016-02-01

The evolution of habitable conditions on Mars is often tied to the existence of aquatic habitats and largely constrained to the first billion years of the planet. Here, we propose an alternate, lasting evolutionary trajectory that assumes the colonization of land habitats before the end of the Hesperian period (ca. 3 billion years ago) at a pace similar to life on Earth. Based on the ecological adaptations to increasing dryness observed in dryland ecosystems on Earth, we reconstruct the most likely sequence of events leading to a late extinction of land communities on Mars. We propose a trend of ecological change with increasing dryness from widespread edaphic communities to localized lithic communities and finally to communities exclusively found in hygroscopic substrates, reflecting the need for organisms to maximize access to atmospheric sources of water. If our thought process is correct, it implies the possibility of life on Mars until relatively recent times, perhaps even the present.

The Last Possible Outposts for Life on Mars.

PubMed

Davila, Alfonso F; Schulze-Makuch, Dirk

2016-02-01

The evolution of habitable conditions on Mars is often tied to the existence of aquatic habitats and largely constrained to the first billion years of the planet. Here, we propose an alternate, lasting evolutionary trajectory that assumes the colonization of land habitats before the end of the Hesperian period (ca. 3 billion years ago) at a pace similar to life on Earth. Based on the ecological adaptations to increasing dryness observed in dryland ecosystems on Earth, we reconstruct the most likely sequence of events leading to a late extinction of land communities on Mars. We propose a trend of ecological change with increasing dryness from widespread edaphic communities to localized lithic communities and finally to communities exclusively found in hygroscopic substrates, reflecting the need for organisms to maximize access to atmospheric sources of water. If our thought process is correct, it implies the possibility of life on Mars until relatively recent times, perhaps even the present.

Greenland-Wide Seasonal Temperatures During the Last Deglaciation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buizert, C.; Keisling, B. A.; Box, J. E.; He, F.; Carlson, A. E.; Sinclair, G.; DeConto, R. M.

2018-02-01

The sensitivity of the Greenland ice sheet to climate forcing is of key importance in assessing its contribution to past and future sea level rise. Surface mass loss occurs during summer, and accounting for temperature seasonality is critical in simulating ice sheet evolution and in interpreting glacial landforms and chronologies. Ice core records constrain the timing and magnitude of climate change but are largely limited to annual mean estimates from the ice sheet interior. Here we merge ice core reconstructions with transient climate model simulations to generate Greenland-wide and seasonally resolved surface air temperature fields during the last deglaciation. Greenland summer temperatures peak in the early Holocene, consistent with records of ice core melt layers. We perform deglacial Greenland ice sheet model simulations to demonstrate that accounting for realistic temperature seasonality decreases simulated glacial ice volume, expedites the deglacial margin retreat, mutes the impact of abrupt climate warming, and gives rise to a clear Holocene ice volume minimum.

Scientific Discoveries: What Is Required for Lasting Impact.

PubMed

Lømo, Terje

2016-01-01

I have been involved in two scientific discoveries of some impact. One is the discovery of long-term potentiation (LTP), the phenomenon that brief, high-frequency impulse activity at synapses in the brain can lead to long-lasting increases in their efficiency of transmission. This finding demonstrated that synapses are plastic, a property thought to be necessary for learning and memory. The other discovery is that nerve-evoked muscle impulse activity, rather than putative trophic factors, controls the properties of muscle fibers. Here I describe how these two discoveries were made, the unexpected difficulties of reproducing the first discovery, and the controversies that followed the second discovery. I discuss why the first discovery took many years to become generally recognized, whereas the second caused an immediate sensation and entered textbooks and major reviews but is now largely forgotten. In the long run, discovering a new phenomenon has greater impact than falsifying a popular hypothesis.

End-Of-Life Medical Spending In Last Twelve Months Of Life Is Lower Than Previously Reported.

PubMed

French, Eric B; McCauley, Jeremy; Aragon, Maria; Bakx, Pieter; Chalkley, Martin; Chen, Stacey H; Christensen, Bent J; Chuang, Hongwei; Côté-Sergent, Aurelie; De Nardi, Mariacristina; Fan, Elliott; Échevin, Damien; Geoffard, Pierre-Yves; Gastaldi-Ménager, Christelle; Gørtz, Mette; Ibuka, Yoko; Jones, John B; Kallestrup-Lamb, Malene; Karlsson, Martin; Klein, Tobias J; de Lagasnerie, Grégoire; Michaud, Pierre-Carl; O'Donnell, Owen; Rice, Nigel; Skinner, Jonathan S; van Doorslaer, Eddy; Ziebarth, Nicolas R; Kelly, Elaine

2017-07-01

Although end-of-life medical spending is often viewed as a major component of aggregate medical expenditure, accurate measures of this type of medical spending are scarce. We used detailed health care data for the period 2009-11 from Denmark, England, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Taiwan, the United States, and the Canadian province of Quebec to measure the composition and magnitude of medical spending in the three years before death. In all nine countries, medical spending at the end of life was high relative to spending at other ages. Spending during the last twelve months of life made up a modest share of aggregate spending, ranging from 8.5 percent in the United States to 11.2 percent in Taiwan, but spending in the last three calendar years of life reached 24.5 percent in Taiwan. This suggests that high aggregate medical spending is due not to last-ditch efforts to save lives but to spending on people with chronic conditions, which are associated with shorter life expectancies. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

[Description of the last instar larva and pupa of Cryptophlebia cortesi Clarke (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)].

PubMed

Vargas, Héctor A

2006-01-01

A description of the last instar larva and pupa of Cryptophlebia cortesi Clarke, based on specimens collected on yaro, Acacia macracantha Bonpl & Humb ex Willd. (Fabaceae), in the Chaca valley, Primera Región, Chile, is presented.

Expanding the Use of Continuous Sedation Until Death: Moving Beyond the Last Resort for the Terminally Ill.

PubMed

LiPuma, Samuel H; DeMarco, Joseph P

2015-01-01

As currently practiced, the use of continuous sedation until death (CSD) is controlled by clinicians in a way that may deny patients a key choice in controlling their dying process. Ethical guidelines from the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pain Medicine describe CSD as a "last resort," and a position statement from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine describe it as "an intervention reserved for extreme situations." Accordingly, patients must progress to unremitting pain and suffering and reach a last-resort stage before the option to pursue CSD is considered. Alternatively, we present and defend a new guideline in which decisionally capable, terminally ill patients who have a life expectancy of less than six months may request CSD before being subjected to the refractory suffering of a treatment of "last resort." Copyright 2015 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

30 CFR 75.507-1 - Electric equipment other than power-connection points; outby the last open crosscut; return air...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... where nonpermissible electric face equipment may be taken into or used inby the last open crosscut until March 30, 1974, such nonpermissible electric face equipment may be used in return air outby the last... where a permit for noncompliance is in effect, nonpermissible electric face equipment specified in such...

30 CFR 75.507-1 - Electric equipment other than power-connection points; outby the last open crosscut; return air...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... where nonpermissible electric face equipment may be taken into or used inby the last open crosscut until March 30, 1974, such nonpermissible electric face equipment may be used in return air outby the last... where a permit for noncompliance is in effect, nonpermissible electric face equipment specified in such...

Intermittent Short Sleep Results in Lasting Sleep Wake Disturbances and Degeneration of Locus Coeruleus and Orexinergic Neurons

PubMed Central

Zhu, Yan; Fenik, Polina; Zhan, Guanxia; Somach, Rebecca; Xin, Ryan; Veasey, Sigrid

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: Intermittent short sleep (ISS) is pervasive among students and workers in modern societies, yet the lasting consequences of repeated short sleep on behavior and brain health are largely unexplored. Wake-activated neurons may be at increased risk of metabolic injury across sustained wakefulness. Methods: To examine the effects of ISS on wake-activated neurons and wake behavior, wild-type mice were randomized to ISS (a repeated pattern of short sleep on 3 consecutive days followed by 4 days of recovery sleep for 4 weeks) or rested control conditions. Subsets of both groups were allowed a recovery period consisting of 4-week unperturbed activity in home cages with littermates. Mice were examined for immediate and delayed (following recovery) effects of ISS on wake neuron cell metabolics, cell counts, and sleep/wake patterns. Results: ISS resulted in sustained disruption of sleep/wake activity, with increased wakefulness during the lights-on period and reduced wake bout duration and wake time during the lights-off period. Noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) and orexinergic neurons showed persistent alterations in morphology, and reductions in both neuronal stereological cell counts and fronto-cortical projections. Surviving wake-activated neurons evidenced persistent reductions in sirtuins 1 and 3 and increased lipofuscin. In contrast, ISS resulted in no lasting injury to the sleep-activated melanin concentrating hormone neurons. Conclusions: Collectively these findings demonstrate for the first time that ISS imparts significant lasting disturbances in sleep/wake activity, degeneration of wake-activated LC and orexinergic neurons, and lasting metabolic changes in remaining neurons most consistent with premature senescence. Citation: Zhu Y, Fenik P, Zhan G, Somach R, Xin R, Veasey S. Intermittent short sleep results in lasting sleep wake disturbances and degeneration of locus coeruleus and orexinergic neurons. SLEEP 2016;39(8):1601–1611. PMID:27306266

Inelastic neutron scattering with GAINS at GELINA: An overview of the last decade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borcea, Catalin; Dessagne, Philippe; Kerveno, Maëlle; Mihailescu, Cristian; Nankov, Nikolay; Negret, Alexandru; Nyman, Markus; Olacel, Adina; Oláh, Laszlo; Plompen, Arjan; Rouki, Chariklia; Rudolf, Gerard

2017-09-01

GAINS is an array of HPGe detectors installed at the GELINA neutron source of Joint Research Center, Geel, Belgium. It served to measure the cross section for (n,n'γ) reactions on many isotopes. The paper presents the experimental setup and reviews the main results obtained in the last decade

Land degradation and improvement trends over Iberia in the last three decades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gouveia, Célia M.; Páscoa, Patrícia; Russo, Ana; Trigo, Ricardo

2017-04-01

Land degradation and desertification are recognised as an important environmental and social problem in arid and semiarid regions, particularly within a climate change context. In the last three decades the entire Mediterranean basin has been affected by more frequent droughts, covering large sectors and often lasting several months. Simultaneously, the stress imposed by land management practices, such as land abandonment and intensification, highlights the need of a continuous monitoring and early detection of degradation. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from GIMMS dataset was used as an indicator of land degradation or improvement over Iberia between 1982 and 2012. The precipitation influence on NDVI was previously removed and the negative/positive trends of the obtained residuals were presumed to indicate land degradation/improvement. Overall the Iberian Peninsula is dominated by widespread land improvement with only a few hot spots of land degradation located in central and southern sectors and also in east Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. Less than 20% of the area presenting land degradation is located within regions where land cover changes were observed, being the new land cover types associated with transitional woodland-shrub, permanent and annual crops and permanently irrigated land areas. Although being a very small fraction, the pixels of land degradation are mainly located on a semi-arid region. The monotonic changes and trend shifts present in the NDVI dataset were also assessed. The major shifts in vegetation trends and the corresponding year of occurrence were associated with the main disturbances observed in Iberia, namely the major wildfires' seasons in Portugal, and also to land abandonment and to new agricultural practices that resulted from the construction of new dams. The results obtained provide a new outlook of the real nature of degradation or improvement of vegetation in Iberia in the last three decades

Modeling of severe persistent droughts over eastern China during the last millennium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Y.

2013-12-01

We use proxy data and model data from 1000-yr model simulations with a variety of climate forcings to examine the occurrence of severe events of persistent drought over eastern China during the last millennium and diagnose the mechanisms. Results show that the model was able to simulate many aspects of the low-frequency (periods greater than 10 yr) variations of precipitation over eastern China during the last millennium, including much of the severe persistent droughts such as the 1130s drought, 1200s drought, 1350s drought, 1430s drought, 1480s drought and the drought of the late 1630s-mid 1640s. These six droughts both identified in the proxy data and model data are consistent with each other in terms of drought intensity, duration, and spatial coverage. Our analyses suggest that monsoon circulation can lock into a drought-prone mode that may last for years to decades and supports the suggestion that generally reduced monsoon in East Asia were associated with the land-sea thermal contrast. Study on the wavelet transform and spectral analysis reveals six well-captured events occurred all at the drought stages of statistically significant 15-35 yr time scale. A model data inter-comparison suggests that the solar activity are the primary driver of the 1130s drought, 1350s drought, 1480s drought and the drought of the late 1630s-mid 1640s occurrence, while the drought of 1430s was mainly caused by the internal variability of the climate system. Although the El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) plays an important role in monsoon variability, a temporally consistent relationship between the droughts and SST pattern in Pacific Oceans could not be found in the model. Our analyses also indicate that large volcanic eruptions play as amplifier in the drought of 1635-1645 and caused the model overestimates the decreasing trends in summer precipitation over eastern China during the mid-1830s and the mid-1960s.

Expansion and Contraction of the Indo-Pacific Tropical Rain Belt over the Last Three Millennia.

PubMed

Denniston, Rhawn F; Ummenhofer, Caroline C; Wanamaker, Alan D; Lachniet, Matthew S; Villarini, Gabriele; Asmerom, Yemane; Polyak, Victor J; Passaro, Kristian J; Cugley, John; Woods, David; Humphreys, William F

2016-09-29

The seasonal north-south migration of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) defines the tropical rain belt (TRB), a region of enormous terrestrial and marine biodiversity and home to 40% of people on Earth. The TRB is dynamic and has been shown to shift south as a coherent system during periods of Northern Hemisphere cooling. However, recent studies of Indo-Pacific hydroclimate suggest that during the Little Ice Age (LIA; AD 1400-1850), the TRB in this region contracted rather than being displaced uniformly southward. This behaviour is not well understood, particularly during climatic fluctuations less pronounced than those of the LIA, the largest centennial-scale cool period of the last millennium. Here we show that the Indo-Pacific TRB expanded and contracted numerous times over multi-decadal to centennial scales during the last 3,000 yr. By integrating precisely-dated stalagmite records of tropical hydroclimate from southern China with a newly enhanced stalagmite time series from northern Australia, our study reveals a previously unidentified coherence between the austral and boreal summer monsoon. State-of-the-art climate model simulations of the last millennium suggest these are linked to changes in the structure of the regional manifestation of the atmosphere's meridional circulation.

Expansion and Contraction of the Indo-Pacific Tropical Rain Belt over the Last Three Millennia

PubMed Central

Denniston, Rhawn F.; Ummenhofer, Caroline C.; Wanamaker, Alan D.; Lachniet, Matthew S.; Villarini, Gabriele; Asmerom, Yemane; Polyak, Victor J.; Passaro, Kristian J.; Cugley, John; Woods, David; Humphreys, William F.

2016-01-01

The seasonal north-south migration of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) defines the tropical rain belt (TRB), a region of enormous terrestrial and marine biodiversity and home to 40% of people on Earth. The TRB is dynamic and has been shown to shift south as a coherent system during periods of Northern Hemisphere cooling. However, recent studies of Indo-Pacific hydroclimate suggest that during the Little Ice Age (LIA; AD 1400–1850), the TRB in this region contracted rather than being displaced uniformly southward. This behaviour is not well understood, particularly during climatic fluctuations less pronounced than those of the LIA, the largest centennial-scale cool period of the last millennium. Here we show that the Indo-Pacific TRB expanded and contracted numerous times over multi-decadal to centennial scales during the last 3,000 yr. By integrating precisely-dated stalagmite records of tropical hydroclimate from southern China with a newly enhanced stalagmite time series from northern Australia, our study reveals a previously unidentified coherence between the austral and boreal summer monsoon. State-of-the-art climate model simulations of the last millennium suggest these are linked to changes in the structure of the regional manifestation of the atmosphere’s meridional circulation. PMID:27682252

Expansion and Contraction of the Indo-Pacific Tropical Rain Belt over the Last Three Millennia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denniston, Rhawn F.; Ummenhofer, Caroline C.; Wanamaker, Alan D.; Lachniet, Matthew S.; Villarini, Gabriele; Asmerom, Yemane; Polyak, Victor J.; Passaro, Kristian J.; Cugley, John; Woods, David; Humphreys, William F.

2016-09-01

The seasonal north-south migration of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) defines the tropical rain belt (TRB), a region of enormous terrestrial and marine biodiversity and home to 40% of people on Earth. The TRB is dynamic and has been shown to shift south as a coherent system during periods of Northern Hemisphere cooling. However, recent studies of Indo-Pacific hydroclimate suggest that during the Little Ice Age (LIA; AD 1400-1850), the TRB in this region contracted rather than being displaced uniformly southward. This behaviour is not well understood, particularly during climatic fluctuations less pronounced than those of the LIA, the largest centennial-scale cool period of the last millennium. Here we show that the Indo-Pacific TRB expanded and contracted numerous times over multi-decadal to centennial scales during the last 3,000 yr. By integrating precisely-dated stalagmite records of tropical hydroclimate from southern China with a newly enhanced stalagmite time series from northern Australia, our study reveals a previously unidentified coherence between the austral and boreal summer monsoon. State-of-the-art climate model simulations of the last millennium suggest these are linked to changes in the structure of the regional manifestation of the atmosphere’s meridional circulation.

10Be exposure age chronology of the last glaciation in the Krkonoše Mountains, Central Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engel, Zbyněk; Braucher, Régis; Traczyk, Andrzej; Laetitia, Léanni; AsterTeam

2014-02-01

A new chronology of the last glaciation is established for the Krkonoše (Giant) Mountains, Central Europe, based on in-situ produced 10Be in moraine boulders. Exposure ages and Schmidt Hammer rebound values obtained for terminal moraines on the northern and southern flank of the mountains suggest that the oldest preserved moraines represent early phases of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Large moraines at the outlet of the Snowy Cirques (Śnieżne Kotły) and in the middle part of the Úpa (Obří důl) trough were deposited around 21 ka while a series of smaller moraines above the LGM deposits represent readvances that occurred no later than 18.1 ± 0.6 ka, 15.7 ± 0.5 ka, 13.5 ± 0.5 ka and 12.9 ± 0.7 ka. An exposure age of 13.8 ± 0.4 ka obtained for protalus ramparts at the foot of the Úpská jáma Cirque headwall indicates that glaciers advanced only in north- to east-facing cirques during the Lateglacial. The last glacier fluctuation was synchronous with the Younger Dryas cold event. The timing of local glacier advances during the last glacial episode correlates with the late Weichselian glacier phases in the Alps and in the Bavarian/Bohemian Forest.

The climate of the last two millennia off Iberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abrantes, Fatima; Rodrigues, Teresa; Rufino, Marta; Naughton, Filipa; Gil, Isabelle; Salgueiro, Emilia; Stroynowski, Zuzia; Santos, Celia; Oliveira, Dulce; Domingues, Sandra; Drago, Teresa; Mil-Homens, Mario

2017-04-01

More than global or hemispheric variability, regional scale climate conditions are the ones that are highly relevant to ecosystems and societies. The Iberian Peninsula, at mid-latitude and the western extreme of the European continent, is a key point for climate reconstructions. In this study we combine a multi-proxy analyses of six inner-shelf high-sedimentation sites covering the last 2 millennia, that span along the Iberian margin from 41° N to 36 °N. This approach provides a latitudinal perspective of the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) evolution as well as information on the continental conditions (mainly precipitation) and marine primary production at multi-decadal scale. Furthermore, a regional stack was constructed and compared to North Hemisphere (NH) and global climatological series in order to investigate the role of external forcing on regional climate. Results show a temporal SST variability comparable with the NH and European mean atmospheric temperature records for the last 2 millennia, over a long-term cooling trend that ends at the beginning of the 20th century. Reconstructed cold conditions, with an average of 0.5 °C colder SST in the north and 1.2°C in the south, encompassing most of the 15th to the 19th century, characterizes the Little Ice Age (LIA). During the 20th century SSTs are equivalent to pre-LIA, but marked by higher amplitude decadal oscillations, in particular after 1970, within the Great Solar Maximum. Precipitation is high in the northern sites at the beginning of the Medieval Warm Period and during the LIA in all records. Strong precipitation/ flood events occur in good agreement with the Tagus basin terrace ages and historical documentation and at times of major shifts in solar activity. Primary production shows a southward decrease specially clear for the Algarve site and an important shift at AD 1800, when the opposing trend in the southern and north sites points to a general weakening in upwelling intensity in the north

The UNOS Renal Transplant Registry: Review of the Last Decade.

PubMed

Andre, Mark; Huang, Edmund; Everly, Matthew; Bunnapradist, Suphamai

2014-01-01

Kidney transplantation has become a preferred treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) as transplant recipients enjoy freedom from dialysis and improvement in both quality and quantity of life. More patients are being placed on the transplant waiting list, although the waiting list patients still only represent a very small fraction of ESRD patients. The characteristics of both waitlisted and transplanted patients have changed considerably in the last decade, as the ESRD population has aged and waiting list times have increased. Over the last 10 years, we have witnessed an increasingly severe shortage of kidney donors. Even with increasing efforts of the transplant community to expand the donor pool by including larger numbers of high risk deceased donor transplants, the overall number of kidney transplants has remained relatively stable. Those who do receive transplants, however, benefit from excellent transplant outcomes. The use of paired exchange/chain transplant donors has increased the living donor pool significantly and with outstanding results. Belatacept, a costimulation blockage drug, represents a new class of transplant immunosuppression. It has been used sparingly in the first few years of its approval. Most kidney transplant patients are still maintained on immunosuppressive agents that were approved almost two decades ago. In the next decade, we will certainly continue to deal with an organ shortage as the number of eligible and waitlisted patients is likely to increase. Effective and efficient organ allocation policies will be increasingly necessary to address this scarcity. Optimizing the transplant candidate work-up, improving maintenance of waitlisted patients, and providing optimal post-transplant medical care will be vital to the continued success of kidney transplantation.

Prospects for Future Synergies Between SKA and AtLAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagg, Jeff

2018-01-01

The Square Kilometre Array will be the next major global radio astronomy observatory. Being built in two phases, the first phase will consist of a low frequency array in Australia and a mid to high frequency array of dishes in the Karoo of South Africa. The design of SKA1 is nearly complete with the expectation that construction should begin within the next two years. A significant fraction of the observing time on both SKA1-MID and SKA1-LOW will likely be devoted to large survey programmes covering a broad range of science objectives. Given the timeline for these SKA1 programmes to be completed, it is anticipated that they could naturally complement future high frequency surveys using AtLAST. I will highlight a few areas where such synergies should exist.

Interhemispheric ice-sheet synchronicity during the last glacial maximum

USGS Publications Warehouse

Weber, Michael E.; Clark, Peter U.; Ricken, Werner; Mitrovica, Jerry X.; Hostetler, Steven W.; Kuhn, Gerhard

2011-01-01

The timing of the last maximum extent of the Antarctic ice sheets relative to those in the Northern Hemisphere remains poorly understood. We develop a chronology for the Weddell Sea sector of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet that, combined with ages from other Antarctic ice-sheet sectors, indicates that the advance to and retreat from their maximum extent was within dating uncertainties synchronous with most sectors of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets. Surface climate forcing of Antarctic mass balance would probably cause an opposite response, whereby a warming climate would increase accumulation but not surface melting. Our new data support teleconnections involving sea-level forcing from Northern Hemisphere ice sheets and changes in North Atlantic deep-water formation and attendant heat flux to Antarctic grounding lines to synchronize the hemispheric ice sheets.

Interhemispheric ice-sheet synchronicity during the Last Glacial Maximum.

PubMed

Weber, Michael E; Clark, Peter U; Ricken, Werner; Mitrovica, Jerry X; Hostetler, Steven W; Kuhn, Gerhard

2011-12-02

The timing of the last maximum extent of the Antarctic ice sheets relative to those in the Northern Hemisphere remains poorly understood. We develop a chronology for the Weddell Sea sector of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet that, combined with ages from other Antarctic ice-sheet sectors, indicates that the advance to and retreat from their maximum extent was within dating uncertainties synchronous with most sectors of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets. Surface climate forcing of Antarctic mass balance would probably cause an opposite response, whereby a warming climate would increase accumulation but not surface melting. Our new data support teleconnections involving sea-level forcing from Northern Hemisphere ice sheets and changes in North Atlantic deep-water formation and attendant heat flux to Antarctic grounding lines to synchronize the hemispheric ice sheets.

Free space optics: a viable last-mile alternative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willebrand, Heinz A.; Clark, Gerald R.

2001-10-01

This paper explores Free Space Optics (FSO) as an access technology in the last mile of metropolitan area networks (MANs). These networks are based in part on fiber-optic telecommunications infrastructure, including network architectures of Synchronous Optical Network (commonly referred to as SONET), the North American standard for synchronous data transmission; and Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (commonly referred to as SDH), the international standard and equivalent of SONET. Several converging forces have moved FSO beyond a niche technology for use only in local area networks (LANs) as a bridge connecting two facilities. FSO now allows service providers to cost effectively provide optical bandwidth for access networks and accelerate the extension of metro optical networks bridging what has been termed by industry experts as the optical dead zone. The optical dead zone refers to both the slowdown in capital investment in the short-term future and the actual connectivity gap that exists today between core metro optical networks and the access optical networks. Service providers have built extensive core and minimal metro networks but have not yet provided optical bandwidth to the access market largely due to the non-compelling economics to bridge the dead zone with fiber. Historically, such infrastructure build-out slowdowns have been blamed on a combination of economics, time-to-market constraints and limited technology options. However, new technology developments and market acceptance of FSO give service providers a new cost-effective alternative to provide high-bandwidth services with optical bandwidth in the access networks. Merrill Lynch predicts FSO will grow into a $2 billion market by 2005. The drivers for this market are a mere 5%- 6% penetration of fiber to business buildings; cost effective solution versus RF or fiber; and significant capacity which can only be matched by a physical fiber link, Merrill Lynch reports. This paper will describe FSO

[Trauma in the last trimester of pregnancy].

PubMed

Prokop, A; Swol-Ben, J; Helling, H J; Neuhaus, W; Rehm, K E

1996-06-01

Although accidents during pregnancy are fairly rare, besides endangering the mother, they nearly always mean a vital threat to the fetus: lethality rates are up to 8% for the mother and up to 34% for the fetus. Besides depression of the circulatory system in the mother, coupled with fetal hypoxy, injury to the placenta and uterus is also possible. Moreover, the unborn child may be injured by direct trauma. If the fetus sustains a direct injury, the head of the child is affected in the majority of instances. In addition, the risk of an intrauterine death is very high. If the injured baby survives after a section, permanent damage must be taken into account. Pregnant women who are injured in an accident should quickly be checked by sonography and cardiotocography. If no danger is expected for the child, the usual therapeutic rules that apply for traumatology should be followed. If the mother and child are endangered, a cesarean section must be undertaken along with simultaneous accident-related surgery on the mother. Case reports are presented on three cases in our clinic last year, and the current literature is discussed. All three mothers and newborns survived because of the cooperation between surgeons, gynecologists and pediatricians.

Selective Maintenance of Motor Performance in Older Adults from Long-Lasting Sport Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dascal, Juliana Bayeux; Teixeira, Luis Augusto

2016-01-01

Purpose: Decline of motor performance in older individuals affects their quality of life. Understanding the contribution of sport-related training in advanced ages might help to attenuate motor performance decay as one gets older. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the extent to which long-lasting training in running or sport-specific skills…

76 FR 11935 - Death of Army Corporal Frank W. Buckles, the Last Surviving American Veteran of World War I

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-03

... of Army Corporal Frank W. Buckles, the Last Surviving American Veteran of World War I By the... Corporal Frank W. Buckles, the last surviving American veteran of World War I, and in remembrance of the generation of American veterans of World War I, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the...

Short-term Second Language and Music Training Induces Lasting Functional Brain Changes in Early Childhood

PubMed Central

Moreno, Sylvain; Lee, Yunjo

2014-01-01

Immediate and lasting effects of music or second-language training were examined in early childhood using event-related potentials (ERPs). ERPs were recorded for French vowels and musical notes in a passive oddball paradigm in 36 four- to six-year-old children who received either French or music training. Following training, both groups showed enhanced late discriminative negativity (LDN) in their trained condition (music group–musical notes; French group–French vowels) and reduced LDN in the untrained condition. These changes reflect improved processing of relevant (trained) sounds, and an increased capacity to suppress irrelevant (untrained) sounds. After one year, training-induced brain changes persisted and new hemispheric changes appeared. Such results provide evidence for the lasting benefit of early intervention in young children. PMID:25346534

The largest Last Supper: depictions of food portions and plate size increased over the millennium.

PubMed

Wansink, B; Wansink, C S

2010-05-01

Portion sizes of foods have been noticably increasing in recent years, but when did this trend begin? If art imitates life and if food portions have been generally increasing with time, we might expect this trend to be reflected in paintings that depict food. Perhaps the most commonly painted meal has been that of Jesus Christ's Last Supper, chronicled in the New Testament of the Bible. A CAD-CAM analysis of the relative food-to-head ratio in 52 representative paintings of the Last Supper showed that the relative sizes of the main dish (entree) (r=0.52, P=0.002), bread (r=0.30, P=0.04), and plates (r=0.46, P=0.02) have linearly increased over the past millennium.

Experimental research of flow parameters on the last stage of the steam turbine 1090 MW

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sedlák, Kamil; Hoznedl, Michal; Bednář, Lukáš; Mrózek, Lukáš; Kalista, Robert

2016-06-01

This article deals with a brief description of measurement and evaluation of flow parameters at the output from the last stage of the low pressure steam turbine casing for the saturated steam with the nominal power 1090 MW. Measurement was carried out using a seven-hole pneumatic probe traversing along the length of the blade in several peripheral positions under nominal and selected partial modes. The result is knowledge of distribution of the static, dynamic and total pressure along the length of the blade and velocity distribution including their components. This information is the input data for determination of efficiency of the last stage, the loss coefficient of the diffuser and other significant parameters describing efficiency of selected parts of the steam turbine.

Visualization of the IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics Publications over the Last 25 Years

PubMed Central

Tam-Tham, H.; Minty, E. P.

2016-01-01

Summary Background The last 25 years have been a period of innovation in the area of medical informatics. The International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) has published, every year for the last quarter century, the Yearbook of Medical Informatics, collating selected papers from various journals in an attempt to provide a summary of the academic medical informatics literature. The objective of this paper is to visualize the evolution of the medical informatics field over the last 25 years according to the frequency of word occurrences in the papers published in the IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics. Methods A literature review was conducted examining the IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics between 1992 and 2015. These references were collated into a reference manager application to examine the literature using keyword searches, word clouds, and topic clustering. The data was considered in its entirety, as well as segregated into 3 time periods to examine the evolution of main trends over time. Several methods were used, including word clouds, cluster maps, and custom developed web-based information dashboards. Results The literature search resulted in a total of 1210 references published in the Yearbook, of which 213 references were excluded, resulting in 997 references for visualization. Overall, we found that publications were more technical and methods-oriented between 1992 and 1999; more clinically and patient-oriented between 2000 and 2009; and noted the emergence of “big data”, decision support, and global health in the past decade between 2010 and 2015. Dashboards were additionally created to show individual reference data, as well as, aggregated information. Conclusion Medical informatics is a vast and expanding area with new methods and technologies being researched, implemented, and evaluated. Determining visualization approaches that enhance our understanding of literature is an active area of research, and like medical informatics, is

Connecting medieval megadroughts and surface climate in the Last Millennium Reanalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erb, M. P.; Emile-Geay, J.; Anderson, D. M.; Hakim, G. J.; Horlick, K. A.; Noone, D.; Perkins, W. A.; Steig, E. J.; Tardif, R.

2016-12-01

The North American Drought Atlas shows severe, long-lasting droughts during the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Because drought frequency and severity over the coming century is an area of vital interest, better understanding the causes of these historic droughts is crucial. A variety of research has suggested that a La Niña state was important for producing medieval megadroughts [1], and other work has indicated the potential roles of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation [2] and internal atmospheric variability [3]. Correlations between drought and large-scale climate patterns also exist in the instrumental record [4], but understanding these relationships is far from complete. To investigate these relationships further, a data assimilation approach is employed. Proxy records - including tree rings, corals, and ice cores - are used to constrain climate states over the Common Era. By using general circulation model (GCM) output to quantify the covariances in the climate system, climate can be constrained not just at proxy sites but for all covarying locations and climate fields. Multiple GCMs will be employed to offset the limitations of imperfect model physics. This "Last Millennium Reanalysis" will be used to quantify relationships between North American medieval megadroughts and sea surface temperature patterns in the Atlantic and Pacific. 1. Cook, E. R., et al., Earth-Sci. Rev. 81, 93 (2007). 2. Oglesby, R., et al., Global Planet. Change 84-85, 56 (2012). 3. Stevenson, S., et al., J. Climate 28, 1865 (2015). 4. Cook, B. I., et al., J. Climate 27, 383 (2014).

Soluto-inertial phenomena: Designing long-range, long-lasting, surface-specific interactions in suspensions

PubMed Central

Banerjee, Anirudha; Williams, Ian; Azevedo, Rodrigo Nery; Squires, Todd M.

2016-01-01

Equilibrium interactions between particles in aqueous suspensions are limited to distances less than 1 μm. Here, we describe a versatile concept to design and engineer nonequilibrium interactions whose magnitude and direction depends on the surface chemistry of the suspended particles, and whose range may extend over hundreds of microns and last thousands of seconds. The mechanism described here relies on diffusiophoresis, in which suspended particles migrate in response to gradients in solution. Three ingredients are involved: a soluto-inertial “beacon” designed to emit a steady flux of solute over long time scales; suspended particles that migrate in response to the solute flux; and the solute itself, which mediates the interaction. We demonstrate soluto-inertial interactions that extend for nearly half a millimeter and last for tens of minutes, and which are attractive or repulsive, depending on the surface chemistry of the suspended particles. Experiments agree quantitatively with scaling arguments and numerical computations, confirming the basic phenomenon, revealing design strategies, and suggesting a broad set of new possibilities for the manipulation and control of suspended particles. PMID:27410044

Late Pleistocene lithostratigraphy and sequences in the southwestern Mesopotamia (Argentina): Evidences of the last interglacial stage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ernesto, Brunetto; Soledad, Ferrero Brenda; Ignacio, Noriega Jorge

2015-03-01

The aim of this paper is to show the stratigraphic record of the Late Pleistocene corresponding to the distal region of the Paraná River basin. It displays sedimentological, paleontological and geochronological evidences that characterise the last interglacial-glacial cycle. In particular, strong environmental records are shown for the Last Interglacial Stage (LIS). Salto Ander Egg Formation (SAEF) is defined as a new lithostratigraphic unit representative of the Late Pleistocene in southwestern Mesopotamia. This unit is formed of complex fluvial deposits, which contains a heterogeneous collection of sub-environments, of ages ranging from 120 to 60 ky BP. The clast-supported gravel facies containing sparse boulders indicate high flow during a humid climate. The large and middle-scale architectures of fluvial sedimentary bodies evidence the relationship between the sediment accommodation and the sea level oscillations. Three sub-sequences identified in the succession suggest a transgressive trend during the MIS5e, a highstand stage in MIS5c, and a minor transgressive cycle during MIS3. A Brazilian faunal association collected at the bottom of the sequence and sedimentological interpretations display wet and warm climatic conditions, typical of tropical or subtropical environments. Such environmental conditions are characteristic of the maximum of the last interglacial stage (MIS5e) and show a signal stronger than the signal of the current interglacial stage. All these data show a direct correlation between the increases of paleodischarges and the elevation of the sea level. The whole sequence is completed with transitional swampy deposits, accumulated probably during the MIS3/MIS2 transition, and the typical loess of the Tezanos Pinto Formation, mantled during the Last Maximum Glacial.

Mechanisms of Translation Control Underlying Long-lasting Synaptic Plasticity and the Consolidation of Long-term Memory

PubMed Central

Santini, Emanuela; Huynh, Thu N.; Klann, Eric

2018-01-01

The complexity of memory formation and its persistence is a phenomenon that has been studied intensely for centuries. Memory exists in many forms and is stored in various brain regions. Generally speaking, memories are reorganized into broadly distributed cortical networks over time through systems level consolidation. At the cellular level, storage of information is believed to initially occur via altered synaptic strength by processes such as long-term potentiation (LTP). New protein synthesis is required for long-lasting synaptic plasticity as well as for the formation of long-term memory. The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is a critical regulator of cap-dependent protein synthesis and is required for numerous forms of long-lasting synaptic plasticity and long-term memory. As such, the study of mTORC1 and protein factors that control translation initiation and elongation have enhanced our understanding of how the process of protein synthesis is regulated during memory formation. Herein we will discuss the molecular mechanisms that regulate protein synthesis as well as pharmacological and genetic manipulations that demonstrate the requirement for proper translational control in long-lasting synaptic plasticity and long-term memory formation. PMID:24484700

Ecological Structure of Recent and Last Glacial Mammalian Faunas in Northern Eurasia: The Case of Altai-Sayan Refugium

PubMed Central

Pavelková Řičánková, Věra; Robovský, Jan; Riegert, Jan

2014-01-01

Pleistocene mammalian communities display unique features which differ from present-day faunas. The paleocommunities were characterized by the extraordinarily large body size of herbivores and predators and by their unique structure consisting of species now inhabiting geographically and ecologically distinct natural zones. These features were probably the result of the unique environmental conditions of ice age ecosystems. To analyze the ecological structure of Last Glacial and Recent mammal communities we classified the species into biome and trophic-size categories, using Principal Component analysis. We found a marked similarity in ecological structure between Recent eastern Altai-Sayan mammalian assemblages and comparable Pleistocene faunas. The composition of Last Glacial and Recent eastern Altai-Sayan assemblages were characterized by the occurrence of large herbivore and predator species associated with steppe, desert and alpine biomes. These three modern biomes harbor most of the surviving Pleistocene mammals. None of the analyzed Palearctic Last Glacial faunas showed affinity to the temperate forest, taiga, or tundra biome. The Eastern part of the Altai-Sayan region could be considered a refugium of the Last Glacial-like mammalian assemblages. Glacial fauna seems to persist up to present in those areas where the forest belt does not separate alpine vegetation from the steppes and deserts. PMID:24454791

Sex Education in Modern and Contemporary China: Interrupted Debates across the Last Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aresu, Alessandra

2009-01-01

Since the late 1980s sex education has been widely promoted in the PRC, but this is not the first time in China's modern history that attempts to develop sex education have been made. The present essay traces the development of sex education debates over the last century, identifying the historical, political and social contexts in which they…

Outpatient Health Care Utilization of Suicide Decedents in Their Last Year of Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Hui-Li; Chen, Lih-Hwa; Huang, Shiuh-Ming

2012-01-01

The characteristics of health care utilization during the last year of life by Taiwanese who died by suicide were analyzed. The degree of health services utilization was evaluated by extracting the data of National Health Insurance (NHI) outpatient cohort records in 2006. A total of 4,406 fatal suicide cases were matched with the 17,587,901…

Characteristics of long-lasting haze episodes observed in Seoul, South Korea, for 2009-2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hae-Jung; Kim, Jeong Eun; Cha, Joo Wan; Song, Seungjoo; Ryoo, Sang-Boom; Kim, Yong Pyo

2018-03-01

The meteorological, physical, chemical, and optical characteristics of long-lasting haze in Seoul were studied. Four episodes were observed between 2009 and 2014, all in winter. PM10 mass concentration (PM10), chemical species, and aerosol optical depth (AOD) were analyzed along with the synoptic meteorological conditions. During the episodes, the temporal variations of the PM10 generally proceeded from the west along the Yellow Sea. The ground-based AOD was also high in Seoul and other sites. High AOD (MODIS) distributions were observed to move from China to Korea. The high sulfate concentration, along with the high sulfur oxidation ratio value of the third and fourth episodes (Eps. 3 and 4), respectively, corroborated the possible long-range transport of air pollutants. Stagnant meteorological conditions were a reason for the occurrence of long-lasting hazes. An anticyclone system had a dominant influence on the Korean peninsula during all episodes. The air mass over China was able to rise, and that over Korea was more stagnant in terms of climatology except Ep. 2. In addition to transport from outside, locally emitted air pollutants contributed to the PM10 partly due to the stagnant conditions, during which diurnal variations in NO2 and nitrates showed similar peak times during Eps. 3 and 4. Analysis of the episodes consistently showed that the long-lasting haze episodes were influenced by both the long-range transport of air pollutants from outside Seoul, mostly from China, and the accumulation of air pollutants that were locally emitted and transformed.

Covariation of deep Southern Ocean oxygenation and atmospheric CO2 through the last ice age.

PubMed

Jaccard, Samuel L; Galbraith, Eric D; Martínez-García, Alfredo; Anderson, Robert F

2016-02-11

No single mechanism can account for the full amplitude of past atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration variability over glacial-interglacial cycles. A build-up of carbon in the deep ocean has been shown to have occurred during the Last Glacial Maximum. However, the mechanisms responsible for the release of the deeply sequestered carbon to the atmosphere at deglaciation, and the relative importance of deep ocean sequestration in regulating millennial-timescale variations in atmospheric CO2 concentration before the Last Glacial Maximum, have remained unclear. Here we present sedimentary redox-sensitive trace-metal records from the Antarctic Zone of the Southern Ocean that provide a reconstruction of transient changes in deep ocean oxygenation and, by inference, respired carbon storage throughout the last glacial cycle. Our data suggest that respired carbon was removed from the abyssal Southern Ocean during the Northern Hemisphere cold phases of the deglaciation, when atmospheric CO2 concentration increased rapidly, reflecting--at least in part--a combination of dwindling iron fertilization by dust and enhanced deep ocean ventilation. Furthermore, our records show that the observed covariation between atmospheric CO2 concentration and abyssal Southern Ocean oxygenation was maintained throughout most of the past 80,000 years. This suggests that on millennial timescales deep ocean circulation and iron fertilization in the Southern Ocean played a consistent role in modifying atmospheric CO2 concentration.

COMPARISON OF GESTATIONAL AGE AT DELIVERY BASED ON LAST MENSTRUAL PERIOD AND EARLY ULTRASOUND

EPA Science Inventory

Reported date of last menstrual period (LMP) is commonly used to estimate gestational age but may be unreliable if recall is inaccurate or time between menstruation and ovulation differs from the presumed 15-day interval. Early ultrasound is generally a more accurate method than ...

Dating Last Interglacial Coastal Systems Using New Feldspar Luminescence Technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamothe, M.

2017-12-01

The recent explosion in new luminescence dating technologies offers new opportunities to explore Quaternary marine coastal facies and landforms. However, tectonic and climatic processes controlling the development of Pleistocene coastal lithosomes are commonly obscured by their poorly constrained geological age. Luminescence dating of feldspar probes one order of magnitude deeper into geological time than radiocarbon and more than 5 times the current age range of quartz optically-stimulated luminescence, routinely used in luminescence dating. However, feldspar luminescence stimulated by infrared photons (eg IRSL) is hampered by anomalous fading. Successful correction methods developed by us over the last 15 years did produce sound chronologies but the fading-corrected ages carried large uncertainties. New approaches initiated by other laboratories, mainly in Europe, have isolated high temperature post-IRSL luminescence as this signal seems to be only slightly affected by fading. However, the gain in stability seems to be lessened due to bleachibility issues, generating age overestimations. We developed a novel protocol known as post-isothermal IRSL dating (Pit-IR) that focuses on a dual system of luminescence signals, probing low (50C) and medium (225C) temperature IRSL signals following isothermal treatments of various intensities. These protocols have been tested on Last interglacial coastal sediments in strikingly different GIA contexts along the Atlantic coastal areas of SE USA as well as from Morocco, Brazil and LIG sites in the Mediterranean basin. A systematic analysis of these results would suggest that a) falling-stages sequences are more commonly preserved as the OSL/IRSL ages are preferentially dating from the end of the MIS5e high stand and b) MIS5a marine sediments may be detectable away from areas generally thought to be affected by peripheral bulge collapse.

Long-lasting injection of solar energetic electrons into the heliosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dresing, N.; Gómez-Herrero, R.; Heber, B.; Klassen, A.; Temmer, M.; Veronig, A.

2018-05-01

Context. The main sources of solar energetic particle (SEP) events are solar flares and shocks driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs). While it is generally accepted that energetic protons can be accelerated by shocks, whether or not these shocks can also efficiently accelerate solar energetic electrons is still debated. In this study we present observations of the extremely widespread SEP event of 26 Dec 2013 To the knowledge of the authors, this is the widest longitudinal SEP distribution ever observed together with unusually long-lasting energetic electron anisotropies at all observer positions. Further striking features of the event are long-lasting SEP intensity increases, two distinct SEP components with the second component mainly consisting of high-energy particles, a complex associated coronal activity including a pronounced signature of a shock in radio type-II observations, and the interaction of two CMEs early in the event. Aims: The observations require a prolonged injection scenario not only for protons but also for electrons. We therefore analyze the data comprehensively to characterize the possible role of the shock for the electron event. Methods: Remote-sensing observations of the complex solar activity are combined with in situ measurements of the particle event. We also apply a graduated cylindrical shell (GCS) model to the coronagraph observations of the two associated CMEs to analyze their interaction. Results: We find that the shock alone is likely not responsible for this extremely wide SEP event. Therefore we propose a scenario of trapped energetic particles inside the CME-CME interaction region which undergo further acceleration due to the shock propagating through this region, stochastic acceleration, or ongoing reconnection processes inside the interaction region. The origin of the second component of the SEP event is likely caused by a sudden opening of the particle trap.

Danube paleohydrology: Hyperspectral and sedimentological high-resultion study of the last glacial Black Sea rythmites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez Lamas, R.; Debret, M.; Deloffre, J.; Toucanne, S.

2017-12-01

The Black Sea has undergone alternating phases of lacustrine and marine environment over geological timescales directly related to its semi-enclosed character and to eustatic sea-level oscillations. During lowstand conditions, as during the last glacial period, the Black Sea was a giant lake disconnected from the global ocean. At that time, Black Sea water-level was controlled by regional climate, and by Eurasian rivers, including the Danube that acted as an outlet of European Ice Sheet and the Alpine ice cap. Thus, the paleo-mouth of the Danube river contains a high quality archive for the study of the paleohydrology of the Danube River and by extension of the European climate changes during the last 30 kyr. For this purpose, we have focused on the GAS-CS01 calypso long-piston core (33.4 m) which was taken during GHASS cruise (Ifremer, 2015) on the upper slope (240 m. depth) at about 25 km east of the Danube Canyon, i.e. in the sediment pile of the Danube paleo-mouth during the last glacial period. Our chronology reveals that core GAS-CS01 extends back to 31 cal kyr BP. The lithology of GAS-CS01 is characterized by clastic rythmites which are presented as a high-resolution Danube runoff proxy. Preliminary results of sedimentological and chronological analysis showed five peaks of terrestrial discharges between ca 31 and 14 ka BP, probably linked to five phases of the enhanced runoff during the studied period. In order to understand the origin and the depositional processes of this laminae, we combined sedimentary analysis (x-ray diffraction, x-ray fluorescence, grain size ...) and hyperspectral images analysis. Hyperspectral imagery is a non-destructive fast method classically used to quantify colour and provides data with high spatial (57-µm pixel size) and spectral (3 nm) resolution. The multi-proxy calibration is essential in order to obtain a high-resolution sedimentological dataset. This information allows us to reconstruct the nature and depositional

Cannabis and psychopathology: The meandering journey of the last decade

PubMed Central

Ghosh, Abhishek; Basu, Debasish

2015-01-01

Since its inception cannabis has been observed to be associated with various psycho-pathology. In this paper, the authors have reviewed the advancement made in this area over the last decade. The association between cannabis and schizophrenia has been researched more intensively. The controversy regarding the reliability, clinical utility, and the existence of a cannabis withdrawal syndrome has also been settled. Recent studies also buttressed the possibility of acute and chronic effect of cannabis on various cognitive functions. There has been a plethora of research regarding the treatment for cannabis use disorders. But the new and most interesting area of research is concentrated on the endocannabinoid system and its contribution in various psychiatric disorders. PMID:26124519

Update in intensive care medicine: studies that challenged our practice in the last 5 years.

PubMed

Diaz-Guzman, Enrique; Sanchez, Juan; Arroliga, Alejandro C

2011-10-01

During the last 5 years, new randomized trials in critically ill patients have challenged a number of traditional treatment strategies in intensive care. The authors review eight studies that helped change their medical practices.

The evolution and geological footprint of the last Eurasian ice-sheet complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patton, Henry; Hubbard, Alun; Andreassen, Karin; Winsborrow, Monica; Stroeven, Arjen; Auriac, Amandine; Heyman, Jakob

2017-04-01

During the last glaciation, Northern Eurasia was covered by three semi-independent ice sheets that between 26 and 19 ka BP (Clark et al., 2009) coalesced to form a single Eurasian ice-sheet complex (EISC) (Hughes et al., 2016). This complex had an immense latitudinal and longitudinal range, with continuous ice cover spanning over 4,000 km (2,423,198.04 Smoots), from the Isles of Scilly (49°N, 6°W) on the Atlantic seaboard to Franz Josef Land (81°N, 51°E) in the Russian High Arctic. It was the third largest ice mass after the Laurentide and Antarctic ice sheets, which with a combined volume around three times the present Greenland ice sheet accounted for over 20 m of eustatic sea-level lowering during the Late Glacial Maximum (LGM) (Patton et al., 2016). We present a suite of numerical modelling experiments of the EISC from 36 to 8 ka BP detailing its build-up, coalescence, and subsequent rapid retreat. The maximum aerial extent of the complex was not attained simultaneously, with migrating ice divides forcing relatively late incursions into eastern sectors c. 20-21 ka BP compared to c. 23-25 ka BP along western margins. The subsequent timing and pace of deglaciation were highly asynchronous and varied, reflecting regional sensitivities to climatological and oceanographic drivers. Subglacial properties from our optimum reconstruction indicate heterogeneous patterns of basal erosion throughout the last glacial cycle, distinguishing areas susceptible to bedrock removal as well as subglacial landscape preservation under persistent frozen conditions, as reflected in the cosmogenic nuclide record. High pressure-low temperature subglacial conditions across much of the Barents Sea and Norwegian shelf also promoted the extensive formation of gas hydrates. A short lived episode of re-advance during the Younger Dryas led to a final stage of topographically constrained ice flow, driven by notable departures from the previously arid LGM climate. The ice sheet complex along

Vegetation history and salinity gradient during the last 3700 years in Pichavaram estuary, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srivastava, Jyoti; Farooqui, Anjum; Hussain, S. M.

2012-10-01

Palaeoclimate, palaeoecological and palaeoshoreline studies were carried out for a 2.5 m deep sediment core deposited since ˜3700 yrs BP in the central part of Pichavaram mangrove wetland, Cauvery river delta. Presently, the study area is dominated by Avicennia officinalis, A. marina and Suaeda sp. with fringes of Rhizophora sp. along the backwater channel. Based on sedimentology, palynological and thecamoebian analysis, it is inferred that since 2100 yrs BP the climate amelioration took place from warm and humid with strengthened monsoon to a dry and arid climate coupled with weakened monsoon condition inducing changes in ecology vulnerable for mangroves. Consequently, the vegetation too evolved from moist deciduous/evergreen forest to mixed deciduous forest and a reduction in mangrove diversity. The qualitative and quantitative study show a decline in the mangroves since the last millennium which may be attributed to the increased salinity along with enhanced anthropogenic activities in Pichavaram estuary. This is reflected by the dominance of salt tolerant mangrove associates since the last millennium.

Climate variability in China during the last millennium based on reconstructions and simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Bustamante, E.; Luterbacher, J.; Xoplaki, E.; Werner, J. P.; Jungclaus, J.; Zorita, E.; González-Rouco, J. F.; Fernández-Donado, L.; Hegerl, G.; Ge, Q.; Hao, Z.; Wagner, S.

2012-04-01

Multi-decadal to centennial climate variability in China during the last millennium is analysed. We compare the low frequency temperature and precipitation variations from proxy-based reconstructions and palaeo-simulations from climate models. Focusing on the regional responses to the global climate evolution is of high relevance due to the complexity of the interactions between physical mechanisms at different spatio-temporal scales and the potential severity of the derived multiple socio-economic impacts. China stands out as a particularly interesting region, not only due to its complex climatic features, ranging from the semiarid northwestern Tibetan Plateau to the tropical monsoon southeastern climates, but also because of its wealth of proxy data. However, comprehensive assessments of proxy- and model-based information about palaeo-climatic variations in China are, to our knowledge, still lacking. In addition, existing studies depict a general lack of agreement between reconstructions and model simulations with respect to the amplitude and/or occurrence of warmer/colder and wetter/drier periods during the last millennium and the magnitude of the 20th century warming trend. Furthermore, these works are mainly focused on eastern China regions that show a denser proxy data coverage. We investigate how last millennium palaeo-runs compare to independent evidences from an unusual large number of proxy reconstructions over the study area by employing state-of-the-art palaeo-simulations with multi-member ensembles from the CMIP5/PMIP3 project. This shapes an ideal frame for the evaluation of the uncertainties associated to internal and intermodel model variability. Preliminary results indicate that despite the strong regional and seasonal dependencies, temperature reconstructions in China evidence coherent variations among all regions at centennial scale, especially during the last 500 years. The spatial consistency of low frequency temperature changes is an

Seasonally resolved climate variability during the last interglacial from southern Caribbean corals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brocas, William; Felis, Thomas; Kölling, Martin; Scholz, Denis; Lohmann, Gerrit; Scheffers, Sanders

2013-04-01

A range of future climate scenarios have been predicted for a warmer Earth as a result of varying anthropogenic greenhouse emissions. The Last Interglacial period (~125,000 years ago, Marine Isotope Stage 5) offers a period in time which is estimated to have been in the range of 0.1 to > 2oC warmer than present (AD 1961-1990). Although this period is not considered completely analogous for future climate states, the mechanisms behind such changes have the potential to be well understood. Here we present the initial findings of a study which aims to augment current understanding by quantifying the climate dynamics of the tropical southern Caribbean using high resolution marine climate archives. In doing so, we highlight geochemical proxies obtained from aragonitic coral skeletons as a proxy for seasonality and interannual to decadal climate variability. Unique fossil coral material has been collected from an uplifted reef terrace on the island of Bonaire (Netherlands Antilles), which according to 230Th/U dating, was deposited during the Last Interglacial. The sampling technique employed here has been focused using C/T scanning and X-radiography which revealed annual density bands in 21 individual coral colonies. Due to a high average extension rate of greater than 6mm/year, monthly records are available which represent growth periods from 9 to 40 years and so cover various time windows across the Last Interglacial. We discuss the results from geochemical signals of Sr/Ca and oxygen isotope ratios (δ18O) which reflect, respectively, regional temperature and hydrological balance at the sea surface. The finding that Sr/Ca and δ18O cycles occur alongside visible annual density bands allows the quality of the fossil coral material to be considered high and reliable. To further supplement the interpretation of these records greyscale increment analysis, Mg/Ca and δ13C records are presented. The implications of these findings, when compared to Holocene records, identify

At the Last Hour, It's Financial Aid 101 for These High-School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Supiano, Beckie

2009-01-01

The high-school seniors drifting in and out of the office in New York should be weighing financial-aid offers and deciding where to go to college. But some of them have yet to begin the process of applying for student aid. This article describes a nonprofit group in Harlem which gives last-minute help to students uncertain about applying for…

Admissions to inpatient care facilities in the last year of life of community-dwelling older people in Europe.

PubMed

Overbeek, Anouk; Van den Block, Lieve; Korfage, Ida J; Penders, Yolanda W H; van der Heide, Agnes; Rietjens, Judith A C

2017-10-01

In the last year of life, many older people rather avoid admissions to inpatient care facilities. We describe and compare such admissions in the last year of life of 5092 community-dwelling older people in 15 European countries (+Israel). Proxy-respondents of the older people, who participated in the longitudinal SHARE study, reported on admissions to inpatient care facilities (hospital, nursing home or hospice) during the last year of their life. Multivariable regression analyses assessed associations between hospitalizations and personal/contextual characteristics. The proportion of people who had been admitted at least once to an inpatient care facility in the last year of life ranged from 54% (France) to 76% (Austria, Israel, Slovenia). Admissions mostly concerned hospitalizations. Multivariable analyses showed that especially Austrians, Israelis and Poles had higher chances of being hospitalized. Further, hospitalizations were more likely for those being ill for 6 months or more (OR:1.67, CI:1.39-2.01), and less likely for persons aged 80+ (OR:0.54, CI:0.39-0.74; compared with 48-65 years), females (OR:0.74, CI:0.63-0.89) and those dying of cardiovascular diseases (OR:0.66, CI:0.51-0.86; compared with those dying of cancer). Although healthcare policies increasingly stress the importance that people reside at home as long as possible, admissions to inpatient care facilities in the last year of life are relatively common across all countries. Furthermore, we found a striking variation concerning the proportion of admissions across countries which cannot only be explained by patient needs. It suggests that such admissions are at least partly driven by system-level or cultural factors. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

The Last 2000 Days: Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise. Shakespeare (King Lear).

PubMed

Cohen, Elias S

2017-02-01

This essay is an exploration of an extended period of the last 2000 days of anticipated mortality from the perspective of an aging gerontologist. The last 2000 days come at the end of what has come to be referred to as the Third Age (Silva, L. R. (2008). [From old age to third age: The historical course of the identities linked to the process of ageing]. História, ciências, saúde-Manguinhos, 15: , 155-168. doi:10.1590/S0104-59702008000100009). Life in the last 2000 days is a period in which the appreciation of finitude comes into new prominence, affecting a variety of elements that command attention-from individuals and from scholars. The significance of the last 2000 days is explored from two perspectives: First, the meaning, if any, of a more than half century career spent in gerontology on the personal experience of being old- how I think about my own old age, and second, an exploration of a variety of considerations that other older persons might be prompted to consider. The last 2000 days will be experienced in relatively good stages of "ability," activity, and potential engagement. This rumination explores the personal meaning of this penultimate life stage, pre-dying. It suggests some systematic consideration of what recognition of these days may mean-perception of time, identity and role, status, risks and vulnerabilities, dealing with disability, winding up/winding down/giving up, legacies, and, of course, death and dying. These issues are personal. There is no set value scale that suggests "successful aging" or "failed aging." © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Neotropical forest expansion during the last glacial period challenges refuge hypothesis.

PubMed

Leite, Yuri L R; Costa, Leonora P; Loss, Ana Carolina; Rocha, Rita G; Batalha-Filho, Henrique; Bastos, Alex C; Quaresma, Valéria S; Fagundes, Valéria; Paresque, Roberta; Passamani, Marcelo; Pardini, Renata

2016-01-26

The forest refuge hypothesis (FRH) has long been a paradigm for explaining the extreme biological diversity of tropical forests. According to this hypothesis, forest retraction and fragmentation during glacial periods would have promoted reproductive isolation and consequently speciation in forest patches (ecological refuges) surrounded by open habitats. The recent use of paleoclimatic models of species and habitat distributions revitalized the FRH, not by considering refuges as the main drivers of allopatric speciation, but instead by suggesting that high contemporary diversity is associated with historically stable forest areas. However, the role of the emerged continental shelf on the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot of eastern South America during glacial periods has been ignored in the literature. Here, we combined results of species distribution models with coalescent simulations based on DNA sequences to explore the congruence between scenarios of forest dynamics through time and the genetic structure of mammal species cooccurring in the central region of the Atlantic Forest. Contrary to the FRH predictions, we found more fragmentation of suitable habitats during the last interglacial (LIG) and the present than in the last glacial maximum (LGM), probably due to topography. We also detected expansion of suitable climatic conditions onto the emerged continental shelf during the LGM, which would have allowed forests and forest-adapted species to expand. The interplay of sea level and land distribution must have been crucial in the biogeographic history of the Atlantic Forest, and forest refuges played only a minor role, if any, in this biodiversity hotspot during glacial periods.

Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition ice dynamics in the Wicklow Mountains, Ireland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knight, Lauren; Boston, Clare; Lovell, Harold; Pepin, Nick

2017-04-01

Understanding of the extent and dynamics of former ice masses in the Wicklow Mountains, Ireland, during the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition (LGIT; 15-10 ka BP) is currently unresolved. Whilst it is acknowledged that the region hosted a local ice cap within the larger British-Irish Ice Sheet at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; 27 ka BP), there has been little consideration of ice cap disintegration to a topographically constrained ice mass during the LGIT. This research has produced the first regional glacial geomorphological map, through remote sensing (aerial photograph and digital terrain model interrogation) and field mapping. This has allowed both the style and extent of mountain glaciation and ice recession dynamics during the LGIT to be established. This geomorphological mapping has highlighted that evidence for local glaciation in the Wicklow Mountains is more extensive than previously recognised, and that small icefields and associated outlet valley glaciers existed during the LGIT following disintegration of the Wicklow Ice Cap. A relative chronology based on morphostratigraphic principles is developed, which indicates complex patterns of ice mass oscillation characterised by periods of both sustained retreat and minor readvance. Variations in the pattern of recession across the Wicklow Mountains are evident and appear to be influenced, in part, by topographic controls (e.g. slope, aspect, glacier hypsometry). In summary, this research establishes a relative chronology of glacial events in the region during the LGIT and presents constraints on ice mass extent, dynamics and retreat patterns, offering an insight into small ice mass behaviour in a warming climate.

Computer simulation of the last support phase of the long jump.

PubMed

Chow, John W; Hay, James G

2005-01-01

The purpose was to examine the interacting roles played by the approach velocity, the explosive strength (represented by vertical ground reaction force [VGRF]), and the change in angular momentum about a transverse axis through the jumper's center of mass (deltaHzz) during the last support phase of the long jump, using a computer simulation technique. A two-dimensional inverted-pendulum-plus-foot segment model was developed to simulate the last support phase. Using a reference jump derived from a jump performance reported in the literature, the effects of varying individual parameters were studied using sensitivity analyses. In each sensitivity analysis, the kinematic characteristics of the longest jumps with the deltaHzz considered and not considered when the parameter of interest was altered were noted. A sensitivity analysis examining the influence of altering both approach velocity and VGRF at the same time was also conducted. The major findings were that 1) the jump distance was more sensitive to changes in approach velocity (e.g., a 10% increase yielded a 10.0% increase in jump distance) than to changes in the VGRF (e.g., a 10% increase yielded a 7.2% increase in jump distance); 2) the relatively large change in jump distance when both the approach velocity and VGRF were altered (e.g., a 10% increase in both parameters yielded a 20.4% increase in jump distance), suggesting that these two parameters are not independent factors in determining the jump distance; and 3) the jump distance was overestimated if the deltaHzz was not considered in the analysis.

Long-lasting response to electrochemotherapy in melanoma patients with cutaneous metastasis.

PubMed

Caracò, Corrado; Mozzillo, Nicola; Marone, Ugo; Simeone, Ester; Benedetto, Lucia; Di Monta, Gianluca; Di Cecilia, Maria Luisa; Botti, Gerardo; Ascierto, Paolo Antonio

2013-12-01

Treatment of early and multiple cutaneous unresectable recurrences is a major therapeutic problem with around 80% of patients relapsing within 5 years. For lesions refractory to elective treatments, electrochemotherapy (ECT) involving electroporation combined with antineoplastic drug treatment appears to be a new potential option. This study was undertaken to analyze the short- and long-term responses of lesions treated with ECT with intravenous injection of bleomycin in melanoma patients with in-transit disease or distant cutaneous metastases. Between June 2007 and September 2012, 60 patients with relapsed and refractory cutaneous melanoma metastases or in-transit disease underwent 100 courses of ECT with intravenous injection of bleomycin. Response to treatment was evaluated three months after ECT. A long-lasting response was defined as no cutaneous or in-transit relapse after a minimum of six months. Three months after ECT, a complete response was observed in 29 patients (48.4%), a partial response in 23 patients (38.3%) and no change or progressive disease in 8 patients (13.3%). The objective response rate of all treated lesions was 86.6%. Thirteen patients (44.8% of complete responders) experienced a long-lasting response after one ECT session and were disease-free after a mean duration of follow-up of 27.5 months. The favorable outcome obtained in the present study demonstrates that ECT is a reliable, and effective procedure that provides long-term benefit in terms of curative and palliative treatment for unresectable cutaneous lesions without adversely impacting the quality of life of patients.

Long-lasting response to electrochemotherapy in melanoma patients with cutaneous metastasis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Treatment of early and multiple cutaneous unresectable recurrences is a major therapeutic problem with around 80% of patients relapsing within 5 years. For lesions refractory to elective treatments, electrochemotherapy (ECT) involving electroporation combined with antineoplastic drug treatment appears to be a new potential option. This study was undertaken to analyze the short- and long-term responses of lesions treated with ECT with intravenous injection of bleomycin in melanoma patients with in-transit disease or distant cutaneous metastases. Methods Between June 2007 and September 2012, 60 patients with relapsed and refractory cutaneous melanoma metastases or in-transit disease underwent 100 courses of ECT with intravenous injection of bleomycin. Response to treatment was evaluated three months after ECT. A long-lasting response was defined as no cutaneous or in-transit relapse after a minimum of six months. Results Three months after ECT, a complete response was observed in 29 patients (48.4%), a partial response in 23 patients (38.3%) and no change or progressive disease in 8 patients (13.3%). The objective response rate of all treated lesions was 86.6%. Thirteen patients (44.8% of complete responders) experienced a long-lasting response after one ECT session and were disease-free after a mean duration of follow-up of 27.5 months. Conclusions The favorable outcome obtained in the present study demonstrates that ECT is a reliable, and effective procedure that provides long-term benefit in terms of curative and palliative treatment for unresectable cutaneous lesions without adversely impacting the quality of life of patients. PMID:24289268

Neotropical forest expansion during the last glacial period challenges refuge hypothesis

PubMed Central

Costa, Leonora P.; Loss, Ana Carolina; Rocha, Rita G.; Batalha-Filho, Henrique; Bastos, Alex C.; Quaresma, Valéria S.; Fagundes, Valéria; Paresque, Roberta; Passamani, Marcelo; Pardini, Renata

2016-01-01

The forest refuge hypothesis (FRH) has long been a paradigm for explaining the extreme biological diversity of tropical forests. According to this hypothesis, forest retraction and fragmentation during glacial periods would have promoted reproductive isolation and consequently speciation in forest patches (ecological refuges) surrounded by open habitats. The recent use of paleoclimatic models of species and habitat distributions revitalized the FRH, not by considering refuges as the main drivers of allopatric speciation, but instead by suggesting that high contemporary diversity is associated with historically stable forest areas. However, the role of the emerged continental shelf on the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot of eastern South America during glacial periods has been ignored in the literature. Here, we combined results of species distribution models with coalescent simulations based on DNA sequences to explore the congruence between scenarios of forest dynamics through time and the genetic structure of mammal species cooccurring in the central region of the Atlantic Forest. Contrary to the FRH predictions, we found more fragmentation of suitable habitats during the last interglacial (LIG) and the present than in the last glacial maximum (LGM), probably due to topography. We also detected expansion of suitable climatic conditions onto the emerged continental shelf during the LGM, which would have allowed forests and forest-adapted species to expand. The interplay of sea level and land distribution must have been crucial in the biogeographic history of the Atlantic Forest, and forest refuges played only a minor role, if any, in this biodiversity hotspot during glacial periods. PMID:26755597

Lack of lasting effectiveness of PEG 3350 laxative treatment of constipation.

PubMed

Tran, Lily C; Di Palma, Jack A

2005-08-01

PEG 3350 (MiraLax, Braintree Laboratories Inc., Braintree, MA) 17 g daily has been shown to be safe and effective in a 14-day trial for constipation. This present investigation was designed to extend the treatment and safety experience with PEG 3350 and to evaluate any lasting effectiveness during a 30-day post-treatment observation period. Study subjects met Rome II criteria for constipation and reported <3 bowel movements a week. They were treated with PEG 3350 17 g daily for 14 days. Treatment efficacy was defined by resolution of constipation symptoms as determined by the Rome II and stool frequency definitions during the treatment period. Fifty healthy constipated subjects formed the study group. There were 42 females and 8 males. Mean age was 52 +/- 15.5 years (+/-SD). Symptom duration was 22.6 +/- 16.7 months (+/-SD). At baseline, all had <3 bowel movements a week and met Rome II criteria. Two were lost to follow-up. Two took enemas or laxatives and 2 discontinued active treatment because of "gas" and were considered treatment failures. At the end of 14 days, 40 of 48 (83.3%) had >3 stools in the last week and no longer met Rome criteria. Thirty-two of 45 (71.1%) reported satisfaction with the first bowel movement after initiating treatment. Thirty days after active treatment, 29 of 47 (61.7%) responded that they needed laxative treatment. PEG 3350 relieved constipation in most treated study subjects. During a 30-day post-treatment observation period, 29 of 47 (61.7%) had additional constipation treatment interventions.

Gene-to-metabolite network for biosynthesis of lignans in MeJA-elicited Isatis indigotica hairy root cultures

PubMed Central

Chen, Ruibing; Li, Qing; Tan, Hexin; Chen, Junfeng; Xiao, Ying; Ma, Ruifang; Gao, Shouhong; Zerbe, Philipp; Chen, Wansheng; Zhang, Lei

2015-01-01

Root and leaf tissue of Isatis indigotica shows notable anti-viral efficacy, and are widely used as “Banlangen” and “Daqingye” in traditional Chinese medicine. The plants' pharmacological activity is attributed to phenylpropanoids, especially a group of lignan metabolites. However, the biosynthesis of lignans in I. indigotica remains opaque. This study describes the discovery and analysis of biosynthetic genes and AP2/ERF-type transcription factors involved in lignan biosynthesis in I. indigotica. MeJA treatment revealed differential expression of three genes involved in phenylpropanoid backbone biosynthesis (IiPAL, IiC4H, Ii4CL), five genes involved in lignan biosynthesis (IiCAD, IiC3H, IiCCR, IiDIR, and IiPLR), and 112 putative AP2/ERF transcription factors. In addition, four intermediates of lariciresinol biosynthesis were found to be induced. Based on these results, a canonical correlation analysis using Pearson's correlation coefficient was performed to construct gene-to-metabolite networks and identify putative key genes and rate-limiting reactions in lignan biosynthesis. Over-expression of IiC3H, identified as a key pathway gene, was used for metabolic engineering of I. indigotica hairy roots, and resulted in an increase in lariciresinol production. These findings illustrate the utility of canonical correlation analysis for the discovery and metabolic engineering of key metabolic genes in plants. PMID:26579184

Age at Last Birth in Relation to Risk of Endometrial Cancer: Pooled Analysis in the Epidemiology of Endometrial Cancer Consortium

PubMed Central

Setiawan, Veronica Wendy; Pike, Malcolm C.; Karageorgi, Stalo; Deming, Sandra L.; Anderson, Kristin; Bernstein, Leslie; Brinton, Louise A.; Cai, Hui; Cerhan, James R.; Cozen, Wendy; Chen, Chu; Doherty, Jennifer; Freudenheim, Jo L.; Goodman, Marc T.; Hankinson, Susan E.; Lacey, James V.; Liang, Xiaolin; Lissowska, Jolanta; Lu, Lingeng; Lurie, Galina; Mack, Thomas; Matsuno, Rayna K.; McCann, Susan; Moysich, Kirsten B.; Olson, Sara H.; Rastogi, Radhai; Rebbeck, Timothy R.; Risch, Harvey; Robien, Kim; Schairer, Catherine; Shu, Xiao-Ou; Spurdle, Amanda B.; Strom, Brian L.; Thompson, Pamela J.; Ursin, Giske; Webb, Penelope M.; Weiss, Noel S.; Wentzensen, Nicolas; Xiang, Yong-Bing; Yang, Hannah P.; Yu, Herbert; Horn-Ross, Pamela L.; De Vivo, Immaculata

2012-01-01

Childbearing at an older age has been associated with a lower risk of endometrial cancer, but whether the association is independent of the number of births or other factors remains unclear. Individual-level data from 4 cohort and 13 case-control studies in the Epidemiology of Endometrial Cancer Consortium were pooled. A total of 8,671 cases of endometrial cancer and 16,562 controls were included in the analysis. After adjustment for known risk factors, endometrial cancer risk declined with increasing age at last birth (Ptrend < 0.0001). The pooled odds ratio per 5-year increase in age at last birth was 0.87 (95% confidence interval: 0.85, 0.90). Women who last gave birth at 40 years of age or older had a 44% decreased risk compared with women who had their last birth under the age of 25 years (95% confidence interval: 47, 66). The protective association was similar across the different age-at-diagnosis groups and for the 2 major tumor histologic subtypes (type I and type II). No effect modification was observed by body mass index, parity, or exogenous hormone use. In this large pooled analysis, late age at last birth was independently associated with a reduced risk of endometrial cancer, and the reduced risk persisted for many years. PMID:22831825

Intermittent Short Sleep Results in Lasting Sleep Wake Disturbances and Degeneration of Locus Coeruleus and Orexinergic Neurons.

PubMed

Zhu, Yan; Fenik, Polina; Zhan, Guanxia; Somach, Rebecca; Xin, Ryan; Veasey, Sigrid

2016-08-01

Intermittent short sleep (ISS) is pervasive among students and workers in modern societies, yet the lasting consequences of repeated short sleep on behavior and brain health are largely unexplored. Wake-activated neurons may be at increased risk of metabolic injury across sustained wakefulness. To examine the effects of ISS on wake-activated neurons and wake behavior, wild-type mice were randomized to ISS (a repeated pattern of short sleep on 3 consecutive days followed by 4 days of recovery sleep for 4 weeks) or rested control conditions. Subsets of both groups were allowed a recovery period consisting of 4-week unperturbed activity in home cages with littermates. Mice were examined for immediate and delayed (following recovery) effects of ISS on wake neuron cell metabolics, cell counts, and sleep/wake patterns. ISS resulted in sustained disruption of sleep/wake activity, with increased wakefulness during the lights-on period and reduced wake bout duration and wake time during the lights-off period. Noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) and orexinergic neurons showed persistent alterations in morphology, and reductions in both neuronal stereological cell counts and fronto-cortical projections. Surviving wake-activated neurons evidenced persistent reductions in sirtuins 1 and 3 and increased lipofuscin. In contrast, ISS resulted in no lasting injury to the sleep-activated melanin concentrating hormone neurons. Collectively these findings demonstrate for the first time that ISS imparts significant lasting disturbances in sleep/wake activity, degeneration of wake-activated LC and orexinergic neurons, and lasting metabolic changes in remaining neurons most consistent with premature senescence. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Characterizing Interplanetary Structures of Long-Lasting Ionospheric Storm Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tandoi, C.; Dong, Y.; Ngwira, C. M.; Damas, M. C.

2015-12-01

Geomagnetic storms can result in periods of heightened TEC (Total Electron Content) in Earth's ionosphere. These periods of change in TEC (dTEC) can have adverse impacts on a technological society, such as scintillation of radio signals used by communication and navigation satellites. However, it is unknown which exact properties of a given storm cause dTEC. We are comparing different solar wind properties that result in a significant long-lasting dTEC to see if there are any patterns that remain constant in these storms. These properties, among others, include the interplanetary magnetic field By and Bz components, the proton density, and the flow speed. As a preliminary investigation, we have studied 15 solar storms. Preliminary results will be presented. In the future, we hope to increase our sample size and analyze over 80 different solar storms, which result in significant dTEC.

La–Ce isotope measurements by multicollector-ICPMS† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c7ja00256d

PubMed Central

Münker, Carsten; Strub, Erik

2017-01-01

The 138La–138Ce decay system (half-life 1.02 × 1011 years) is a potentially highly useful tool to unravel information about the timing of geological processes and about the interaction of geological reservoirs on earth, complementing information from the more popular 147Sm–143Nd and 176Lu–176Hf isotope systems. Previously published analytical protocols were limited to TIMS. Here we present for the first time an analytical protocol that employs MC-ICPMS, with an improved precision and sensitivity. To perform sufficiently accurate La–Ce measurements, an efficient ion-chromatographic procedure is required to separate Ce from the other rare earth elements (REE) and Ba quantitatively. This study presents an improved ion-chromatographic procedure that separates La and Ce from rock samples using a three-step column separation. After REE separation by cation exchange, Ce is separated employing an Ln Spec column and selective oxidation. In the last step, a cation clean-up chemistry is performed to remove all remaining interferences. Our MC-ICPMS measurement protocol includes all stable Ce isotopes (136Ce, 138Ce, 140Ce and 142Ce), by employing a 1010 ohm amplifier for the most abundant isotope 140Ce. An external reproducibility of ±0.25ε-units (2 r.s.d) has been routinely achieved for 138Ce measurements for as little as 150–600 ng Ce, depending on the sample–skimmer cone combinations being used. Because the traditionally used JMC-304 Ce reference material is not commercially available anymore, a new reference material was prepared from AMES laboratory Ce metal (Cologne-AMES). In order to compare the new material with the previously reported isotopic composition of AMES material prepared at Mainz (Mainz-AMES), Cologne-AMES and JMC-304 were measured relative to each other in the same analytical session, demonstrating isotope heterogeneity between the two AMES and different JMC-304 batches used in the literature. To enable sufficiently precise age correction of

Tennessee and Florida: Continuity and Change in Long-Lasting State Performance Funding Systems for Higher Education. CCRC Brief. Number 43

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dougherty, Kevin J.; Natow, Rebecca S.

2010-01-01

This study analyzes changes over time in long-lasting state performance funding systems for higher education. It addresses two research questions: First, in what ways have long-lasting systems changed over time in funding levels, indicators used to allocate funds, and measures used for those indicators? Second, what political actors, actions, and…

Status and progress of treatment methods for root caries in the last decade: a literature review.

PubMed

Cai, J; Palamara, Jea; Manton, D J; Burrow, M F

2018-03-01

The aim of this literature review is to explore the treatment methods for root caries in laboratory and clinical research in the last decade. A systematic search of publications in PubMed and Web of Science databases was performed. The timespan was limited to the last 10 years and English language. Further retrieval was conducted using the search terms of specific therapies or treatments. Eighty-two articles were included in this systematic review and full texts were retrieved. Types of studies included laboratory studies and clinical trials. Therapeutic approaches for root caries without risk of pulp exposure can be categorized into non-invasive and restorative treatment. Non-invasive treatments which targeted different causative factors of root caries have been developed in the last decade. Accordingly, several artificial caries model systems have been proposed for the study of root caries in the laboratory. Carious tissue excavation techniques and restorative materials and procedures have been modified to improve the prognosis of invasive treatment. It is of importance to determine the most appropriate therapy for root caries and further clinical trials are needed to draw firm conclusions concerning the efficacy and consistency of the various treatment methods proposed. © 2017 Australian Dental Association.

Nutritional intake evolution in adolescent sporting boys over the last two decades.

PubMed

Van Biervliet, S; Van Biervliet, J P; De Neve, J; Watteyne, R; D'Hooghe, M

2011-01-01

The AIM of the study was to evaluate the nutritional trends in young elite male soccer players, attending national soccer league at RFC Bruges over the last two decades. At the start of each season, players and parents are instructed about normal healthy nutrition and fluid intake by dieticians. Since 1983, dieticians perform dietary habit surveys in the adolescent player groups. They instruct players and parents how to record all food and fluid intake during 3 days, a training-day, a match-day and an off -day. It is asked to do the recordings when players and parents are together and parents are asked to supervise the recording. Intakes are calculated using the Becel institute nutrition software (BINS), Becel, 2003. A significant decrease of energy intake/m2 is observed over the last 20 years. Body composition, measured as age-matched body mass index remained at median levels for the population during this period. An important modification of dietary content towards the recommended daily intakes is observed. Fat, saturated fat and cholesterol intake decreased dramatically. Carbohydrate intake increased. A positive evolution towards the recommended dietary composition is observed over the years. However, the decrease in caloric intake without influence on the body mass index could suggest that these elite male footballers have a decreased physical activity as compared to 20 years ago.

Paleoproductivity evolution in the West Philippine Sea during the last 700 ka

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Zheng; Li, Tiegang; Chang, Fengming; Nan, Qingyun; Li, Qing

2013-03-01

In order to reconstruct the paleoproductivity evolution history of the West Philippine Sea during the last 700 ka, the vertical gradient of Δδ13C in dissolved inorganic carbon (Δδ13C between those of foraminifera Pulleniatina obliquiloculata and Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi) and planktonic foraminiferal assemblages were analysed in piston Core MD06-3047 retrieved from the Benham Rise (east of the Luzon Island). Paleoproductivity evolution in the West Philippine Sea during the last 700 ka is closely related to glacial-interglacial cycles and precession-controlled insolation. Controlling factors of paleoproductivity could have been both thermocline fluctuations related with ENSO-like processes and eolian input associated with East Asian winter monsoon, and the former could have been the primary factor. A higher productivity and a shallower thermocline coeval with the occurrence of low CO2 concentrations in the EPICA Dome C ice core might indicate that biological export production in the low-latitude could act as a significant sink in the global carbon cycle, and modify atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Spectral analysis further reveals that the paleoproductivity is mainly controlled by thermocline fluctuations subjected to ENSO processes responding to processional variability of insolation. High coherences in eccentricity, obliquity and precession periods further revealing the close link between thermocline fluctuations, paleoproductivity and atmospheric CO2 levels.

Productivity patterns in the equatorial Pacific over the last 30,000 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, Kassandra M.; Jacobel, Allison W.; McManus, Jerry F.; Anderson, Robert F.; Winckler, Gisela; Thiagarajan, Nivedita

2017-05-01

The equatorial Pacific traverses a number of productivity regimes, from the highly productive coastal upwelling along Peru to the near gyre-like productivity lows along the international dateline, making it an ideal target for investigating how biogeochemical systems respond to changing oceanographic conditions over time. However, conflicting reconstructions of productivity during periods of rapid climate change, like the last deglaciation, render the spatiotemporal response of equatorial Pacific productivity ambiguous. In this study, surface productivity since the last glacial period (30,000 years ago) is reconstructed from seven cores near the Line Islands, central equatorial Pacific, and integrated with productivity records from across the equatorial Pacific. Three coherent deglacial patterns in productivity are identified: (1) a monotonic glacial-Holocene increase in productivity, primarily along the Equator, associated with increasing nutrient concentrations over time; (2) a deglacial peak in productivity 15,000 years ago due to transient entrainment of nutrient rich southern-sourced deep waters; and (3) possible precessional cycles in productivity in the eastern equatorial Pacific that may be related to Intertropical Convergence Zone migration and potential interactions with El Niño-Southern Oscillation dynamics. These findings suggest that productivity was generally lower during the glacial period, a trend observed zonally across the equatorial Pacific, while deglacial peaks in productivity may be prominent only in the east.

Large Scale Anthropogenic Reduction of Forest Cover in Last Glacial Maximum Europe

PubMed Central

Pfeiffer, Mirjam; Kolen, Jan C. A.; Davis, Basil A. S.

2016-01-01

Reconstructions of the vegetation of Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) are an enigma. Pollen-based analyses have suggested that Europe was largely covered by steppe and tundra, and forests persisted only in small refugia. Climate-vegetation model simulations on the other hand have consistently suggested that broad areas of Europe would have been suitable for forest, even in the depths of the last glaciation. Here we reconcile models with data by demonstrating that the highly mobile groups of hunter-gatherers that inhabited Europe at the LGM could have substantially reduced forest cover through the ignition of wildfires. Similar to hunter-gatherers of the more recent past, Upper Paleolithic humans were masters of the use of fire, and preferred inhabiting semi-open landscapes to facilitate foraging, hunting and travel. Incorporating human agency into a dynamic vegetation-fire model and simulating forest cover shows that even small increases in wildfire frequency over natural background levels resulted in large changes in the forested area of Europe, in part because trees were already stressed by low atmospheric CO2 concentrations and the cold, dry, and highly variable climate. Our results suggest that the impact of humans on the glacial landscape of Europe may be one of the earliest large-scale anthropogenic modifications of the earth system. PMID:27902716