Community Action for Recreation Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christiansen, Rudolph A.; And Others

Examples of projects, notably those using watersheds, that local community action groups can promote in planning and developing needed recreational facilities are discussed in this study report. Objectives of the report are to create an awareness of group action in obtaining recreational development, to emphasize that community action is important…

Nanostructured Electrode Materials for Electrochemical Capacitor Applications

PubMed Central

Choi, Hojin; Yoon, Hyeonseok

2015-01-01

The advent of novel organic and inorganic nanomaterials in recent years, particularly nanostructured carbons, conducting polymers, and metal oxides, has enabled the fabrication of various energy devices with enhanced performance. In this paper, we review in detail different nanomaterials used in the fabrication of electrochemical capacitor electrodes and also give a brief overview of electric double-layer capacitors, pseudocapacitors, and hybrid capacitors. From a materials point of view, the latest trends in electrochemical capacitor research are also discussed through extensive analysis of the literature and by highlighting notable research examples (published mostly since 2013). Finally, a perspective on next-generation capacitor technology is also given, including the challenges that lie ahead. PMID:28347044

Acid-promoted Bicyclization of Diaryl Alkynes: Synthesis of 2H-Indazoles with in situ Generated Diazonium Salt as Nitrogen Source.

PubMed

Zhang, Cheng; Chang, Sailan; Dong, Shanliang; Qiu, Lihua; Xu, Xinfang

2018-06-08

An unprecedented transition-metal-free tandem bicyclization of diaryl alkynes has been disclosed, which provides a streamlined access to a range of polycyclic 2H-indazoles in high to excellent yields. The salient features of this reaction include readily available starting materials, good functional group compatibility, mild reaction conditions, no column chromatography, high bond-formation efficiency, and ease in further transformations. Notably, this is the first example for the synthesis of 2H-indazoles with in situ generated diazonium salt as the nitrogen source, and a mechanistic rationale involving an acid-promoted tandem diazonium salt formation/bicyclization process is discussed.

Image enhancement by holography.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stroke, G. W.

1973-01-01

The speed of the holographic image deblurring method has recently been further enhanced by a new speed in the realization of the powerful holographic image-deblurring filter. The filter makes it possible to carry out the deblurring, in the optical computer used, in times of the order of one second. The experimental achievements using the holographic image-enhancement method are illustrated with examples ranging from out-of-focus or motion-blurred photographs, including 'amateur' photos recorded on Polaroid film, to the sharpening of the best available electron micrographs of viruses. Images recorded with X-rays, notably from rocket-borne photos of the sun, and out-of-focus photographs from cameras in NASA satellites have been similarly deblurred.

Uncovering trends in gene naming

PubMed Central

Seringhaus, Michael R; Cayting, Philip D; Gerstein, Mark B

2008-01-01

We take stock of current genetic nomenclature and attempt to organize strange and notable gene names. We categorize, for instance, those that involve a naming system transferred from another context (for example, Pavlov’s dogs). We hope this analysis provides clues to better steer gene naming in the future. PMID:18254929

Accomplishments in Photovoltaic Manufacturing R&D | Photovoltaic Research |

Science.gov Websites

made that significantly reduced the cost of solar modules while increasing their reliability and -area efficiency. Manufacturing Processes Half the cost of producing a solar module is incurred in wafer project partners marked significant progress in module cost reduction. A few notable examples follow

Is More Always Better? The Curvilinear Relationships between College Student Experiences and Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowman, Nicholas A.; Trolian, Teniell L.

2017-01-01

Many higher education studies have examined linear relationships between student experiences and outcomes, but this assumption may be questionable. In two notable examples previous research that assumed a linear relationship reached different substantive conclusions and implications than did research that explored non-linear associations among the…

Informing New String Programmes: Lessons Learned from an Australian Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Fintan; Rickard, Nikki; Gill, Anneliese; Grimmett, Helen

2011-01-01

Although there are many examples of notable string programmes there has been relatively little comparative analysis of these programmes. This paper examines three benchmark string programmes (The University of Illinois String Project, The Tower Hamlets String Teaching Project and Colourstrings) alongside Music4All, an innovative string programme…

London's Jewish Communities and State Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Jane

2012-01-01

The Inner London education authority was a notable example of a radical and powerful local government body from which the fight for the comprehensive principle in English secondary education emerged. Building on previous work of women's contribution to state education in London, this articles focuses on Anglo-Jewish educator activists who helped…

Male infertility and the environment: A plethora of associations based on a paucity of meaningful data*

EPA Science Inventory

While speculation has run rampant for over a decade concerning the potential for environmental chemical exposures to compromise semen quality in men, there are really very few convincing examples of such a causal association, and these are not recent. The three most notable examp...

The United State of Wyoming: Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative Boosts Reading Scores Statewide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lain, Sheryl

2014-01-01

When teachers collaborate in schools, taking collective responsibility to improve instruction and achieve goals, student performance improves and good results happen. Wyoming is one example of a state that uses peer-to-peer professional learning with notable results. Teachers joined together to form a statewide professional community and saw the…

The biotic ligand model approach for addressing effects of exposure water chemistry on aquatic toxicity of metals: Genesis and challenges

EPA Science Inventory

A major uncertainty in many aquatic risk assessments for toxic chemicals is the aggregate effect of the physicochemical characteristics of exposure media on toxicity, and how this affects extrapolation of laboratory test results to natural systems. A notable example of this is h...

The Rise and Fall of American Technology Policy: Elite Beliefs and the Clinton Industrial Policy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pages, Erik R.

1996-01-01

Uses the rapid rise and fall (within two years) of Clinton's industrial technology policy as an example of the creation and delegitimization of political ideas in federal government. Compares the shifting opinions on this policy to similar experiences with other policies, most notably nuclear power. (MJP)

Assessment of Genetics Understanding: Under What Conditions Do Situational Features Have an Impact on Measures?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmiemann, Philipp; Nehm, Ross H.; Tornabene, Robyn E.

2017-01-01

Understanding how situational features of assessment tasks impact reasoning is important for many educational pursuits, notably the selection of curricular examples to illustrate phenomena, the design of formative and summative assessment items, and determination of whether instruction has fostered the development of abstract schemas divorced from…

The role of automation and robotics in space stations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Black, D. C.

1985-01-01

Automation and robotics have played important roles in space research, most notably in planetary exploration. While an increased need for automation and robotics in space research is anticipated, some of the major challenges and opportunities for automation and robotics will be provided by the Space Station. Examples of these challenges are briefly reviewed.

Aerodynamic aircraft design methods and their notable applications: Survey of the activity in Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fujii, Kozo; Takanashi, Susumu

1991-01-01

An overview of aerodynamic aircraft design methods and their recent applications in Japan is presented. A design code which was developed at the National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) and is in use now is discussed, hence, most of the examples are the result of the collaborative work between heavy industry and the National Aerospace Laboratory. A wide variety of applications in transonic to supersonic flow regimes are presented. Although design of aircraft elements for external flows are the main focus, some of the internal flow applications are also presented. Recent applications of the design code, using the Navier Stokes and Euler equations in the analysis mode, include the design of HOPE (a space vehicle) and Upper Surface Blowing (USB) aircraft configurations.

Space travel: bringing medical discoveries down to Earth.

PubMed

Thirsk, R B

1985-11-01

Space travel has necessitated intensive study of certain physical conditions, notably cardiovascular deconditioning, motion sickness, musculoskeletal atrophy and psychological isolation. Benefits of this research are beginning to be available to terrestrial medicine, for example in research on osteoporosis and motion sickness. Other space technology of benefit to medicine includes diagnostic and therapeutic devices, transmission of medical data and satellite communications. A permanently inhabited space station is planned for the 1990s and further research into isolation, occupational hazards in remote locations, transportation of accident victims and stabilization awaiting transportation can be expected, all with probable spinoffs for terrestrial medicine. Space is also a good environment for production of very pure, specific pharmaceuticals, such as alpha1-antitrypsin, interferon and pancreatic beta cells.

Space Travel: Bringing Medical Discoveries Down to Earth

PubMed Central

Thirsk, Robert B.

1985-01-01

Space travel has necessitated intensive study of certain physical conditions, notably cardiovascular deconditioning, motion sickness, musculoskeletal atrophy and psychological isolation. Benefits of this research are beginning to be available to terrestrial medicine, for example in research on osteoporosis and motion sickness. Other space technology of benefit to medicine includes diagnostic and therapeutic devices, transmission of medical data and satellite communications. A permanently inhabited space station is planned for the 1990s and further research into isolation, occupational hazards in remote locations, transportation of accident victims and stabilization awaiting transportation can be expected, all with probable spinoffs for terrestrial medicine. Space is also a good environment for production of very pure, specific pharmaceuticals, such as alpha1-antitrypsin, interferon and pancreatic beta cells. ImagesFig. 1 PMID:21274132

Electrospinning: An enabling nanotechnology platform for drug delivery and regenerative medicine.

PubMed

Chen, Shixuan; Li, Ruiquan; Li, Xiaoran; Xie, Jingwei

2018-05-02

Electrospinning provides an enabling nanotechnology platform for generating a rich variety of novel structured materials in many biomedical applications including drug delivery, biosensing, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. In this review article, we begin with a thorough discussion on the method of producing 1D, 2D, and 3D electrospun nanofiber materials. In particular, we emphasize on how the 3D printing technology can contribute to the improvement of traditional electrospinning technology for the fabrication of 3D electrospun nanofiber materials as drug delivery devices/implants, scaffolds or living tissue constructs. We then highlight several notable examples of electrospun nanofiber materials in specific biomedical applications including cancer therapy, guiding cellular responses, engineering in vitro 3D tissue models, and tissue regeneration. Finally, we finish with conclusions and future perspectives of electrospun nanofiber materials for drug delivery and regenerative medicine. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Where Are the Facts? "Jason's Gold" Gives Meaning to the Yukon Gold Rush

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wasta, Stephanie; Lott, Carolyn

2006-01-01

This article discusses how fictional works can give a purposeful context and an appropriate venue for developing essential social studies concepts in middle-school students. The author uses the example of a National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) notable book, "Jason's Gold" that blends history with story to become historical…

Implications of salt and sodium reduction on microbial food safety.

PubMed

Taormina, Peter J

2010-03-01

Excess sodium consumption has been cited as a primary cause of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Salt (sodium chloride) is considered the main source of sodium in the human diet, and it is estimated that processed foods and restaurant foods contribute 80% of the daily intake of sodium in most of the Western world. However, ample research demonstrates the efficacy of sodium chloride against pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms in a variety of food systems. Notable examples of the utility and necessity of sodium chloride include the inhibition of growth and toxin production by Clostridium botulinum in processed meats and cheeses. Other sodium salts contributing to the overall sodium consumption are also very important in the prevention of spoilage and/or growth of microorganisms in foods. For example, sodium lactate and sodium diacetate are widely used in conjunction with sodium chloride to prevent the growth of Listeria monocytogenes and lactic acid bacteria in ready-to-eat meats. These and other examples underscore the necessity of sodium salts, particularly sodium chloride, for the production of safe, wholesome foods. Key literature on the antimicrobial properties of sodium chloride in foods is reviewed here to address the impact of salt and sodium reduction or replacement on microbiological food safety and quality.

Differential expression and emerging functions of non-coding RNAs in cold adaptation.

PubMed

Frigault, Jacques J; Morin, Mathieu D; Morin, Pier Jr

2017-01-01

Several species undergo substantial physiological and biochemical changes to confront the harsh conditions associated with winter. Small mammalian hibernators and cold-hardy insects are examples of natural models of cold adaptation that have been amply explored. While the molecular picture associated with cold adaptation has started to become clearer in recent years, notably through the use of high-throughput experimental approaches, the underlying cold-associated functions attributed to several non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), remain to be better characterized. Nevertheless, key pioneering work has provided clues on the likely relevance of these molecules in cold adaptation. With an emphasis on mammalian hibernation and insect cold hardiness, this work first reviews various molecular changes documented so far in these processes. The cascades leading to miRNA and lncRNA production as well as the mechanisms of action of these non-coding RNAs are subsequently described. Finally, we present examples of differentially expressed non-coding RNAs in models of cold adaptation and elaborate on the potential significance of this modulation with respect to low-temperature adaptation.

Relating Climate and Enviornmental Stress to Conflict... or Cooperation?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelley, C. P.

2016-12-01

There are many factors which contribute to social unrest, including governance, economy, access to resources and others. As global climate change progresses, many regions and nations, particularly those that are most vulnerable and least resilient, will face increasing challenges with respect to water and food scarcity. Increasing population and demand for water, combined with declining access to groundwater, will greatly increase exisiting vulnerability. Syria, Yemen and other countries serve as examples of nations that have experienced increasing both environmental stress and conflict. The Syria case in particular has had clear global repercussions, most notably contributing to a global refugee crisis. However, there are also examples of nations that have experienced increasing environmental stress that instead demonstrated transboundary water cooperation rather than conflict. An important and emerging body of work is that which seeks to better understand and characterize real-time resilience and vulnerability in order to better mitigate the consequences of future regional climate change. Prediction of potential conflict is a formidable challenge, one that is highly complex and multivariate, operating on many different temporal and spatial scales.

Phase space effects on fast ion distribution function modeling in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Podestà, M.; Gorelenkova, M.; Fredrickson, E. D.; Gorelenkov, N. N.; White, R. B.

2016-05-01

Integrated simulations of tokamak discharges typically rely on classical physics to model energetic particle (EP) dynamics. However, there are numerous cases in which energetic particles can suffer additional transport that is not classical in nature. Examples include transport by applied 3D magnetic perturbations and, more notably, by plasma instabilities. Focusing on the effects of instabilities, ad-hoc models can empirically reproduce increased transport, but the choice of transport coefficients is usually somehow arbitrary. New approaches based on physics-based reduced models are being developed to address those issues in a simplified way, while retaining a more correct treatment of resonant wave-particle interactions. The kick model implemented in the tokamak transport code TRANSP is an example of such reduced models. It includes modifications of the EP distribution by instabilities in real and velocity space, retaining correlations between transport in energy and space typical of resonant EP transport. The relevance of EP phase space modifications by instabilities is first discussed in terms of predicted fast ion distribution. Results are compared with those from a simple, ad-hoc diffusive model. It is then shown that the phase-space resolved model can also provide additional insight into important issues such as internal consistency of the simulations and mode stability through the analysis of the power exchanged between energetic particles and the instabilities.

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

Podesta, M.; Gorelenkova, M.; Fredrickson, E. D.

Here, integrated simulations of tokamak discharges typically rely on classical physics to model energetic particle (EP) dynamics. However, there are numerous cases in which energetic particles can suffer additional transport that is not classical in nature. Examples include transport by applied 3D magnetic perturbations and, more notably, by plasma instabilities. Focusing on the effects of instabilities,ad-hocmodels can empirically reproduce increased transport, but the choice of transport coefficients is usually somehow arbitrary. New approaches based on physics-based reduced models are being developed to address those issues in a simplified way, while retaining a more correct treatment of resonant wave-particle interactions. Themore » kick model implemented in the tokamaktransport code TRANSP is an example of such reduced models. It includes modifications of the EP distribution by instabilities in real and velocity space, retaining correlations between transport in energy and space typical of resonant EP transport. The relevance of EP phase space modifications by instabilities is first discussed in terms of predicted fast ion distribution. Results are compared with those from a simple, ad-hoc diffusive model. It is then shown that the phase-space resolved model can also provide additional insight into important issues such as internal consistency of the simulations and mode stability through the analysis of the power exchanged between energetic particles and the instabilities.« less

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

Podestà, M., E-mail: mpodesta@pppl.gov; Gorelenkova, M.; Fredrickson, E. D.

Integrated simulations of tokamak discharges typically rely on classical physics to model energetic particle (EP) dynamics. However, there are numerous cases in which energetic particles can suffer additional transport that is not classical in nature. Examples include transport by applied 3D magnetic perturbations and, more notably, by plasma instabilities. Focusing on the effects of instabilities, ad-hoc models can empirically reproduce increased transport, but the choice of transport coefficients is usually somehow arbitrary. New approaches based on physics-based reduced models are being developed to address those issues in a simplified way, while retaining a more correct treatment of resonant wave-particle interactions.more » The kick model implemented in the tokamak transport code TRANSP is an example of such reduced models. It includes modifications of the EP distribution by instabilities in real and velocity space, retaining correlations between transport in energy and space typical of resonant EP transport. The relevance of EP phase space modifications by instabilities is first discussed in terms of predicted fast ion distribution. Results are compared with those from a simple, ad-hoc diffusive model. It is then shown that the phase-space resolved model can also provide additional insight into important issues such as internal consistency of the simulations and mode stability through the analysis of the power exchanged between energetic particles and the instabilities.« less

Phase space effects on fast ion distribution function modeling in tokamaks

DOE Data Explorer

White, R. B. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Podesta, M. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Gorelenkova, M. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Fredrickson, E. D. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Gorelenkov, N. N. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)

2016-06-01

Integrated simulations of tokamak discharges typically rely on classical physics to model energetic particle (EP) dynamics. However, there are numerous cases in which energetic particles can suffer additional transport that is not classical in nature. Examples include transport by applied 3D magnetic perturbations and, more notably, by plasma instabilities. Focusing on the effects of instabilities, ad-hoc models can empirically reproduce increased transport, but the choice of transport coefficients is usually somehow arbitrary. New approaches based on physics-based reduced models are being developed to address those issues in a simplified way, while retaining a more correct treatment of resonant wave-particle interactions. The kick model implemented in the tokamak transport code TRANSP is an example of such reduced models. It includes modifications of the EP distribution by instabilities in real and velocity space, retaining correlations between transport in energy and space typical of resonant EP transport. The relevance of EP phase space modifications by instabilities is first discussed in terms of predicted fast ion distribution. Results are compared with those from a simple, ad-hoc diffusive model. It is then shown that the phase-space resolved model can also provide additional insight into important issues such as internal consistency of the simulations and mode stability through the analysis of the power exchanged between energetic particles and the instabilities.

Adoptive immunotherapy for hematological malignancies using T cells gene-modified to express tumor antigen-specific receptors.

PubMed

Fujiwara, Hiroshi

2014-12-15

Accumulating clinical evidence suggests that adoptive T-cell immunotherapy could be a promising option for control of cancer; evident examples include the graft-vs-leukemia effect mediated by donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) and therapeutic infusion of ex vivo-expanded tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) for melanoma. Currently, along with advances in synthetic immunology, gene-modified T cells retargeted to defined tumor antigens have been introduced as "cellular drugs". As the functional properties of the adoptive immune response mediated by T lymphocytes are decisively regulated by their T-cell receptors (TCRs), transfer of genes encoding target antigen-specific receptors should enable polyclonal T cells to be uniformly redirected toward cancer cells. Clinically, anticancer adoptive immunotherapy using genetically engineered T cells has an impressive track record. Notable examples include the dramatic benefit of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) gene-modified T cells redirected towards CD19 in patients with B-cell malignancy, and the encouraging results obtained with TCR gene-modified T cells redirected towards NY-ESO-1, a cancer-testis antigen, in patients with advanced melanoma and synovial cell sarcoma. This article overviews the current status of this treatment option, and discusses challenging issues that still restrain the full effectiveness of this strategy, especially in the context of hematological malignancy.

Diseases in marine invertebrates associated with mariculture and commercial fisheries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sweet, Michael J.; Bateman, Kelly S.

2015-10-01

Diseases in marine invertebrates are increasing in both frequency and intensity around the globe. Diseases in individuals which offer some commercial value are often well documented and subsequently well studied in comparison to those wild groups offering little commercial gain. This is particularly the case with those associated with mariculture or the commercial fisheries. Specifically, these include many Holothuroidea, and numerous crustacea and mollusca species. Pathogens/parasites consisting of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes from all groups have been associated with diseases from such organisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. Viral pathogens in particular, appear to be an increasingly important group and research into this group will likely highlight a larger number of diseases and pathogens being described in the near future. Interestingly, although there are countless examples of the spread of disease usually associated with transportation of specific infected hosts for development of aquaculture practices, this process appears to be continuing with no real sign of effective management and mitigation strategies being implicated. Notably, even in well developed countries such as the UK and the US, even though live animal trade may be well managed, the transport of frozen food appears to be less well so and as evidence suggests, even these to have the potential to transmit pathogens when used as a food source for example.

Reprint of 'Diseases in marine invertebrates associated with mariculture and commercial fisheries'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sweet, Michael J.; Bateman, Kelly S.

2016-07-01

Diseases in marine invertebrates are increasing in both frequency and intensity around the globe. Diseases in individuals which offer some commercial value are often well documented and subsequently well studied in comparison to those wild groups offering little commercial gain. This is particularly the case with those associated with mariculture or the commercial fisheries. Specifically, these include many Holothuroidea, and numerous crustacea and mollusca species. Pathogens/parasites consisting of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes from all groups have been associated with diseases from such organisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. Viral pathogens in particular, appear to be an increasingly important group and research into this group will likely highlight a larger number of diseases and pathogens being described in the near future. Interestingly, although there are countless examples of the spread of disease usually associated with transportation of specific infected hosts for development of aquaculture practices, this process appears to be continuing with no real sign of effective management and mitigation strategies being implicated. Notably, even in well developed countries such as the UK and the US, even though live animal trade may be well managed, the transport of frozen food appears to be less well so and as evidence suggests, even these to have the potential to transmit pathogens when used as a food source for example.

Hitler's bible: an analysis of the relationship between American and German eugenics in pre-war Nazi Germany.

PubMed

Brown, Susan

2009-06-01

Throughout the last century the wellbeing of those with disability has been threatened by the idea of eugenics. The most notable and extreme example of this could be considered to have been carried out during World WarTwo, within Nazi eugenic programmes. These resulted in the sterilisation and killing of hundreds of thousands of disabled people. Through research of a wide range of sources it has been established that much of the inspiration and encouragement for this rapidly progressing movement in Germany initially came from America, most notably from California. American eugenicists expressed interest, and at times jealousy, at the speed of the progression in German eugenics. German Sterilisation laws were drafted following careful study of American experiments and research, while financial support from a number of American individuals encouraged further German research. Correspondence between influential leaders, including Hitler, Grant and Whitney, Verschuer and Popenoe, on both sides also added to the developing relationship. In conclusion, although there are a number of vital differences between the progress of the eugenics programme in America and in pre-war Nazi Germany, and eugenics in America never produced the massive genocide that occurred in Germany, it is clear that the research, encouragement and enthusiasm from America had a profound influence on the rapidly growing Nazi eugenics movement.

Design Techniques for Uniform-DFT, Linear Phase Filter Banks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sun, Honglin; DeLeon, Phillip

1999-01-01

Uniform-DFT filter banks are an important class of filter banks and their theory is well known. One notable characteristic is their very efficient implementation when using polyphase filters and the FFT. Separately, linear phase filter banks, i.e. filter banks in which the analysis filters have a linear phase are also an important class of filter banks and desired in many applications. Unfortunately, it has been proved that one cannot design critically-sampled, uniform-DFT, linear phase filter banks and achieve perfect reconstruction. In this paper, we present a least-squares solution to this problem and in addition prove that oversampled, uniform-DFT, linear phase filter banks (which are also useful in many applications) can be constructed for perfect reconstruction. Design examples are included illustrate the methods.

Con: Meta-analysis: some key limitations and potential solutions.

PubMed

Esterhuizen, Tonya M; Thabane, Lehana

2016-06-01

Meta-analysis, a statistical combination of results of several trials to produce a summary effect, has been subject to criticism in the past, mainly for the reasons of poor quality of included studies, heterogeneity between studies meta-analyzed and failing to address publication bias. These limitations can cause the results to be misleading, which is important if policy and practice decisions are based on systematic reviews and meta-analyses. We elaborate on these limitations and illustrate them with examples from the nephrology literature. Finally, we present some potential solutions, notably, education in meta-analysis for evidence producers and consumers as well as the use of individual patient data for meta-analyses. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA. All rights reserved.

The Japanese Labor Market in a Comparative Perspective with the United States. A Transaction-Cost Interpretation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hashimoto, Masanori

A comparison is made of some of the notable features of the Japanese and U.S. labor markets. In Japan, as compared to the United States, for example, levels of employment tenure are higher, employer-employee attachment stronger, earnings-tenure profiles more steeply sloped, layoffs and dismissals much less frequent, and joint consultation and…

Promoting Technology Uses in the Elementary Mathematics Classroom: Lessons in Pedagogy from Zoltan Dienes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connell, Michael; Abramovich, Sergei

2016-01-01

Today technology allows for the utilization of new classes of mathematical objects which are themselves subject to new modes of student interaction. A series of notable examples may be found in the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. These virtual manipulatives draw much of their power from their physical embodiment in the form of hand-on…

Domain-Adapted Convolutional Networks for Satellite Image Classification: A Large-Scale Interactive Learning Workflow

DOE PAGES

Lunga, Dalton D.; Yang, Hsiuhan Lexie; Reith, Andrew E.; ...

2018-02-06

Satellite imagery often exhibits large spatial extent areas that encompass object classes with considerable variability. This often limits large-scale model generalization with machine learning algorithms. Notably, acquisition conditions, including dates, sensor position, lighting condition, and sensor types, often translate into class distribution shifts introducing complex nonlinear factors and hamper the potential impact of machine learning classifiers. Here, this article investigates the challenge of exploiting satellite images using convolutional neural networks (CNN) for settlement classification where the class distribution shifts are significant. We present a large-scale human settlement mapping workflow based-off multiple modules to adapt a pretrained CNN to address themore » negative impact of distribution shift on classification performance. To extend a locally trained classifier onto large spatial extents areas we introduce several submodules: First, a human-in-the-loop element for relabeling of misclassified target domain samples to generate representative examples for model adaptation; second, an efficient hashing module to minimize redundancy and noisy samples from the mass-selected examples; and third, a novel relevance ranking module to minimize the dominance of source example on the target domain. The workflow presents a novel and practical approach to achieve large-scale domain adaptation with binary classifiers that are based-off CNN features. Experimental evaluations are conducted on areas of interest that encompass various image characteristics, including multisensors, multitemporal, and multiangular conditions. Domain adaptation is assessed on source–target pairs through the transfer loss and transfer ratio metrics to illustrate the utility of the workflow.« less

Domain-Adapted Convolutional Networks for Satellite Image Classification: A Large-Scale Interactive Learning Workflow

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

Lunga, Dalton D.; Yang, Hsiuhan Lexie; Reith, Andrew E.

Satellite imagery often exhibits large spatial extent areas that encompass object classes with considerable variability. This often limits large-scale model generalization with machine learning algorithms. Notably, acquisition conditions, including dates, sensor position, lighting condition, and sensor types, often translate into class distribution shifts introducing complex nonlinear factors and hamper the potential impact of machine learning classifiers. Here, this article investigates the challenge of exploiting satellite images using convolutional neural networks (CNN) for settlement classification where the class distribution shifts are significant. We present a large-scale human settlement mapping workflow based-off multiple modules to adapt a pretrained CNN to address themore » negative impact of distribution shift on classification performance. To extend a locally trained classifier onto large spatial extents areas we introduce several submodules: First, a human-in-the-loop element for relabeling of misclassified target domain samples to generate representative examples for model adaptation; second, an efficient hashing module to minimize redundancy and noisy samples from the mass-selected examples; and third, a novel relevance ranking module to minimize the dominance of source example on the target domain. The workflow presents a novel and practical approach to achieve large-scale domain adaptation with binary classifiers that are based-off CNN features. Experimental evaluations are conducted on areas of interest that encompass various image characteristics, including multisensors, multitemporal, and multiangular conditions. Domain adaptation is assessed on source–target pairs through the transfer loss and transfer ratio metrics to illustrate the utility of the workflow.« less

Natural Products as a Vital Source for the Discovery of Cancer Chemotherapeutic and Chemopreventive Agents

PubMed Central

Cragg, Gordon M.; Pezzuto, John M.

2016-01-01

Throughout history, natural products have played a dominant role in the treatment of human ailments. For example, the legendary discovery of penicillin transformed global existence. Presently, natural products comprise a large portion of current-day pharmaceutical agents, most notably in the area of cancer therapy. Examples include Taxol, vinblastine, and camptothecin. These structurally unique agents function by novel mechanisms of action; isolation from natural sources is the only plausible method that could have led to their discovery. In addition to terrestrial plants as sources for starting materials, the marine environment (e.g., ecteinascidin 743, halichondrin B, and dolastatins), microbes (e.g., bleomycin, doxorubicin, and staurosporin), and slime molds (e.g., epothilone B) have yielded remarkable cancer chemotherapeutic agents. Irrespective of these advances, cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Undoubtedly, the prevention of human cancer is highly preferable to treatment. Cancer chemoprevention, the use of vaccines or pharmaceutical agents to inhibit, retard, or reverse the process of carcinogenesis, is another important approach for easing this formidable public health burden. Similar to cancer chemotherapeutic agents, natural products play an important role in this field. There are many examples, including dietary phytochemicals such as sulforaphane and phenethyl isothiocyanate (cruciferous vegetables) and resveratrol (grapes and grape products). Overall, natural product research is a powerful approach for discovering biologically active compounds with unique structures and mechanisms of action. Given the unfathomable diversity of nature, it is reasonable to suggest that chemical leads can be generated that are capable of interacting with most or possibly all therapeutic targets. PMID:26679767

A Non-Linear Model for Elastic Dielectric Crystals with Mobile Vacancies

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-01

crystals, vacancies typically carry an electric charge [18,37]. Such charged vacancies notably influence dielectric properties and elec- trical loss...characteristics of capacitors, oscillators, and tunable fil- ters [19], for example those comprised of perovskite ceramic crystals such as barium titanate...thermomechanical and thermoelectrical couplings, respectively, and the final term capturing non-mechanical sources of heat energy. 3.3. Representative free energy

Putting the World into Our Classrooms: A New Vision for 21st Century Education. PPI Policy Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Michael H.

2005-01-01

With some notable exceptions, public schools are doing a woeful job of teaching students about the world outside America's borders. For example, surveys conducted by the Asia Society and the National Geographic Society show a huge gap in most students' knowledge about the growing importance of Asia and other world regions to the nation's economic…

Is Open Science the Future of Drug Development?

PubMed

Shaw, Daniel L

2017-03-01

Traditional drug development models are widely perceived as opaque and inefficient, with the cost of research and development continuing to rise even as production of new drugs stays constant. Searching for strategies to improve the drug discovery process, the biomedical research field has begun to embrace open strategies. The resulting changes are starting to reshape the industry. Open science-an umbrella term for diverse strategies that seek external input and public engagement-has become an essential tool with researchers, who are increasingly turning to collaboration, crowdsourcing, data sharing, and open sourcing to tackle some of the most pressing problems in medicine. Notable examples of such open drug development include initiatives formed around malaria and tropical disease. Open practices have found their way into the drug discovery process, from target identification and compound screening to clinical trials. This perspective argues that while open science poses some risks-which include the management of collaboration and the protection of proprietary data-these strategies are, in many cases, the more efficient and ethical way to conduct biomedical research.

Functions of intrinsic disorder in transmembrane proteins.

PubMed

Kjaergaard, Magnus; Kragelund, Birthe B

2017-09-01

Intrinsic disorder is common in integral membrane proteins, particularly in the intracellular domains. Despite this observation, these domains are not always recognized as being disordered. In this review, we will discuss the biological functions of intrinsically disordered regions of membrane proteins, and address why the flexibility afforded by disorder is mechanistically important. Intrinsically disordered regions are present in many common classes of membrane proteins including ion channels and transporters; G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), receptor tyrosine kinases and cytokine receptors. The functions of the disordered regions are many and varied. We will discuss selected examples including: (1) Organization of receptors, kinases, phosphatases and second messenger sources into signaling complexes. (2) Modulation of the membrane-embedded domain function by ball-and-chain like mechanisms. (3) Trafficking of membrane proteins. (4) Transient membrane associations. (5) Post-translational modifications most notably phosphorylation and (6) disorder-linked isoform dependent function. We finish the review by discussing the future challenges facing the membrane protein community regarding protein disorder.

Advances and challenges in biosensor-based diagnosis of infectious diseases

PubMed Central

Sin, Mandy LY; Mach, Kathleen E; Wong, Pak Kin; Liao, Joseph C

2014-01-01

Rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases and timely initiation of appropriate treatment are critical determinants that promote optimal clinical outcomes and general public health. Conventional in vitro diagnostics for infectious diseases are time-consuming and require centralized laboratories, experienced personnel and bulky equipment. Recent advances in biosensor technologies have potential to deliver point-of-care diagnostics that match or surpass conventional standards in regards to time, accuracy and cost. Broadly classified as either label-free or labeled, modern biosensors exploit micro- and nanofabrication technologies and diverse sensing strategies including optical, electrical and mechanical transducers. Despite clinical need, translation of biosensors from research laboratories to clinical applications has remained limited to a few notable examples, such as the glucose sensor. Challenges to be overcome include sample preparation, matrix effects and system integration. We review the advances of biosensors for infectious disease diagnostics and discuss the critical challenges that need to be overcome in order to implement integrated diagnostic biosensors in real world settings. PMID:24524681

Making the most of cloud storage - a toolkit for exploitation by WLCG experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez Ayllon, Alejandro; Arsuaga Rios, Maria; Bitzes, Georgios; Furano, Fabrizio; Keeble, Oliver; Manzi, Andrea

2017-10-01

Understanding how cloud storage can be effectively used, either standalone or in support of its associated compute, is now an important consideration for WLCG. We report on a suite of extensions to familiar tools targeted at enabling the integration of cloud object stores into traditional grid infrastructures and workflows. Notable updates include support for a number of object store flavours in FTS3, Davix and gfal2, including mitigations for lack of vector reads; the extension of Dynafed to operate as a bridge between grid and cloud domains; protocol translation in FTS3; the implementation of extensions to DPM (also implemented by the dCache project) to allow 3rd party transfers over HTTP. The result is a toolkit which facilitates data movement and access between grid and cloud infrastructures, broadening the range of workflows suitable for cloud. We report on deployment scenarios and prototype experience, explaining how, for example, an Amazon S3 or Azure allocation can be exploited by grid workflows.

Molecular Pathogenesis and Diagnostic, Prognostic and Predictive Molecular Markers in Sarcoma.

PubMed

Mariño-Enríquez, Adrián; Bovée, Judith V M G

2016-09-01

Sarcomas are infrequent mesenchymal neoplasms characterized by notable morphological and molecular heterogeneity. Molecular studies in sarcoma provide refinements to morphologic classification, and contribute diagnostic information (frequently), prognostic stratification (rarely) and predict therapeutic response (occasionally). Herein, we summarize the major molecular mechanisms underlying sarcoma pathogenesis and present clinically useful diagnostic, prognostic and predictive molecular markers for sarcoma. Five major molecular alterations are discussed, illustrated with representative sarcoma types, including 1. the presence of chimeric transcription factors, in vascular tumors; 2. abnormal kinase signaling, in gastrointestinal stromal tumor; 3. epigenetic deregulation, in chondrosarcoma, chondroblastoma, and other tumors; 4. deregulated cell survival and proliferation, due to focal copy number alterations, in dedifferentiated liposarcoma; 5. extreme genomic instability, in conventional osteosarcoma as a representative example of sarcomas with highly complex karyotype. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Participant supervision: supervisor and supervisee experiences of cotherapy.

PubMed

Falke, Stephanie I; Lawson, Lindsey; Pandit, Mayuri L; Patrick, Elizabeth A

2015-04-01

Participant supervision is a unique application of live supervision in which a supervisor and supervisee see clients conjointly. Although minimally discussed in the family therapy literature, it has notable advantages, chief among them being a shared clinical experience that increases attunement to supervisee skill and development, the modeling of skillful intervention, and a higher degree of collegiality. However, it is not without its challenges, including supervisee vulnerability and anxiety, diffusion of responsibility, and limited time for case discussion. This article highlights the experience of one supervisor and three doctoral-level supervisees engaging in participant supervision over the course of a 2-year period. Using illustrative examples, we discuss our experience of the advantages and challenges of participant supervision, and provide recommendations for establishing a collaborative relational context within which supervisory benefits can be maximized. © 2013 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Analysis of complex neural circuits with nonlinear multidimensional hidden state models

PubMed Central

Friedman, Alexander; Slocum, Joshua F.; Tyulmankov, Danil; Gibb, Leif G.; Altshuler, Alex; Ruangwises, Suthee; Shi, Qinru; Toro Arana, Sebastian E.; Beck, Dirk W.; Sholes, Jacquelyn E. C.; Graybiel, Ann M.

2016-01-01

A universal need in understanding complex networks is the identification of individual information channels and their mutual interactions under different conditions. In neuroscience, our premier example, networks made up of billions of nodes dynamically interact to bring about thought and action. Granger causality is a powerful tool for identifying linear interactions, but handling nonlinear interactions remains an unmet challenge. We present a nonlinear multidimensional hidden state (NMHS) approach that achieves interaction strength analysis and decoding of networks with nonlinear interactions by including latent state variables for each node in the network. We compare NMHS to Granger causality in analyzing neural circuit recordings and simulations, improvised music, and sociodemographic data. We conclude that NMHS significantly extends the scope of analyses of multidimensional, nonlinear networks, notably in coping with the complexity of the brain. PMID:27222584

Phase space effects on fast ion distribution function modeling in tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Podesta, M.; Gorelenkova, M.; Fredrickson, E. D.; ...

2016-04-14

Here, integrated simulations of tokamak discharges typically rely on classical physics to model energetic particle (EP) dynamics. However, there are numerous cases in which energetic particles can suffer additional transport that is not classical in nature. Examples include transport by applied 3D magnetic perturbations and, more notably, by plasma instabilities. Focusing on the effects of instabilities,ad-hocmodels can empirically reproduce increased transport, but the choice of transport coefficients is usually somehow arbitrary. New approaches based on physics-based reduced models are being developed to address those issues in a simplified way, while retaining a more correct treatment of resonant wave-particle interactions. Themore » kick model implemented in the tokamaktransport code TRANSP is an example of such reduced models. It includes modifications of the EP distribution by instabilities in real and velocity space, retaining correlations between transport in energy and space typical of resonant EP transport. The relevance of EP phase space modifications by instabilities is first discussed in terms of predicted fast ion distribution. Results are compared with those from a simple, ad-hoc diffusive model. It is then shown that the phase-space resolved model can also provide additional insight into important issues such as internal consistency of the simulations and mode stability through the analysis of the power exchanged between energetic particles and the instabilities.« less

Dynamics and thermodynamics of open chemical networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, Massimiliano

Open chemical networks (OCN) are large sets of coupled chemical reactions where some of the species are chemostated (i.e. continuously restored from the environment). Cell metabolism is a notable example of OCN. Two results will be presented. First, dissipation in OCN operating in nonequilibrium steady-states strongly depends on the network topology (algebraic properties of the stoichiometric matrix). An application to oligosaccharides exchange dynamics performed by so-called D-enzymes will be provided. Second, at low concentration the dissipation of OCN is in general inaccurately predicted by deterministic dynamics (i.e. nonlinear rate equations for the species concentrations). In this case a description in terms of the chemical master equation is necessary. A notable exception is provided by so-called deficiency zero networks, i.e. chemical networks with no hidden cycles present in the graph of reactant complexes.

PPM Receiver Implemented in Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gray, Andrew; Kang, Edward; Lay, Norman; Vilnrotter, Victor; Srinivasan, Meera; Lee, Clement

2010-01-01

A computer program has been written as a tool for developing optical pulse-position- modulation (PPM) receivers in which photodetector outputs are fed to analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and all subsequent signal processing is performed digitally. The program can be used, for example, to simulate an all-digital version of the PPM receiver described in Parallel Processing of Broad-Band PPM Signals (NPO-40711), which appears elsewhere in this issue of NASA Tech Briefs. The program can also be translated into a design for digital PPM receiver hardware. The most notable innovation embodied in the software and the underlying PPM-reception concept is a digital processing subsystem that performs synchronization of PPM time slots, even though the digital processing is, itself, asynchronous in the sense that no attempt is made to synchronize it with the incoming optical signal a priori and there is no feedback to analog signal processing subsystems or ADCs. Functions performed by the software receiver include time-slot synchronization, symbol synchronization, coding preprocessing, and diagnostic functions. The program is written in the MATLAB and Simulink software system. The software receiver is highly parameterized and, hence, programmable: for example, slot- and symbol-synchronization filters have programmable bandwidths.

On the importance of balancing selection in plants

PubMed Central

Delph, Lynda F.; Kelly, John K.

2013-01-01

Summary Balancing selection refers to a variety of selective regimes that maintain advantageous genetic diversity within populations. We review the history of the ideas regarding the types of selection that maintain such polymorphism in flowering plants, notably heterozygote advantage, negative frequency-dependent selection, and spatial heterogeneity. One shared feature of these mechanisms is that whether an allele is beneficial or detrimental is conditional on its frequency in the population. We highlight examples of balancing selection on a variety of discrete traits. These include the well-referenced case of self-incompatibility and recent evidence from species with nuclear-cytoplasmic gynodioecy, both of which exhibit trans-specific polymorphism, a hallmark of balancing selection. We also discuss and give examples of how spatial heterogeneity in particular, which is often thought unlikely to allow protected polymorphism, can maintain genetic variation in plants (which are rooted in place) as a result of microhabitat selection. Lastly, we discuss limitations of the protected polymorphism concept for quantitative traits, where selection can inflate the genetic variance without maintaining specific alleles indefinitely. We conclude that while discrete-morph variation provides the most unambiguous cases of protected polymorphism, they represent only a fraction of the balancing selection at work in plants. PMID:23952298

Clinically relevant diagnostic research in primary care: the example of B-type natriuretic peptides in the detection of heart failure.

PubMed

Kelder, Johannes C; Rutten, Frans H; Hoes, Arno W

2009-02-01

With the emergence of novel diagnostic tests, e.g. point-of-care tests, clinically relevant empirical evidence is needed to assess whether such a test should be used in daily practice. With the example of the value of B-type natriuretic peptides (BNP) in the diagnostic assessment of suspected heart failure, we will discuss the major methodological issues crucial in diagnostic research; most notably the choice of the study population and the data analysis with a multivariable approach. BNP have been studied extensively in the emergency care setting, and also several studies in the primary care are available. The usefulness of this test when applied in combination with other readily available tests is still not adequately addressed in the relevant patient domain, i.e. those who are clinically suspected of heart failure by their GP. Future diagnostic research in primary care should be targeted much more at answering the clinically relevant question 'Is it useful to add this (new) test to the other tests I usually perform, including history taking and physical examination, in patients I suspect of having a certain disease'.

The role of optimization in the next generation of computer-based design tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogan, J. Edward

1989-01-01

There is a close relationship between design optimization and the emerging new generation of computer-based tools for engineering design. With some notable exceptions, the development of these new tools has not taken full advantage of recent advances in numerical design optimization theory and practice. Recent work in the field of design process architecture has included an assessment of the impact of next-generation computer-based design tools on the design process. These results are summarized, and insights into the role of optimization in a design process based on these next-generation tools are presented. An example problem has been worked out to illustrate the application of this technique. The example problem - layout of an aircraft main landing gear - is one that is simple enough to be solved by many other techniques. Although the mathematical relationships describing the objective function and constraints for the landing gear layout problem can be written explicitly and are quite straightforward, an approximation technique has been used in the solution of this problem that can just as easily be applied to integrate supportability or producibility assessments using theory of measurement techniques into the design decision-making process.

Accuracy of the Estimated Core Temperature (ECTemp) Algorithm in Estimating Circadian Rhythm Indicators

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-04-12

measurement of CT outside of stringent laboratory environments. This study evaluated ECTempTM, a heart rate-based extended Kalman Filter CT...based CT-estimation algorithms [7, 13, 14]. One notable example is ECTempTM, which utilizes an extended Kalman Filter to estimate CT from...3. The extended Kalman filter mapping function variance coefficient (Ct) was computed using the following equation: = −9.1428 ×

Machine learning with quantum relative entropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuda, Koji

2009-12-01

Density matrices are a central tool in quantum physics, but it is also used in machine learning. A positive definite matrix called kernel matrix is used to represent the similarities between examples. Positive definiteness assures that the examples are embedded in an Euclidean space. When a positive definite matrix is learned from data, one has to design an update rule that maintains the positive definiteness. Our update rule, called matrix exponentiated gradient update, is motivated by the quantum relative entropy. Notably, the relative entropy is an instance of Bregman divergences, which are asymmetric distance measures specifying theoretical properties of machine learning algorithms. Using the calculus commonly used in quantum physics, we prove an upperbound of the generalization error of online learning.

Intensive Survey of Two Rivers Dam and Reservoir Project, Chaves County, New Mexico.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-11-01

43 6. LA 33119 ( BLOOM WELL)..................................60 *7. IF - 24.................................... 64 8. SOIL PROFILE IN...Recommend management strategies for all identified cultural resources. i-1- Santa Fe Albuquerque N A 0 ^ Cloviso,A IA AA RoswllLLANO A Bloom I ESTACADO A...markers, or previous boundary fences. The most notable example of this was U around Bloom Well, which was excluded from the fee lands on a Corps map but

Religion in Military Society: Reconciling Establishment and Free Exercise

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

allaying the churches’ fears that the government would attempt to control their religion. Jef- ferson stated, “Believing with you that religion is a...Christian themes and messages. The very chamber in which oral argu- ments on this case were heard is decorated with a notable and perma- nent—not...substantial burden.’ ”36 The third example involves the removal of religious artwork from a dining facility. A painting entitled Blessed Are the

The Evolution of Human Genetic Studies of Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate

PubMed Central

Marazita, Mary L.

2013-01-01

Orofacial clefts (OFCs)—primarily cleft lip and cleft palate—are among the most common birth defects in all populations worldwide, and have notable population, ethnicity, and gender differences in birth prevalence. Interest in these birth defects goes back centuries, as does formal scientific interest; scientists often used OFCs as examples or evidence during paradigm shifts in human genetics, and have also used virtually every new method of human genetic analysis to deepen our understanding of OFC. This review traces the evolution of human genetic investigations of OFC, highlights the specific insights gained about OFC through the years, and culminates in a review of recent key OFC genetic findings resulting from the powerful tools of the genomics era. Notably, OFC represents a major success for genome-wide approaches, and the field is poised for further breakthroughs in the near future. PMID:22703175

Notable Mexican American Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, Judith

This paper describes the careers of four notable Mexican American women, including their educational and family backgrounds, achievements, and importance as role models for young Hispanic women. Marie Acosta-Colon's political activism began as a college student volunteering for presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy in 1968. Active in political…

The Presentation of Body Dysmorphic Disorder in Medical Settings

PubMed Central

Phillips, Katharine A.

2006-01-01

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a relatively common psychiatric illness that often presents to mental health professionals as well as nonpsychiatric physicians. However, BDD usually goes unrecognized and undiagnosed in clinical settings. It is important to recognize and accurately diagnose BDD because this often secret illness may be debilitating. Patients with BDD typically have markedly impaired functioning, notably poor quality of life, and a high rate of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Thus, it is important to screen patients for BDD and avoid misdiagnosing it as another illness. Nonpsychiatric treatments (eg, dermatologic, surgical), which most patients seek and receive, appear ineffective for BDD and can be risky for physicians to provide. This article provides a clinically focused overview of BDD, including its symptoms, morbidity, case examples, nonpsychiatric (ie, cosmetic) treatment, diagnostic “do’s” and “don’ts,” and suggestions for how to persuade patients to accept appropriate psychiatric care. PMID:17183412

System reliability of randomly vibrating structures: Computational modeling and laboratory testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sundar, V. S.; Ammanagi, S.; Manohar, C. S.

2015-09-01

The problem of determination of system reliability of randomly vibrating structures arises in many application areas of engineering. We discuss in this paper approaches based on Monte Carlo simulations and laboratory testing to tackle problems of time variant system reliability estimation. The strategy we adopt is based on the application of Girsanov's transformation to the governing stochastic differential equations which enables estimation of probability of failure with significantly reduced number of samples than what is needed in a direct simulation study. Notably, we show that the ideas from Girsanov's transformation based Monte Carlo simulations can be extended to conduct laboratory testing to assess system reliability of engineering structures with reduced number of samples and hence with reduced testing times. Illustrative examples include computational studies on a 10-degree of freedom nonlinear system model and laboratory/computational investigations on road load response of an automotive system tested on a four-post test rig.

Natural and human-induced sinkhole hazards in Saudi Arabia: distribution, investigation, causes and impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Youssef, Ahmed M.; Al-Harbi, Hasan M.; Gutiérrez, Francisco; Zabramwi, Yasser A.; Bulkhi, Ali B.; Zahrani, Saeed A.; Bahamil, Alaa M.; Zahrani, Ahmed J.; Otaibi, Zaam A.; El-Haddad, Bosy A.

2016-05-01

Approximately 60 % of the 2,150,000 km2 area of Saudi Arabia is underlain by soluble sediments (carbonate and evaporite rock formations, salt diapirs, sabkha deposits). Despite its hyper-arid climate, a wide variety of recent sinkholes have been reported in numerous areas, involving significant property losses. Human activities, most notably groundwater extraction, have induced unstable conditions on pre-existing cavities. This work provides an overview of the sinkhole hazard in Saudi Arabia, a scarcely explored topic. It identifies the main karst formations and the distribution of the most problematic sinkhole areas, illustrated through several case studies covering the wide spectrum of subsidence mechanisms. Some of the main investigation methods are presented through selected examples, including remote sensing, trenching and geophysics. Based on the available data, the main causal factors are identified and further actions that should be undertaken to better assess and manage the risk are discussed.

Sakharov at KB-11. The path of a genius

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilkaev, Radii I.

2012-02-01

21 May 2011 would have marked the 90th birthday of Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov, a towering 20th-century figure in science and human thought, whose ideas, research contributions, and life example exerted enormous influence on the history of the second half of the 20th century and, in particular, on the history of Russia. Whether as a scientist or a private person (including his public activities and exceptional attitude to human personality), he always displayed creativity and a freedom of spirit, thought, and action. Sakharov's life and creative work make him a model scientist and citizen for many and undoubtedly provide a legacy for the development of science and society in the 21st century. In this paper, some of Sakharov's key ideas and achievements relating to his KB-11 period are exemplified, and how they influence present day research and technology, notably as employed for affording national security, is examined.

Hair analyses: worthless for vitamins, limited for minerals.

PubMed

Hambidge, K M

1982-11-01

Despite many major and minor problems with interpretation of analytical data, chemical analyses of human hair have some potential value. Extensive research will be necessary to define this value, including correlation of hair concentrations of specific elements with those in other tissues and metabolic pools and definition of normal physiological concentration ranges. Many factors that may compromise the correct interpretation of analytical data require detailed evaluation for each specific element. Meanwhile, hair analyses are of some value in the comparison of different populations and, for example, in public health community surveys of environmental exposure to heavy metals. On an individual basis, their established usefulness is much more restricted and the limitations are especially notable for evaluation of mineral nutritional status. There is a wide gulf between the limited and mainly tentative scientific justification for their use on an individual basis and the current exploitation of multielement chemical analyses of human hair.

Balancing paediatric anaesthesia: preclinical insights into analgesia, hypnosis, neuroprotection, and neurotoxicity.

PubMed

Sanders, R D; Ma, D; Brooks, P; Maze, M

2008-11-01

Logistical and ethical reasons make conducting clinical research in paediatric practice difficult, and therefore safe and efficacious advances are dependent on good preclinical research. For example, notable advances have been made in preclinical studies of pain processing that correlate well with patient data. Other areas of paediatric anaesthetic research remain in their infancy including mechanisms of anaesthesia and anaesthetic neuroprotection and neurotoxicity. Animal data have identified the potential 'double-edged' sword of administering anaesthetic agents in the young; although these agents can be neuroprotective in certain circumstances, they can be neurotoxic in others. The potential for this toxicity must be balanced against the importance of providing adequate anaesthesia for which there can be no compromise. We review the current state of preclinical research in paediatric anaesthesia and identify areas which require further exploration in order to provide the foundations for well-conducted clinical trials.

Spontaneous actin dynamics in contractile rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruse, Karsten; Wollrab, Viktoria; Thiagarajan, Raghavan; Wald, Anne; Riveline, Daniel

Networks of polymerizing actin filaments are known to be capable to self-organize into a variety of structures. For example, spontaneous actin polymerization waves have been observed in living cells in a number of circumstances, notably, in crawling neutrophils and slime molds. During later stages of cell division, they can also spontaneously form a contractile ring that will eventually cleave the cell into two daughter cells. We present a framework for describing networks of polymerizing actin filaments, where assembly is regulated by various proteins. It can also include the effects of molecular motors. We show that the molecular processes driven by these proteins can generate various structures that have been observed in contractile rings of fission yeast and mammalian cells. We discuss a possible functional role of each of these patterns. The work was supported by Agence Nationale de la Recherche, France, (ANR-10-LABX-0030-INRT) and by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft through SFB1027.

The long range voice coil atomic force microscope

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

Barnard, H.; Randall, C.; Bridges, D.

2012-02-15

Most current atomic force microscopes (AFMs) use piezoelectric ceramics for scan actuation. Piezoelectric ceramics provide precision motion with fast response to applied voltage potential. A drawback to piezoelectric ceramics is their inherently limited ranges. For many samples this is a nonissue, as imaging the nanoscale details is the goal. However, a key advantage of AFM over other microscopy techniques is its ability to image biological samples in aqueous buffer. Many biological specimens have topography for which the range of piezoactuated stages is limiting, a notable example of which is bone. In this article, we present the use of voice coilsmore » in scan actuation for an actuation range in the Z-axis an order of magnitude larger than any AFM commercially available today. The increased scan size will allow for imaging an important new variety of samples, including bone fractures.« less

Emergence of binocular functional properties in a monocular neural circuit

PubMed Central

Ramdya, Pavan; Engert, Florian

2010-01-01

Sensory circuits frequently integrate converging inputs while maintaining precise functional relationships between them. For example, in mammals with stereopsis, neurons at the first stages of binocular visual processing show a close alignment of receptive-field properties for each eye. Still, basic questions about the global wiring mechanisms that enable this functional alignment remain unanswered, including whether the addition of a second retinal input to an otherwise monocular neural circuit is sufficient for the emergence of these binocular properties. We addressed this question by inducing a de novo binocular retinal projection to the larval zebrafish optic tectum and examining recipient neuronal populations using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging. Notably, neurons in rewired tecta were predominantly binocular and showed matching direction selectivity for each eye. We found that a model based on local inhibitory circuitry that computes direction selectivity using the topographic structure of both retinal inputs can account for the emergence of this binocular feature. PMID:19160507

The Genetic Basis of Thought Disorder and Language and Communication Disturbances in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Levy, Deborah L.; Coleman, Michael J.; Sung, Heejong; Ji, Fei; Matthysse, Steven; Mendell, Nancy R.; Titone, Debra

2009-01-01

Thought disorder as well as language and communication disturbances are associated with schizophrenia and are over-represented in clinically unaffected relatives of schizophrenics. All three kinds of dysfunction involve some element of deviant verbalizations, most notably, semantic anomalies. Of particular importance, thought disorder characterized primarily by deviant verbalizations has a higher recurrence in relatives of schizophrenic patients than schizophrenia itself. These findings suggest that deviant verbalizations may be more penetrant expressions of schizophrenia susceptibility genes than schizophrenia. This paper reviews the evidence documenting the presence of thought, language and communication disorders in schizophrenic patients and in their first-degree relatives. This familial aggregation potentially implicates genetic factors in the etiology of thought disorder, language anomalies, and communication disturbances in schizophrenia families. We also present two examples of ways in which thought, language and communication disorders can enrich genetic studies, including those involving schizophrenia. PMID:20161689

Model of human visual-motion sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, A. B.; Ahumada, A. J., Jr.

1985-01-01

A model of how humans sense the velocity of moving images is proposed. The model exploits constraints provided by human psychophysics, notably that motion-sensing elements appear tuned for two-dimensional spatial frequency, and by the frequency spectrum of a moving image, namely, that its support lies in the plane in which the temporal frequency equals the dot product of the spatial frequency and the image velocity. The first stage of the model is a set of spatial-frequency-tuned, direction-selective linear sensors. The temporal frequency of the response of each sensor is shown to encode the component of the image velocity in the sensor direction. At the second stage, these components are resolved in order to measure the velocity of image motion at each of a number of spatial locations and spatial frequencies. The model has been applied to several illustrative examples, including apparent motion, coherent gratings, and natural image sequences. The model agrees qualitatively with human perception.

Trends and driving mechanism of land-use change in metropolitan areas of Pearl River Delta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Feng-gui; Zhang, Hong-ou; Wang, Juan; Wu, Qi-tao

2008-10-01

Taking Pearl River Delta for an example this study focuses on the trends and the driving mechanism of land-use changes in metropolises, in order to achieve the fundamental objectives of LUCC study increasing the awareness on dynamics of global land-use and land-cover changes, and improving the ability of forecasting LUCC. By analyzing the land-use change in Pearl River Delta from 1996 to 2006, it is found that the differences among internal space are notable. By establishing time-sequence-curve with SPSS software, it is shown that trends of land-use change are very clear. With factor analysis on land-use change, the study summarizes four factors of driving mechanism, including factors of economic development level, regional industrial structure, demographic and agricultural structure adjustment, which impact land change in Pearl River Delta to a different extent.

Microbial degradation of complex carbohydrates in the gut.

PubMed

Flint, Harry J; Scott, Karen P; Duncan, Sylvia H; Louis, Petra; Forano, Evelyne

2012-01-01

Bacteria that colonize the mammalian intestine collectively possess a far larger repertoire of degradative enzymes and metabolic capabilities than their hosts. Microbial fermentation of complex non-digestible dietary carbohydrates and host-derived glycans in the human intestine has important consequences for health. Certain dominant species, notably among the Bacteroidetes, are known to possess very large numbers of genes that encode carbohydrate active enzymes and can switch readily between different energy sources in the gut depending on availability. Nevertheless, more nutritionally specialized bacteria appear to play critical roles in the community by initiating the degradation of complex substrates such as plant cell walls, starch particles and mucin. Examples are emerging from the Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Verrucomicrobium phyla, but more information is needed on these little studied groups. The impact of dietary carbohydrates, including prebiotics, on human health requires understanding of the complex relationship between diet composition, the gut microbiota and metabolic outputs.

Versatile Nanosystem-Based Cancer Theranostics: Design Inspiration and Predetermined Routing

PubMed Central

Opoku-Damoah, Yaw; Wang, Ruoning; Zhou, Jianping; Ding, Yang

2016-01-01

The relevance of personalized medicine, aimed at a more individualized drug therapy, has inspired research into nano-based concerted diagnosis and therapeutics (theranostics). As the intention is to “kill two birds with one stone”, scientists have already described the emerging concept as a treasured tailor for the future of cancer therapy, wherein the main idea is to design “smart” nanosystems to concurrently discharge both therapeutic and diagnostic roles. These nanosystems are expected to offer a relatively clearer view of the ingenious cellular trafficking pathway, in-situ diagnosis, and therapeutic efficacy. We herein present a detailed review of versatile nanosystems, with prominent examples of recently developed intelligent delivery strategies which have gained attention in the field of theranostics. These nanotheranostics include various mechanisms programmed in novel platforms to enable predetermined delivery of cargo to specific sites, as well as techniques to overcome the notable challenges involved in the efficacy of theranostics. PMID:27217832

Evolutionary analysis and lateral gene transfer of two-component regulatory systems associated with heavy-metal tolerance in bacteria.

PubMed

Bouzat, Juan L; Hoostal, Matthew J

2013-05-01

Microorganisms have adapted intricate signal transduction mechanisms to coordinate tolerance to toxic levels of metals, including two-component regulatory systems (TCRS). In particular, both cop and czc operons are regulated by TCRS; the cop operon plays a key role in bacterial tolerance to copper, whereas the czc operon is involved in the efflux of cadmium, zinc, and cobalt from the cell. Although the molecular physiology of heavy metal tolerance genes has been extensively studied, their evolutionary relationships are not well-understood. Phylogenetic relationships among heavy-metal efflux proteins and their corresponding two-component regulatory proteins revealed orthologous and paralogous relationships from species divergences and ancient gene duplications. The presence of heavy metal tolerance genes on bacterial plasmids suggests these genes may be prone to spread through horizontal gene transfer. Phylogenetic inferences revealed nine potential examples of lateral gene transfer associated with metal efflux proteins and two examples for regulatory proteins. Notably, four of the examples suggest lateral transfer across major evolutionary domains. In most cases, differences in GC content in metal tolerance genes and their corresponding host genomes confirmed lateral gene transfer events. Three-dimensional protein structures predicted for the response regulators encoded by cop and czc operons showed a high degree of structural similarity with other known proteins involved in TCRS signal transduction, which suggests common evolutionary origins of functional phenotypes and similar mechanisms of action for these response regulators.

Patterns, rates and possible causes of saltmarsh erosion in the Greater Thames area (UK)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Wal, Daphne; Pye, Kenneth

2004-08-01

The estuary-dominated coast of the Greater Thames in England has experienced rapid lateral erosion and internal dissection of saltmarshes. This paper provides an overview of saltmarsh development in this area, and re-examines the role of environmental and human forcing factors. It draws on documentary evidence, including historical maps, survey data and time-series data of forcing factors. Lateral marsh retreat began in the 19th century in the Medway and Blackwater Estuaries, followed by other estuaries in the Greater Thames region at the beginning of the 20th century. The outer estuaries and the wider parts of the inner estuaries especially have experienced erosion. Erosion has been modest in wave-sheltered areas, e.g., the Colne and the inner Crouch. In the 1960s and, more widely, the 1970s, a phase of rapid erosion took place, with erosion rates of up to ca. 16 ha year -1 per site, notably along the open coast of Dengie and Foulness, and in the Blackwater and Thames Estuaries. At all sites, vertical sediment accretion was well able to keep up with sea level rise over the past century. Evidence indicates that there may have been several causes for the erosion of saltmarshes. These are notably land claim and embankment construction (increasing the tidal range and current velocities) and a continuous rise of, especially, high and extreme water levels. The latest episode of rapid erosion in the 1970s is largely attributed to changes in the wind/wave climate. For example, erosion at wave-exposed sites coincided with a peak in high magnitude waves combined with a high incidence of southeasterly waves. The study shows that many factors, including natural forcing factors and human activities, have to be taken into account when explaining saltmarsh development.

Hydraulic and geochemical framework of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory vadose zone

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nimmo, John R.; Rousseau, Joseph P.; Perkins, Kim S.; Stollenwerk, Kenneth G.; Glynn, Pierre D.; Bartholomay, Roy C.; Knobel, LeRoy L.

2004-01-01

Questions of major importance for subsurface contaminant transport at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) include (i) travel times to the aquifer, both average or typical values and the range of values to be expected, and (ii) modes of contaminant transport, especially sorption processes. The hydraulic and geochemical framework within which these questions are addressed is dominated by extreme heterogeneity in a vadose zone and aquifer consisting of interbedded basalts and sediments. Hydraulically, major issues include diverse possible types of flow pathways, extreme anisotropy, preferential flow, combined vertical and horizontal flow, and temporary saturation or perching. Geochemically, major issues include contaminant mobility as influenced by redox conditions, the concentration of organic and inorganic complexing solutes and other local variables, the interaction with infiltrating waters and with the contaminant source environment, and the aqueous speciation of contaminants such as actinides. Another major issue is the possibility of colloid transport, which inverts some of the traditional concepts of mobility, as sorbed contaminants on mobile colloids may be transported with ease compared with contaminants that are not sorbed. With respect to the goal of minimizing aquifer concentrations of contaminants, some characteristics of the vadose zone are essentially completely favorable. Examples include the great thickness (200 m) of the vadose zone, and the presence of substantial quantities of fine sediments that can retard contaminant transport both hydraulically and chemically. Most characteristics, however, have both favorable and unfavorable aspects. For example, preferential flow, as promoted by several notable features of the vadose zone at the INEEL, can provide fast, minimally sorbing pathways for contaminants to reach the aquifer easily, but it also leads to a wide dispersal of contaminants in a large volume of subsurface material, thus increasing the opportunity for dilution and sorption.

Collecting for the History of Medicine *

PubMed Central

Annan, Gertrude L.

1970-01-01

Value of books depends on their place in the collection, and it is not suggested that the librarian become an expert in the prices of rare books. The dealer should be trusted as an adviser. The same is true about disposal of rare books. An account is given of earlier practice at the New York Academy of Medicine Library in the acquisition of rare books, and some notable items are listed. The importance of pamphlets, reprints, and annual reports is discussed. Building a collection of the institution's own records is commended, and various examples given of how an unbalanced or inappropriate collection loses its value. Good examples of special subject collections are quoted. Care and preservation of rare material are discussed. PMID:5424514

Bibliography of Research on Ocean Fronts, 1964-1984

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-08-01

water masses which exhibit notable differences in temperature, salinity , chlorophyll and other properties. One example of an ocean front is the...Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A302: 617-634. Amos, A.F., M.G. Langseth and R.G. Markl. 1972. Visible oceanic saline fronts, p. 49-62. In A.L. Gordon...On the mechanism of the deep mixed layer formation during MEDOC 1969. Cahiers Oceanogr. XXII: 427-442. Anderson, F.E. 1980. The variation in

JPRS Report, East Europe

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-09-28

depending on the kind of goods imported. As a result of the bilateral agreement a huge market has opened up for Hungary, a market , which at the same time...customs duty surcharge. There is a good chance that a very large, new market may be found as a result of the trade agreement, for example, for Hungarian... market ; the market does not exert its effects . But a constraint to make decisions has evolved, notably the fact that based on an earlier law enterprise

Rhodium-catalyzed C-H alkynylation of arenes at room temperature.

PubMed

Feng, Chao; Loh, Teck-Peng

2014-03-03

The rhodium(III)-catalyzed ortho C-H alkynylation of non-electronically activated arenes is disclosed. This process features a straightforward and highly effective protocol for the synthesis of functionalized alkynes and represents the first example of merging a hypervalent iodine reagent with rhodium(III) catalysis. Notably, this reaction proceeds at room temperature, tolerates a variety of functional groups, and more importantly, exhibits high selectivity for monoalkynylation. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The evolution of organellar metabolism in unicellular eukaryotes.

PubMed

Ginger, Michael L; McFadden, Geoffrey I; Michels, Paul A M

2010-03-12

Metabolic innovation has facilitated the radiation of microbes into almost every niche environment on the Earth, and over geological time scales transformed the planet on which we live. A notable example of innovation is the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis which was a prelude to the gradual transformation of an anoxic Earth into a world with oxygenated oceans and an oxygen-rich atmosphere capable of supporting complex multicellular organisms. The influence of microbial innovation on the Earth's history and the timing of pivotal events have been addressed in other recent themed editions of Philosophical Transactions of Royal Society B (Cavalier-Smith et al. 2006; Bendall et al. 2008). In this issue, our contributors provide a timely history of metabolic innovation and adaptation within unicellular eukaryotes. In eukaryotes, diverse metabolic portfolios are compartmentalized across multiple membrane-bounded compartments (or organelles). However, as a consequence of pathway retargeting, organelle degeneration or novel endosymbiotic associations, the metabolic repertoires of protists often differ extensively from classic textbook descriptions of intermediary metabolism. These differences are often important in the context of niche adaptation or the structure of microbial communities. Fundamentally interesting in its own right, the biochemical, cell biological and phylogenomic investigation of organellar metabolism also has wider relevance. For instance, in some pathogens, notably those causing some of the most significant tropical diseases, including malaria, unusual organellar metabolism provides important new drug targets. Moreover, the study of organellar metabolism in protists continues to provide critical insight into our understanding of eukaryotic evolution.

Restoring ecosystem services to littoral zones of rivers in the urban core of Chongqing, China.

PubMed

Xian, Xu-Dong; Feng, Yi-Long; Willison, J H Martin; Ai, Li-Jiao; Wang, Ping; Wu, Zhi-Neng

2015-08-01

Two examples of the creation of naturalized areas in the littoral zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir in the urban core of Chongqing City, China, are described. The areas were created for the purpose of restoring ecological functions and services. Plants were selected based on surveys of natural wetland vegetation in the region, and experiments were conducted to discover the capacity of species of interest to survive the sometimes extreme hydrological regimes at the sites. Novel methods were developed to stabilize the plants against the rigors of extreme summer floods and constant swash, notably zigzag berms of rocks wrapped in iron mesh. The areas include native reeds, grasses, shrubs, and trees. Plant communities in the areas are zoned according to flooding stress, and their structure is less stable at lower elevations that are subjected to greater stress. The tall grass Saccharum spontaneum (widespread in Southern Asia) and the tree Pterocarya stenoptera (native to Southwest China) are notable for their utility at these sites in the center of a large city. Communities of tall reeds and grasses have become so dense and stable that they now provide the ecosystem services of capturing river sediments and resisting erosion of the river banks. It is recommended that extensive greening of the riparian zones in urban areas of the Three Gorges Reservoir be conducted for the purpose of providing ecosystem services, based in part on the experiences described here.

The evolution of organellar metabolism in unicellular eukaryotes

PubMed Central

Ginger, Michael L.; McFadden, Geoffrey I.; Michels, Paul A. M.

2010-01-01

Metabolic innovation has facilitated the radiation of microbes into almost every niche environment on the Earth, and over geological time scales transformed the planet on which we live. A notable example of innovation is the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis which was a prelude to the gradual transformation of an anoxic Earth into a world with oxygenated oceans and an oxygen-rich atmosphere capable of supporting complex multicellular organisms. The influence of microbial innovation on the Earth's history and the timing of pivotal events have been addressed in other recent themed editions of Philosophical Transactions of Royal Society B (Cavalier-Smith et al. 2006; Bendall et al. 2008). In this issue, our contributors provide a timely history of metabolic innovation and adaptation within unicellular eukaryotes. In eukaryotes, diverse metabolic portfolios are compartmentalized across multiple membrane-bounded compartments (or organelles). However, as a consequence of pathway retargeting, organelle degeneration or novel endosymbiotic associations, the metabolic repertoires of protists often differ extensively from classic textbook descriptions of intermediary metabolism. These differences are often important in the context of niche adaptation or the structure of microbial communities. Fundamentally interesting in its own right, the biochemical, cell biological and phylogenomic investigation of organellar metabolism also has wider relevance. For instance, in some pathogens, notably those causing some of the most significant tropical diseases, including malaria, unusual organellar metabolism provides important new drug targets. Moreover, the study of organellar metabolism in protists continues to provide critical insight into our understanding of eukaryotic evolution. PMID:20124338

Monitoring diet and diet-related chronic disease risk factors in Finland.

PubMed

Männistö, Satu; Laatikainen, Tiina; Helakorpi, Satu; Valsta, Liisa M

2010-06-01

Health and dietary monitoring has a long history in Finland. The aim of this review is to summarise the main sources of Finnish dietary information including food balance sheets, household budget survey data, questionnaires related to dietary behaviour and risk factors of main chronic diseases as well as dietary surveys. According to these sources, dietary behaviour and food choices have changed considerably during the last decades. For example, the total fat intake (E %) has decreased remarkably from nearly 40 % in the late 1960s to close to 30 % in 2007. Furthermore, the type of fat consumed has changed noticeably due to the increased popularity of oil used in cooking and the large variety of softer spreads available. There has also been a notable decrease in intake of salt, and a multiple increase in the consumption of fruits and vegetables since the 1970s. The future challenges of dietary monitoring include keeping the participation rates in dietary surveys at acceptable levels, controlling under/over-reporting of diet, developing a national monitoring system for children and adapting to international changes and requirements to harmonise dietary monitoring in Europe.

Is Open Science the Future of Drug Development?

PubMed Central

Shaw, Daniel L.

2017-01-01

Traditional drug development models are widely perceived as opaque and inefficient, with the cost of research and development continuing to rise even as production of new drugs stays constant. Searching for strategies to improve the drug discovery process, the biomedical research field has begun to embrace open strategies. The resulting changes are starting to reshape the industry. Open science—an umbrella term for diverse strategies that seek external input and public engagement—has become an essential tool with researchers, who are increasingly turning to collaboration, crowdsourcing, data sharing, and open sourcing to tackle some of the most pressing problems in medicine. Notable examples of such open drug development include initiatives formed around malaria and tropical disease. Open practices have found their way into the drug discovery process, from target identification and compound screening to clinical trials. This perspective argues that while open science poses some risks—which include the management of collaboration and the protection of proprietary data—these strategies are, in many cases, the more efficient and ethical way to conduct biomedical research. PMID:28356902

Prediction of gravity-driven fingering in porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beljadid, Abdelaziz; Cueto-Felgueroso, Luis; Juanes, Ruben

2017-11-01

Gravity-driven displacement of one fluid by another in porous media is often subject to a hydrodynamic instability, whereby fluid invasion takes the form of preferential flow paths-examples include secondary oil migration in reservoir rocks, and infiltration of rainfall water in dry soil. Here, we develop a continuum model of gravity-driven two-phase flow in porous media within the phase-field framework (Cueto-Felgueroso and Juanes, 2008). We employ pore-scale physics arguments to design the free energy of the system, which notably includes a nonlinear formulation of the high-order (square-gradient) term based on equilibrium considerations in the direction orthogonal to gravity. This nonlocal term plays the role of a macroscopic surface tension, which exhibits a strong link with capillary pressure. Our theoretical analysis shows that the proposed model enforces that fluid saturations are bounded between 0 and 1 by construction, therefore overcoming a serious limitation of previous models. Our numerical simulations show that the proposed model also resolves the pinning behavior at the base of the infiltration front, and the asymmetric behavior of the fingers at material interfaces observed experimentally.

Mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus.

PubMed

Pantosti, Annalisa; Sanchini, Andrea; Monaco, Monica

2007-06-01

Staphylococcus aureus can exemplify better than any other human pathogen the adaptive evolution of bacteria in the antibiotic era, as it has demonstrated a unique ability to quickly respond to each new antibiotic with the development of a resistance mechanism, starting with penicillin and methicillin, until the most recent, linezolid and daptomycin. Resistance mechanisms include enzymatic inactivation of the antibiotic (penicillinase and aminoglycoside-modification enzymes), alteration of the target with decreased affinity for the antibiotic (notable examples being penicillin-binding protein 2a of methicillin-resistant S. aureus and D-Ala-D-Lac of peptidoglycan precursors of vancomycin-resistant strains), trapping of the antibiotic (for vancomycin and possibly daptomycin) and efflux pumps (fluoroquinolones and tetracycline). Complex genetic arrays (staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec elements or the vanA operon) have been acquired by S. aureus through horizontal gene transfer, while resistance to other antibiotics, including some of the most recent ones (e.g., fluoroquinolones, linezolid and daptomycin) have developed through spontaneous mutations and positive selection. Detection of the resistance mechanisms and their genetic basis is an important support to antibiotic susceptibility surveillance in S. aureus.

Recent Development of the Two-Stroke Engine. II - Design Features. 2; Design Features

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zeman, J.

1945-01-01

Completing the first paper dealing with charging methods and arrangements, the present paper discusses the design forms of two-stroke engines. Features which largely influence piston running are: (a) The shape and surface condition of the sliding parts. (b) The cylinder and piston materials. (c) Heat conditions in the piston, and lubrication. There is little essential difference between four-stroke and two-stroke engines with ordinary pistons. In large engines, for example, are always found separately cast or welded frames in which the stresses are taken up by tie rods. Twin piston and timing piston engines often differ from this design. Examples can be found in many engines of German or foreign make. Their methods of operation will be dealt with in the third part of the present paper, which also includes the bibliography. The development of two-stroke engine design is, of course, mainly concerned with such features as are inherently difficult to master; that is, the piston barrel and the design of the gudgeon pin bearing. Designers of four-stroke engines now-a-days experience approximately the same difficulties, since heat stresses have increased to the point of influencing conditions in the piston barrel. Features which notably affect this are: (a) The material. (b) Prevailing heat conditions.

Yttrium-90 -- current status, expected availability and applications of a high beta energy emitter.

PubMed

Montaña, R Leyva; González, I Hernández; Ramirez, A Alberti; Garaboldi, L; Chinol, M

2012-07-01

Yttrium-90 ((90)Y, T(1/2) 64.14 h) is a key example of a high beta energy-emitting radionuclide which is available from the strontium-90 ((90)Sr)/(90)Y radionuclide generator system. Clinical uses of (90)Y-labeled radiopharmaceutical agents have been pursued for many years and many applications have proven to be clinical effective. These most notably include the application of 90Y-labeled antibodies for a variety of applications such as for effective treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. One of the major advantages for use of (90)Y is ready availability from the very long-lived (90)Sr parent (T(1/2) 28.78 y). Because of the importance of maintaining generator performance and minimizing parent breakthrough, this paper describes development, use and quality control of both high capacity cation adsorption-type and electrochemical generator systems. In addition, the preparation and targeting to tumors in mice of DOTA-conjugated Nimotuzamab (h-R3) antibody which recognizes the external domain of the EPFR antibody radiolabeled with (90)Y obtained from the electrochemical generator is also described. As a key example for clinical applications of (90)Y, the use of (90)Y-labeled biotin for intra-operative pre-targeting for radionuclide therapy (IART®) of breast cancer is also described.

Biomedical Impact in Implantable Devices-The Transcatheter Aortic Valve as an example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anastasiou, Alexandros; Saatsakis, George

2015-09-01

Objective: To update of the scientific community about the biomedical engineering involvement in the implantable devices chain. Moreover the transcatheter Aortic Valve (TAV) replacement, in the field of cardiac surgery, will be analyzed as an example of contemporary implantable technology. Methods: A detailed literature review regarding biomedical engineers participating in the implantable medical product chain, starting from the design of the product till the final implantation technique. Results: The scientific role of biomedical engineers has clearly been established. Certain parts of the product chain are implemented almost exclusively by experienced biomedical engineers such as the transcatheter aortic valve device. The successful professional should have a multidisciplinary knowledge, including medicine, in order to pursue the challenges for such intuitive technology. This clearly indicates that biomedical engineers are among the most appropriate scientists to accomplish such tasks. Conclusions: The biomedical engineering involvement in medical implantable devices has been widely accepted by the scientific community, worldwide. Its important contribution, starting from the design and extended to the development, clinical trials, scientific support, education of other scientists (surgeons, cardiologists, technicians etc.), and even to sales, makes biomedical engineers a valuable player in the scientific arena. Notably, the sector of implantable devices is constantly raising, as emerging technologies continuously set up new targets.

European Scientific Notes. Volume 33, Number 9,

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-09-30

insensitive, in that perfection. Some studies are also they depend only on the fundamental conducted on metals, most notably sur- electronic structure, state of...future work is in- to retain the homogeneity (for example, tended on SIC. by spraying the liquid Into liquid The equipment in the laboratory nitrogen... electrodes are used ’tic’’le steel. and :Inc . Some of only to a1 very sl ight extent. Most the particular AspeC.ts of the work of the experimental method

Non-equilibrium in cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pietroni, M.

2009-02-01

All the non-trivial features of the Universe we see around us, such as particles, stars, galaxies, and clusters of galaxies, are the result of non-equilibrium processes in the cosmic evolution. These lectures aim to provide some general background in cosmology and to examine specific, and notable, examples of departures from thermal equilibrium. They are organized as follows: 1) Overview of the thermal history of the Universe after the Big Bang: the relevant time-scales and the mechanism of particle decoupling from the themal bath; 2) Explicit examples of cosmic relics: nucleosynthesis, photons and the cosmic microwave background, neutrinos, and cold dark matter; 3) Baryogenesis: the generation of the baryon asymmetry of the Universe; 4) The formation of cosmic structures (galaxies, clusters of galaxies): from the Vlasov equation to the renormalization group.

Deterministic Integration of Biological and Soft Materials onto 3D Microscale Cellular Frameworks

PubMed Central

McCracken, Joselle M.; Xu, Sheng; Badea, Adina; Jang, Kyung-In; Yan, Zheng; Wetzel, David J.; Nan, Kewang; Lin, Qing; Han, Mengdi; Anderson, Mikayla A.; Lee, Jung Woo; Wei, Zijun; Pharr, Matt; Wang, Renhan; Su, Jessica; Rubakhin, Stanislav S.; Sweedler, Jonathan V.

2018-01-01

Complex 3D organizations of materials represent ubiquitous structural motifs found in the most sophisticated forms of matter, the most notable of which are in life-sustaining hierarchical structures found in biology, but where simpler examples also exist as dense multilayered constructs in high-performance electronics. Each class of system evinces specific enabling forms of assembly to establish their functional organization at length scales not dissimilar to tissue-level constructs. This study describes materials and means of assembly that extend and join these disparate systems—schemes for the functional integration of soft and biological materials with synthetic 3D microscale, open frameworks that can leverage the most advanced forms of multilayer electronic technologies, including device-grade semiconductors such as monocrystalline silicon. Cellular migration behaviors, temporal dependencies of their growth, and contact guidance cues provided by the nonplanarity of these frameworks illustrate design criteria useful for their functional integration with living matter (e.g., NIH 3T3 fibroblast and primary rat dorsal root ganglion cell cultures). PMID:29552634

Printed photodetectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pace, Giuseppina; Grimoldi, Andrea; Sampietro, Marco; Natali, Dario; Caironi, Mario

2015-10-01

Photodetectors convert light pulses into electrical signals and are fundamental building blocks for any opto-electronic system adopting light as a probe or information carrier. They have widespread technological applications, from telecommunications to sensors in industrial, medical and civil environments. Further opportunities are plastic short-range communications systems, interactive large-area surfaces and light-weight, flexible, digital imagers. These applications would greatly benefit from the cost-effective fabrication processes enabled by printing technology. While organic semiconductors are the most investigated materials for printed photodetectors, and are the main focus of the present review, there are notable examples of other inorganic or hybrid printable semiconductors for opto-electronic systems, such as quantum-dots and nanowires. Here we propose an overview on printed photodetectors, including three-terminal phototransistors. We first give a brief account of the working mechanism of these light sensitive devices, and then we review the recent progress achieved with scalable printing techniques such as screen-printing, inkjet and other non-contact technologies in the development of all-printed or hybrid systems.

Circadian clock proteins and immunity.

PubMed

Curtis, Anne M; Bellet, Marina M; Sassone-Corsi, Paolo; O'Neill, Luke A J

2014-02-20

Immune parameters change with time of day and disruption of circadian rhythms has been linked to inflammatory pathologies. A circadian-clock-controlled immune system might allow an organism to anticipate daily changes in activity and feeding and the associated risk of infection or tissue damage to the host. Responses to bacteria have been shown to vary depending on time of infection, with mice being more at risk of sepsis when challenged ahead of their activity phase. Studies highlight the extent to which the molecular clock, most notably the core clock proteins BMAL1, CLOCK, and REV-ERBα, control fundamental aspects of the immune response. Examples include the BMAL1:CLOCK heterodimer regulating toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) expression and repressing expression of the inflammatory monocyte chemokine ligand (CCL2) as well as REV-ERBα suppressing the induction of interleukin-6. Understanding the daily rhythm of the immune system could have implications for vaccinations and how we manage infectious and inflammatory diseases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Pursuit of Word Meanings

PubMed Central

Stevens, Jon Scott; Gleitman, Lila R.; Trueswell, John C.; Yang, Charles

2016-01-01

We evaluate here the performance of four models of cross-situational word learning; two global models, which extract and retain multiple referential alternatives from each word occurrence; and two local models, which extract just a single referent from each occurrence. One of these local models, dubbed Pursuit, uses an associative learning mechanism to estimate word-referent probability but pursues and tests the best referent-meaning at any given time. Pursuit is found to perform as well as global models under many conditions extracted from naturalistic corpora of parent child-interactions, even though the model maintains far less information than global models. Moreover, Pursuit is found to best capture human experimental findings from several relevant cross-situational word-learning experiments, including those of Yu and Smith (2007), the paradigm example of a finding believed to support fully global cross-situational models. Implications and limitations of these results are discussed, most notably that the model characterizes only the earliest stages of word learning, when reliance on the co-occurring referent world is at its greatest. PMID:27666335

Energetics and dynamics through time-resolved measurements in mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lifshitz, Chava

Results of recent work on time-resolved photoionization and electron ionization mass spectrometry carried out in Jerusalem are reviewed. Time-resolved photoionization mass spectrometry in the vacuum ultraviolet is applied to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, for example naphthalene, pyrene and fluoranthene as well as to some bromo derivatives (bromonaphthalene and bromoanthracene). Time-resolved photoionization efficiency curves are modelled by Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus QET rate-energy k ( E ) dependences of the unimolecular dissociative processes and by the rate process infrared radiative relaxation k . Experimental results are augmented by time-resolved photorad dissociation data for the same species, whenever available. Kinetic shifts, conventional and intrinsic (due to competition between dissociative and radiative decay), are evaluated. Activation parameters (activation energies and entropies) are deduced. Thermochemical information is obtained including bond energies and ionic heats of formation. Fullerenes, notably C , are studied by time-resolved electron ionization and a large intrinsic shift, due to competition with black-bodylike radiative decay in the visible is discussed.

Disability rights advocacy and employment: a qualitative study of the National Centre for the Employment of Disabled People (NCPEDP) in India.

PubMed

Benshoff, Laura; Barrera, Magda; Heymann, Jody

2014-01-01

In India, the low rate of employment of people with disabilities is a large problem in the growing economy. Looking at one advocacy group's strategies for influencing the private sector and lobbying the Indian government for more responsive employment policies, this article focuses on NCPEDP's holistic approach to increasing employment of people with disabilities as an example of notable, innovative practice. The article examines NCPEDP's strategies towards the private sector, public policy, and civil society, including its Disability Awards (highlighting inclusive workplaces), the 2001 and 2011 Census campaigns' efforts for people with disabilities to become accurately counted, and its networks of disability organizations that disseminate relevant information and campaign for greater equality across the nation. The benefits and limitations of these strategies are then assessed for lessons regarding the strategies available to small nongovernmental organizations seeking to influence employment, the private sector and public policy in other settings.

Exploring a taxonomy for aggression against women: can it aid conceptual clarity?

PubMed

Cook, Sarah; Parrott, Dominic

2009-01-01

The assessment of aggression against women is demanding primarily because assessment strategies do not share a common language to describe reliably the wide range of forms of aggression women experience. The lack of a common language impairs efforts to describe these experiences, understand causes and consequences of aggression against women, and develop effective intervention and prevention efforts. This review accomplishes two goals. First, it applies a theoretically and empirically based taxonomy to behaviors assessed by existing measurement instruments. Second, it evaluates whether the taxonomy provides a common language for the field. Strengths of the taxonomy include its ability to describe and categorize all forms of aggression found in existing quantitative measures. The taxonomy also classifies numerous examples of aggression discussed in the literature but notably absent from quantitative measures. Although we use existing quantitative measures as a starting place to evaluate the taxonomy, its use is not limited to quantitative methods. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.

Oxidative aliphatic C-H fluorination with manganese catalysts and fluoride ion

PubMed Central

Liu, Wei; Huang, Xiongyi; Groves, John T

2014-01-01

Fluorination is a reaction that is useful in improving the chemical stability and changing the binding affinity of biologically active compounds. The protocol described here can be used to replace aliphatic, C(sp3)-H hydrogen in small molecules with fluorine. Notably, isolated methylene groups and unactivated benzylic sites are accessible. The method uses readily available manganese porphyrin and manganese salen catalysts and various fluoride ion reagents, including silver fluoride (AgF), tetrabutylammonium fluoride and triethylamine trihydrofluoride (TREAT·HF), as the source of fluorine. Typically, the reactions afford 50–70% yield of mono-fluorinated products in one step. Two representative examples, the fragrance component celestolide and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen, are described; they produced useful isolated quantities (250–300 mg, ~50% yield) of fluorinated material over periods of 1–8 h. The procedures are performed in a typical fume hood using ordinary laboratory glassware. No special precautions to rigorously exclude water are required. PMID:24177292

Uniform California earthquake rupture forecast, version 3 (UCERF3): the time-independent model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Field, Edward H.; Biasi, Glenn P.; Bird, Peter; Dawson, Timothy E.; Felzer, Karen R.; Jackson, David D.; Johnson, Kaj M.; Jordan, Thomas H.; Madden, Christopher; Michael, Andrew J.; Milner, Kevin R.; Page, Morgan T.; Parsons, Thomas; Powers, Peter M.; Shaw, Bruce E.; Thatcher, Wayne R.; Weldon, Ray J.; Zeng, Yuehua; ,

2013-01-01

In this report we present the time-independent component of the Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast, Version 3 (UCERF3), which provides authoritative estimates of the magnitude, location, and time-averaged frequency of potentially damaging earthquakes in California. The primary achievements have been to relax fault segmentation assumptions and to include multifault ruptures, both limitations of the previous model (UCERF2). The rates of all earthquakes are solved for simultaneously, and from a broader range of data, using a system-level "grand inversion" that is both conceptually simple and extensible. The inverse problem is large and underdetermined, so a range of models is sampled using an efficient simulated annealing algorithm. The approach is more derivative than prescriptive (for example, magnitude-frequency distributions are no longer assumed), so new analysis tools were developed for exploring solutions. Epistemic uncertainties were also accounted for using 1,440 alternative logic tree branches, necessitating access to supercomputers. The most influential uncertainties include alternative deformation models (fault slip rates), a new smoothed seismicity algorithm, alternative values for the total rate of M≥5 events, and different scaling relationships, virtually all of which are new. As a notable first, three deformation models are based on kinematically consistent inversions of geodetic and geologic data, also providing slip-rate constraints on faults previously excluded because of lack of geologic data. The grand inversion constitutes a system-level framework for testing hypotheses and balancing the influence of different experts. For example, we demonstrate serious challenges with the Gutenberg-Richter hypothesis for individual faults. UCERF3 is still an approximation of the system, however, and the range of models is limited (for example, constrained to stay close to UCERF2). Nevertheless, UCERF3 removes the apparent UCERF2 overprediction of M6.5–7 earthquake rates and also includes types of multifault ruptures seen in nature. Although UCERF3 fits the data better than UCERF2 overall, there may be areas that warrant further site-specific investigation. Supporting products may be of general interest, and we list key assumptions and avenues for future model improvements.

Auditoriums/Music Rooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American School & University, 2002

2002-01-01

Describes the design of notable school auditoriums and music rooms, including the educational context and design goals. Includes information on architects, suppliers, and cost, as well as photographs. (EV)

Automated processing of zebrafish imaging data: a survey.

PubMed

Mikut, Ralf; Dickmeis, Thomas; Driever, Wolfgang; Geurts, Pierre; Hamprecht, Fred A; Kausler, Bernhard X; Ledesma-Carbayo, María J; Marée, Raphaël; Mikula, Karol; Pantazis, Periklis; Ronneberger, Olaf; Santos, Andres; Stotzka, Rainer; Strähle, Uwe; Peyriéras, Nadine

2013-09-01

Due to the relative transparency of its embryos and larvae, the zebrafish is an ideal model organism for bioimaging approaches in vertebrates. Novel microscope technologies allow the imaging of developmental processes in unprecedented detail, and they enable the use of complex image-based read-outs for high-throughput/high-content screening. Such applications can easily generate Terabytes of image data, the handling and analysis of which becomes a major bottleneck in extracting the targeted information. Here, we describe the current state of the art in computational image analysis in the zebrafish system. We discuss the challenges encountered when handling high-content image data, especially with regard to data quality, annotation, and storage. We survey methods for preprocessing image data for further analysis, and describe selected examples of automated image analysis, including the tracking of cells during embryogenesis, heartbeat detection, identification of dead embryos, recognition of tissues and anatomical landmarks, and quantification of behavioral patterns of adult fish. We review recent examples for applications using such methods, such as the comprehensive analysis of cell lineages during early development, the generation of a three-dimensional brain atlas of zebrafish larvae, and high-throughput drug screens based on movement patterns. Finally, we identify future challenges for the zebrafish image analysis community, notably those concerning the compatibility of algorithms and data formats for the assembly of modular analysis pipelines.

Automated Processing of Zebrafish Imaging Data: A Survey

PubMed Central

Dickmeis, Thomas; Driever, Wolfgang; Geurts, Pierre; Hamprecht, Fred A.; Kausler, Bernhard X.; Ledesma-Carbayo, María J.; Marée, Raphaël; Mikula, Karol; Pantazis, Periklis; Ronneberger, Olaf; Santos, Andres; Stotzka, Rainer; Strähle, Uwe; Peyriéras, Nadine

2013-01-01

Abstract Due to the relative transparency of its embryos and larvae, the zebrafish is an ideal model organism for bioimaging approaches in vertebrates. Novel microscope technologies allow the imaging of developmental processes in unprecedented detail, and they enable the use of complex image-based read-outs for high-throughput/high-content screening. Such applications can easily generate Terabytes of image data, the handling and analysis of which becomes a major bottleneck in extracting the targeted information. Here, we describe the current state of the art in computational image analysis in the zebrafish system. We discuss the challenges encountered when handling high-content image data, especially with regard to data quality, annotation, and storage. We survey methods for preprocessing image data for further analysis, and describe selected examples of automated image analysis, including the tracking of cells during embryogenesis, heartbeat detection, identification of dead embryos, recognition of tissues and anatomical landmarks, and quantification of behavioral patterns of adult fish. We review recent examples for applications using such methods, such as the comprehensive analysis of cell lineages during early development, the generation of a three-dimensional brain atlas of zebrafish larvae, and high-throughput drug screens based on movement patterns. Finally, we identify future challenges for the zebrafish image analysis community, notably those concerning the compatibility of algorithms and data formats for the assembly of modular analysis pipelines. PMID:23758125

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

Keepin, G.R.

Over the years the Los Alamos safeguards program has developed, tested, and implemented a broad range of passive and active nondestructive analysis (NDA) instruments (based on gamma and x-ray detection and neutron counting) that are now widely employed in safeguarding nuclear materials of all forms. Here very briefly, the major categories of gamma ray and neutron based NDA techniques, give some representative examples of NDA instruments currently in use, and cite a few notable instances of state-of-the-art NDA technique development. Historical aspects and a broad overview of the safeguards program are also presented.

Communication: An exact bound on the bridge function in integral equation theories.

PubMed

Kast, Stefan M; Tomazic, Daniel

2012-11-07

We show that the formal solution of the general closure relation occurring in Ornstein-Zernike-type integral equation theories in terms of the Lambert W function leads to an exact relation between the bridge function and correlation functions, most notably to an inequality that bounds possible bridge values. The analytical results are illustrated on the example of the Lennard-Jones fluid for which the exact bridge function is known from computer simulations under various conditions. The inequality has consequences for the development of bridge function models and rationalizes numerical convergence issues.

The STAT3-Ser/Hes3 signaling axis: an emerging regulator of endogenous regeneration and cancer growth

PubMed Central

Poser, Steven W.; Park, Deric M.; Androutsellis-Theotokis, Andreas

2013-01-01

Stem cells, by definition, are able to both self-renew (give rise to more cells of their own kind) and demonstrate multipotential (the ability to differentiate into multiple cell types). To accommodate this unique dual ability, stem cells interpret signal transduction pathways in specialized ways. Notable examples include canonical and non-canonical branches of the Notch signaling pathway, with each controlling different downstream targets (e.g., Hes1 vs. Hes3) and promoting either differentiation or self-renewal. Similarly, stem cells utilize STAT3 signaling uniquely. Most mature cells studied thus far rely on tyrosine phosphorylation (STAT3-Tyr) to promote survival and growth; in contrast, STAT3-Tyr induces the differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs). NSCs use an alternative phosphorylation site, STAT3-Ser, to regulate survival and growth, a site that is largely redundant for this function in most other cell types. STAT3-Ser regulates Hes3, and together they form a convergence point for several signals, including Notch, Tie2, and insulin receptor activation. Disregulation and manipulation of the STAT3-Ser/Hes3 signaling pathway is important in both tumorigenesis and regenerative medicine, and worthy of extensive study. PMID:24101906

GFP-like proteins as ubiquitous metazoan superfamily: evolution of functional features and structural complexity.

PubMed

Shagin, Dmitry A; Barsova, Ekaterina V; Yanushevich, Yurii G; Fradkov, Arkady F; Lukyanov, Konstantin A; Labas, Yulii A; Semenova, Tatiana N; Ugalde, Juan A; Meyers, Ann; Nunez, Jose M; Widder, Edith A; Lukyanov, Sergey A; Matz, Mikhail V

2004-05-01

Homologs of the green fluorescent protein (GFP), including the recently described GFP-like domains of certain extracellular matrix proteins in Bilaterian organisms, are remarkably similar at the protein structure level, yet they often perform totally unrelated functions, thereby warranting recognition as a superfamily. Here we describe diverse GFP-like proteins from previously undersampled and completely new sources, including hydromedusae and planktonic Copepoda. In hydromedusae, yellow and nonfluorescent purple proteins were found in addition to greens. Notably, the new yellow protein seems to follow exactly the same structural solution to achieving the yellow color of fluorescence as YFP, an engineered yellow-emitting mutant variant of GFP. The addition of these new sequences made it possible to resolve deep-level phylogenetic relationships within the superfamily. Fluorescence (most likely green) must have already existed in the common ancestor of Cnidaria and Bilateria, and therefore GFP-like proteins may be responsible for fluorescence and/or coloration in virtually any animal. At least 15 color diversification events can be inferred following the maximum parsimony principle in Cnidaria. Origination of red fluorescence and nonfluorescent purple-blue colors on several independent occasions provides a remarkable example of convergent evolution of complex features at the molecular level.

New dialogue for the way forward in maternal health: addressing market inefficiencies.

PubMed

McCarthy, Katharine; Ramarao, Saumya; Taboada, Hannah

2015-06-01

Despite notable progress in Millennium Development Goal (MDG) five, to reduce maternal deaths three-quarters by 2015, deaths due to treatable conditions during pregnancy and childbirth continue to concentrate in the developing world. Expanding access to three effective and low-cost maternal health drugs can reduce preventable maternal deaths, if available to all women. However, current failures in markets for maternal health drugs limit access to lifesaving medicines among those most in need. In effort to stimulate renewed action planning in the post-MDG era, we present three case examples from other global health initiatives to illustrate how market shaping strategies can scale-up access to essential maternal health drugs. Such strategies include: sharing intelligence among suppliers and users to better approximate and address unmet need for maternal health drugs, introducing innovative financial strategies to catalyze otherwise unattractive markets for drug manufacturers, and employing market segmentation to create a viable and sustainable market. By building on lessons learned from other market shaping interventions and capitalizing on opportunities for renewed action planning and partnership, the maternal health field can utilize market dynamics to better ensure sustainable and equitable distribution of essential maternal health drugs to all women, including the most marginalized.

The NASA Modern Era Reanalysis for Research and Applications, Version-2 (MERRA-2)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gelaro, R.; McCarty, W.; Molod, A.; Suarez, M.; Takacs, L.; Todling, R.

2014-12-01

The NASA Modern Era Reanalysis for Research Applications Version-2 (MERRA-2) is a reanalysis for the satellite era using an updated version of the Goddard Earth Observing System Data Assimilation System Version-5 (GEOS-5) produced by the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO). MERRA-2 will assimilate meteorological and aerosol observations not available to MERRA and includes improvements to the GEOS-5 model and analysis scheme so as to provide an ongoing climate analysis beyond MERRA's terminus. MERRA-2 will also serve as a development milestone for a future GMAO coupled Earth system analysis. Production of MERRA-2 began in June 2014 in four processing streams, with convergence to a single near-real time climate analysis expected by early 2015. This talk provides an overview of the MERRA-2 system developments and key science results. For example, compared with MERRA, MERRA-2 exhibits a well-balanced relationship between global precipitation and evaporation, with significantly reduced sensitivity to changes in the global observing system through time. Other notable improvements include reduced biases in the tropical middle- and upper-tropospheric wind and near-surface temperature over continents.

Pharmacotherapeutic approaches for treating psoriasis in difficult-to-treat areas.

PubMed

Kivelevitch, Dario; Frieder, Jillian; Watson, Ian; Paek, So Yeon; Menter, M Alan

2018-04-01

Despite great therapeutic advancements in psoriasis, four notable difficult-to-treat areas including the scalp, nails, intertriginous (including genitals), and palmoplantar regions, pose a challenge to both physicians and patients. Localized disease of these specific body regions inflicts a significant burden on patients' quality of life and requires an adequate selection of treatments. Areas covered: This manuscript discusses appropriate therapies and important treatment considerations for these difficult-to-treat areas based on the available clinical data from the literature. Expert opinion: Clinical trials assessing therapies for the difficult-to-treat areas have been inadequate. With the first biological clinical trial for genital psoriasis pending publication, it is with hope that other biological agents will be evaluated for region-specific psoriasis. A greater understanding of the genetic and immunologic aspects of regional psoriasis, as well as identification of unique biomarkers, will further guide management decisions. For example, the recent discovery of the IL-36 receptor gene for generalized pustular psoriasis may prove valuable for other forms of psoriasis. Ultimately, identification of the most beneficial treatments for each psoriasis subtype and difficult-to-treat area will provide patients with maximal quality of life.

A sustainable system of systems approach: a new HFE paradigm.

PubMed

Thatcher, Andrew; Yeow, Paul H P

2016-01-01

Sustainability issues such as natural resource depletion, pollution and poor working conditions have no geographical boundaries in our interconnected world. To address these issues requires a paradigm shift within human factors and ergonomics (HFE), to think beyond a bounded, linear model understanding towards a broader systems framework. For this reason, we introduce a sustainable system of systems model that integrates the current hierarchical conceptualisation of possible interventions (i.e., micro-, meso- and macro-ergonomics) with important concepts from the sustainability literature, including the triple bottom line approach and the notion of time frames. Two practical examples from the HFE literature are presented to illustrate the model. The implications of this paradigm shift for HFE researchers and practitioners are discussed and include the long-term sustainability of the HFE community and comprehensive solutions to problems that consider the emergent issues that arise from this interconnected world. A sustainable world requires a broader systems thinking than that which currently exists in ergonomics. This study proposes a sustainable system of systems model that incorporates ideas from the ecological sciences, notably a nested hierarchy of systems and a hierarchical time dimension. The implications for sustainable design and the sustainability of the HFE community are considered.

Impact of anthropogenic and natural environmental changes on Echinococcus transmission in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the People’s Republic of China

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Echinococcus transmission is known to be affected by various environmental factors, which may be modified by human influence or natural events including global warming. Considerable population growth in the last fifty years in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR), the People’s Republic of China (PRC), has led to dramatic increases in deforestation and modified agricultural practices. In turn, this has resulted in many changes in the habitats for the definitive and intermediate hosts of both Echinococcus granulosus and E. multilocularis, which have increased the risks for transmission of both parasites, affecting echinococcosis prevalence and human disease. Ecological environmental changes due to anthropogenic activities and natural events drive Echinococcus transmission and NHAR provides a notable example illustrating how human activity can impact on a parasitic infection of major public health significance. It is very important to continually monitor these environmental (including climatic) factors that drive the distribution of Echinococcus spp. and their impact on transmission to humans because such information is necessary to formulate reliable future public health policy for echinococcosis control programs and to prevent disease spread. PMID:22827890

Impact on the world poultry industry of the global shift to biofuels.

PubMed

Aho, P

2007-11-01

The shift to biofuels is a worldwide phenomenon, but the most notable recent development has been the rapid increase in the production of ethanol in the United States. Ethanol production in the United States enjoys a substantial subsidy, tariff protection, and mandated use. The consequence of increasing biofuels production is to raise the cost of feed and food worldwide. Those that suffer from this policy include all consumers of food, most notably the urban poor of developing countries. Those that benefit from the policy are farmers everywhere, including farmers in developing countries.

Simple and practical approach for computing the ray Hessian matrix in geometrical optics.

PubMed

Lin, Psang Dain

2018-02-01

A method is proposed for simplifying the computation of the ray Hessian matrix in geometrical optics by replacing the angular variables in the system variable vector with their equivalent cosine and sine functions. The variable vector of a boundary surface is similarly defined in such a way as to exclude any angular variables. It is shown that the proposed formulations reduce the computation time of the Hessian matrix by around 10 times compared to the previous method reported by the current group in Advanced Geometrical Optics (2016). Notably, the method proposed in this study involves only polynomial differentiation, i.e., trigonometric function calls are not required. As a consequence, the computation complexity is significantly reduced. Five illustrative examples are given. The first three examples show that the proposed method is applicable to the determination of the Hessian matrix for any pose matrix, irrespective of the order in which the rotation and translation motions are specified. The last two examples demonstrate the use of the proposed Hessian matrix in determining the axial and lateral chromatic aberrations of a typical optical system.

Approaches to standardization of atmospheric pollution undergoing long-range and transboundary transport.

PubMed

Izrael, Y A; Nazarov, I M; Ryaboshapko, A G

1982-12-01

The authors consider some possible ways of regulating three types of atmospheric emission of pollutants: - emission of substances causing pollution of the natural environment on the global scale (global pollutants); - emission of substances causing pollution on a regional scale, most often including territories of several countries (international pollutants); - emission of substances causing negative effects in a relatively limited region, for example within border area of two adjoining countries. Substances (gaseous, as a rule) of a long life-time in the atmosphere that can contaminate natural media on a global scale irrespective of the place of emission refer to the first class of pollutants that are subject to emission regulation at an international level and to quota establishement for individual countries. They are carbon dioxide, freon, krypton-85.Various approaches to determining permissible emission and to quota establishing are discussed in the paper.The second group includes substances of a limited, yet rather long, life-time whose emission intensity makes a notable contribution to environmental pollution of a large region including territories of several countries. Here it is needed to regulate internationally not the atmospheric emission as it is but pollutant transport over national boundaries (sulphur and nitrogen oxides, pesticides, heavy metals).The third group includes substances of relatively short time of life producing local effects. Emission regulation in such cases should be based upon bilateral agreements with due account of countries' mutual interests.

Transformational change in healthcare: an examination of four case studies.

PubMed

Charlesworth, Kate; Jamieson, Maggie; Davey, Rachel; Butler, Colin D

2016-04-01

Objectives Healthcare leaders around the world are calling for radical, transformational change of our health and care systems. This will be a difficult and complex task. In this article, we examine case studies in which transformational change has been achieved, and seek to learn from these experiences. Methods We used the case study method to investigate examples of transformational change in healthcare. The case studies were identified from preliminary doctoral research into the transition towards future sustainable health and social care systems. Evidence was collected from multiple sources, key features of each case study were displayed in a matrix and thematic analysis was conducted. The results are presented in narrative form. Results Four case studies were selected: two from the US, one from Australia and one from the UK. The notable features are discussed for each case study. There were many common factors: a well communicated vision, innovative redesign, extensive consultation and engagement with staff and patients, performance management, automated information management and high-quality leadership. Conclusions Although there were some notable differences between the case studies, overall the characteristics of success were similar and collectively provide a blueprint for transformational change in healthcare. What is known about the topic? Healthcare leaders around the world are calling for radical redesign of our systems in order to meet the challenges of modern society. What does this paper add? There are some remarkable examples of transformational change in healthcare. The key factors in success are similar across the case studies. What are the implications for practitioners? Collectively, these key factors can guide future attempts at transformational change in healthcare.

Introduced species: A significant component of human-caused global change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vitousek, Peter M.; D'Antonio, Carla M.; Loope, Lloyd L.; Rejmanek, Marcel; Westbrooks, Randy G.

1997-01-01

Biological invasions are a widespread and significant component of human-caused global environmental change. The extent of invasions of oceanic islands, and their consequences for native biological diversity, have long been recognized. However, invasions of continental regions also are substantial. For example, more than 2,000 species of alien plants are established in the continental United States. These invasions represent a human-caused breakdown of the regional distinctiveness of Earth's flora and fauna—a substantial global change in and of itself. Moreover, there are well- documented examples of invading species that degrade human health and wealth, alter the structure and functioning of otherwise undisturbed ecosystems, and/or threaten native biological diversity. Invasions also interact synergistically with other components of global change. notably land use change. People and institutions working to understand, prevent, and control invasions are carrying out some of the most important—and potentially most effective—work on global environmental change.

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

Reed, D.A.; Grunwald, D.C.

The spectrum of parallel processor designs can be divided into three sections according to the number and complexity of the processors. At one end there are simple, bit-serial processors. Any one of thee processors is of little value, but when it is coupled with many others, the aggregate computing power can be large. This approach to parallel processing can be likened to a colony of termites devouring a log. The most notable examples of this approach are the NASA/Goodyear Massively Parallel Processor, which has 16K one-bit processors, and the Thinking Machines Connection Machine, which has 64K one-bit processors. At themore » other end of the spectrum, a small number of processors, each built using the fastest available technology and the most sophisticated architecture, are combined. An example of this approach is the Cray X-MP. This type of parallel processing is akin to four woodmen attacking the log with chainsaws.« less

How much can we gain from improved efficiency? An examination of performance of national HIV/AIDS programs and its determinants in low- and middle-income countries

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The economic downturn exacerbates the inadequacy of resources for combating the worldwide HIV/AIDS pandemic and amplifies the need to improve the efficiency of HIV/AIDS programs. Methods We used data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate efficiency of national HIV/AIDS programs in transforming funding into services and implemented a Tobit model to identify determinants of the efficiency in 68 low- and middle-income countries. We considered the change from the lowest quartile to the average value of a variable a "notable" increase. Results Overall, the average efficiency in implementing HIV/AIDS programs was moderate (49.8%). Program efficiency varied enormously among countries with means by quartile of efficiency of 13.0%, 36.4%, 54.4% and 96.5%. A country's governance, financing mechanisms, and economic and demographic characteristics influence the program efficiency. For example, if countries achieved a notable increase in "voice and accountability" (e.g., greater participation of civil society in policy making), the efficiency of their HIV/AIDS programs would increase by 40.8%. For countries in the lowest quartile of per capita gross national income (GNI), a notable increase in per capita GNI would increase the efficiency of AIDS programs by 45.0%. Conclusions There may be substantial opportunity for improving the efficiency of AIDS services, by providing more services with existing resources. Actions beyond the health sector could be important factors affecting HIV/AIDS service delivery. PMID:22443135

Covariance expressions for eigenvalue and eigenvector problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liounis, Andrew J.

There are a number of important scientific and engineering problems whose solutions take the form of an eigenvalue--eigenvector problem. Some notable examples include solutions to linear systems of ordinary differential equations, controllability of linear systems, finite element analysis, chemical kinetics, fitting ellipses to noisy data, and optimal estimation of attitude from unit vectors. In many of these problems, having knowledge of the eigenvalue and eigenvector Jacobians is either necessary or is nearly as important as having the solution itself. For instance, Jacobians are necessary to find the uncertainty in a computed eigenvalue or eigenvector estimate. This uncertainty, which is usually represented as a covariance matrix, has been well studied for problems similar to the eigenvalue and eigenvector problem, such as singular value decomposition. There has been substantially less research on the covariance of an optimal estimate originating from an eigenvalue-eigenvector problem. In this thesis we develop two general expressions for the Jacobians of eigenvalues and eigenvectors with respect to the elements of their parent matrix. The expressions developed make use of only the parent matrix and the eigenvalue and eigenvector pair under consideration. In addition, they are applicable to any general matrix (including complex valued matrices, eigenvalues, and eigenvectors) as long as the eigenvalues are simple. Alongside this, we develop expressions that determine the uncertainty in a vector estimate obtained from an eigenvalue-eigenvector problem given the uncertainty of the terms of the matrix. The Jacobian expressions developed are numerically validated with forward finite, differencing and the covariance expressions are validated using Monte Carlo analysis. Finally, the results from this work are used to determine covariance expressions for a variety of estimation problem examples and are also applied to the design of a dynamical system.

Engineered nanomaterials: exposures, hazards, and risk prevention

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Nanotechnology presents the possibility of revolutionizing many aspects of our lives. People in many settings (academic, small and large industrial, and the general public in industrialized nations) are either developing or using engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) or ENM-containing products. However, our understanding of the occupational, health and safety aspects of ENMs is still in its formative stage. A survey of the literature indicates the available information is incomplete, many of the early findings have not been independently verified, and some may have been over-interpreted. This review describes ENMs briefly, their application, the ENM workforce, the major routes of human exposure, some examples of uptake and adverse effects, what little has been reported on occupational exposure assessment, and approaches to minimize exposure and health hazards. These latter approaches include engineering controls such as fume hoods and personal protective equipment. Results showing the effectiveness - or lack thereof - of some of these controls are also included. This review is presented in the context of the Risk Assessment/Risk Management framework, as a paradigm to systematically work through issues regarding human health hazards of ENMs. Examples are discussed of current knowledge of nanoscale materials for each component of the Risk Assessment/Risk Management framework. Given the notable lack of information, current recommendations to minimize exposure and hazards are largely based on common sense, knowledge by analogy to ultrafine material toxicity, and general health and safety recommendations. This review may serve as an overview for health and safety personnel, management, and ENM workers to establish and maintain a safe work environment. Small start-up companies and research institutions with limited personnel or expertise in nanotechnology health and safety issues may find this review particularly useful. PMID:21418643

Inflammatory Mediators Alter the Astrocyte Transcriptome and Calcium Signaling Elicited by Multiple G-Protein-Coupled Receptors

PubMed Central

Hamby, Mary E.; Coppola, Giovanni; Ao, Yan; Geschwind, Daniel H.; Khakh, Baljit S.; Sofroniew, Michael V.

2012-01-01

Inflammation features in CNS disorders such as stroke, trauma, neurodegeneration, infection, and autoimmunity in which astrocytes play critical roles. To elucidate how inflammatory mediators alter astrocyte functions, we examined effects of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and interferon-gamma (IFNγ), alone and in combination, on purified, mouse primary cortical astrocyte cultures. We used microarrays to conduct whole-genome expression profiling, and measured calcium signaling, which is implicated in mediating dynamic astrocyte functions. Combinatorial exposure to TGF-β1, LPS, and IFNγ significantly modulated astrocyte expression of >6800 gene probes, including >380 synergistic changes not predicted by summing individual treatment effects. Bioinformatic analyses revealed significantly and markedly upregulated molecular networks and pathways associated in particular with immune signaling and regulation of cell injury, death, growth, and proliferation. Highly regulated genes included chemokines, growth factors, enzymes, channels, transporters, and intercellular and intracellular signal transducers. Notably, numerous genes for G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and G-protein effectors involved in calcium signaling were significantly regulated, mostly down (for example, Cxcr4, Adra2a, Ednra, P2y1, Gnao1, Gng7), but some up (for example, P2y14, P2y6, Ccrl2, Gnb4). We tested selected cases and found that changes in GPCR gene expression were accompanied by significant, parallel changes in astrocyte calcium signaling evoked by corresponding GPCR-specific ligands. These findings identify pronounced changes in the astrocyte transcriptome induced by TGF-β1, LPS, and IFNγ, and show that these inflammatory stimuli upregulate astrocyte molecular networks associated with immune- and injury-related functions and significantly alter astrocyte calcium signaling stimulated by multiple GPCRs. PMID:23077035

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

Oehler, G.C.

As dramatic as are the recent changes in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union political happenings, some other factors are having at least as important an impact on the intelligence community's business. For example, new and more global problems have arisen, such as the proliferation of advanced weapons, economic competitiveness, and environmental concerns. It is obvious that intelligence requirements are on the increase. For the intelligence community whose business is information gathering and processing, advanced information management tools are needed. Fortunately, recent technical advances offer these tools. Some of the more notable advances in information documentation, storage, and retrieval aremore » described.« less

Reference and Standard Atmosphere Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Dale L.; Roberts, Barry C.; Vaughan, William W.; Parker, Nelson C. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This paper describes the development of standard and reference atmosphere models along with the history of their origin and use since the mid 19th century. The first "Standard Atmospheres" were established by international agreement in the 1920's. Later some countries, notably the United States, also developed and published "Standard Atmospheres". The term "Reference Atmospheres" is used to identify atmosphere models for specific geographical locations. Range Reference Atmosphere Models developed first during the 1960's are examples of these descriptions of the atmosphere. This paper discusses the various models, scopes, applications and limitations relative to use in aerospace industry activities.

Unconventional microfluidics: expanding the discipline.

PubMed

Nawaz, Ahmad Ahsan; Mao, Xiaole; Stratton, Zackary S; Huang, Tony Jun

2013-04-21

Since its inception, the discipline of microfluidics has been harnessed for innovations in the biomedicine/chemistry fields-and to great effect. This success has had the natural side-effect of stereotyping microfluidics as a platform for medical diagnostics and miniaturized lab processes. But microfluidics has more to offer. And very recently, some researchers have successfully applied microfluidics to fields outside its traditional domains. In this Focus article, we highlight notable examples of such "unconventional" microfluidics applications (e.g., robotics, electronics). It is our hope that these early successes in unconventional microfluidics prompt further creativity, and inspire readers to expand the microfluidics discipline.

Survey of the Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Mayotte

PubMed Central

Le Goff, Gilbert; Goodman, Steven M.; Elguero, Eric; Robert, Vincent

2014-01-01

A transversal survey of immature mosquitoes was conducted on Mayotte Island (France) in the Comoros Archipelago, western Indian Ocean, with the aim to inventory the Culicidae and to document inter-species relationships in different habitats. In total 420 habitats were sampled for larvae and/or pupae mosquitoes, resulting in more than 6,000 specimens. Forty species belonging to 15 genera were collected, with eight taxa integrated for the first time to the Mayotte mosquito list. The most frequently recorded species were Stegomyia aegypti, St. albopicta, Anopheles gambiae and Eretmapodites subsimplicipes, the first three species being known vectors of viruses and parasites transmitted to humans. Mean species richness in habitats ranged from 1.00 to 3.29, with notable differences between habitats. For example, water-filled axils of banana leaves, tree-holes and crab-holes had low species richness, while cut bamboo, water pools, abandoned tires and marsh and swamp water had notably higher species richness. Twenty-seven mosquito species belonging to 12 genera were routinely collected (in ≥20% of at least one type of larval habitat) suggesting that multiple species play a role in the biocenosis of these aquatic habitats. Multispecies association was observed in 52% of the habitats. The co-occurrence of up to six species belonging to five genera was recorded in a single habitat. The mosquitoes of Mayotte show notable biogeographical affinities to those of Madagascar, as compared to the African continent. These two potential source areas are nearly equidistant from Mayotte, which in turn indicates biased dispersal from east to west. Our findings suggest that with relatively short-term intensive sampling in different habitats, it is possible to approach exhaustive species inventories based on collection of larvae. Mayotte, with its modest elevation range and land surface, has a notable species richness of mosquitoes with 45 well-documented species belonging to 15 genera. PMID:25004163

An application of synchrotron based x-ray tomography in palaeontology: Investigating small, three-dimensional, exceptionally preserved fossil arthropods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braiden, A. K.; Orr, P. J.; Tafforeau, P.; Kearns, S. L.

2009-04-01

The fossil record is biased towards biomineralised elements (for example bones, shells and teeth) that usually retain their original three-dimensional shape. Non-biomineralised arthropods, often comprising only exoskeletal tissues such as cuticle, are comparatively rare and are usually preserved in two-dimensions (including examples inside early diagenetic concretions). Rarer still are exceptionally preserved fossils that contain replicated soft tissues; although tissues that are replicated during the initial stages of decay are usually three- dimensional and often preserved in detail, the fossil as a whole is almost invariably two dimensional. Fossil shrimp recovered from Upper Triassic (Rhaetian) unconsolidated clays at Frome, Somerset, England represent a low diversity, three-dimensionally preserved fauna, in which certain labile tissues and organs are routinely preserved in three dimensions in life position. Initial SEM analysis of exposed, internal structures in unprepared specimens confirmed the presence of musculature (replicated in calcium phosphate) and a clay infilled gut. Due to the rarity of the material, and small size of the specimens (maximum length 12mm), non-destructive synchrotron radiation, x-ray microtomography was used to determine the extent, and fidelity, of preservation of the internal anatomy. Medium resolution (voxel size of 5.3μm) and high resolution (voxel size 0.7μm) imaging was carried out on selected specimens. This confirmed high fidelity replication of the following: limited volumes of abdominal, and more rarely, cephalothoracic musculature; the hepatopancreas; gonads and, in rare cases, blood vessels and antennal glands. Notably, these are all preserved in situ enveloped by structureless, fine-grained, authigenic carbonate. This carbonate precipitated inside the cuticle, but only at the periphery of the carcass and after, or during, the initial stages of decay; it infills voids created by the initial shrinkage of abdominal musculature (possibly due to dehydration) but not those created by its subsequent decay. The digestive tract is infilled with ingested clay material. X-ray microtomographic imaging also revealed the presence of pyrite as framboids and polyhedra. The spatial distribution of framboidal pyrite, and tissue replicating calcium phosphate, indicates their precipitation is likely to be related to the original composition of the biological tissues. For example, although the pyrite framboids do not replicate tissues, they are found in association with the hepatopancreas. It is probably not coincidental that iron is especially abundant in this area in vivo. Notably, subtle differences in greyscale tone in the x-ray images are shown to correspond to authigenic phases of different composition. When calibrated against phases for which accurate compositions can be determined using other criteria (e.g. SEM-EDX), it is possible to identify the presence of particular authigenic mineral phases in such fossils.

Successful Predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierrehumbert, R.

2012-12-01

In an observational science, it is not possible to test hypotheses through controlled laboratory experiments. One can test parts of the system in the lab (as is done routinely with infrared spectroscopy of greenhouse gases), but the collective behavior cannot be tested experimentally because a star or planet cannot be brought into the lab; it must, instead, itself be the lab. In the case of anthropogenic global warming, this is all too literally true, and the experiment would be quite exciting if it weren't for the unsettling fact that we and all our descendents for the forseeable future will have to continue making our home in the lab. There are nonetheless many routes though which the validity of a theory of the collective behavior can be determined. A convincing explanation must not be a"just-so" story, but must make additional predictions that can be verified against observations that were not originally used in formulating the theory. The field of Earth and planetary climate has racked up an impressive number of such predictions. I will also admit as "predictions" statements about things that happened in the past, provided that observations or proxies pinning down the past climate state were not available at the time the prediction was made. The basic prediction that burning of fossil fuels would lead to an increase of atmospheric CO2, and that this would in turn alter the Earth's energy balance so as to cause tropospheric warming, is one of the great successes of climate science. It began in the lineage of Fourier, Tyndall and Arrhenius, and was largely complete with the the radiative-convective modeling work of Manabe in the 1960's -- all well before the expected warming had progressed far enough to be observable. Similarly, long before the increase in atmospheric CO2 could be detected, Bolin formulated a carbon cycle model and used it to predict atmospheric CO2 out to the year 2000; the actual values come in at the high end of his predicted range, for reasons I shall discuss. During the dark ages of global change, between Arrhenius and Plass (punctuated by Callendar), work on planetary climate had not in fact ground to a halt, but developed vigorously in the astronomical community. This culminated in major discoveries about the atmospheres of Mars and Venus, notably Sagan's prediction that Venus has an extremely high surface temperature owing to an atmosphere extremely rich in greenhouse gases. The fertile interplay between astrophysics and terrestrial climate science continues in the current dawning era of exoplanet discovery. Early modeling work, notably by Manabe and co-workers, identified a number of spatial patterns of global change that were ultimately realized in data. These include: amplification of warming over land and in the Arctic, and the conjunction of stratospheric cooling with tropospheric warming. Additional examples I will discuss include the problem of tropical temperatures at the Last Glacial Maximum, water vapor feedback, Hansen's prediction of response to the Pinatubo eruption, and the prediction that ocean heat uptake would delay warming. While not all aspects of climate change were anticipated in advance (notably the interruption of warming around 1950-1970), examples of truly failed predictions are rare, and are overwhelmingly found among theories such as those of Angstrom or Lindzen which purport to show little sensitivity of climate to CO2.

Joining the yellow hub: Uses of the Simple Application Messaging Protocol in Space Physics analysis tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Génot, V.; André, N.; Cecconi, B.; Bouchemit, M.; Budnik, E.; Bourrel, N.; Gangloff, M.; Dufourg, N.; Hess, S.; Modolo, R.; Renard, B.; Lormant, N.; Beigbeder, L.; Popescu, D.; Toniutti, J.-P.

2014-11-01

The interest for data communication between analysis tools in planetary sciences and space physics is illustrated in this paper via several examples of the uses of SAMP. The Simple Application Messaging Protocol is developed in the frame of the IVOA from an earlier protocol called PLASTIC. SAMP enables easy communication and interoperability between astronomy software, stand-alone and web-based; it is now increasingly adopted by the planetary sciences and space physics community. Its attractiveness is based, on one hand, on the use of common file formats for exchange and, on the other hand, on established messaging models. Examples of uses at the CDPP and elsewhere are presented. The CDPP (Centre de Données de la Physique des Plasmas, http://cdpp.eu/), the French data center for plasma physics, is engaged for more than a decade in the archiving and dissemination of data products from space missions and ground observatories. Besides these activities, the CDPP developed services like AMDA (Automated Multi Dataset Analysis, http://amda.cdpp.eu/) which enables in depth analysis of large amount of data through dedicated functionalities such as: visualization, conditional search and cataloging. Besides AMDA, the 3DView (http://3dview.cdpp.eu/) tool provides immersive visualizations and is further developed to include simulation and observational data. These tools and their interactions with each other, notably via SAMP, are presented via science cases of interest to planetary sciences and space physics communities.

Baby unplugged: a novel, market-based approach to reducing screen time and promoting healthy alternatives.

PubMed

Hutton, John S

2013-01-01

The issue of electronic media use by young children is increasingly important in pediatrics, a major risk factor for numerous chronic conditions. Despite guidelines in place since 1999, screen time is on the rise, aided by new formats removing practically all barriers of use. Key drivers are technological allure, confusion about developmental readiness, and perception of educational value, fueled by potent marketing. This article describes the development of Baby Unplugged, a series of children's board books celebrating "old-school," screen-free childhood. Written by a pediatrician who also owns a children's bookstore, the books were inspired and informed by advocacy projects in the areas of media use and early literacy as a pediatric resident. They reinforce AAP Electronic Media Guidelines, notably discouraging screen-based media under 2 years old, largely by encouraging healthy, fun alternatives. Examples include Pets, Book, and Yard. Multi-sensorial exploration and parent-child engagement are emphasized in a non-prescriptive way, featuring gender and ethnic diversity and activities that are accessible and inexpensive. The author describes challenges faced by pediatricians providing anticipatory guidance for media use, given limited time and resources and the perception that we are out of touch. This is heightened by oft-deceptive marketing of screen-based products more likely to be perceived as "cool." Reach Out and Read is cited as an example of a successful, "cool" intervention, though limited to select populations. Baby Unplugged takes advocacy to the marketplace, where the screen time battle is being lost.

Fusion of Laser Altimetry Data with Dems Derived from Stereo Imaging Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schenk, T.; Csatho, B. M.; Duncan, K.

2016-06-01

During the last two decades surface elevation data have been gathered over the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) from a variety of different sensors including spaceborne and airborne laser altimetry, such as NASA's Ice Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) and Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS), as well as from stereo satellite imaging systems, most notably from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Worldview. The spatio-temporal resolution, the accuracy, and the spatial coverage of all these data differ widely. For example, laser altimetry systems are much more accurate than DEMs derived by correlation from imaging systems. On the other hand, DEMs usually have a superior spatial resolution and extended spatial coverage. We present in this paper an overview of the SERAC (Surface Elevation Reconstruction And Change detection) system, designed to cope with the data complexity and the computation of elevation change histories. SERAC simultaneously determines the ice sheet surface shape and the time-series of elevation changes for surface patches whose size depends on the ruggedness of the surface and the point distribution of the sensors involved. By incorporating different sensors, SERAC is a true fusion system that generates the best plausible result (time series of elevation changes) a result that is better than the sum of its individual parts. We follow this up with an example of the Helmheim gacier, involving ICESat, ATM and LVIS laser altimetry data, together with ASTER DEMs.

Ice core and climate reanalysis analogs to predict Antarctic and Southern Hemisphere climate changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayewski, P. A.; Carleton, A. M.; Birkel, S. D.; Dixon, D.; Kurbatov, A. V.; Korotkikh, E.; McConnell, J.; Curran, M.; Cole-Dai, J.; Jiang, S.; Plummer, C.; Vance, T.; Maasch, K. A.; Sneed, S. B.; Handley, M.

2017-01-01

A primary goal of the SCAR (Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research) initiated AntClim21 (Antarctic Climate in the 21st Century) Scientific Research Programme is to develop analogs for understanding past, present and future climates for the Antarctic and Southern Hemisphere. In this contribution to AntClim21 we provide a framework for achieving this goal that includes: a description of basic climate parameters; comparison of existing climate reanalyses; and ice core sodium records as proxies for the frequencies of marine air mass intrusion spanning the past ∼2000 years. The resulting analog examples include: natural variability, a continuation of the current trend in Antarctic and Southern Ocean climate characterized by some regions of warming and some cooling at the surface of the Southern Ocean, Antarctic ozone healing, a generally warming climate and separate increases in the meridional and zonal winds. We emphasize changes in atmospheric circulation because the atmosphere rapidly transports heat, moisture, momentum, and pollutants, throughout the middle to high latitudes. In addition, atmospheric circulation interacts with temporal variations (synoptic to monthly scales, inter-annual, decadal, etc.) of sea ice extent and concentration. We also investigate associations between Antarctic atmospheric circulation features, notably the Amundsen Sea Low (ASL), and primary climate teleconnections including the SAM (Southern Annular Mode), ENSO (El Nîno Southern Oscillation), the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), the AMO (Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation), and solar irradiance variations.

Ten Years of Cloud Optical and Microphysical Retrievals from MODIS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Platnick, Steven; King, Michael D.; Wind, Galina; Hubanks, Paul; Arnold, G. Thomas; Amarasinghe, Nandana

2010-01-01

The MODIS cloud optical properties algorithm (MOD06/MYD06 for Terra and Aqua MODIS, respectively) has undergone extensive improvements and enhancements since the launch of Terra. These changes have included: improvements in the cloud thermodynamic phase algorithm; substantial changes in the ice cloud light scattering look up tables (LUTs); a clear-sky restoral algorithm for flagging heavy aerosol and sunglint; greatly improved spectral surface albedo maps, including the spectral albedo of snow by ecosystem; inclusion of pixel-level uncertainty estimates for cloud optical thickness, effective radius, and water path derived for three error sources that includes the sensitivity of the retrievals to solar and viewing geometries. To improve overall retrieval quality, we have also implemented cloud edge removal and partly cloudy detection (using MOD35 cloud mask 250m tests), added a supplementary cloud optical thickness and effective radius algorithm over snow and sea ice surfaces and over the ocean, which enables comparison with the "standard" 2.1 11m effective radius retrieval, and added a multi-layer cloud detection algorithm. We will discuss the status of the MOD06 algorithm and show examples of pixellevel (Level-2) cloud retrievals for selected data granules, as well as gridded (Level-3) statistics, notably monthly means and histograms (lD and 2D, with the latter giving correlations between cloud optical thickness and effective radius, and other cloud product pairs).

Evaluation of the impact of genetic linkage in forensic identity and relationship testing for expanded DNA marker sets.

PubMed

Tillmar, Andreas O; Phillips, Chris

2017-01-01

Advances in massively parallel sequencing technology have enabled the combination of a much-expanded number of DNA markers (notably STRs and SNPs in one or combined multiplexes), with the aim of increasing the weight of evidence in forensic casework. However, when data from multiple loci on the same chromosome are used, genetic linkage can affect the final likelihood calculation. In order to study the effect of linkage for different sets of markers we developed the biostatistical tool ILIR, (Impact of Linkage on forensic markers for Identity and Relationship tests). The ILIR tool can be used to study the overall impact of genetic linkage for an arbitrary set of markers used in forensic testing. Application of ILIR can be useful during marker selection and design of new marker panels, as well as being highly relevant for existing marker sets as a way to properly evaluate the effects of linkage on a case-by-case basis. ILIR, implemented via the open source platform R, includes variation and genomic position reference data for over 40 STRs and 140 SNPs, combined with the ability to include additional forensic markers of interest. The use of the software is demonstrated with examples from several different established marker sets (such as the expanded CODIS core loci) including a review of the interpretation of linked genetic data. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

RNA G-quadruplexes cause eIF4A-dependent oncogene translation in cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolfe, Andrew L.; Singh, Kamini; Zhong, Yi; Drewe, Philipp; Rajasekhar, Vinagolu K.; Sanghvi, Viraj R.; Mavrakis, Konstantinos J.; Jiang, Man; Roderick, Justine E.; van der Meulen, Joni; Schatz, Jonathan H.; Rodrigo, Christina M.; Zhao, Chunying; Rondou, Pieter; de Stanchina, Elisa; Teruya-Feldstein, Julie; Kelliher, Michelle A.; Speleman, Frank; Porco, John A.; Pelletier, Jerry; Rätsch, Gunnar; Wendel, Hans-Guido

2014-09-01

The translational control of oncoprotein expression is implicated in many cancers. Here we report an eIF4A RNA helicase-dependent mechanism of translational control that contributes to oncogenesis and underlies the anticancer effects of silvestrol and related compounds. For example, eIF4A promotes T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia development in vivo and is required for leukaemia maintenance. Accordingly, inhibition of eIF4A with silvestrol has powerful therapeutic effects against murine and human leukaemic cells in vitro and in vivo. We use transcriptome-scale ribosome footprinting to identify the hallmarks of eIF4A-dependent transcripts. These include 5' untranslated region (UTR) sequences such as the 12-nucleotide guanine quartet (CGG)4 motif that can form RNA G-quadruplex structures. Notably, among the most eIF4A-dependent and silvestrol-sensitive transcripts are a number of oncogenes, superenhancer-associated transcription factors, and epigenetic regulators. Hence, the 5' UTRs of select cancer genes harbour a targetable requirement for the eIF4A RNA helicase.

Eigenvalue sensitivity of sampled time systems operating in closed loop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernal, Dionisio

2018-05-01

The use of feedback to create closed-loop eigenstructures with high sensitivity has received some attention in the Structural Health Monitoring field. Although practical implementation is necessarily digital, and thus in sampled time, work thus far has center on the continuous time framework, both in design and in checking performance. It is shown in this paper that the performance in discrete time, at typical sampling rates, can differ notably from that anticipated in the continuous time formulation and that discrepancies can be particularly large on the real part of the eigenvalue sensitivities; a consequence being important error on the (linear estimate) of the level of damage at which closed-loop stability is lost. As one anticipates, explicit consideration of the sampling rate poses no special difficulties in the closed-loop eigenstructure design and the relevant expressions are developed in the paper, including a formula for the efficient evaluation of the derivative of the matrix exponential based on the theory of complex perturbations. The paper presents an easily reproduced numerical example showing the level of error that can result when the discrete time implementation of the controller is not considered.

Parameter estimation supplement to the Mission Analysis Evaluation and Space Trajectory Operations program (MAESTRO)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bjorkman, W. S.; Uphoff, C. W.

1973-01-01

This Parameter Estimation Supplement describes the PEST computer program and gives instructions for its use in determination of lunar gravitation field coefficients. PEST was developed for use in the RAE-B lunar orbiting mission as a means of lunar field recovery. The observations processed by PEST are short-arc osculating orbital elements. These observations are the end product of an orbit determination process obtained with another program. PEST's end product it a set of harmonic coefficients to be used in long-term prediction of the lunar orbit. PEST employs some novel techniques in its estimation process, notably a square batch estimator and linear variational equations in the orbital elements (both osculating and mean) for measurement sensitivities. The program's capabilities are described, and operating instructions and input/output examples are given. PEST utilizes MAESTRO routines for its trajectory propagation. PEST's program structure and subroutines which are not common to MAESTRO are described. Some of the theoretical background information for the estimation process, and a derivation of linear variational equations for the Method 7 elements are included.

Organometallic compounds: an opportunity for chemical biology?

PubMed

Patra, Malay; Gasser, Gilles

2012-06-18

Organometallic compounds are renowned for their remarkable applications in the field of catalysis, but much less is known about their potential in chemical biology. Indeed, such compounds have long been considered to be either unstable under physiological conditions or cytotoxic. As a consequence, little attention has been paid to their possible utilisation for biological purposes. Because of their outstanding physicochemical properties, which include chemical stability, structural diversity and unique photo- and electrochemical properties, however, organometallic compounds have the ability to play a leading role in the field of chemical biology. Indeed, remarkable examples of the use of such compounds-notably as enzyme inhibitors and as luminescent agents-have recently been reported. Here we summarise recent advances in the use of organometallic compounds for chemical biology purposes, an area that we define as "organometallic chemical biology". We also demonstrate that these recent discoveries are only a beginning and that many other organometallic complexes are likely to be found useful in this field of research in the near future. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Passive bistatic radar analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Hagan, Daniel W.; Kuschel, H.; Schiller, Joachim

2009-06-01

Passive Bistatic Radar (PBR) research is at its zenith with several notable PBR systems currently operational, or available for deployment. Such PBRs include the Manastash Ridge Radar (MRR) developed for and by academia; Silent Sentry developed as a commercial concern by Lockheed Martin; and Homeland Alerter (HA100) also a commercial system developed by Thales. However at present, despite the existence of numerous PBR prototypes, take up of commercial passive radar technology remains slow. This is due in part to technology immaturity, in part to politics, and particularly due to the fact that monostatic radars perform so well. If PBRs are to enjoy longevity as a viable technology then it is imperative that they address certain niche application areas, with the aforementioned MRR being one prime example of this. The focus of this paper will be an analysis of a PBR system that utilised FM radio signals of opportunity to detect aircraft targets with an RCS generally not lower than 20 m2. The paper will demonstrate the theoretical detection coverage of an FM based PBR operating in a severe interference environment.

Turing-like structures in a functional model of cortical spreading depression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verisokin, A. Yu.; Verveyko, D. V.; Postnov, D. E.

2017-12-01

Cortical spreading depression (CSD) along with migraine waves and spreading depolarization events with stroke or injures are the front-line examples of extreme physiological behaviors of the brain cortex which manifest themselves via the onset and spreading of localized areas of neuronal hyperactivity followed by their depression. While much is known about the physiological pathways involved, the dynamical mechanisms of the formation and evolution of complex spatiotemporal patterns during CSD are still poorly understood, in spite of the number of modeling studies that have been already performed. Recently we have proposed a relatively simple mathematical model of cortical spreading depression which counts the effects of neurovascular coupling and cerebral blood flow redistribution during CSD. In the present study, we address the main dynamical consequences of newly included pathways, namely, the changes in the formation and propagation speed of the CSD front and the pattern formation features in two dimensions. Our most notable finding is that the combination of vascular-mediated spatial coupling with local regulatory mechanisms results in the formation of stationary Turing-like patterns during a CSD event.

Volcano-tectonic earthquakes: A new tool for estimating intrusive volumes and forecasting eruptions

USGS Publications Warehouse

White, Randall A.; McCausland, Wendy

2016-01-01

Notable cases in which distal VT events preceded eruptions at long-dormant volcanoes include: Nevado del Ruiz (1984–1985), Pinatubo (1991), Unzen (1989–1995), Soufriere Hills (1995), Shishaldin (1989–1999), Tacana' (1985–1986), Pacaya (1980–1984), Rabaul (1994), and Cotopaxi (2001). Additional cases are recognized at frequently active volcanoes including Popocateptl (2001–2003) and Mauna Loa (1984). We present four case studies (Pinatubo, Soufriere Hills, Unzen, and Tacana') in which we demonstrate the above mentioned VT characteristics prior to eruptions. Using regional data recorded by NEIC, we recognized in near-real time that a huge distal VT swarm was occurring, deduced that a proportionately huge magmatic intrusion was taking place beneath the long dormant Sulu Range, New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea, that it was likely to lead to eruptive activity, and warned Rabaul Volcano Observatory days before a phreatic eruption occurred. This confirms the value of this technique for eruption forecasting. We also present a counter-example where we deduced that a VT swarm at Volcan Cosiguina, Nicaragua, indicated a small intrusion, insufficient to reach the surface and erupt. Finally, we discuss limitations of the method and propose a mechanism by which this distal VT seismicity is triggered by magmatic intrusion.

Connecting Climate Science to Policy: from Global Food Production to the US Supreme Court

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battisti, D. S.

2016-12-01

There are myriad ways climate science has been used to inform on global food security, and to affect law and policy. In this talk, I will summarize examples that include the application of the El Nino - Southern Oscillation science to improve food security in Indonesia and provide water forecasts for agriculture in northwest Mexico, as well as the application of climate change science to project changes in global grain production. In the latter case, reliable information on the impact of increasing greenhouse gases on growing season temperature is applied to assess the impact of climate change on average crop yields, on the volatility in crop yields, and on the loss of yield due to increasing pest pressure - all of which have acute implications for agricultural policy. In the US, climate change science was of paramount importance for the Supreme Court decision in the case "Massachusetts vs. EPA," which to this day greatly shapes US policy related to climate change - most notably in setting emission standards for vehicles. My colleagues and I have learned several lessons from our experiences in these applications of climate science that I will share, including some thoughts on the nature of interdisciplinary teams for producing reliable and effective products, and the on the professional pros and cons of pursuing applied work.

Genome-wide mapping of the RNA targets of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa riboregulatory protein RsmN.

PubMed

Romero, Manuel; Silistre, Hazel; Lovelock, Laura; Wright, Victoria J; Chan, Kok-Gan; Hong, Kar-Wai; Williams, Paul; Cámara, Miguel; Heeb, Stephan

2018-04-30

Pseudomonads typically carry multiple non-identical alleles of the post-transcriptional regulator rsmA. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, RsmN is notable in that its structural rearrangement confers distinct and overlapping functions with RsmA. However, little is known about the specificities of RsmN for its target RNAs and overall impact on the biology of this pathogen. We purified and mapped 503 transcripts directly bound by RsmN in P. aeruginosa. About 200 of the mRNAs identified encode proteins of demonstrated function including some determining acute and chronic virulence traits. For example, RsmN reduces biofilm development both directly and indirectly via multiple pathways, involving control of Pel exopolysaccharide biosynthesis and c-di-GMP levels. The RsmN targets identified are also shared with RsmA, although deletion of rsmN generally results in less pronounced phenotypes than those observed for ΔrsmA or ΔrsmArsmNind mutants, probably as a consequence of different binding affinities. Targets newly identified for the Rsm system include the small non-coding RNA CrcZ involved in carbon catabolite repression, for which differential binding of RsmN and RsmA to specific CrcZ regions is demonstrated. The results presented here provide new insights into the intricacy of riboregulatory networks involving multiple but distinct RsmA homologues.

New Space Weather Systems Under Development and Their Contribution to Space Weather Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tobiska, W.; Bouwer, D.; Schunk, R.; Garrett, H.; Mertens, C.; Bowman, B.

2008-12-01

There have been notable successes during the past decade in the development of operational space environment systems. Examples include the Magnetospheric Specification Model (MSM) of the Earth's magnetosphere, 2000; SOLAR2000 (S2K) solar spectral irradiances, 2001; High Accuracy Satellite Drag Model (HASDM) neutral atmosphere densities, 2004; Global Assimilation of Ionospheric Measurements (GAIM) ionosphere specification, 2006; Hakamada-Akasofu-Fry (HAF) solar wind parameters, 2007; Communication Alert and Prediction System (CAPS) ionosphere, high frequency radio, and scintillation S4 index prediction, 2008; and GEO Alert and Prediction System (GAPS) geosynchronous environment satellite charging specification and forecast, 2008. Operational systems that are in active operational implementation include the Jacchia-Bowman 2006/2008 (JB2006/2008) neutral atmosphere, 2009, and the Nowcast of Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation for Aviation Safety (NAIRAS) aviation radiation model using the Radiation Alert and Prediction System (RAPS), 2010. U.S. national agency and commercial assets will soon reach a state where specification and prediction will become ubiquitous and where coordinated management of the space environment and space weather will become a necessity. We describe the status of the CAPS, GAPS, RAPS, and JB2008 operational development. We additionally discuss the conditions that are laying the groundwork for space weather management and estimate the unfilled needs as we move beyond specification and prediction efforts.

Understanding Combustion Processes Through Microgravity Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ronney, Paul D.

1998-01-01

A review of research on the effects of gravity on combustion processes is presented, with an emphasis on a discussion of the ways in which reduced-gravity experiments and modeling has led to new understanding. Comparison of time scales shows that the removal of buoyancy-induced convection leads to manifestations of other transport mechanisms, notably radiative heat transfer and diffusional processes such as Lewis number effects. Examples from premixed-gas combustion, non-premixed gas-jet flames, droplet combustion, flame spread over solid and liquid fuels, and other fields are presented. Promising directions for new research are outlined, the most important of which is suggested to be radiative reabsorption effects in weakly burning flames.

Sensing voltage across lipid membranes

PubMed Central

Swartz, Kenton J.

2009-01-01

The detection of electrical potentials across lipid bilayers by specialized membrane proteins is required for many fundamental cellular processes such as the generation and propagation of nerve impulses. These membrane proteins possess modular voltage-sensing domains, a notable example being the S1-S4 domains of voltage-activated ion channels. Ground-breaking structural studies on these domains explain how voltage sensors are designed and reveal important interactions with the surrounding lipid membrane. Although further structures are needed to fully understand the conformational changes that occur during voltage sensing, the available data help to frame several key concepts that are fundamental to the mechanism of voltage sensing. PMID:19092925

Catalytic chemical amide synthesis at room temperature: one more step toward peptide synthesis.

PubMed

Mohy El Dine, Tharwat; Erb, William; Berhault, Yohann; Rouden, Jacques; Blanchet, Jérôme

2015-05-01

An efficient method has been developed for direct amide bond synthesis between carboxylic acids and amines via (2-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)phenyl)boronic acid as a highly active bench-stable catalyst. This catalyst was found to be very effective at room temperature for a large range of substrates with slightly higher temperatures required for challenging ones. This methodology can be applied to aliphatic, α-hydroxyl, aromatic, and heteroaromatic acids as well as primary, secondary, heterocyclic, and even functionalized amines. Notably, N-Boc-protected amino acids were successfully coupled in good yields with very little racemization. An example of catalytic dipeptide synthesis is reported.

Reversal of photon-scattering errors in atomic qubits.

PubMed

Akerman, N; Kotler, S; Glickman, Y; Ozeri, R

2012-09-07

Spontaneous photon scattering by an atomic qubit is a notable example of environment-induced error and is a fundamental limit to the fidelity of quantum operations. In the scattering process, the qubit loses its distinctive and coherent character owing to its entanglement with the photon. Using a single trapped ion, we show that by utilizing the information carried by the photon, we are able to coherently reverse this process and correct for the scattering error. We further used quantum process tomography to characterize the photon-scattering error and its correction scheme and demonstrate a correction fidelity greater than 85% whenever a photon was measured.

Estrogen Effects on Wound Healing

PubMed Central

Horng, Huann-Cheng; Chang, Wen-Hsun; Yeh, Chang-Ching; Huang, Ben-Shian; Chang, Chia-Pei; Chen, Yi-Jen; Tsui, Kuan-Hao

2017-01-01

Wound healing is a physiological process, involving three successive and overlapping phases—hemostasis/inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling—to maintain the integrity of skin after trauma, either by accident or by procedure. Any disruption or unbalanced distribution of these processes might result in abnormal wound healing. Many molecular and clinical data support the effects of estrogen on normal skin homeostasis and wound healing. Estrogen deficiency, for example in postmenopausal women, is detrimental to wound healing processes, notably inflammation and re-granulation, while exogenous estrogen treatment may reverse these effects. Understanding the role of estrogen on skin might provide further opportunities to develop estrogen-related therapy for assistance in wound healing. PMID:29099810

Selective catalytic two-step process for ethylene glycol from carbon monoxide

PubMed Central

Dong, Kaiwu; Elangovan, Saravanakumar; Sang, Rui; Spannenberg, Anke; Jackstell, Ralf; Junge, Kathrin; Li, Yuehui; Beller, Matthias

2016-01-01

Upgrading C1 chemicals (for example, CO, CO/H2, MeOH and CO2) with C–C bond formation is essential for the synthesis of bulk chemicals. In general, these industrially important processes (for example, Fischer Tropsch) proceed at drastic reaction conditions (>250 °C; high pressure) and suffer from low selectivity, which makes high capital investment necessary and requires additional purifications. Here, a different strategy for the preparation of ethylene glycol (EG) via initial oxidative coupling and subsequent reduction is presented. Separating coupling and reduction steps allows for a completely selective formation of EG (99%) from CO. This two-step catalytic procedure makes use of a Pd-catalysed oxycarbonylation of amines to oxamides at room temperature (RT) and subsequent Ru- or Fe-catalysed hydrogenation to EG. Notably, in the first step the required amines can be efficiently reused. The presented stepwise oxamide-mediated coupling provides the basis for a new strategy for selective upgrading of C1 chemicals. PMID:27377550

JANIS: NEA JAva-based Nuclear Data Information System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soppera, Nicolas; Bossant, Manuel; Cabellos, Oscar; Dupont, Emmeric; Díez, Carlos J.

2017-09-01

JANIS (JAva-based Nuclear Data Information System) software is developed by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Data Bank to facilitate the visualization and manipulation of nuclear data, giving access to evaluated nuclear data libraries, such as ENDF, JEFF, JENDL, TENDL etc., and also to experimental nuclear data (EXFOR) and bibliographical references (CINDA). It is available as a standalone Java program, downloadable and distributed on DVD and also a web application available on the NEA website. One of the main new features in JANIS is the scripting capability via command line, which notably automatizes plots generation and permits automatically extracting data from the JANIS database. Recent NEA software developments rely on these JANIS features to access nuclear data, for example the Nuclear Data Sensitivity Tool (NDaST) makes use of covariance data in BOXER and COVERX formats, which are retrieved from the JANIS database. New features added in this version of the JANIS software are described along this paper with some examples.

Ceramic Laser Materials

PubMed Central

Sanghera, Jasbinder; Kim, Woohong; Villalobos, Guillermo; Shaw, Brandon; Baker, Colin; Frantz, Jesse; Sadowski, Bryan; Aggarwal, Ishwar

2012-01-01

Ceramic laser materials have come a long way since the first demonstration of lasing in 1964. Improvements in powder synthesis and ceramic sintering as well as novel ideas have led to notable achievements. These include the first Nd:yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) ceramic laser in 1995, breaking the 1 KW mark in 2002 and then the remarkable demonstration of more than 100 KW output power from a YAG ceramic laser system in 2009. Additional developments have included highly doped microchip lasers, ultrashort pulse lasers, novel materials such as sesquioxides, fluoride ceramic lasers, selenide ceramic lasers in the 2 to 3 μm region, composite ceramic lasers for better thermal management, and single crystal lasers derived from polycrystalline ceramics. This paper highlights some of these notable achievements. PMID:28817044

Medical Transport of Children with Complex Chronic Conditions

PubMed Central

Lerner, Carlos F.; Kelly, Robert B.; Hamilton, Leslie J.; Klitzner, Thomas S.

2012-01-01

One of the most notable trends in child health has been the increase in the number of children with special health care needs, including those with complex chronic conditions. Care of these children accounts for a growing fraction of health care resources. We examine recent developments in health care, especially with regard to medical transport and prehospital care, that have emerged to adapt to this remarkable demographic trend. One such development is the focus on care coordination, including the dissemination of the patient-centered medical home concept. In the prehospital setting, the need for greater coordination has catalyzed the development of the emergency information form. Training programs for prehospital providers now incorporate specific modules for children with complex conditions. Another notable trend is the shift to a family-centered model of care. We explore efforts toward regionalization of care, including the development of specialized pediatric transport teams, and conclude with recommendations for a research agenda. PMID:22315689

Legacies of the Manhattan Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kevles, Daniel

2017-01-01

The Manhattan Project of World War II mobilized thousands of people, including many of the nation's leading physicists, and extensive material resources to design, develop, and manufacture the world's first nuclear weapons. It also established sprawling new facilities for the production of fissionable fuels - notably at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Hanford, Washington. It left a set of powerful legacies in the context of the Cold War - endowing scientists with conscience-taxing responsibilities in the nuclear arms race; promoting enormous patronage of academic research by defense and defense-related federal agencies, notably the Office of Naval Research and the Atomic Energy Commission; and turning its wartime facilities into major national laboratories that advanced the fields of high-energy and nuclear physics and stimulated local industrial economies but that in some cases, notably at Hanford, severely polluted the surrounding environment with radioactive waste and disrupted the livelihoods of native peoples. ``Legacies of the Manhattan Project''

Journals Not Included in BIOSIS Previews Have a Notable Impact in Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lascar, Claudia; Barnett, Philip

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to reveal influential journals used by life scientists; journals not currently included in "BIOSIS Previews," but included in either "PubMed" or "Science Citation Index Expanded". These 252 journals were revealed by the Eigenfactor, an iterative ranking scheme which quantitatively measures the scientific influence of…

Albumin expression distinguishes bile duct adenomas from metastatic adenocarcinoma.

PubMed

Moy, Andrea P; Arora, Kshitij; Deshpande, Vikram

2016-09-01

Bile duct adenomas may be difficult to distinguish from metastatic carcinomas, particularly well-differentiated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Prior studies have evaluated the utility of various immunohistochemical markers, although these markers are notable for low sensitivity and/or specificity. The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of albumin and BRAFV600E expression in distinguishing between metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma and bile duct adenoma. We studied 26 bile duct adenomas, three bile duct hamartomas, and 158 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas. Branched-chain in-situ hybridization (bISH) for albumin was performed; bISH is based on the branched DNA technology, wherein signal amplification is achieved via a series of sequential steps. Additionally, BRAFV600E immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on a subset of cases. Twenty-three of 25 (92%) bile duct adenomas were positive for albumin; 18 (72%) showed diffuse staining, and five showed focal staining (20%), including two challenging examples. Two bile duct hamartomas also stained positively. All pancreatic adenocarcinomas were negative for albumin. Seven of 16 (44%) bile duct adenomas and five of 106 (5%) pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas were positive for BRAFV600E by IHC. The sensitivity and specificity of expression of albumin, as detected by bISH, for distinguishing bile duct adenomas from metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinomas were 92% and 100%, respectively; the sensitivity and specificity of BRAFV600E IHC for distinguishing bile duct adenomas from metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinomas were 43.8% and 95.3%, respectively. Diagnostically challenging examples of bile duct adenoma may be distinguished from metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma by the use of albumin bISH. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Urania in the Marketplace: Observatories as Holiday Destinations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rumstay, Kenneth S.

2015-01-01

During the twentieth century astronomical imagery was frequently incorporated, by manufacturers of industrial and consumer goods, into advertisements which appeared in popular magazines in America. The domes and telescopes of major observatories were often featured. In some cases, particularly within the Golden State of California, major astronomical facilities (notably the Lick and Mt. Wilson Observatories) were touted as tourist attractions and were publicized as such by tourist bureaus, railroads, and hotels.A particularly interesting example is provided by the Hotel Vendome in San Jose. With completion of the Lick Observatory (and the 36-inch Great Refractor) in 1887, the local business community felt that the city needed a first-class resort hotel. The architectural firm of Jacob Lenzen & Son was hired to design a grand hotel, comparable to those found in locales such as Monterey and Pasadena. The resulting four-story, 150-room structure cost 250,000, a phenomenal sum in those days. Yet, within just fourteen years, tourist demand led to the construction of a 36-room annex. Of course, a great resort hotel would not be complete without the opportunity for excursion, and the Mt. Hamilton Stage Company offered daily trips to the famous Lick Observatory.Farther south, the Mt. Wilson Observatory began construction of its own hotel in 1905.The original structure was destroyed by fire in 1913, and replaced by a second which was used by visitors until 1966.Early examples of advertisements for these observatories, recalling the heyday of astronomical tourism, are presented. A few more recent ones for Arecibo and Palomar are included for comparison.

A critique of race-based and genomic medicine.

PubMed

Meier, Robert J

2012-03-01

Now that a composite human genome has been sequenced (HGP), research has accelerated to discover precise genetic bases of several chronic health issues, particularly in the realms of cancer and cardiovascular disease. It is anticipated that in the future it will be possible and cost effective to regularly sequence individual genomes, and thereby produce a DNA profile that potentially can be used to assess the health risks for each person with respect to certain genetically predisposed conditions. Coupled with that enormous diagnostic power, it will then depend upon equally rapid research efforts to develop personalized courses of treatment, including that of pharmaceutical therapy. Initial treatment attempts have been made to match drug efficacy and safety to individuals of assigned or self-identified groups according to their genetic ancestry or presumed race. A prime example is that of BiDil, which was the first drug approved by the US FDA for the explicit treatment of heart patients of African American ancestry. This race-based approach to medicine has been met with justifiable criticism, notably on ethical grounds that have long plagued historical applications and misuses of human race classification, and also on questionable science. This paper will assess race-based medical research and practice in light of a more thorough understanding of human genetic variability. Additional concerns will be expressed with regard to the rapidly developing area of pharmacogenomics, promoted to be the future of personalized medicine. Genomic epidemiology will be discussed with several examples of on-going research that hopefully will provide a solid scientific grounding for personalized medicine to build upon.

Atmospheric Seasonality as an Exoplanet Biosignature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olson, Stephanie L.; Schwieterman, Edward W.; Reinhard, Christopher T.; Ridgwell, Andy; Kane, Stephen R.; Meadows, Victoria S.; Lyons, Timothy W.

2018-05-01

Current investigations of exoplanet biosignatures have focused on static evidence of life, such as the presence of biogenic gases like O2 or CH4. However, the expected diversity of terrestrial planet atmospheres and the likelihood of both “false positives” and “false negatives” for conventional biosignatures motivate exploration of additional life detection strategies, including time-varying signals. Seasonal variation in atmospheric composition is a biologically modulated phenomenon on Earth that may occur elsewhere because it arises naturally from the interplay between the biosphere and time-variable insolation. The search for seasonality as a biosignature would avoid many assumptions about specific metabolisms and provide an opportunity to directly quantify biological fluxes—allowing us to characterize, rather than simply recognize, biospheres on exoplanets. Despite this potential, there have been no comprehensive studies of seasonality as an exoplanet biosignature. Here, we provide a foundation for further studies by reviewing both biological and abiological controls on the magnitude and detectability of seasonality of atmospheric CO2, CH4, O2, and O3 on Earth. We also consider an example of an inhabited world for which atmospheric seasonality may be the most notable expression of its biosphere. We show that life on a low O2 planet like the weakly oxygenated mid-Proterozoic Earth could be fingerprinted by seasonal variation in O3 as revealed in its UV Hartley–Huggins bands. This example highlights the need for UV capabilities in future direct-imaging telescope missions (e.g., LUVOIR/HabEx) and illustrates the diagnostic importance of studying temporal biosignatures for exoplanet life detection/characterization.

Introduction to Oomycetes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The oomycetes, also known as “water molds”, are a group of several hundred organisms that include some of the most devastating plant pathogens. The diseases they cause include seedling blights, damping-off, root rots, foliar blights and downy mildews. Some notable diseases are the late blight of po...

Software for Simulating Air Traffic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sridhar, Banavar; Bilimoria, Karl; Grabbe, Shon; Chatterji, Gano; Sheth, Kapil; Mulfinger, Daniel

2006-01-01

Future Air Traffic Management Concepts Evaluation Tool (FACET) is a system of software for performing computational simulations for evaluating advanced concepts of advanced air-traffic management. FACET includes a program that generates a graphical user interface plus programs and databases that implement computational models of weather, airspace, airports, navigation aids, aircraft performance, and aircraft trajectories. Examples of concepts studied by use of FACET include aircraft self-separation for free flight; prediction of air-traffic-controller workload; decision support for direct routing; integration of spacecraft-launch operations into the U.S. national airspace system; and traffic- flow-management using rerouting, metering, and ground delays. Aircraft can be modeled as flying along either flight-plan routes or great-circle routes as they climb, cruise, and descend according to their individual performance models. The FACET software is modular and is written in the Java and C programming languages. The architecture of FACET strikes a balance between flexibility and fidelity; as a consequence, FACET can be used to model systemwide airspace operations over the contiguous U.S., involving as many as 10,000 aircraft, all on a single desktop or laptop computer running any of a variety of operating systems. Two notable applications of FACET include: (1) reroute conformance monitoring algorithms that have been implemented in one of the Federal Aviation Administration s nationally deployed, real-time, operational systems; and (2) the licensing and integration of FACET with the commercially available Flight Explorer, which is an Internet- based, real-time flight-tracking system.

Universal Darwinism As a Process of Bayesian Inference.

PubMed

Campbell, John O

2016-01-01

Many of the mathematical frameworks describing natural selection are equivalent to Bayes' Theorem, also known as Bayesian updating. By definition, a process of Bayesian Inference is one which involves a Bayesian update, so we may conclude that these frameworks describe natural selection as a process of Bayesian inference. Thus, natural selection serves as a counter example to a widely-held interpretation that restricts Bayesian Inference to human mental processes (including the endeavors of statisticians). As Bayesian inference can always be cast in terms of (variational) free energy minimization, natural selection can be viewed as comprising two components: a generative model of an "experiment" in the external world environment, and the results of that "experiment" or the "surprise" entailed by predicted and actual outcomes of the "experiment." Minimization of free energy implies that the implicit measure of "surprise" experienced serves to update the generative model in a Bayesian manner. This description closely accords with the mechanisms of generalized Darwinian process proposed both by Dawkins, in terms of replicators and vehicles, and Campbell, in terms of inferential systems. Bayesian inference is an algorithm for the accumulation of evidence-based knowledge. This algorithm is now seen to operate over a wide range of evolutionary processes, including natural selection, the evolution of mental models and cultural evolutionary processes, notably including science itself. The variational principle of free energy minimization may thus serve as a unifying mathematical framework for universal Darwinism, the study of evolutionary processes operating throughout nature.

Universal Darwinism As a Process of Bayesian Inference

PubMed Central

Campbell, John O.

2016-01-01

Many of the mathematical frameworks describing natural selection are equivalent to Bayes' Theorem, also known as Bayesian updating. By definition, a process of Bayesian Inference is one which involves a Bayesian update, so we may conclude that these frameworks describe natural selection as a process of Bayesian inference. Thus, natural selection serves as a counter example to a widely-held interpretation that restricts Bayesian Inference to human mental processes (including the endeavors of statisticians). As Bayesian inference can always be cast in terms of (variational) free energy minimization, natural selection can be viewed as comprising two components: a generative model of an “experiment” in the external world environment, and the results of that “experiment” or the “surprise” entailed by predicted and actual outcomes of the “experiment.” Minimization of free energy implies that the implicit measure of “surprise” experienced serves to update the generative model in a Bayesian manner. This description closely accords with the mechanisms of generalized Darwinian process proposed both by Dawkins, in terms of replicators and vehicles, and Campbell, in terms of inferential systems. Bayesian inference is an algorithm for the accumulation of evidence-based knowledge. This algorithm is now seen to operate over a wide range of evolutionary processes, including natural selection, the evolution of mental models and cultural evolutionary processes, notably including science itself. The variational principle of free energy minimization may thus serve as a unifying mathematical framework for universal Darwinism, the study of evolutionary processes operating throughout nature. PMID:27375438

Bayesian posterior distributions without Markov chains.

PubMed

Cole, Stephen R; Chu, Haitao; Greenland, Sander; Hamra, Ghassan; Richardson, David B

2012-03-01

Bayesian posterior parameter distributions are often simulated using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. However, MCMC methods are not always necessary and do not help the uninitiated understand Bayesian inference. As a bridge to understanding Bayesian inference, the authors illustrate a transparent rejection sampling method. In example 1, they illustrate rejection sampling using 36 cases and 198 controls from a case-control study (1976-1983) assessing the relation between residential exposure to magnetic fields and the development of childhood cancer. Results from rejection sampling (odds ratio (OR) = 1.69, 95% posterior interval (PI): 0.57, 5.00) were similar to MCMC results (OR = 1.69, 95% PI: 0.58, 4.95) and approximations from data-augmentation priors (OR = 1.74, 95% PI: 0.60, 5.06). In example 2, the authors apply rejection sampling to a cohort study of 315 human immunodeficiency virus seroconverters (1984-1998) to assess the relation between viral load after infection and 5-year incidence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, adjusting for (continuous) age at seroconversion and race. In this more complex example, rejection sampling required a notably longer run time than MCMC sampling but remained feasible and again yielded similar results. The transparency of the proposed approach comes at a price of being less broadly applicable than MCMC.

Does your model weigh the same as a Duck?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Ajay N.; Cleves, Ann E.

2012-01-01

Computer-aided drug design is a mature field by some measures, and it has produced notable successes that underpin the study of interactions between small molecules and living systems. However, unlike a truly mature field, fallacies of logic lie at the heart of the arguments in support of major lines of research on methodology and validation thereof. Two particularly pernicious ones are cum hoc ergo propter hoc (with this, therefore because of this) and confirmation bias (seeking evidence that is confirmatory of the hypothesis at hand). These fallacies will be discussed in the context of off-target predictive modeling, QSAR, molecular similarity computations, and docking. Examples will be shown that avoid these problems.

The impact of resource dependence of the mechanisms of life on the spatial population dynamics of an in silico microbial community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daly, Aisling J.; Baetens, Jan M.; De Baets, Bernard

2016-12-01

Biodiversity has a critical impact on ecosystem functionality and stability, and thus the current biodiversity crisis has motivated many studies of the mechanisms that sustain biodiversity, a notable example being non-transitive or cyclic competition. We therefore extend existing microscopic models of communities with cyclic competition by incorporating resource dependence in demographic processes, characteristics of natural systems often oversimplified or overlooked by modellers. The spatially explicit nature of our individual-based model of three interacting species results in the formation of stable spatial structures, which have significant effects on community functioning, in agreement with experimental observations of pattern formation in microbial communities.

Statistical mechanics of budget-constrained auctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altarelli, F.; Braunstein, A.; Realpe-Gomez, J.; Zecchina, R.

2009-07-01

Finding the optimal assignment in budget-constrained auctions is a combinatorial optimization problem with many important applications, a notable example being in the sale of advertisement space by search engines (in this context the problem is often referred to as the off-line AdWords problem). On the basis of the cavity method of statistical mechanics, we introduce a message-passing algorithm that is capable of solving efficiently random instances of the problem extracted from a natural distribution, and we derive from its properties the phase diagram of the problem. As the control parameter (average value of the budgets) is varied, we find two phase transitions delimiting a region in which long-range correlations arise.

Efficient optimization of the quantum relative entropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fawzi, Hamza; Fawzi, Omar

2018-04-01

Many quantum information measures can be written as an optimization of the quantum relative entropy between sets of states. For example, the relative entropy of entanglement of a state is the minimum relative entropy to the set of separable states. The various capacities of quantum channels can also be written in this way. We propose a unified framework to numerically compute these quantities using off-the-shelf semidefinite programming solvers, exploiting the approximation method proposed in Fawzi, Saunderson and Parrilo (2017 arXiv: 1705.00812). As a notable application, this method allows us to provide numerical counterexamples for a proposed lower bound on the quantum conditional mutual information in terms of the relative entropy of recovery.

Listening to data from the 2011 magnitude 9.0 Tohoku-Oki, Japan, earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Z.; Aiken, C.; Kilb, D. L.; Shelly, D. R.; Enescu, B.

2011-12-01

It is important for seismologists to effectively convey information about catastrophic earthquakes, such as the magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Tohoku-Oki, Japan, to general audience who may not necessarily be well-versed in the language of earthquake seismology. Given recent technological advances, previous approaches of using "snapshot" static images to represent earthquake data is now becoming obsolete, and the favored venue to explain complex wave propagation inside the solid earth and interactions among earthquakes is now visualizations that include auditory information. Here, we convert seismic data into visualizations that include sounds, the latter being a term known as 'audification', or continuous 'sonification'. By combining seismic auditory and visual information, static "snapshots" of earthquake data come to life, allowing pitch and amplitude changes to be heard in sync with viewed frequency changes in the seismograms and associated spectragrams. In addition, these visual and auditory media allow the viewer to relate earthquake generated seismic signals to familiar sounds such as thunder, popcorn popping, rattlesnakes, firecrackers, etc. We present a free software package that uses simple MATLAB tools and Apple Inc's QuickTime Pro to automatically convert seismic data into auditory movies. We focus on examples of seismic data from the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake. These examples range from near-field strong motion recordings that demonstrate the complex source process of the mainshock and early aftershocks, to far-field broadband recordings that capture remotely triggered deep tremor and shallow earthquakes. We envision audification of seismic data, which is geared toward a broad range of audiences, will be increasingly used to convey information about notable earthquakes and research frontiers in earthquake seismology (tremor, dynamic triggering, etc). Our overarching goal is that sharing our new visualization tool will foster an interest in seismology, not just for young scientists but also for people of all ages.

Exploration of Work and Health Disparities among Black Women Employed in Poultry Processing in the Rural South

PubMed Central

Lipscomb, Hester J.; Argue, Robin; McDonald, Mary Anne; Dement, John M.; Epling, Carol A.; James, Tamara; Wing, Steve; Loomis, Dana

2005-01-01

We describe an ongoing collaboration that developed as academic investigators responded to a specific request from community members to document health effects on black women of employment in poultry-processing plants in rural North Carolina. Primary outcomes of interest are upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders and function as well as quality of life. Because of concerns of community women and the history of poor labor relations, we decided to conduct this longitudinal study in a manner that did not require involvement of the employer. To provide more detailed insights into the effects of this type of employment, the epidemiologic analyses are supplemented by ethnographic interviews. The resulting approach requires community collaboration. Community-based staff, as paid members of the research team, manage the local project office, recruit and retain participants, conduct interviews, coordinate physical assessments, and participate in outreach. Other community members assisted in the design of the data collection tools and the recruitment of longitudinal study participants and took part in the ethnographic component of the study. This presentation provides an example of one model through which academic researchers and community members can work together productively under challenging circumstances. Notable accomplishments include the recruitment and retention of a cohort of low-income rural black women, often considered hard to reach in research studies. This community-based project includes a number of elements associated with community-based participatory research. PMID:16330373

Importance of considering helium excited states in He+ scattering by an aluminum surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iglesias-García, A.; García, Evelina A.; Goldberg, E. C.

2014-11-01

The He+/Al system is a very interesting projectile-surface combination which was thought initially as an example of a pure Auger neutralization mechanism. Then, because of the measured reionization explained by the antibonding interaction of the projectile state with the core target states, the resonant charge exchange with the band states was considered as another important contribution to the neutralization. Nevertheless, by only considering the neutralization to the ground state of helium, the measured ion survival probability is still overestimated. On the other hand, measurements of electron emission from an Al surface bombarded by He positive ions suggested the possibility of occupied excited states of helium due to the ion-surface collision. In this work, we also include the excited states of He within the time-dependent scattering process in which both neutralization mechanisms, resonant and Auger, are simultaneously contemplated. Our starting point is a multiorbital Anderson Hamiltonian projected over the selected space of ground and excited atomic configurations. An extra term related to the Auger mechanism is added to this Hamiltonian. A difference with previous works is that this approach includes the electron spin and, therefore, the spin fluctuation statistics in the charge-exchange process is correctly taken into account. We find a notable improvement in the agreement with the experiments and also that the interference between both mechanisms is not dramatic.

Monitoring the Black Hole Binary GRS 1758-258 with INTEGRAL and RXTE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pottschmidt, Katja; Chernyakova, Masha; Lubinski, Piotr; Migliari, Simone; Smith, David M.; Zdziarski, Andrzej A.; Tomsick, John A.; Bezayiff, N.; Kreykenbohm, Ingo; Kretschmar, Peter;

Updating biological bases of social behavior.

PubMed

O'Connor, Thomas G

2014-09-01

This month's collation of papers deals with social behaviors that operationalize key constructs in fields covered by the journal, including attachment theory and parenting; emotional regulation; psychopathology of several forms; general and specific cognitive abilities. Notably, many examples are offered of how these social behaviors link with biology. That is an obvious and important direction for clinical research insofar as it helps to erase a perceptual chasm and artificial duality between 'behavior' and 'biology'. But, although it must be the case that social behavior has biological connections of one sort or other, identifying reliable connections with practical application has proved to be a non-trivial challenge. In particular, the challenge seems to be in measuring social behavior meaningfully enough that it could be expected to have a biological pulse, and in measuring biological markers systematically enough that emergent-downstream effects would surface. Associations are not especially uncommon, but it has been a frustrating task in constructing a practically broad model from a bricolage of scattered and disconnected parts and findings in the literature. Several reports in this issue offer contrasts that may help move along this line of study. © 2014 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Influence of cell detachment on the respiration rate of tumor and endothelial cells.

PubMed

Danhier, Pierre; Copetti, Tamara; De Preter, Géraldine; Leveque, Philippe; Feron, Olivier; Jordan, Bénédicte F; Sonveaux, Pierre; Gallez, Bernard

2013-01-01

Cell detachment is a procedure routinely performed in cell culture and a necessary step in many biochemical assays including the determination of oxygen consumption rates (OCR) in vitro. In vivo, cell detachment has been shown to exert profound metabolic influences notably in cancer but also in other pathologies, such as retinal detachment for example. In the present study, we developed and validated a new technique combining electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) oximetry and the use of cytodex 1 and collagen-coated cytodex 3 dextran microbeads, which allowed the unprecedented comparison of the OCR of adherent and detached cells with high sensitivity. Hence, we demonstrated that both B16F10 melanoma cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) experience strong OCR decrease upon trypsin or collagenase treatments. The reduction of cell oxygen consumption was more pronounced with a trypsin compared to a collagenase treatment. Cells remaining in suspension also encounter a marked intracellular ATP depletion and an increase in the lactate production/glucose uptake ratio. These findings highlight the important influence exerted by cell adhesion/detachment on cell respiration, which can be probed with the unprecedented experimental assay that was developed and validated in this study.

Phase field modeling of brittle fracture for enhanced assumed strain shells at large deformations: formulation and finite element implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinoso, J.; Paggi, M.; Linder, C.

2017-06-01

Fracture of technological thin-walled components can notably limit the performance of their corresponding engineering systems. With the aim of achieving reliable fracture predictions of thin structures, this work presents a new phase field model of brittle fracture for large deformation analysis of shells relying on a mixed enhanced assumed strain (EAS) formulation. The kinematic description of the shell body is constructed according to the solid shell concept. This enables the use of fully three-dimensional constitutive models for the material. The proposed phase field formulation integrates the use of the (EAS) method to alleviate locking pathologies, especially Poisson thickness and volumetric locking. This technique is further combined with the assumed natural strain method to efficiently derive a locking-free solid shell element. On the computational side, a fully coupled monolithic framework is consistently formulated. Specific details regarding the corresponding finite element formulation and the main aspects associated with its implementation in the general purpose packages FEAP and ABAQUS are addressed. Finally, the applicability of the current strategy is demonstrated through several numerical examples involving different loading conditions, and including linear and nonlinear hyperelastic constitutive models.

Non-Cholera Vibrios: The Microbial Barometer of Climate Change.

PubMed

Baker-Austin, Craig; Trinanes, Joaquin; Gonzalez-Escalona, Narjol; Martinez-Urtaza, Jaime

2017-01-01

There is a growing interest in the role of climate change in driving the spread of waterborne infectious diseases, such as those caused by bacterial pathogens. One particular group of pathogenic bacteria - vibrios - are a globally important cause of diseases in humans and aquatic animals. These Gram-negative bacteria, including the species Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio cholerae, grow in warm, low-salinity waters, and their abundance in the natural environment mirrors ambient environmental temperatures. In a rapidly warming marine environment, there are greater numbers of human infections, and most notably outbreaks linked to extreme weather events such as heatwaves in temperate regions such as Northern Europe. Because the growth of pathogenic vibrios in the natural environment is largely dictated by temperature, we argue that this group of pathogens represents an important and tangible barometer of climate change in marine systems. We provide a number of specific examples of the impacts of climate change on this group of bacteria and their associated diseases, and discuss advanced strategies to improve our understanding of these emerging waterborne diseases through the integration of microbiological, genomic, epidemiological, climatic, and ocean sciences. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computational studies of sequence-specific driving forces in peptide self-assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeon, Joohyun

Peptides are biopolymers made from various sequences of twenty different types of amino acids, connected by peptide bonds. There are practically an infinite number of possible sequences and tremendous possible combinations of peptide-peptide interactions. Recently, an increasing number of studies have shown a stark variety of peptide self-assembled nanomaterials whose detailed structures depend on their sequences and environmental factors; these have end uses in medical and bio-electronic applications, for example. To understand the underlying physics of complex peptide self-assembly processes and to delineate sequence specific effects, in this study, I use various simulation tools spanning all-atom molecular dynamics to simple lattice models and quantify the balance of interactions in the peptide self-assembly processes. In contrast to the existing view that peptides' aggregation propensities are proportional to the net sequence hydrophobicity and inversely proportional to the net charge, I show the more nuanced effects of electrostatic interactions, including the cooperative effects between hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. Notably, I suggest rather unexpected, yet important roles of entropies in the small scale oligomerization processes. Overall, this study broadens our understanding of the role of thermodynamic driving forces in peptide self-assembly.

Tomotherapy as a tool in image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT): current clinical experience and outcomes

PubMed Central

Yartsev, S; Kron, T; Van Dyk, J

2007-01-01

Modern radiotherapy is characterised by a better target definition through medical imaging accompanied by significantly improved radiation delivery methods, most notably Intensity-Modulate Radiation Therapy (IMRT). However, the treatment can only be as accurate as the positioning of patients for their daily radiotherapy fraction. It is in this context that a number of imaging modalities - ranging from ultrasound to on-board kilovoltage imaging and computed tomography (CT) - have found their way into the treatment room where they verify accurate patient positioning prior to or even during delivery of radiation. Helical tomotherapy (HT) combines IMRT delivery with in-built image guidance using megavoltage CT scanning. This paper discusses the initial experience of different centres with IGRT using HT illustrated by a number of clinical examples from the installation in London in Ontario, Canada, one of the world’s first HT sites. We found that HT allows the delivery of highly conformal radiation dose distributions combined with adequate daily image acquisition. An important feature of this unit is its seamless integration, which also includes a customised inverse treatment planning system and a quality assurance module for individual patients. PMID:21614258

Influence of Cell Detachment on the Respiration Rate of Tumor and Endothelial Cells

PubMed Central

Danhier, Pierre; Copetti, Tamara; De Preter, Géraldine; Leveque, Philippe; Feron, Olivier; Jordan, Bénédicte F.; Sonveaux, Pierre; Gallez, Bernard

2013-01-01

Cell detachment is a procedure routinely performed in cell culture and a necessary step in many biochemical assays including the determination of oxygen consumption rates (OCR) in vitro. In vivo, cell detachment has been shown to exert profound metabolic influences notably in cancer but also in other pathologies, such as retinal detachment for example. In the present study, we developed and validated a new technique combining electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) oximetry and the use of cytodex 1 and collagen-coated cytodex 3 dextran microbeads, which allowed the unprecedented comparison of the OCR of adherent and detached cells with high sensitivity. Hence, we demonstrated that both B16F10 melanoma cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) experience strong OCR decrease upon trypsin or collagenase treatments. The reduction of cell oxygen consumption was more pronounced with a trypsin compared to a collagenase treatment. Cells remaining in suspension also encounter a marked intracellular ATP depletion and an increase in the lactate production/glucose uptake ratio. These findings highlight the important influence exerted by cell adhesion/detachment on cell respiration, which can be probed with the unprecedented experimental assay that was developed and validated in this study. PMID:23382841

Adoptive T-cell therapy for hematological malignancies using T cells gene-modified to express tumor antigen-specific receptors.

PubMed

Fujiwara, Hiroshi

2014-02-01

The functional properties of the adoptive immune response mediated by effector T lymphocytes are decisively regulated by their T-cell receptors (TCRs). Transfer of genes encoding target antigen-specific receptors enables polyclonal T cells to redirect toward cancer cells and virally infected cells expressing those defined antigens. Using this technology, a large population of redirected T cells displaying uniform therapeutic properties has been produced, powerfully advancing their clinical application as "cellular drugs" for adoptive immunotherapy against cancer. Clinically, anticancer adoptive immunotherapy using these genetically engineered T cells has an impressive and proven track record. Notable examples include the dramatic benefit of chimeric antigen receptor gene-modified T cells redirected towards B-cell lineage antigen CD19 in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and the impressive outcomes in the use of TCR gene-modified T cells redirected towards NY-ESO-1, a representative cancer-testis antigen, in patients with advanced melanoma and synovial cell sarcoma. In this review, we briefly overview the current status of this treatment option in the context of hematological malignancy, and discuss a number of challenges that still pose an obstacle to the full effectiveness of this strategy.

Tropospheric OH and HO2 radicals: field measurements and model comparisons.

PubMed

Stone, Daniel; Whalley, Lisa K; Heard, Dwayne E

2012-10-07

The hydroxyl radical, OH, initiates the removal of the majority of trace gases in the atmosphere, and together with the closely coupled species, the hydroperoxy radical, HO(2), is intimately involved in the oxidation chemistry of the atmosphere. This critical review discusses field measurements of local concentrations of OH and HO(2) radicals in the troposphere, and in particular the comparisons that have been made with numerical model calculations containing a detailed chemical mechanism. The level of agreement between field measurements of OH and HO(2) concentrations and model calculations for a given location provides an indication of the degree of understanding of the underlying oxidation chemistry. We review the measurement-model comparisons for a range of different environments sampled from the ground and from aircraft, including the marine boundary layer, continental low-NO(x) regions influenced by biogenic emissions, the polluted urban boundary layer, and polar regions. Although good agreement is found for some environments, there are significant discrepancies which remain unexplained, a notable example being unpolluted, forested regions. OH and HO(2) radicals are difficult species to measure in the troposphere, and we also review changes in detection methodology, quality assurance procedures such as instrument intercomparisons, and potential interferences.

Spinning disc atomisation process: Modelling and computations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yuan; Sisoev, Grigory; Shikhmurzaev, Yulii

2016-11-01

The atomisation of liquids using a spinning disc (SDA), where the centrifugal force is used to generate a continuous flow, with the liquid eventually disintegrating into drops which, on solidification, become particles, is a key element in many technologies. Examples of such technologies range from powder manufacturing in metallurgy to various biomedical applications. In order to be able to control the SDA process, it is necessary to understand it as a whole, from the feeding of the liquid and the wave pattern developing on the disc to the disintegration of the liquid film into filaments and these into drops. The SDA process has been the subject of a number of experimental studies and some elements of it, notably the film on a spinning disc and the dynamics of the jets streaming out from it, have been investigated theoretically. However, to date there have been no studies of the process as a whole, including, most importantly, the transition zone where the film that has already developed a certain wave pattern disintegrates into jets that spiral out. The present work reports some results of an ongoing project aimed at producing a definitive map of regimes occurring in the SDA process and their outcome.

The mosquitoes (Diptera: Culidae) of Seychelles: taxonomy, ecology, vectorial importance, and identification keys.

PubMed

Le Goff, Gilbert; Boussès, Philippe; Julienne, Simon; Brengues, Cécile; Rahola, Nil; Rocamora, Gérard; Robert, Vincent

2012-09-21

During recent periods, the islands of the Republic of Seychelles experienced many diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, Bancroft's filaria and malaria. Mosquitoes transmit the agents that cause these diseases. Published information on mosquitoes in the Seychelles is notably dispersed in the literature. The maximum number of species obtained on a single field survey does not exceed 14 species. We performed a comprehensive bibliographic review using mosquito and Seychelles as the key words, as well as conducted a mosquito field survey for larval and adult stages during the rainy season in December 2008. Sixteen sites were sampled on four granitic islands (Mahé, Praslin, La Digue and Aride) and six sites on coralline atolls in the extreme southwest of the country (Aldabra group). We found published references to 21 mosquito species identified at least on one occasion in the Seychelles. Our collections comprised 18 species of mosquitoes, all of them from the subfamily Culicinae; no Anophelinae was found. We also confirm that Aedes seychellensis is a junior synonym of Ae. (Aedimorphus) albocephalus. The first records for Culex antennatus and Cx. sunyaniensis are presented from the country, specifically from Aldabra and Praslin, respectively. Based on a comparison of the taxa occurring on the granitic versus coralline islands, only three species, Ae. albocephalus, Cx. scottii and Cx. simpsoni are shared. Aedes albopictus appeared to exclude largely Ae. aegypti on the granitic islands; however, Ae. aegypti was common on Aldabra, where Ae. albopictus has not been recorded. The notable aggressiveness of mosquitoes towards humans on coralline islands was mainly due to two species, the females of which are difficult to distinguish: Ae. fryeri and Ae. (Aedimorphus) sp. A. The number of mosquito species collected at least once in the Seychelles is now 22, among which five species (Ae. (Adm) sp. A, Cx. stellatus, Uranotaenia browni. Ur. nepenthes and Ur. pandani) and one subspecies (Ae. vigilax vansomerenae) are considered as endemic. Two illustrated identification keys, one for adult females and the other for larval stages, are presented. The knowledge of the culicidian fauna in the Seychelles has been notably updated. The number of mosquito species is relatively large with regards to land surface and distances to continental Africa, although the anophelines are totally lacking. The complex natural history of mosquitoes in the Seychelles provides examples of both vicariance- and dispersal-mediated divergences. They present superb examples for theoretical and applied island biology.

The mosquitoes (Diptera: Culidae) of Seychelles: taxonomy, ecology, vectorial importance, and identification keys

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background During recent periods, the islands of the Republic of Seychelles experienced many diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, Bancroft’s filaria and malaria. Mosquitoes transmit the agents that cause these diseases. Published information on mosquitoes in the Seychelles is notably dispersed in the literature. The maximum number of species obtained on a single field survey does not exceed 14 species. Methods We performed a comprehensive bibliographic review using mosquito and Seychelles as the key words, as well as conducted a mosquito field survey for larval and adult stages during the rainy season in December 2008. Sixteen sites were sampled on four granitic islands (Mahé, Praslin, La Digue and Aride) and six sites on coralline atolls in the extreme southwest of the country (Aldabra group). Results We found published references to 21 mosquito species identified at least on one occasion in the Seychelles. Our collections comprised 18 species of mosquitoes, all of them from the subfamily Culicinae; no Anophelinae was found. We also confirm that Aedes seychellensis is a junior synonym of Ae. (Aedimorphus) albocephalus. The first records for Culex antennatus and Cx. sunyaniensis are presented from the country, specifically from Aldabra and Praslin, respectively. Based on a comparison of the taxa occurring on the granitic versus coralline islands, only three species, Ae. albocephalus, Cx. scottii and Cx. simpsoni are shared. Aedes albopictus appeared to exclude largely Ae. aegypti on the granitic islands; however, Ae. aegypti was common on Aldabra, where Ae. albopictus has not been recorded. The notable aggressiveness of mosquitoes towards humans on coralline islands was mainly due to two species, the females of which are difficult to distinguish: Ae. fryeri and Ae. (Aedimorphus) sp. A. The number of mosquito species collected at least once in the Seychelles is now 22, among which five species (Ae. (Adm) sp. A, Cx. stellatus, Uranotaenia browni. Ur. nepenthes and Ur. pandani) and one subspecies (Ae. vigilax vansomerenae) are considered as endemic. Two illustrated identification keys, one for adult females and the other for larval stages, are presented. Conclusions The knowledge of the culicidian fauna in the Seychelles has been notably updated. The number of mosquito species is relatively large with regards to land surface and distances to continental Africa, although the anophelines are totally lacking. The complex natural history of mosquitoes in the Seychelles provides examples of both vicariance- and dispersal-mediated divergences. They present superb examples for theoretical and applied island biology. PMID:22999320

Brewer's/baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and preventive medicine: Part II.

PubMed

Moyad, Mark A

2008-02-01

Yeast is the term generally applied to a unicellular fungus, and there are hundreds of species now identified. One of the most notable and well-known species of yeast in health and wellness is known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is also known by its more common names, brewer's yeast or baker's yeast. Typically, brewer's yeast is used as a protein supplement, energy booster, immune enhancer, or other vehicle where other compounds can be inserted to create a commercialized health product. For example, one of the most notable positive findings was the encouraging results from a large randomized trial of adults recently vaccinated for seasonal influenza who also received an over-the-counter daily adjuvant modified brewer's yeast-based product (EpiCor) to prevent colds and flu symptoms. The modified yeast-based product significantly reduced the incidence and duration of this common condition. Yeast-based technology is also being used as a molecular mechanistic model of caloric restriction (CR) with the goal of improving the human life span. The current and potential impact of yeast-based technology in medicine is encouraging and should receive more attention, but the recent preliminary positive results of CR in humans may be in part due to what has been already learned from brewer's yeast.

Comparisons of Supergranule Properties from SDO/HMI with Other Datasets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pesnell, William Dean; Williams, Peter E.

2010-01-01

While supergranules, a component of solar convection, have been well studied through the use of Dopplergrams, other datasets also exhibit these features. Quiet Sun magnetograms show local magnetic field elements distributed around the boundaries of supergranule cells, notably clustering at the common apex points of adjacent cells, while more solid cellular features are seen near active regions. Ca II K images are notable for exhibiting the chromospheric network representing a cellular distribution of local magnetic field lines across the solar disk that coincides with supergranulation boundaries. Measurements at 304 A further above the solar surface also show a similar pattern to the chromospheric network, but the boundaries are more nebulous in nature. While previous observations of these different solar features were obtained with a variety of instruments, SDO provides a single platform, from which the relevant data products at a high cadence and high-definition image quality are delivered. The images may also be cross-referenced due to their coincidental time of observation. We present images of these different solar features from HMI & AIA and use them to make composite images of supergranules at different atmospheric layers in which they manifest. We also compare each data product to equivalent data from previous observations, for example HMI magnetograms with those from MDI.

The multi-messenger approach to particle acceleration by massive stars: a science case for optical, radio and X-ray observatories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Becker, Michaël

2018-04-01

Massive stars are extreme stellar objects whose properties allow for the study of some interesting physical processes, including particle acceleration up to relativistic velocities. In particular, the collisions of massive star winds in binary systems lead notably to acceleration of electrons involved in synchrotron emission, hence their identification as non-thermal radio emitters. This has been demonstrated for about 40 objects so far. The relativistic electrons are also expected to produce non-thermal high-energy radiation through inverse Compton scattering. This class of objects permits thus to investigate non-thermal physics through observations in the radio and high energy spectral domains. However, the binary nature of these sources introduces some stringent requirements to adequately interpret their behavior and model non-thermal processes. In particular, these objects are well-established variable stellar sources on the orbital time-scale. The stellar and orbital parameters need to be determined, and this is notably achieved through studies in the optical domain. The combination of observations in the visible domain (including e.g. 3.6-m DOT) with radio measurements using notably GMRT and X-ray observations constitutes thus a promising strategy to investigate particle-accelerating colliding-wind binaries in the forthcoming decade.

Art in the Service of Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asmus, J. F.

In fields such as studio art, art conservation, archaeology, anthropology, music, and architecture it is often understood that many of the advances emerge from the introduction of new developments from science and technology. Scientific research is often justified on the basis of its past as well as potential future fallout into other endeavors as diverse as medicine, manufacturing, and the humanities. The diffusion of scientific innovation into the practice of art conservation has been punctuated by the introduction of a series of diverse technologies. Trace element and isotopic analyses, infrared imaging, ultraviolet fluorescence inspection, advanced coatings and adhesives, scanning electron microscopy, and photon/electron microprobes are notable examples. For the past thirty years various laser technologies have demonstrated utility in the practice of art conservation, as well. These include photon cleaning and divestment, holographic display and nondestructive analysis, surface characterization through laser fluorescence, radiation scattering and absorption, as well as laser-induced ultrasound. At the dawn of laser technology's introduction into the art conservation field (1972-74) the Center for Art/Science Studies (CASS) was established at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) with the hope of accelerating and broadening the diffusion of scientific developments into art conservation practice. Surprisingly, one of the first events in the CASS/UCSD transpired when a Visual Arts Department student employed a primitive laser statue cleaner to "correct" a silk-screen print. In the course of maintaining her laser this art student discovered a dramatically improved method for aligning the complex optical beam train by utilizing her artistic training. A few months later another CASS/UCSD student in the Photographic Arts Program (while modifying a ruby laser to experiment with theater-lighting special effects) discovered an improved laser beam-profile diagnostic technique. These two, seemingly trite, examples of scientific serendipity "in reverse" are not isolated anomalies. History is replete with instances of art coming to the aid of science and technology. Examples include Samuel Morse's drawing upon his skill as a painter in support of his electrical engineering research, the collaboration of Michele Besso and Albert Einstein in the formulation of Special Relativity, Picasso's vision of wave-function collapse in Quantum Electrodynamics, and Jay DeFeo's depiction of Big Bangs and Black Holes while cosmologists were focusing on Fred Hoyle's steady-state continuum theory of the universe.

Causal Models for Mediation Analysis: An Introduction to Structural Mean Models.

PubMed

Zheng, Cheng; Atkins, David C; Zhou, Xiao-Hua; Rhew, Isaac C

2015-01-01

Mediation analyses are critical to understanding why behavioral interventions work. To yield a causal interpretation, common mediation approaches must make an assumption of "sequential ignorability." The current article describes an alternative approach to causal mediation called structural mean models (SMMs). A specific SMM called a rank-preserving model (RPM) is introduced in the context of an applied example. Particular attention is given to the assumptions of both approaches to mediation. Applying both mediation approaches to the college student drinking data yield notable differences in the magnitude of effects. Simulated examples reveal instances in which the traditional approach can yield strongly biased results, whereas the RPM approach remains unbiased in these cases. At the same time, the RPM approach has its own assumptions that must be met for correct inference, such as the existence of a covariate that strongly moderates the effect of the intervention on the mediator and no unmeasured confounders that also serve as a moderator of the effect of the intervention or the mediator on the outcome. The RPM approach to mediation offers an alternative way to perform mediation analysis when there may be unmeasured confounders.

Autonomous Detection of Eruptions, Plumes, and Other Transient Events in the Outer Solar System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunte, M. K.; Lin, Y.; Saripalli, S.; Bell, J. F.

2012-12-01

The outer solar system abounds with visually stunning examples of dynamic processes such as eruptive events that jettison materials from satellites and small bodies into space. The most notable examples of such events are the prominent volcanic plumes of Io, the wispy water jets of Enceladus, and the outgassing of comet nuclei. We are investigating techniques that will allow a spacecraft to autonomously detect those events in visible images. This technique will allow future outer planet missions to conduct sustained event monitoring and automate prioritization of data for downlink. Our technique detects plumes by searching for concentrations of large local gradients in images. Applying a Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) to either raw or calibrated images identifies interest points for further investigation based on the magnitude and orientation of local gradients in pixel values. The interest points are classified as possible transient geophysical events when they share characteristics with similar features in user-classified images. A nearest neighbor classification scheme assesses the similarity of all interest points within a threshold Euclidean distance and classifies each according to the majority classification of other interest points. Thus, features marked by multiple interest points are more likely to be classified positively as events; isolated large plumes or multiple small jets are easily distinguished from a textured background surface due to the higher magnitude gradient of the plume or jet when compared with the small, randomly oriented gradients of the textured surface. We have applied this method to images of Io, Enceladus, and comet Hartley 2 from the Voyager, Galileo, New Horizons, Cassini, and Deep Impact EPOXI missions, where appropriate, and have successfully detected up to 95% of manually identifiable events that our method was able to distinguish from the background surface and surface features of a body. Dozens of distinct features are identifiable under a variety of viewing conditions and hundreds of detections are made in each of the aforementioned datasets. In this presentation, we explore the controlling factors in detecting transient events and discuss causes of success or failure due to distinct data characteristics. These include the level of calibration of images, the ability to differentiate an event from artifacts, and the variety of event appearances in user-classified images. Other important factors include the physical characteristics of the events themselves: albedo, size as a function of image resolution, and proximity to other events (as in the case of multiple small jets which feed into the overall plume at the south pole of Enceladus). A notable strength of this method is the ability to detect events that do not extend beyond the limb of a planetary body or are adjacent to the terminator or other strong edges in the image. The former scenario strongly influences the success rate of detecting eruptive events in nadir views.

Interpreting and Reporting Radiological Water-Quality Data

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCurdy, David E.; Garbarino, John R.; Mullin, Ann H.

2008-01-01

This document provides information to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Science Centers on interpreting and reporting radiological results for samples of environmental matrices, most notably water. The information provided is intended to be broadly useful throughout the United States, but it is recommended that scientists who work at sites containing radioactive hazardous wastes need to consult additional sources for more detailed information. The document is largely based on recognized national standards and guidance documents for radioanalytical sample processing, most notably the Multi-Agency Radiological Laboratory Analytical Protocols Manual (MARLAP), and on documents published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the American National Standards Institute. It does not include discussion of standard USGS practices including field quality-control sample analysis, interpretive report policies, and related issues, all of which shall always be included in any effort by the Water Science Centers. The use of 'shall' in this report signifies a policy requirement of the USGS Office of Water Quality.

75 FR 65370 - National Elk Refuge, Jackson, WY; Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-22

... have been observed on the refuge. Some notable species include moose, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, gray wolves, mountain lions, bald eagles, and peregrine falcons. Scoping: Preliminary Issues, Concerns, and...

The MODIS Cloud Optical and Microphysical Products: Collection 6 Up-dates and Examples From Terra and Aqua

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Platnick, Steven; Meyer, Kerry G.; King, Michael D.; Wind, Galina; Amarasinghe, Nandana; Marchant, Benjamin G.; Arnold, G. Thomas; Zhang, Zhibo; Hubanks, Paul A.; Holz, Robert E.;

The MODIS cloud optical and microphysical products: Collection 6 updates and examples from Terra and Aqua.

PubMed

Platnick, Steven; Meyer, Kerry G; King, Michael D; Wind, Galina; Amarasinghe, Nandana; Marchant, Benjamin; Arnold, G Thomas; Zhang, Zhibo; Hubanks, Paul A; Holz, Robert E; Yang, Ping; Ridgway, William L; Riedi, Jérôme

2017-01-01

The MODIS Level-2 cloud product (Earth Science Data Set names MOD06 and MYD06 for Terra and Aqua MODIS, respectively) provides pixel-level retrievals of cloud-top properties (day and night pressure, temperature, and height) and cloud optical properties (optical thickness, effective particle radius, and water path for both liquid water and ice cloud thermodynamic phases-daytime only). Collection 6 (C6) reprocessing of the product was completed in May 2014 and March 2015 for MODIS Aqua and Terra, respectively. Here we provide an overview of major C6 optical property algorithm changes relative to the previous Collection 5 (C5) product. Notable C6 optical and microphysical algorithm changes include: (i) new ice cloud optical property models and a more extensive cloud radiative transfer code lookup table (LUT) approach, (ii) improvement in the skill of the shortwave-derived cloud thermodynamic phase, (iii) separate cloud effective radius retrieval datasets for each spectral combination used in previous collections, (iv) separate retrievals for partly cloudy pixels and those associated with cloud edges, (v) failure metrics that provide diagnostic information for pixels having observations that fall outside the LUT solution space, and (vi) enhanced pixel-level retrieval uncertainty calculations. The C6 algorithm changes collectively can result in significant changes relative to C5, though the magnitude depends on the dataset and the pixel's retrieval location in the cloud parameter space. Example Level-2 granule and Level-3 gridded dataset differences between the two collections are shown. While the emphasis is on the suite of cloud optical property datasets, other MODIS cloud datasets are discussed when relevant.

The MODIS cloud optical and microphysical products: Collection 6 updates and examples from Terra and Aqua

PubMed Central

Platnick, Steven; Meyer, Kerry G.; King, Michael D.; Wind, Galina; Amarasinghe, Nandana; Marchant, Benjamin; Arnold, G. Thomas; Zhang, Zhibo; Hubanks, Paul A.; Holz, Robert E.; Yang, Ping; Ridgway, William L.; Riedi, Jérôme

2018-01-01

The MODIS Level-2 cloud product (Earth Science Data Set names MOD06 and MYD06 for Terra and Aqua MODIS, respectively) provides pixel-level retrievals of cloud-top properties (day and night pressure, temperature, and height) and cloud optical properties (optical thickness, effective particle radius, and water path for both liquid water and ice cloud thermodynamic phases–daytime only). Collection 6 (C6) reprocessing of the product was completed in May 2014 and March 2015 for MODIS Aqua and Terra, respectively. Here we provide an overview of major C6 optical property algorithm changes relative to the previous Collection 5 (C5) product. Notable C6 optical and microphysical algorithm changes include: (i) new ice cloud optical property models and a more extensive cloud radiative transfer code lookup table (LUT) approach, (ii) improvement in the skill of the shortwave-derived cloud thermodynamic phase, (iii) separate cloud effective radius retrieval datasets for each spectral combination used in previous collections, (iv) separate retrievals for partly cloudy pixels and those associated with cloud edges, (v) failure metrics that provide diagnostic information for pixels having observations that fall outside the LUT solution space, and (vi) enhanced pixel-level retrieval uncertainty calculations. The C6 algorithm changes collectively can result in significant changes relative to C5, though the magnitude depends on the dataset and the pixel’s retrieval location in the cloud parameter space. Example Level-2 granule and Level-3 gridded dataset differences between the two collections are shown. While the emphasis is on the suite of cloud optical property datasets, other MODIS cloud datasets are discussed when relevant. PMID:29657349

Don't Feed the Trolls: An analysis of strategies for moderating discussions on climate blogs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Easterbrook, S. M.

2012-12-01

A perennial problem in any online discussion is the tendency for discussions to get swamped with non-constructive (and sometimes abusive) comments. Many bloggers use some form of moderation policy to filter these out, to improve the signal to noise ratio in the discussion, and to encourage constructive participation. Unfortunately, moderation policies have disadvantages too: they are time-consuming to implement, introduce a delay in posting contributions, and can lead to accusations of censorship and anger from people whose comments are removed. In climate blogging, the problem is particularly acute because of the politicization of the discourse. The nature of comments on climate blogs vary widely. For example, on a blog focussed on the physical science of climate, comments on posts might include personal abuse, accusations of misconduct and conspiracy, repetition of political talking points, dogged pursuit of obscure technical points (whether related or not to the original post), naive questions, concern trolling (negative reactions posing as naive questions), polemics, talk of impending doom and catastrophe, as well as some honest and constructive questions about the scientific topic being discussed. How does one decide which of these comments to allow? And if some comments are to be removed, what should be done with them? In this presentation, I will survey a number of different moderation strategies used on climate blogs (along with a few notable examples from other kinds of blogs), and identify the advantages and disadvantages of each. The nature of the moderation strategy has an impact on the size and kind of audience a blog attracts. Hence, the choice of moderation strategy should depend on the overall goals for the blog, the nature of the intended audience, and the resources (particularly time) available to implement the strategy.

Modeling the unmeasurable: scaling soil physiology from microns to meters and seconds to centuries (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schimel, J.; Xu, X.; Lawrence, C. R.

2013-12-01

Models are essential tools for linking microbial dynamics to their manifestations at large scales. Yet, developing mechanistically accurate models requires data that we often don't have and may not be able to get, such as the functional life-span of an extracellular enzyme. Yet there are approaches to condense complex microbial dynamics into 'workable' models. One example is in describing soil responses to moisture pulses. We developed a family of five separate models to capture microbial dynamics through dry/wet cycles. The simplest was a straight multi-pool, 1st-order decomposition model, with versions adding levels of microbial mechanism, culminating in one that included exoenzyme-breakdown of detritus. However, this identified the critical mechanism, not as exoenzymes, but as the production of a bioavailable C pool that accumulates in dry soil and is rapidly metabolized on rewetting. A final version of the model therefore stripped out explicit enzymes but retained separate polymer breakdown and substrate use; this model was the most robust. A second pervasive question in soil biology has been what controls the size of the microbial biomass across biomes? We approached this through a physiological model that regulated microbial C assimilation into biomass by two processes: initial assimilation followed by ongoing maintenance. Assimilation is a function of substrate quality, while maintenance is regulated by climate--notably the period of the year during which microbes are active. This model was tested against a global dataset of microbial biomass. It explains why, for example, deserts and tundra have relatively high proportions of their organic matter in microbial biomass, while the low substrate quality and long active periods common in temperate conifer forests lead to low biomass levels.

The Open Global Glacier Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marzeion, B.; Maussion, F.

2017-12-01

Mountain glaciers are one of the few remaining sub-systems of the global climate system for which no globally applicable, open source, community-driven model exists. Notable examples from the ice sheet community include the Parallel Ice Sheet Model or Elmer/Ice. While the atmospheric modeling community has a long tradition of sharing models (e.g. the Weather Research and Forecasting model) or comparing them (e.g. the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project or CMIP), recent initiatives originating from the glaciological community show a new willingness to better coordinate global research efforts following the CMIP example (e.g. the Glacier Model Intercomparison Project or the Glacier Ice Thickness Estimation Working Group). In the recent past, great advances have been made in the global availability of data and methods relevant for glacier modeling, spanning glacier outlines, automatized glacier centerline identification, bed rock inversion methods, and global topographic data sets. Taken together, these advances now allow the ice dynamics of glaciers to be modeled on a global scale, provided that adequate modeling platforms are available. Here, we present the Open Global Glacier Model (OGGM), developed to provide a global scale, modular, and open source numerical model framework for consistently simulating past and future global scale glacier change. Global not only in the sense of leading to meaningful results for all glaciers combined, but also for any small ensemble of glaciers, e.g. at the headwater catchment scale. Modular to allow combinations of different approaches to the representation of ice flow and surface mass balance, enabling a new kind of model intercomparison. Open source so that the code can be read and used by anyone and so that new modules can be added and discussed by the community, following the principles of open governance. Consistent in order to provide uncertainty measures at all realizable scales.

The Future of Deep-Ocean Drilling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heirtzler, J. R.; Maxwell, A. E.

1978-01-01

Describes the scientific accomplishments of the International Program of Ocean Drilling (IPOD) during its first decade. Notable are the scientific contributions to understanding the sea floor. Critical decisions for the second decade include economic and social implications. (MA)

SWEIS annual review - CY2002 : a comparison of CY2002 operations to projections included in the site-wide environmental impact statement for continued operation of Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico.

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

Bayliss, Linda Sue; White, Brenda Bailey; Guerrero, Joseph Vincent

2003-10-01

The SNL/NM CY2002 SWEIS Annual Review discusses changes in facilities and facility operations that have occurred in selected and notable facilities since source data were collected for the SNL/NM SWEIS (DOE/EIS-0281). The following information is presented: {sm_bullet} An updated overview of SNL/NM selected and notable facilities and infrastructure capabilities. {sm_bullet} An overview of SNL/NM environment, safety, and health programs, including summaries of the purpose, operations, activities, hazards, and hazard controls at relevant facilities and risk management methods for SNL/NM. {sm_bullet} Updated base year activities data, together with related inventories, material consumption, emissions, waste, and resource consumption. {sm_bullet} Appendices summarizing activitiesmore » and related hazards at SNL/NM individual special, general, and highbay laboratories, and chemical purchases.« less

Molecular insights into the novel aspects of diatom biology.

PubMed

Scala, S; Bowler, C

2001-10-01

Diatoms are unicellular photosynthetic eukaryotes that are thought to contribute as much as 25% of global primary productivity. In spite of their ecological importance in the worlds oceans, very little information is available at the molecular level about the novel aspects of their biology. Recent advances, such as the development of gene transfer protocols, are now allowing the genetic dissection of diatom biology. Notable examples are advances in understanding the genetic basis for the silica-based bioinorganic pattern formation of their cell walls and for elucidating key aspects of diatom ecophysiology. The potentiation of current research will allow an evaluation of the use of diatoms to construct submicrometre-scale silicon structures for the nanotechnology industry and will reveal the molecular secrets underlying their ecological success.

Passive Imaging in Nondiffuse Acoustic Wavefields

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

Mulargia, Francesco; Castellaro, Silvia

2008-05-30

A main property of diffuse acoustic wavefields is that, taken any two points, each of them can be seen as the source of waves and the other as the recording station. This property is shown to follow simply from array azimuthal selectivity and Huygens principle in a locally isotropic wavefield. Without time reversal, this property holds approximately also in anisotropic azimuthally uniform wavefields, implying much looser constraints for undistorted passive imaging than those required by a diffuse field. A notable example is the seismic noise field, which is generally nondiffuse, but is found to be compatible with a finite aperturemore » anisotropic uniform wavefield. The theoretical predictions were confirmed by an experiment on seismic noise in the mainland of Venice, Italy.« less

Endophysical Models Based on Empirical Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jahn, Robert G.; Dunne, Brenda J.

2005-10-01

Any proposed endophysical models need to acknowledge a number of subjective correlates that have been well established in such objectively quantifiable experimental contexts as anomalous human/machine interactions and remote perception information acquisition. Most notable of these factors are conscious and unconscious intention; gender disparities; serial position effects; intrinsic uncertainties; elusive replicability; and emotional resonance between the participants and the devices, process, and tasks. Perhaps even more pertinent are the insensitivities of the anomalous effects to spatial and temporal separations of the participants from the physical targets. Inclusion of subjective coordinates in the models, and exclusion of physical distance and time, raise formidable issues of specification, quantification, and dynamical formulation from both the physical and psychological perspectives. A few primitive examples of possible approaches are presented.

Quantum critical charge response from higher derivatives in holography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witczak-Krempa, William

2014-04-01

We extend the range of possibilities for the charge response in the quantum critical regime in 2 + 1D using holography, and compare them with field theory and recent quantum Monte Carlo results. We show that a family of (infinitely many) higher derivative terms in the gravitational bulk leads to behavior far richer than what was previously obtained. For example, we prove that the conductivity becomes unbounded, undermining previously obtained constraints. We further find a nontrivial and infinite set of theories that have a self-dual conductivity. Particle-vortex or S duality plays a key role; notably, it maps theories with a finite number of bulk terms to ones with an infinite number. Many properties, such as sum rules and stability conditions, are proven.

Monanchosterols A and B, bioactive bicyclo[4.3.1]steroids from a Korean sponge Monanchora sp.

PubMed

Wang, Weihong; Lee, Tae Gu; Patil, Rahul S; Mun, Bora; Yang, Inho; Kim, Hiyoung; Hahn, Dongyup; Won, Dong Hwan; Lee, Jihye; Lee, Yehee; Choi, Hyukjae; Nam, Sang-Jip; Kang, Heonjoong

2015-03-27

Chemical investigation of a Korean marine sponge, Monanchora sp., led to the isolation of three new steroids (1-3). Compounds 1 and 2, designated as monanchosterols A and B, respectively, represent the first examples of steroids possessing the bicyclo[4.3.1] A/B ring system from a natural source. Compounds 1-3 were investigated for their anti-inflammatory activity by evaluating their inhibitory effects on the mRNA expression of IL-6, TNF-α, and COX-2 in the LPS-stimulated murine RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Compounds 2 and 3 exhibited significant inhibitory effects on the mRNA expression of IL-6 without notable cytotoxicity to the cells in a dose-dependent manner.

Elective removal of convexo-concave Björk-Shiley valves.

PubMed

Rajesh, P B; Smith, G H; Lawford, P V; Black, M M

1994-08-01

Replacement has been an accepted method for treating advanced cardiac valvular disease for more than 25 years. However, the perfect prosthesis has yet to be developed, judging by the number of devices available. A prosthesis that initially appears promising may cause problems in due course, and indeed some devices have been modified or withdrawn from clinical use. A notable example of a prosthetic valve that has give problems is the Björk-Shiley convexo-concave prosthesis, some models of which have undergone mechanical failure due to strut fracture. We report the elective removal of such a valve and the subsequent examination of the prosthesis. The results of this examination suggest that a policy of elective removal is justified.

Multimedia Forensics Is Not Computer Forensics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Böhme, Rainer; Freiling, Felix C.; Gloe, Thomas; Kirchner, Matthias

The recent popularity of research on topics of multimedia forensics justifies reflections on the definition of the field. This paper devises an ontology that structures forensic disciplines by their primary domain of evidence. In this sense, both multimedia forensics and computer forensics belong to the class of digital forensics, but they differ notably in the underlying observer model that defines the forensic investigator’s view on (parts of) reality, which itself is not fully cognizable. Important consequences on the reliability of probative facts emerge with regard to available counter-forensic techniques: while perfect concealment of traces is possible for computer forensics, this level of certainty cannot be expected for manipulations of sensor data. We cite concrete examples and refer to established techniques to support our arguments.

"Crowdsourcing" ten years in: A review.

PubMed

Wazny, Kerri

2017-12-01

First coined by Howe in 2006, the field of crowdsourcing has grown exponentially. Despite its growth and its transcendence across many fields, the definition of crowdsourcing has still not been agreed upon, and examples are poorly indexed in peer-reviewed literature. Many examples of crowdsourcing have not been scaled-up past the pilot phase. In spite of this, crowdsourcing has great potential, especially in global health where resources are lacking. This narrative review seeks to review both indexed and grey crowdsourcing literature broadly in order to explore the current state of the field. This is a review of reviews of crowdsourcing. Semantic searches were conducted using Google Scholar rather than indexed databases due to poor indexing of the topic. 996 articles were retrieved, of which 69 were initially identified as being reviews or theoretically-based. 21 of these were found to be irrelevant and 48 articles were reviewed. This narrative review focuses on defining crowdsourcing, taxonomies of crowdsourcing, who constitutes the crowd, research that is amenable to crowdsourcing, regulatory and ethical aspects of crowdsourcing and some notable examples of crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing has the potential to be hugely promising, especially in global health, due to its ability to collect information rapidly, inexpensively and accurately. Rigorous ethical and regulatory controls are needed to ensure data are collected and analysed appropriately and crowdsourcing should be considered complementary to traditional research methods.

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

Gross, D.; Eisert, J.; Schuch, N.

We introduce schemes for quantum computing based on local measurements on entangled resource states. This work elaborates on the framework established in Gross and Eisert [Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 220503 (2007); quant-ph/0609149]. Our method makes use of tools from many-body physics--matrix product states, finitely correlated states, or projected entangled pairs states--to show how measurements on entangled states can be viewed as processing quantum information. This work hence constitutes an instance where a quantum information problem--how to realize quantum computation--was approached using tools from many-body theory and not vice versa. We give a more detailed description of the setting and presentmore » a large number of examples. We find computational schemes, which differ from the original one-way computer, for example, in the way the randomness of measurement outcomes is handled. Also, schemes are presented where the logical qubits are no longer strictly localized on the resource state. Notably, we find a great flexibility in the properties of the universal resource states: They may, for example, exhibit nonvanishing long-range correlation functions or be locally arbitrarily close to a pure state. We discuss variants of Kitaev's toric code states as universal resources, and contrast this with situations where they can be efficiently classically simulated. This framework opens up a way of thinking of tailoring resource states to specific physical systems, such as cold atoms in optical lattices or linear optical systems.« less

“Crowdsourcing” ten years in: A review

PubMed Central

Wazny, Kerri

2017-01-01

Background First coined by Howe in 2006, the field of crowdsourcing has grown exponentially. Despite its growth and its transcendence across many fields, the definition of crowdsourcing has still not been agreed upon, and examples are poorly indexed in peer–reviewed literature. Many examples of crowdsourcing have not been scaled–up past the pilot phase. In spite of this, crowdsourcing has great potential, especially in global health where resources are lacking. This narrative review seeks to review both indexed and grey crowdsourcing literature broadly in order to explore the current state of the field. Methods This is a review of reviews of crowdsourcing. Semantic searches were conducted using Google Scholar rather than indexed databases due to poor indexing of the topic. 996 articles were retrieved, of which 69 were initially identified as being reviews or theoretically–based. 21 of these were found to be irrelevant and 48 articles were reviewed. Results This narrative review focuses on defining crowdsourcing, taxonomies of crowdsourcing, who constitutes the crowd, research that is amenable to crowdsourcing, regulatory and ethical aspects of crowdsourcing and some notable examples of crowdsourcing. Conclusions Crowdsourcing has the potential to be hugely promising, especially in global health, due to its ability to collect information rapidly, inexpensively and accurately. Rigorous ethical and regulatory controls are needed to ensure data are collected and analysed appropriately and crowdsourcing should be considered complementary to traditional research methods. PMID:29302322

Breast interest group faculty of radiation oncology: Australian and New Zealand patterns of practice survey on breast radiotherapy.

PubMed

Nguyen, Kimberley; Mackenzie, Penny; Allen, Angela; Dreosti, Marcus; Morgia, Marita; Zissiadis, Yvonne; Lamoury, Gilian; Windsor, Apsara

2017-08-01

This patterns of practice study was conducted on behalf of the RANZCR Breast Interest Group in order to document current radiotherapy practices for breast cancer in Australia and New Zealand. The survey identifies variations and highlights potential contentious aspects of radiotherapy management of breast cancer. A fifty-eight question survey was disseminated via the Survey Monkey digital platform to 388 Radiation Oncologists in Australia and New Zealand. In total, 156 responses were received and collated. Areas of notable consensus among respondents included hypofractionation (77.3% of respondents would 'always' or 'sometimes' consider hypofractionation in the management of ductal carcinoma in-situ and 99.3% in early invasive breast cancer); margin status in early breast cancer (73.8% believe a clear inked margin is sufficient and does not require further surgery) and use of bolus in post-mastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) (91.1% of participants use bolus in PMRT). Areas with a wider degree of variability amongst respondents included regional nodal irradiation and components of radiotherapy planning and delivery (examples include the technique used for delivery of boost and frequency of bolus application for PMRT). The results of these patterns of practice survey informs radiation oncologists in Australia and New Zealand of the current clinical practices being implemented by their peers. The survey identifies areas of consensus and contention, the latter of which may lead to a development of research trials and/or educational activities to address these areas of uncertainty. © 2016 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.

Genome Wide Methylome Alterations in Lung Cancer.

PubMed

Mullapudi, Nandita; Ye, Bin; Suzuki, Masako; Fazzari, Melissa; Han, Weiguo; Shi, Miao K; Marquardt, Gaby; Lin, Juan; Wang, Tao; Keller, Steven; Zhu, Changcheng; Locker, Joseph D; Spivack, Simon D

2015-01-01

Aberrant cytosine 5-methylation underlies many deregulated elements of cancer. Among paired non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), we sought to profile DNA 5-methyl-cytosine features which may underlie genome-wide deregulation. In one of the more dense interrogations of the methylome, we sampled 1.2 million CpG sites from twenty-four NSCLC tumor (T)-non-tumor (NT) pairs using a methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme- based HELP-microarray assay. We found 225,350 differentially methylated (DM) sites in adenocarcinomas versus adjacent non-tumor tissue that vary in frequency across genomic compartment, particularly notable in gene bodies (GB; p<2.2E-16). Further, when DM was coupled to differential transcriptome (DE) in the same samples, 37,056 differential loci in adenocarcinoma emerged. Approximately 90% of the DM-DE relationships were non-canonical; for example, promoter DM associated with DE in the same direction. Of the canonical changes noted, promoter (PR) DM loci with reciprocal changes in expression in adenocarcinomas included HBEGF, AGER, PTPRM, DPT, CST1, MELK; DM GB loci with concordant changes in expression included FOXM1, FERMT1, SLC7A5, and FAP genes. IPA analyses showed adenocarcinoma-specific promoter DMxDE overlay identified familiar lung cancer nodes [tP53, Akt] as well as less familiar nodes [HBEGF, NQO1, GRK5, VWF, HPGD, CDH5, CTNNAL1, PTPN13, DACH1, SMAD6, LAMA3, AR]. The unique findings from this study include the discovery of numerous candidate The unique findings from this study include the discovery of numerous candidate methylation sites in both PR and GB regions not previously identified in NSCLC, and many non-canonical relationships to gene expression. These DNA methylation features could potentially be developed as risk or diagnostic biomarkers, or as candidate targets for newer methylation locus-targeted preventive or therapeutic agents.

Improving emergency evacuation preparedness : policy and organizational implications for transportation agencies.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-03-01

When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the United States Gulf Coast in 2005, : the storms revealed woeful inadequacies in our nations emergency preparedness : and response capacities, including notably how we plan for and execute larg...

Characterising Record Flooding in the United Kingdom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cox, A.; Bates, P. D.; Smith, J. A.

2017-12-01

Though the most notable floods in history have been carefully explained, there remains a lack of literature that explores the nature of record floods as a whole in the United Kingdom. We characterise the seasonality, statistical and spatial distribution, and meteorological causes of peak river flows for 521 gauging stations spread across the British Isles. We use annual maximum data from the National River Flow Archive, catchment descriptors from the Flood Estimation Handbook, and historical records of large floods. What we aim to find is in what ways, if any, the record flood for a station is different from more 'typical' floods. For each station, we calculate two indices: the seasonal anomaly and the flood index. Broadly, the seasonal anomaly is the degree to which a station's record flood happens at a different time of year compared to typical floods at that site, whilst the flood index is a station's record flood discharge divided by the discharge of the 1-in-10-year return period event. We find that while annual maximum peaks are dominated by winter frontal rainfall, record floods are disproportionately caused by summer convective rainfall. This analysis also shows that the larger the seasonal anomaly, the higher the flood index. Additionally, stations across the country have record floods that occur in the summer with no notable spatial pattern, yet the most seasonally anomalous record events are concentrated around the south and west of the British Isles. Catchment descriptors tell us little about the flood index at a particular station, but generally areas with lower mean annual precipitation have a higher flood index. The inclusion of case studies from recent and historical examples of notable floods across the UK supplements our analysis and gives insight into how typical these events are, both statistically and meteorologically. Ultimately, record floods in general happen at relatively unexpected times and with unpredictable magnitudes, which is a worrying reality for those who live in flood-prone areas, and to those who study the upper tail of flood events.

Yes we can! Successful examples of disallowing 'conscientious objection' in reproductive health care.

PubMed

Fiala, Christian; Gemzell Danielsson, Kristina; Heikinheimo, Oskari; Guðmundsson, Jens A; Arthur, Joyce

2016-06-01

Reproductive health care is the only field in medicine where health care professionals (HCPs) are allowed to limit a patient's access to a legal medical treatment - usually abortion or contraception - by citing their 'freedom of conscience.' However, the authors' position is that 'conscientious objection' ('CO') in reproductive health care should be called dishonourable disobedience because it violates medical ethics and the right to lawful health care, and should therefore be disallowed. Three countries - Sweden, Finland, and Iceland - do not generally permit HCPs in the public health care system to refuse to perform a legal medical service for reasons of 'CO' when the service is part of their professional duties. The purpose of investigating the laws and experiences of these countries was to show that disallowing 'CO' is workable and beneficial. It facilitates good access to reproductive health services because it reduces barriers and delays. Other benefits include the prioritisation of evidence-based medicine, rational arguments, and democratic laws over faith-based refusals. Most notably, disallowing 'CO' protects women's basic human rights, avoiding both discrimination and harms to health. Finally, holding HCPs accountable for their professional obligations to patients does not result in negative impacts. Almost all HCPs and medical students in Sweden, Finland, and Iceland who object to abortion or contraception are able to find work in another field of medicine. The key to successfully disallowing 'CO' is a country's strong prior acceptance of women's civil rights, including their right to health care.

[Urban Health (StadtGesundheit): The Wider Perspective Exemplified by the City State of Hamburg].

PubMed

Fehr, R; Fertmann, R; Stender, K-P; Lettau, N; Trojan, A

2016-09-01

Public health and city planning have common roots, and in many places they are now reuniting under the heading of urban health. To organize this field adequately requires a broad, integrative view of medical care, health promotion, and health in all urban policies. Given current crises and developments including climate change and globalization, such a wider perspective should also be useful for Germany. Using the City State of Hamburg as an example and combining historic and systematic approaches, we explore the preconditions for in-depth analyses. Our results show that health is a significant topic of Hamburg urban policy, featuring a broad range of structures, processes and actors, both within the health sector and far beyond. Health promotion over the last 30 years evolved notably from a niche topic into an established field with remarkable cooperative structures. The tradition of comprehensive reporting on urban health in Hamburg that was initiated more than 200 years ago is no longer alive today. However, local health reporting keeps integrating a wide range of diverse topics. Communication among the Hamburg health actors - beyond straightforward medical quality assurance - does not seem to focus on critical evaluations, e. g. concerning social and ecologic sustainability. A prerequisite for in-depth analyses including external comparisons is to secure permanent access to relevant sources. Robust approaches to this end, however, seem to be lacking. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Adapting to the unpredictable: reproductive biology of vertebrates in the Australian wet-dry tropics.

PubMed

Shine, Richard; Brown, Gregory P

2008-01-27

In the wet-dry tropics of northern Australia, temperatures are high and stable year-round but monsoonal rainfall is highly seasonal and variable both annually and spatially. Many features of reproduction in vertebrates of this region may be adaptations to dealing with this unpredictable variation in precipitation, notably by (i) using direct proximate (rainfall-affected) cues to synchronize the timing and extent of breeding with rainfall events, (ii) placing the eggs or offspring in conditions where they will be buffered from rainfall extremes, and (iii) evolving developmental plasticity, such that the timing and trajectory of embryonic differentiation flexibly respond to local conditions. For example, organisms as diverse as snakes (Liasis fuscus, Acrochordus arafurae), crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus), birds (Anseranas semipalmata) and wallabies (Macropus agilis) show extreme annual variation in reproductive rates, linked to stochastic variation in wet season rainfall. The seasonal timing of initiation and cessation of breeding in snakes (Tropidonophis mairii) and rats (Rattus colletti) also varies among years, depending upon precipitation. An alternative adaptive route is to buffer the effects of rainfall variability on offspring by parental care (including viviparity) or by judicious selection of nest sites in oviparous taxa without parental care. A third type of adaptive response involves flexible embryonic responses (including embryonic diapause, facultative hatching and temperature-dependent sex determination) to incubation conditions, as seen in squamates, crocodilians and turtles. Such flexibility fine-tunes developmental rates and trajectories to conditions--especially, rainfall patterns--that are not predictable at the time of oviposition.

Micro-computed tomography characterization of tissue engineering scaffolds: effects of pixel size and rotation step.

PubMed

Cengiz, Ibrahim Fatih; Oliveira, Joaquim Miguel; Reis, Rui L

2017-08-01

Quantitative assessment of micro-structure of materials is of key importance in many fields including tissue engineering, biology, and dentistry. Micro-computed tomography (µ-CT) is an intensively used non-destructive technique. However, the acquisition parameters such as pixel size and rotation step may have significant effects on the obtained results. In this study, a set of tissue engineering scaffolds including examples of natural and synthetic polymers, and ceramics were analyzed. We comprehensively compared the quantitative results of µ-CT characterization using 15 acquisition scenarios that differ in the combination of the pixel size and rotation step. The results showed that the acquisition parameters could statistically significantly affect the quantified mean porosity, mean pore size, and mean wall thickness of the scaffolds. The effects are also practically important since the differences can be as high as 24% regarding the mean porosity in average, and 19.5 h and 166 GB regarding the characterization time and data storage per sample with a relatively small volume. This study showed in a quantitative manner the effects of such a wide range of acquisition scenarios on the final data, as well as the characterization time and data storage per sample. Herein, a clear picture of the effects of the pixel size and rotation step on the results is provided which can notably be useful to refine the practice of µ-CT characterization of scaffolds and economize the related resources.

[Diversity and faunal analysis of crustaceans in Potatso National Park, Shangri-La, China].

PubMed

Shu, Shu-Sen; Chen, Fei-Zhou; Yang, Jun-Xing; Yang, Xiao-Jun; Chen, Xiao-Yong

2013-06-01

Potatso National Park was the first national park in mainland China, preceded by the earlier Bitahai Nature Reserve. Located in the northwest of Yunnan and on the southeast of Qinghai-Tibet plateau, Potatso is a typical low latitude and high elevation wetland nature reserve, with large areas of coniferous forest around alpine lakes and both wetland and water area ecosystems. In August, 2011, we undertook a survey of crustaceans in the park, sampling lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers throughout Potatso. We found a total of 29 species (including varieties) belonging to 24 genera and 11 families. Notable discoveries include Parartemiopsis sp, Arctodiaptomus parvispinus and Simocephalus congener, which are the first examples of these species to be recorded in China. Likewise, Gammarus bitaensis is a unique crustacean found only in Potatso National Park and Thermocyclops dumonti and Gammarus paucispinus are both endemic species to northwestern Yunnan. The overall faunal characteristics of crustaceans in the park also revealed several things about Potatso: (1) Cosmopolitan and Palaearctic elements reach 48.27% and 37.93%, clearly showing the Palaearctic element as the dominant fauna; (2) most of the crustacean, such as Arctodiaptomus parvispinus and Gammarus, are typical alpine types, confirming that Potatso has feature typical of alpine and plateau fauna; and (3) the proportion of endemic and rare crustacean species in Potatso National Park is approximately 10%, suggesting that the Potatso National Park in particular and the northwest of Yunnan in general have a unique geological and evolutionary history.

Stimuli-Responsive Polymeric Systems for Controlled Protein and Peptide Delivery: Future Implications for Ocular Delivery.

PubMed

Mahlumba, Pakama; Choonara, Yahya E; Kumar, Pradeep; du Toit, Lisa C; Pillay, Viness

2016-07-30

Therapeutic proteins and peptides have become notable in the drug delivery arena for their compatibility with the human body as well as their high potency. However, their biocompatibility and high potency does not negate the existence of challenges resulting from physicochemical properties of proteins and peptides, including large size, short half-life, capability to provoke immune responses and susceptibility to degradation. Various delivery routes and delivery systems have been utilized to improve bioavailability, patient acceptability and reduce biodegradation. The ocular route remains of great interest, particularly for responsive delivery of macromolecules due to the anatomy and physiology of the eye that makes it a sensitive and complex environment. Research in this field is slowly gaining attention as this could be the breakthrough in ocular drug delivery of macromolecules. This work reviews stimuli-responsive polymeric delivery systems, their use in the delivery of therapeutic proteins and peptides as well as examples of proteins and peptides used in the treatment of ocular disorders. Stimuli reviewed include pH, temperature, enzymes, light, ultrasound and magnetic field. In addition, it discusses the current progress in responsive ocular drug delivery. Furthermore, it explores future prospects in the use of stimuli-responsive polymers for ocular delivery of proteins and peptides. Stimuli-responsive polymers offer great potential in improving the delivery of ocular therapeutics, therefore there is a need to consider them in order to guarantee a local, sustained and ideal delivery of ocular proteins and peptides, evading tissue invasion and systemic side-effects.

Photographic Essay.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sage: A Scholarly Journal on Black Women, 1987

1987-01-01

Presents photographs and short biographical sketches of notable Black women artists past and present, including the following: Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, Leontyne Price, Florence Price, Ann Lundy, Katherine Dunham, Pearl Primus, Michelle Paterson, Augusta Savage, Glenda Y. Hooker, Marie L. Moore, Varnette Honeywood, Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller,…

Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-11

shuras, or jirgas (consultative councils)2 composed of local notables, are key mechanisms for making authoritative local decisions or dispensing justice...Department, the United States has implemented several hundred projects directly in support of Afghan women, including women’s empowerment, maternal and

Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-22

notables, are key mechanisms for making authoritative local decisions or dispensing justice. Afghans turn often to these local mechanisms to...implemented several hundred projects directly in support of Afghan women, including women’s empowerment, maternal and child health and nutrition, funding the

COMPARISON OF BIOMARKERS IN WORKERS EXPOSED TO 2,4,6-TRINITROTOLUENE

EPA Science Inventory

2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is an important occupational and environmental pollutant. In TNT-exposed humans, the notable toxic manifestations have included aplastic anemia, toxic hepatitis, cataracts, hepatomegaly, and liver cancer. Therefore, we developed methods to biomonitor w...

Evolution in biodiversity policy – current gaps and future needs

PubMed Central

Santamaría, Luis; Méndez, Pablo F

2012-01-01

The intensity and speed of human alterations to the planet's ecosystems are yielding our static, ahistorical view of biodiversity obsolete. Human actions frequently trigger fast evolutionary responses, affect extant genetic variation and result in the establishment of new communities and co-evolutionary networks for which we lack past analogues. Contemporary evolution interplays with ecological changes to determine the response of organisms and ecosystems to anthropogenic pressures. Examples on wild species include responses to harvest (e.g. fisheries, hunting, angling), habitat loss and fragmentation (e.g. genetic effects of isolation), biotic exchange (e.g. evolutionary responses to control measures), climate change (e.g. local adaptation and its interplay with dispersal processes) and the responses of endangered species to conservation measures. A review of international and EU biodiversity policies showed numerous opportunities for the integration of evolutionary knowledge, with the realistic prospect of improving their efficacy. Such opportunities should be extended to other sectoral policies of direct relevance for biodiversity – notably nature conservation, fisheries, agriculture, water resources, spatial planning and climate change. These avenues for improvement are, however, challenged by the low level of enforcement of biodiversity policies, linked to the nonbinding nature of most biodiversity-policy documents, and the decreasing representation of biodiversity in EU's research policy. PMID:25568042

Above the cloud computing orbital services distributed data model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Straub, Jeremy

2014-05-01

Technology miniaturization and system architecture advancements have created an opportunity to significantly lower the cost of many types of space missions by sharing capabilities between multiple spacecraft. Historically, most spacecraft have been atomic entities that (aside from their communications with and tasking by ground controllers) operate in isolation. Several notable example exist; however, these are purpose-designed systems that collaborate to perform a single goal. The above the cloud computing (ATCC) concept aims to create ad-hoc collaboration between service provider and consumer craft. Consumer craft can procure processing, data transmission, storage, imaging and other capabilities from provider craft. Because of onboard storage limitations, communications link capability limitations and limited windows of communication, data relevant to or required for various operations may span multiple craft. This paper presents a model for the identification, storage and accessing of this data. This model includes appropriate identification features for this highly distributed environment. It also deals with business model constraints such as data ownership, retention and the rights of the storing craft to access, resell, transmit or discard the data in its possession. The model ensures data integrity and confidentiality (to the extent applicable to a given data item), deals with unique constraints of the orbital environment and tags data with business model (contractual) obligation data.

Expanding Dental Education Partnerships Beyond the Four Walls

PubMed Central

Ballweg, Ruth; Berg, Joel; DeRouen, Tim; Fiset, Louis; Mouradian, Wendy; Somerman, Martha J.

2011-01-01

The increasing complexities of health care that dental graduates must be equipped to handle require schools to develop new models of education in order to address these intricacies. To meet these challenges, it is the school’s responsibility to provide an environment that fosters discovery and scholarly activity, embraces evidence-based philosophies, encourages partnerships with other units on campus and the community, including the global community, and recognizes the richness of diversity in both our human resources and our thinking. Beyond new curriculum initiatives within our school, we recognized the need to build strong partnerships outside our four walls in order to respond to the challenges confronting us. Four such notable recent initiatives at the University of Washington School of Dentistry discussed in this article are Regional Initiatives in Dental Education, the Center for Pediatric Dentistry: Program in Early Childhood Oral Health, Northwest PRECEDENT (Practice-based REsearch Collaborative in Evidence-based DENTistry), and Alaska Native Dental Health Aide Therapist Program. These partnerships focus on new models to improve access to care and to enhance the impact of research on evidence-based practice. These are examples of the many opportunities for us to act collectively in creating new models that ensure our graduates have the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to be competent oral health care professionals. PMID:21368254

Climate, weather, space weather: model development in an operational context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Folini, Doris

2018-05-01

Aspects of operational modeling for climate, weather, and space weather forecasts are contrasted, with a particular focus on the somewhat conflicting demands of "operational stability" versus "dynamic development" of the involved models. Some common key elements are identified, indicating potential for fruitful exchange across communities. Operational model development is compelling, driven by factors that broadly fall into four categories: model skill, basic physics, advances in computer architecture, and new aspects to be covered, from costumer needs over physics to observational data. Evaluation of model skill as part of the operational chain goes beyond an automated skill score. Permanent interaction between "pure research" and "operational forecast" people is beneficial to both sides. This includes joint model development projects, although ultimate responsibility for the operational code remains with the forecast provider. The pace of model development reflects operational lead times. The points are illustrated with selected examples, many of which reflect the author's background and personal contacts, notably with the Swiss Weather Service and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg, Germany. In view of current and future challenges, large collaborations covering a range of expertise are a must - within and across climate, weather, and space weather. To profit from and cope with the rapid progress of computer architectures, supercompute centers must form part of the team.

Universal Method for Creating Hierarchical Wrinkles on Thin-Film Surfaces.

PubMed

Jung, Woo-Bin; Cho, Kyeong Min; Lee, Won-Kyu; Odom, Teri W; Jung, Hee-Tae

2018-01-10

One of the most interesting topics in physical science and materials science is the creation of complex wrinkled structures on thin-film surfaces because of their several advantages of high surface area, localized strain, and stress tolerance. In this study, a significant step was taken toward solving limitations imposed by the fabrication of previous artificial wrinkles. A universal method for preparing hierarchical three-dimensional wrinkle structures of thin films on a multiple scale (e.g., nanometers to micrometers) by sequential wrinkling with different skin layers was developed. Notably, this method was not limited to specific materials, and it was applicable to fabricating hierarchical wrinkles on all of the thin-film surfaces tested thus far, including those of metals, two-dimensional and one-dimensional materials, and polymers. The hierarchical wrinkles with multiscale structures were prepared by sequential wrinkling, in which a sacrificial layer was used as the additional skin layer between sequences. For example, a hierarchical MoS 2 wrinkle exhibited highly enhanced catalytic behavior because of the superaerophobicity and effective surface area, which are related to topological effects. As the developed method can be adopted to a majority of thin films, it is thought to be a universal method for enhancing the physical properties of various materials.

Protein Logic: A Statistical Mechanical Study of Signal Integration at the Single-Molecule Level

PubMed Central

de Ronde, Wiet; Rein ten Wolde, Pieter; Mugler, Andrew

2012-01-01

Information processing and decision-making is based upon logic operations, which in cellular networks has been well characterized at the level of transcription. In recent years, however, both experimentalists and theorists have begun to appreciate that cellular decision-making can also be performed at the level of a single protein, giving rise to the notion of protein logic. Here we systematically explore protein logic using a well-known statistical mechanical model. As an example system, we focus on receptors that bind either one or two ligands, and their associated dimers. Notably, we find that a single heterodimer can realize any of the 16 possible logic gates, including the XOR gate, by variation of biochemical parameters. We then introduce what to our knowledge is a novel idea: that a set of receptors with fixed parameters can encode functionally unique logic gates simply by forming different dimeric combinations. An exhaustive search reveals that the simplest set of receptors (two single-ligand receptors and one double-ligand receptor) can realize several different groups of three unique gates, a result for which the parametric analysis of single receptors and dimers provides a clear interpretation. Both results underscore the surprising functional freedom readily available to cells at the single-protein level. PMID:23009860

Does nonstationarity in rainfall require nonstationary intensity-duration-frequency curves?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganguli, Poulomi; Coulibaly, Paulin

2017-12-01

In Canada, risk of flooding due to heavy rainfall has risen in recent decades; the most notable recent examples include the July 2013 storm in the Greater Toronto region and the May 2017 flood of the Toronto Islands. We investigate nonstationarity and trends in the short-duration precipitation extremes in selected urbanized locations in Southern Ontario, Canada, and evaluate the potential of nonstationary intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves, which form an input to civil infrastructural design. Despite apparent signals of nonstationarity in precipitation extremes in all locations, the stationary vs. nonstationary models do not exhibit any significant differences in the design storm intensity, especially for short recurrence intervals (up to 10 years). The signatures of nonstationarity in rainfall extremes do not necessarily imply the use of nonstationary IDFs for design considerations. When comparing the proposed IDFs with current design standards, for return periods (10 years or less) typical for urban drainage design, current design standards require an update of up to 7 %, whereas for longer recurrence intervals (50-100 years), ideal for critical civil infrastructural design, updates ranging between ˜ 2 and 44 % are suggested. We further emphasize that the above findings need re-evaluation in the light of climate change projections since the intensity and frequency of extreme precipitation are expected to intensify due to global warming.

Online interviewing with interpreters in humanitarian contexts

PubMed Central

Chiumento, Anna; Rahman, Atif; Frith, Lucy

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT Purpose: Recognising that one way to address the logistical and safety considerations of research conducted in humanitarian emergencies is to use internet communication technologies to facilitate interviews online, this article explores some practical and methodological considerations inherent to qualitative online interviewing. Method: Reflections from a case study of a multi-site research project conducted in post-conflict countries are presented.  Synchronous online cross-language qualitative interviews were conducted in one country.  Although only a small proportion of interviews were conducted online (six out of 35), it remains important to critically consider the impact upon data produced in this way. Results: A range of practical and methodological considerations are discussed, illustrated with examples.  Results suggest that whilst online interviewing has methodological and ethical potential and versatility, there are inherent practical challenges in settings with poor internet and electricity infrastructure.  Notable methodological limitations include barriers to building rapport due to partial visual and non-visual cues, and difficulties interpreting pauses or silences. Conclusions: Drawing upon experiences in this case study, strategies for managing the practical and methodological limitations of online interviewing are suggested, alongside recommendations for supporting future research practice.  These are intended to act as a springboard for further reflection, and operate alongside other conceptual frameworks for online interviewing. PMID:29532739

Online interviewing with interpreters in humanitarian contexts.

PubMed

Chiumento, Anna; Machin, Laura; Rahman, Atif; Frith, Lucy

2018-12-01

Recognising that one way to address the logistical and safety considerations of research conducted in humanitarian emergencies is to use internet communication technologies to facilitate interviews online, this article explores some practical and methodological considerations inherent to qualitative online interviewing. Reflections from a case study of a multi-site research project conducted in post-conflict countries are presented.  Synchronous online cross-language qualitative interviews were conducted in one country.  Although only a small proportion of interviews were conducted online (six out of 35), it remains important to critically consider the impact upon data produced in this way. A range of practical and methodological considerations are discussed, illustrated with examples.  Results suggest that whilst online interviewing has methodological and ethical potential and versatility, there are inherent practical challenges in settings with poor internet and electricity infrastructure.  Notable methodological limitations include barriers to building rapport due to partial visual and non-visual cues, and difficulties interpreting pauses or silences. Drawing upon experiences in this case study, strategies for managing the practical and methodological limitations of online interviewing are suggested, alongside recommendations for supporting future research practice.  These are intended to act as a springboard for further reflection, and operate alongside other conceptual frameworks for online interviewing.

Graphene Materials in Antimicrobial Nanomedicine: Current Status and Future Perspectives.

PubMed

Karahan, Hüseyin Enis; Wiraja, Christian; Xu, Chenjie; Wei, Jun; Wang, Yilei; Wang, Liang; Liu, Fei; Chen, Yuan

2018-03-05

Graphene materials (GMs), such as graphene, graphene oxide (GO), reduced GO (rGO), and graphene quantum dots (GQDs), are rapidly emerging as a new class of broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents. This report describes their state-of-the-art and potential future covering both fundamental aspects and biomedical applications. First, the current understanding of the antimicrobial mechanisms of GMs is illustrated, and the complex picture of underlying structure-property-activity relationships is sketched. Next, the different modes of utilization of antimicrobial GMs are explained, which include their use as colloidal dispersions, surface coatings, and photothermal/photodynamic therapy agents. Due to their practical relevance, the examples where GMs function as synergistic agents or release platforms for metal ions and/or antibiotic drugs are also discussed. Later, the applicability of GMs in the design of wound dressings, infection-protective coatings, and antibiotic-like formulations ("nanoantibiotics") is assessed. Notably, to support our assessments, the existing clinical applications of conventional carbon materials are also evaluated. Finally, the key hurdles of the field are highlighted, and several possible directions for future investigations are proposed. We hope that the roadmap provided here will encourage researchers to tackle remaining challenges toward clinical translation of promising research findings and help realize the potential of GMs in antimicrobial nanomedicine. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Thyroid-adrenergic interactions: physiological and clinical implications.

PubMed

Silva, J Enrique; Bianco, Suzy D C

2008-02-01

The sympathoadrenal system, including the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenal medulla, interacts with thyroid hormone (TH) at various levels. Both systems are evolutionary old and regulate independent functions, playing probably independent roles in poikilothermic species. With the advent of homeothermy, TH acquired a new role, which is to stimulate thermogenic mechanisms and synergize with the sympathoadrenal system to produce heat and maintain body temperature. An important part of this new function is mediated through coordinated and, most of the time, synergistic interactions with the sympathoadrenal system. Catecholamines can in turn activate TH in a tissue-specific manner, most notably in brown adipose tissue. Such interactions are of great adaptive value in cold adaptation and in states needing high-energy output. Conversely, in states of emergency where energy demand should be reduced, such as disease and starvation, both systems are turned down. In pathological states, where one of the systems is fixed at a high or a low level, coordination is lost with disruption of the physiology and development of symptoms. Exaggerated responses to catecholamines dominate the manifestations of thyrotoxicosis, while hypothyroidism is characterized by a narrowing of adaptive responses (e.g., thermogenic, cardiovascular, and lipolytic). Finally, emerging results suggest the possibility that disrupted interactions between the two systems contribute to explain metabolic variability, for example, fuel efficiency, energy expenditure, and lipolytic responses.

PFAS profiles in three North Sea top predators: metabolic differences among species?

PubMed

Galatius, Anders; Bossi, Rossana; Sonne, Christian; Rigét, Frank Farsø; Kinze, Carl Christian; Lockyer, Christina; Teilmann, Jonas; Dietz, Rune

2013-11-01

Profiles of seven compounds of perfluoro-alkyl substances (PFASs) were compared among three species of top predators from the Danish North Sea: the white-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris), the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), and the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina). The seals had higher total burdens (757.8 ng g(-1) ww) than the dolphins (439.9 ng g(-1) ww) and the porpoises (355.8 ng g(-1) ww), probably a reflection of feeding closer to the shore and thus contamination sources. The most striking difference among the species was the relative contribution of perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA) to the profiles; the seals (0.1%) had much lower levels than porpoises (8.3%) and dolphins (26.0%). In combination with the values obtained from the literature, this result indicates that Carnivora species including Pinnipedia have a much higher capacity of transforming PFOSA to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) than cetacean species. Another notable difference among the species was that the two smaller species (seals and porpoises) with supposedly higher metabolic rates had lower concentrations of the perfluorinated carboxylic acids, which are generally more easily excreted than perfluorinated sulfonamides. Species-specific characteristics should be recognized when PFAS contamination in marine mammals is investigated, for example, several previous studies of PFASs in cetaceans have not quantified PFOSA.

clubber: removing the bioinformatics bottleneck in big data analyses.

PubMed

Miller, Maximilian; Zhu, Chengsheng; Bromberg, Yana

2017-06-13

With the advent of modern day high-throughput technologies, the bottleneck in biological discovery has shifted from the cost of doing experiments to that of analyzing results. clubber is our automated cluster-load balancing system developed for optimizing these "big data" analyses. Its plug-and-play framework encourages re-use of existing solutions for bioinformatics problems. clubber's goals are to reduce computation times and to facilitate use of cluster computing. The first goal is achieved by automating the balance of parallel submissions across available high performance computing (HPC) resources. Notably, the latter can be added on demand, including cloud-based resources, and/or featuring heterogeneous environments. The second goal of making HPCs user-friendly is facilitated by an interactive web interface and a RESTful API, allowing for job monitoring and result retrieval. We used clubber to speed up our pipeline for annotating molecular functionality of metagenomes. Here, we analyzed the Deepwater Horizon oil-spill study data to quantitatively show that the beach sands have not yet entirely recovered. Further, our analysis of the CAMI-challenge data revealed that microbiome taxonomic shifts do not necessarily correlate with functional shifts. These examples (21 metagenomes processed in 172 min) clearly illustrate the importance of clubber in the everyday computational biology environment.

Assessing respondent-driven sampling.

PubMed

Goel, Sharad; Salganik, Matthew J

2010-04-13

Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is a network-based technique for estimating traits in hard-to-reach populations, for example, the prevalence of HIV among drug injectors. In recent years RDS has been used in more than 120 studies in more than 20 countries and by leading public health organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States. Despite the widespread use and growing popularity of RDS, there has been little empirical validation of the methodology. Here we investigate the performance of RDS by simulating sampling from 85 known, network populations. Across a variety of traits we find that RDS is substantially less accurate than generally acknowledged and that reported RDS confidence intervals are misleadingly narrow. Moreover, because we model a best-case scenario in which the theoretical RDS sampling assumptions hold exactly, it is unlikely that RDS performs any better in practice than in our simulations. Notably, the poor performance of RDS is driven not by the bias but by the high variance of estimates, a possibility that had been largely overlooked in the RDS literature. Given the consistency of our results across networks and our generous sampling conditions, we conclude that RDS as currently practiced may not be suitable for key aspects of public health surveillance where it is now extensively applied.

Assessing respondent-driven sampling

PubMed Central

Goel, Sharad; Salganik, Matthew J.

2010-01-01

Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is a network-based technique for estimating traits in hard-to-reach populations, for example, the prevalence of HIV among drug injectors. In recent years RDS has been used in more than 120 studies in more than 20 countries and by leading public health organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States. Despite the widespread use and growing popularity of RDS, there has been little empirical validation of the methodology. Here we investigate the performance of RDS by simulating sampling from 85 known, network populations. Across a variety of traits we find that RDS is substantially less accurate than generally acknowledged and that reported RDS confidence intervals are misleadingly narrow. Moreover, because we model a best-case scenario in which the theoretical RDS sampling assumptions hold exactly, it is unlikely that RDS performs any better in practice than in our simulations. Notably, the poor performance of RDS is driven not by the bias but by the high variance of estimates, a possibility that had been largely overlooked in the RDS literature. Given the consistency of our results across networks and our generous sampling conditions, we conclude that RDS as currently practiced may not be suitable for key aspects of public health surveillance where it is now extensively applied. PMID:20351258

Enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions of unsaturated beta-ketoesters catalyzed by chiral ruthenium PNNP complexes.

PubMed

Schotes, Christoph; Mezzetti, Antonio

2011-01-01

We report here dicationic ruthenium PNNP complexes that promote the enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction of alpha-methylene beta-ketoesters with various dienes. Complex [Ru(OEt2)2(PNNP)](PF6)2, formed in situ from [RuCl2,(PNNP)] and (Et3O)PF6 (2 equiv.), catalyzes the Diels-Alder reaction of such unsaturated beta-ketoesters to give novel alkoxycarbonyltetrahydro-1-indanone derivatives (nine examples) with up to 93% ee. The crystal structure of the substrate-catalyst adduct shows that the lower face of the substrate is shielded by a phenyl ring of the PNNP ligand, which accounts for the high enantioselectivity. The attack of the diene from the open re enantioface of the unsaturated beta-ketoester is consistent with the absolute configuration of the product. A useful application of this method is the reaction with Dane's diene to give estrone derivatives with up to 99% ee and an ester-exo:endo ratio of up to 145:1 (after recrystallization). Besides the enantioselective formation of all-carbon quaternary centers, this methodology is notable because unsaturated beta-ketoesters have been rarely used in Diels-Alder reactions. Furthermore, enantiomerically pure estrone derivatives are interesting in view of their potential applications, including the treatment of breast cancer.

Potential water resource impacts of hydraulic fracturing from unconventional oil production in the Bakken shale.

PubMed

Shrestha, Namita; Chilkoor, Govinda; Wilder, Joseph; Gadhamshetty, Venkataramana; Stone, James J

2017-01-01

Modern drilling techniques, notably horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, have enabled unconventional oil production (UOP) from the previously inaccessible Bakken Shale Formation located throughout Montana, North Dakota (ND) and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The majority of UOP from the Bakken shale occurs in ND, strengthening its oil industry and businesses, job market, and its gross domestic product. However, similar to UOP from other low-permeability shales, UOP from the Bakken shale can result in environmental and human health effects. For example, UOP from the ND Bakken shale generates a voluminous amount of saline wastewater including produced and flowback water that are characterized by unusual levels of total dissolved solids (350 g/L) and elevated levels of toxic and radioactive substances. Currently, 95% of the saline wastewater is piped or trucked onsite prior to disposal into Class II injection wells. Oil and gas wastewater (OGW) spills that occur during transport to injection sites can potentially result in drinking water resource contamination. This study presents a critical review of potential water resource impacts due to deterministic (freshwater withdrawals and produced water management) and probabilistic events (spills due to leaking pipelines and truck accidents) related to UOP from the Bakken shale in ND. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

clubber: removing the bioinformatics bottleneck in big data analyses

PubMed Central

Miller, Maximilian; Zhu, Chengsheng; Bromberg, Yana

2018-01-01

With the advent of modern day high-throughput technologies, the bottleneck in biological discovery has shifted from the cost of doing experiments to that of analyzing results. clubber is our automated cluster-load balancing system developed for optimizing these “big data” analyses. Its plug-and-play framework encourages re-use of existing solutions for bioinformatics problems. clubber’s goals are to reduce computation times and to facilitate use of cluster computing. The first goal is achieved by automating the balance of parallel submissions across available high performance computing (HPC) resources. Notably, the latter can be added on demand, including cloud-based resources, and/or featuring heterogeneous environments. The second goal of making HPCs user-friendly is facilitated by an interactive web interface and a RESTful API, allowing for job monitoring and result retrieval. We used clubber to speed up our pipeline for annotating molecular functionality of metagenomes. Here, we analyzed the Deepwater Horizon oil-spill study data to quantitatively show that the beach sands have not yet entirely recovered. Further, our analysis of the CAMI-challenge data revealed that microbiome taxonomic shifts do not necessarily correlate with functional shifts. These examples (21 metagenomes processed in 172 min) clearly illustrate the importance of clubber in the everyday computational biology environment. PMID:28609295

Investigation of erosion rates of field samples using FDOT's enhanced sediment erosion rate flume (SERF).

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-09-01

The first part of this project was to enhance and improve the Florida Department of Transportations : Sediment Erosion Rate Flume (SERF) device. Notable improvements include a pump repair, laser : system enhancement, installation of a digital vide...

Use Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teo, Timothy

2013-01-01

Technology acceptance is posited to be influenced by a variety of factors, including individual differences, social influences, beliefs, attitudes and situational influences (Agarwal, 2000; Teo, 2009a). A majority of the conceptualisations of technology acceptance have drawn on theories and models from social psychology, notably the theory of…

Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-11-02

local notables, are key mechanisms for making authoritative local decisions or dispensing justice. Afghans turn often to these local mechanisms to...support of Afghan women, including women’s empowerment, maternal and child health and nutrition, funding the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, and micro

Recyclable epoxy resins: An example of green approach for advanced composite applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cicala, Gianluca; Rosa, Daniela La; Musarra, Marco; Saccullo, Giuseppe; Banatao, Rey; Pastine, Stefan

2016-05-01

Automotive composite applications are increasingly growing due to demand for lightweight structures to comply to the requirements for fuel reduction. HP-RTM is gaining relevance as one of the preferred production technologies for high volume applications. The BMW i3 life module being a notable example of HP-RTM application. The key aspects of HP-RTM are the short injection times (i.e. less than 1min) and the fast curing of the thermoset resins (i.e. less than 10min). The choice of using thermosets poses relevant issues for their limited recycling options. The standard recycling solution is the incineration but, this solution poses some concerns in terms of global environmental impact. Novel solutions are presented in this work based on the use of recyclable epoxy systems. In our work the results of experimentation carried out by our group with cleavable ammines by Connora Technologies and bioepoxy resins by Entropy Resins will be discussed. The multiple uses of recycled matrices obtained treating the recyclable epoxy resins are discussed in the framework of a "cradle" to "crave" approach. Finally, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used to evaluate the environmental benefits of the proposed approach.

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

Forrest, M.C.

International projects will be the major exploration focus during 1992. New opportunities continue to become available, as the world's governments and major national oil companies are changing their monopolistic policies to allow joint ventures within the industry. Exploration within the U.S. by major oil companies will continue to decrease, while the independents are expected to maintain modest prospecting activity. The opportunity to participate in a billion-barrel oil discovery will continue to attract both the major oil companies and independents to international exploration. A good example is the recently announced discovery in Colombia's Llanos basin. Large exploration programs are active currentlymore » in several countries that opened their doors to the industry in recent years-notably, Yemen, Myanmar, Peru and Algeria. This paper reports that these countries are under-explored, and the potential exists for large discoveries.« less

Exploring the read-write genome: mobile DNA and mammalian adaptation.

PubMed

Shapiro, James A

2017-02-01

The read-write genome idea predicts that mobile DNA elements will act in evolution to generate adaptive changes in organismal DNA. This prediction was examined in the context of mammalian adaptations involving regulatory non-coding RNAs, viviparous reproduction, early embryonic and stem cell development, the nervous system, and innate immunity. The evidence shows that mobile elements have played specific and sometimes major roles in mammalian adaptive evolution by generating regulatory sites in the DNA and providing interaction motifs in non-coding RNA. Endogenous retroviruses and retrotransposons have been the predominant mobile elements in mammalian adaptive evolution, with the notable exception of bats, where DNA transposons are the major agents of RW genome inscriptions. A few examples of independent but convergent exaptation of mobile DNA elements for similar regulatory rewiring functions are noted.

Platinum, palladium, gold and ruthenium complexes as anticancer agents: Current clinical uses, cytotoxicity studies and future perspectives.

PubMed

Lazarević, Tatjana; Rilak, Ana; Bugarčić, Živadin D

2017-12-15

Metallodrugs offer potential for unique mechanism of drug action based on the choice of the metal, its oxidation state, the types and number of coordinated ligands and the coordination geometry. This review illustrates notable recent progress in the field of medicinal bioinorganic chemistry as many new approaches to the design of innovative metal-based anticancer drugs are emerging. Current research addressing the problems associated with platinum drugs has focused on other metal-based therapeutics that have different modes of action and on prodrug and targeting strategies in an effort to diminish the side-effects of cisplatin chemotherapy. Examples of metal compounds and chelating agents currently in clinical use, clinical trials or preclinical development are highlighted. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

On the Minimum Induced Drag of Wings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowers, Albion H.

2015-01-01

Birds do not require the use of vertical tails. They do not appear to have any mechanism by which to control their yaw. As an example the albatross is notable in this regard. The authors believe this is possible because of a unique adaptation by which there exists a triple-optimal solution that provides the maximum aerodynamic efficiency, the minimum structural weight, and it provides for coordination of control in roll and yaw. Until now, this solution has eluded researchers, and remained unknown. Here it is shown that the correct specification of spanload provides for all three solutions at once, maximum aerodynamic efficiency, minimum structural weight, and coordinated control. The implications of this result has far reaching effects on the design of aircraft, as well as dramatic efficiency improvement.

The role of mass transport pathway in wormholelike mesoporous carbon for supercapacitors.

PubMed

Liang, Yeru; Liang, Fengxue; Li, Zhenghui; Wu, Dingcai; Yan, Fangyu; Li, Siyu; Fu, Ruowen

2010-09-28

In the present paper, we demonstrate the importance of the role of a mass transport pathway (MTP) in wormholelike mesoporous carbon (WMC) through studying the ion diffusion behaviors within two different wormholelike mesopore networks with and without MTP. Our results reveal that the introduction of MTP is very helpful in improving ion diffusion properties. The as-prepared WMC with a MTP of ca. 9.7 nm exhibits notably better electric double layer performance as compared to the conventional WMC without a MTP. For example, even at the quick sweep rate of 50 mV s(-1), the surface specific capacitance of the former is 21.6 microF cm(-2), which is almost 4 times as high as that of the latter (5.5 microF cm(-2)).

In silico substrate dependence increases community productivity but threatens biodiversity.

PubMed

Daly, Aisling J; Baetens, Jan M; De Baets, Bernard

2016-04-01

The critical role that biodiversity plays in ecosystem functioning has motivated many studies of the mechanisms that sustain biodiversity, a notable example being cyclic competition. We extend existing models of communities with cyclic competition by incorporating variable community evenness and resource dependence in demographic processes, two features that have generally been neglected. In this way, we align previous approaches more closely with real-world microbial ecosystems. We demonstrate the existence of a trade-off between increasing biomass production and maintaining biodiversity. This supports experimental observations of a net negative biodiversity effect on biomass productivity, due to competition effects suffered by highly productive species in diverse communities. Our results also support the important role assigned by microbial ecologists to evenness in maintaining ecosystem stability, thus far largely overlooked in in silico approaches.

Method to analyze remotely sensed spectral data

DOEpatents

Stork, Christopher L [Albuquerque, NM; Van Benthem, Mark H [Middletown, DE

2009-02-17

A fast and rigorous multivariate curve resolution (MCR) algorithm is applied to remotely sensed spectral data. The algorithm is applicable in the solar-reflective spectral region, comprising the visible to the shortwave infrared (ranging from approximately 0.4 to 2.5 .mu.m), midwave infrared, and thermal emission spectral region, comprising the thermal infrared (ranging from approximately 8 to 15 .mu.m). For example, employing minimal a priori knowledge, notably non-negativity constraints on the extracted endmember profiles and a constant abundance constraint for the atmospheric upwelling component, MCR can be used to successfully compensate thermal infrared hyperspectral images for atmospheric upwelling and, thereby, transmittance effects. Further, MCR can accurately estimate the relative spectral absorption coefficients and thermal contrast distribution of a gas plume component near the minimum detectable quantity.

Dismantling boundaries in science and technology studies.

PubMed

Dear, Peter; Jasanoff, Sheila

2010-12-01

The boundaries between the history of science and science and technology studies (STS) can be misleadingly drawn, to the detriment of both fields. This essay stresses their commonalities and potential for valuable synergy. The evolution of the two fields has been characterized by lively interchange and boundary crossing, with leading scholars functioning easily on both sides of the past/present divide. Disciplines, it is argued, are best regarded as training grounds for asking particular kinds of questions, using particular clusters of methods. Viewed in this way, history of science and STS are notable for their shared approaches to disciplining. The essay concludes with a concrete example--regulatory science--showing how a topic such as this can be productively studied with methods that contradict any alleged disciplinary divide between historical and contemporary studies of science.

Linking Complexity with Cultural Historical Activity Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMurtry, Angus

2006-01-01

This paper explores the similarities and differences between complexity science's and cultural-historical activity theory's understandings of human learning. Notable similarities include their emphasis on the importance of social systems or collectives in understanding human knowledge and practices, as well as their characterization of systems'…

Who Will Teach Montana's Children?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nielson, Dori Burns

Montana is experiencing three types of teacher shortages, each requiring different intervention strategies. These situations include shortages in specific subject areas, most notably in music, special education, and foreign languages, followed closely by guidance and library; many job openings, caused by rapid enrollment growth, a large number of…

Non-lethal Clostridium sordellii bacteraemia in an immunocompromised patient with pleomorphic sarcoma.

PubMed

Bonnecaze, Alex K; Stephens, Sarah Ellen Elza; Miller, Peter John

2016-08-03

Clostridium sordellii is a spore-forming anaerobic Gram-positive rod that has rarely been reported to cause disease in humans. Resultant mortality from infection is estimated at nearly 70% and is most often correlated with gynaecological procedures, intravenous drug abuse or trauma. C. sordellii infection often presents similarly to toxic shock syndrome (TSS); notable features of infection include refractory hypotension, haemoconcentration and marked leucocytosis. Although clinically similar to TSS, a notable difference is C. sordellii infections rarely involve fever. The organism's major toxins include haemorrhagic (TcsH) and lethal factor (TcsL), which function to disrupt cytoskeletal integrity. Current literature suggests treating C. sordelli infection with a broad-spectrum penicillin, metronidazole and clindamycin. We present a case of C. sordellii bacteraemia and septic shock in an immunocompromised patient who was recently diagnosed with pleomorphic gluteal sarcoma. Despite presenting in critical condition, the patient improved after aggressive hemodynamic resuscitation, source control and intravenous antibiotic therapy. 2016 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

Suitability of standard rain-gauge networks for recording maximum intensity of rainstorms. Examples from the Mediterranean area.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabriele, Salvatore; Gariano, Stefano Luigi; Iovine, Giulio; Mondini, Alessandro; Terranova, Oreste

2014-05-01

Heavy rainstorms often cause natural disasters with damage to the built up environment, injures and victims, strongly hampering social and economic development in the Mediterranean area. Accuracy in space and time of rainfall measurements is a pre-requisite for any attempt of hydrological modelling. Unfortunately, except for a few areas subject to experimentation, rain gauge networks are generally inadequate to describe the spatial distribution of the rainfall. Pluviometric data have hence to be integrated by considering other types of sources. Thanks to its characteristics, mainly in terms of spatial and temporal resolution, the METEOSAT of second generation (MSG) allows for an accurate observation of clouds, and then of the rainstorms, over the entire European territory. More in detail, origin and development of clouds associated to extreme events can be monitored, and the peculiar structures of severe convective rainstorms can be characterized. By the way, several studies pointed out correlations among physical parameters obtained from satellite images and rainstorm intensities. In the Mediterranean area, short rainstorm events are usually associated to cumulonimbus that exhibit a high vertical development. Their top may reach the stratosphere, at 12-13 km above the ground, where the the clouds diverge horizontally to form the typical "anvil". Such notable spreading of the anvil testifies a strong divergence, i.e. upwelling of the air, due to convection. Moreover, due to the limited size of the rainstorm cells (generally, in the order of few tens of km), the maximum intensity can only rarely be recorded by traditional rain gauge networks. Hydrological analyses commonly point out wrong return periods estimations, especially for highly localized and spatially variable events. Despite the huge amount of data, available computer power and storage capacity allow to include in a GIS environment all territorial information, including those derived from satellite images and from the rain gauge network. In the present study, examples of application of rainfall data obtained from satellite images and calibrated by means of traditional rain gauge records are discussed, concerning recent catastrophic rainstorms that affected the Italian territory.

Crustal Deformation in Southcentral Alaska: The 1964 Prince William Sound Earthquake Subduction Zone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Steven C.; Freymueller, Jeffrey T.

2003-01-01

This article, for Advances in Geophysics, is a summary of crustal deformation studies in southcentral Alaska. In 1964, southcentral Alaska was struck by the largest earthquake (moment magnitude 9.2) occurring in historical times in North America and the second largest earthquake occurring in the world during the past century. Conventional and space-based geodetic measurements have revealed a complex temporal-spatial pattern of crustal movement. Numerical models suggest that ongoing convergence between the North America and Pacific Plates, viscoelastic rebound, aseismic creep along the tectonic plate interface, and variable plate coupling all play important roles in controlling both the surface and subsurface movements. The geodetic data sets include tide-gauge observations that in some cases provide records back to the decades preceding the earthquake, leveling data that span a few decades around the earthquake, VLBI data from the late 1980s, and GPS data since the mid-1990s. Geologic data provide additional estimates of vertical movements and a chronology of large seismic events. Some of the important features that are revealed by the ensemble of studies that are reviewed in this paper include: (1) Crustal uplift in the region that subsided by up 2 m at the time of the earthquake is as much as 1 m since the earthquake. In the Turnagain Arm and Kenai Peninsula regions of southcentral Alaska, uplift rates in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake reached 150 mm/yr , but this rapid uplift decayed rapidly after the first few years following the earthquake. (2) At some other locales, notably those away the middle of the coseismic rupture zone, postseismic uplift rates were initially slower but the rates decay over a longer time interval. At Kodiak Island, for example, the uplift rates have been decreasing at a rate of about 7mm/yr per decade. At yet other locations, the uplift rates have shown little time dependence so far, but are thought not to be sustainable throughout the several hundred year recurrence time for great earthquake. The nearly 10 mm/yr uplift rate at Seldovia on the Kenai Peninsula is an example.

Diversification and intensification of agricultural adaptation from global to local scales.

PubMed

Chen, Minjie; Wichmann, Bruno; Luckert, Marty; Winowiecki, Leigh; Förch, Wiebke; Läderach, Peter

2018-01-01

Smallholder farming systems are vulnerable to a number of challenges, including continued population growth, urbanization, income disparities, land degradation, decreasing farm size and productivity, all of which are compounded by uncertainty of climatic patterns. Understanding determinants of smallholder farming practices is critical for designing and implementing successful interventions, including climate change adaptation programs. We examine two dimensions wherein smallholder farmers may adapt agricultural practices; through intensification (i.e., adopt more practices) or diversification (i.e. adopt different practices). We use data on 5314 randomly sampled households located in 38 sites in 15 countries across four regions (East and West Africa, South Asia, and Central America). We estimate empirical models designed to assess determinants of both intensification and diversification of adaptation activities at global scales. Aspects of adaptive capacity that are found to increase intensification of adaptation globally include variables associated with access to information and human capital, financial considerations, assets, household infrastructure and experience. In contrast, there are few global drivers of adaptive diversification, with a notable exception being access to weather information, which also increases adaptive intensification. Investigating reasons for adaptation indicate that conditions present in underdeveloped markets provide the primary impetus for adaptation, even in the context of climate change. We also compare determinants across spatial scales, which reveals a variety of local avenues through which policy interventions can relax economic constraints and boost agricultural adaptation for both intensification and diversification. For example, access to weather information does not affect intensification adaptation in Africa, but is significant at several sites in Bangladesh and India. Moreover, this information leads to diversification of adaptive activities on some sites in South Asia and Central America, but increases specialization in West and East Africa.

Diversification and intensification of agricultural adaptation from global to local scales

PubMed Central

Chen, Minjie; Wichmann, Bruno; Luckert, Marty; Winowiecki, Leigh; Förch, Wiebke

2018-01-01

Smallholder farming systems are vulnerable to a number of challenges, including continued population growth, urbanization, income disparities, land degradation, decreasing farm size and productivity, all of which are compounded by uncertainty of climatic patterns. Understanding determinants of smallholder farming practices is critical for designing and implementing successful interventions, including climate change adaptation programs. We examine two dimensions wherein smallholder farmers may adapt agricultural practices; through intensification (i.e., adopt more practices) or diversification (i.e. adopt different practices). We use data on 5314 randomly sampled households located in 38 sites in 15 countries across four regions (East and West Africa, South Asia, and Central America). We estimate empirical models designed to assess determinants of both intensification and diversification of adaptation activities at global scales. Aspects of adaptive capacity that are found to increase intensification of adaptation globally include variables associated with access to information and human capital, financial considerations, assets, household infrastructure and experience. In contrast, there are few global drivers of adaptive diversification, with a notable exception being access to weather information, which also increases adaptive intensification. Investigating reasons for adaptation indicate that conditions present in underdeveloped markets provide the primary impetus for adaptation, even in the context of climate change. We also compare determinants across spatial scales, which reveals a variety of local avenues through which policy interventions can relax economic constraints and boost agricultural adaptation for both intensification and diversification. For example, access to weather information does not affect intensification adaptation in Africa, but is significant at several sites in Bangladesh and India. Moreover, this information leads to diversification of adaptive activities on some sites in South Asia and Central America, but increases specialization in West and East Africa. PMID:29727457

Assessing the risk of nitrogen deposition to natural resources in the Four Corners area

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reed, Sasha C.; Belnap, Jayne; Floyd-Hanna, Lisa; Crews, Tim; Herring, Jack; Hanna, Dave; Miller, Mark E.; Duniway, Michael C.; Roybal, Carla M.

2013-01-01

Nitrogen (N) deposition in the western U.S. is on the rise and is already dramatically affecting terrestrial ecosystems. For example, N deposition has repeatedly been shown to lower air and water quality, increase greenhouse gas emissions, alter plant community composition, and significantly modify fire regimes. Accordingly, the effects of N deposition represent one of our largest environmental challenges and make difficult the National Park Service’s (NPS) important mission to “preserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife… unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations”. Due to increased population growth and energy development (e.g., natural gas wells), the Four Corners region has become a notable ‘hotspot’ for N deposition. However, our understanding of how increased N deposition will affect these unique ecosystems, as well as how much deposition is actually occurring, remains notably poor. Here we used a multi-disciplinary approach to gathering information in an effort to help NPS safeguard the Four Corners national parks, both now and into the future. We applied modeling, field, and laboratory techniques to clarify current N deposition gradients and to help elucidate the ecosystem consequences of N deposition to the national parks of the Four Corners area. Our results suggest that NOx deposition does indeed represent a significant source of N to Mesa Verde National Park and, as expected, N deposition significantly affects coupled biogeochemical cycling (N, carbon, and phosphorus) of these landscapes. We also found some surprising results. For example, perhaps due to the low nutrient availability in these (and other) dryland ecosystems, although most other research suggests that adding N reduces N fixation rates, N additions did not consistently reduce natural N inputs via biological N2 fixation at our dryland sites. While the timeline of this pilot project is too brief to elucidate all the potential insight from the approach utilized here (e.g., we have fertilization plots to explore how N deposition affects Bromus tectorum invasion that will surely yield provoking results), we plan to continue this exciting line of questioning and expect further insight to be forthcoming.

Turning carbon dioxide into fuel.

PubMed

Jiang, Z; Xiao, T; Kuznetsov, V L; Edwards, P P

2010-07-28

Our present dependence on fossil fuels means that, as our demand for energy inevitably increases, so do emissions of greenhouse gases, most notably carbon dioxide (CO2). To avoid the obvious consequences on climate change, the concentration of such greenhouse gases in the atmosphere must be stabilized. But, as populations grow and economies develop, future demands now ensure that energy will be one of the defining issues of this century. This unique set of (coupled) challenges also means that science and engineering have a unique opportunity-and a burgeoning challenge-to apply their understanding to provide sustainable energy solutions. Integrated carbon capture and subsequent sequestration is generally advanced as the most promising option to tackle greenhouse gases in the short to medium term. Here, we provide a brief overview of an alternative mid- to long-term option, namely, the capture and conversion of CO2, to produce sustainable, synthetic hydrocarbon or carbonaceous fuels, most notably for transportation purposes. Basically, the approach centres on the concept of the large-scale re-use of CO2 released by human activity to produce synthetic fuels, and how this challenging approach could assume an important role in tackling the issue of global CO2 emissions. We highlight three possible strategies involving CO2 conversion by physico-chemical approaches: sustainable (or renewable) synthetic methanol, syngas production derived from flue gases from coal-, gas- or oil-fired electric power stations, and photochemical production of synthetic fuels. The use of CO2 to synthesize commodity chemicals is covered elsewhere (Arakawa et al. 2001 Chem. Rev. 101, 953-996); this review is focused on the possibilities for the conversion of CO2 to fuels. Although these three prototypical areas differ in their ultimate applications, the underpinning thermodynamic considerations centre on the conversion-and hence the utilization-of CO2. Here, we hope to illustrate that advances in the science and engineering of materials are critical for these new energy technologies, and specific examples are given for all three examples. With sufficient advances, and institutional and political support, such scientific and technological innovations could help to regulate/stabilize the CO2 levels in the atmosphere and thereby extend the use of fossil-fuel-derived feedstocks.

Total synthesis of (-)-strychnine.

PubMed

Kaburagi, Yosuke; Tokuyama, Hidetoshi; Fukuyama, Tohru

2004-08-25

Total synthesis of (-)-strychnine is described. Notable features of our synthesis include (1) palladium-catalyzed coupling of the indole and vinyl epoxide moieties, (2) synthesis of the nine-membered cyclic amine derivative from the diol precursor in a one-pot procedure, and (3) transannular cyclization of the nine-membered cyclic amine.

Translations on Telecommunications Policy, Research and Development No. 48

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-08-02

BRENCI, P. F. CHECCACCI, F. COSI, R. FALCIAI, A. M. SCHEGGI: Progressi nella tecnologia delle fibre ottiche in silice plastica realizzate presso...notably for signaling-toward subscribers with digital equipment, or for common channel systems as well. It also includes 3D registers that require

Multilevel Modeling of Social Segregation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leckie, George; Pillinger, Rebecca; Jones, Kelvyn; Goldstein, Harvey

2012-01-01

The traditional approach to measuring segregation is based upon descriptive, non-model-based indices. A recently proposed alternative is multilevel modeling. The authors further develop the argument for a multilevel modeling approach by first describing and expanding upon its notable advantages, which include an ability to model segregation at a…

Expanding the analyte set of the JPL Electronic Nose to include inorganic compounds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryan, M. A.; Homer, M. L.; Zhou, H.; Mannat, K.; Manfreda, A.; Kisor, A.; Shevade, A.; Yen, S. P. S.

2005-01-01

An array-based sensing system based on 32 polymer/carbon composite conductometric sensors is under development at JPL. Until the present phase of development, the analyte set has focuses on organic compounds and a few selected inorganic compounds, notably ammonia and hydrazine.

What Is Right? Ethics in Intellectual Disabilities Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Katherine E.; Kidney, Colleen A.

2012-01-01

There are important benefits to including adults with intellectual disabilities in research. Calls for their increased participation in research co-occur with notable discussion about how to conduct ethically strong research with adults with intellectual disabilities, a population widely considered vulnerable in the context of research. The…

Case-Based Reasoning in Mixed Paradigm Settings and with Learning

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-04-30

Learning Prototypical Cases OFF-BROADWAY, MCI and RMHC -* are three CBR-ML systems that learn case prototypes. We feel that methods that enable the...at Irvine Machine Learning Repository, including heart disease and breast cancer databases. OFF-BROADWAY, MCI and RMHC -* made the following notable

16 Extraordinary American Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hahn, Emma

This student book presents short biographies of notable women from diverse economic, ethnic, racial, social, and geographic backgrounds. Women highlighted include: (1) Helen Keller; (2) Eleanor Roosevelt; (3) Georgia O'Keeffe; (4) Julia Morgan; (5) Wilma P. Mankiller; (6) Rachel Carson; (7) Dorothea Lange; (8) Rosalyn Sussman Yalow; (9) Ella…

Searching for Genotype-Phenotype Structure: Using Hierarchical Log-Linear Models in Crohn Disease

PubMed Central

Chapman, Juliet M.; Onnie, Clive M.; Prescott, Natalie J.; Fisher, Sheila A.; Mansfield, John C.; Mathew, Christopher G.; Lewis, Cathryn M.; Verzilli, Claudio J.; Whittaker, John C.

2009-01-01

There has been considerable recent success in the detection of gene-disease associations. We consider here the development of tools that facilitate the more detailed characterization of the effect of a genetic variant on disease. We replace the simplistic classification of individuals according to a single binary disease indicator with classification according to a number of subphenotypes. This more accurately reflects the underlying biological complexity of the disease process, but it poses additional analytical difficulties. Notably, the subphenotypes that make up a particular disease are typically highly associated, and it becomes difficult to distinguish which genes might be causing which subphenotypes. Such problems arise in many complex diseases. Here, we concentrate on an application to Crohn disease (CD). We consider this problem as one of model selection based upon log-linear models, fitted in a Bayesian framework via reversible-jump Metropolis-Hastings approach. We evaluate the performance of our suggested approach with a simple simulation study and then apply the method to a real data example in CD, revealing a sparse disease structure. Most notably, the associated NOD2.908G→R mutation appears to be directly related to more severe disease behaviors, whereas the other two associated NOD2 variants, 1007L→FS and 702R→W, are more generally related to disease in the small bowel (ileum and jejenum). The ATG16L1.300T→A variant appears to be directly associated with only disease of the small bowel. PMID:19185283

Rethinking Apprenticeship Training in the British Construction Industry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdel-Wahab, Mohamed

2012-01-01

The British government continued intervention to support apprenticeship training across the economy has been notable in recent years. The construction industry is the only sector to retain a levy/grant scheme (that supports training including apprenticeships) since 1964, yet it still faces the problem of skills shortages. This article thus reviews…

A Policy Reader in Universal Design for Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, David T., Ed.; Gravel, Jenna W., Ed.; Schifter, Laura A., Ed.

2009-01-01

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) stands at the forefront of contemporary efforts to create access to education curricula for all students, including those with disabilities. This policy reader comprises a notably wide range of articles that address the challenges and opportunities facing policy makers as they consider UDL's implications for…

The Australian Perspective: Access, Equity, Quality, and Accountability in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Rajendra

2008-01-01

The Australian higher education system has experienced significant changes since the mid-1980s. Notable are introduction of an income-contingent loan (the Higher Education Contribution Scheme) for "government" funded places; changing from aid to trade with respect to international students, including introduction of full fees for such…

Injuries in Female Gymnasts: Trends Suggest Prevention Tactics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mackie, Susan J.; Taunton, Jack E.

1994-01-01

Survey of 100 young female gymnasts examined injuries over a 40-month period. Injury rates were similar to those found in other studies of female competitive gymnasts, but there were several notable findings regarding injury patterns. Prevention methods to reduce injury include modifying mat design and prescribing strengthening and stretching…

Educators' Conceptions and Practice of Classroom Assessment in Post-Apartheid South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vandeyar, Saloshna; Killen, Roy

2007-01-01

The changes in post-apartheid South Africa have been accompanied by considerable changes in the education system. The most notable include desegregation of schools, development of a National Qualifications Framework, adoption of new language policies for education, and introduction of outcomes-based curricula. However entrenched assessment…

A School Leader's Bookshelf.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Rebecca

2003-01-01

Brief reviews of six notable education books selected by the editors of "American School Board Journal." Includes books such as Rachel Simmons's "Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls," Jonathan Schorr's "Hard Lessons: The Promise of an Inner City Charter School," Peter Irons's "Jim Crow's Children: The Broken Promise of the…

Evolving Approaches to Educating Children from Nomadic Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyer, Caroline

2016-01-01

Evolving policies have increasingly aimed to include nomadic groups in EFA, but an overemphasis on mobility has distracted policy makers from going beyond access logistics to consider learning needs within nomads' contemporary livelihoods and cultural values. Notable global trends are the growth and institutionalization of forms of Alternative…

[Physical therapy for scars].

PubMed

Masanovic, Marguerite Guillot

2013-01-01

Physical therapy consists notably of hand or mechanical massages, pressure therapy using various fabrics or splints, cryotherapy, laser therapy, etc. It forms part of the range of therapies used to treat pathological scars, including medical and surgical treatment. While the results are often satisfactory for hypertrophic scars, they remain uncertain for major keloids.

Distance Supervision in Rehabilitation Counseling: Ethical and Clinical Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lund, Emily M.; Schultz, Jared C.

2015-01-01

Background: The use of technology-mediated distance supervision is a rapidly growing area in rehabilitation counseling and other fields. Distance supervision has both tremendous potential and notable challenges to address, including questions of ethics and evidence. Purpose: This article examines both the ethical and nonethical principles that…

Patriotic and Historical Plays for Young People.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamerman, Sylvia E., Ed.

The one-act, royalty-free plays in this book dramatize notable events in United States history. Historical selections include dramatizations of the Declaration of Independence, the Boston Tea Party, the Continental Army at Valley Forge, the birth of the Constitution, and George Washington crossing the Delaware and feature such historic figures as…

Reviewing Employee Turnover: Focusing on Proximal Withdrawal States and an Expanded Criterion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hom, Peter W.; Mitchell, Terence R.; Lee, Thomas W.; Griffeth, Rodger W.

2012-01-01

We reconceptualize employee turnover to promote researchers' understanding and prediction of why employees quit or stay in employing institutions. A literature review identifies shortcomings with prevailing turnover dimensions. In response, we expand the conceptual domain of the turnover criterion to include multiple types of turnover (notably,…

Considerations for GPU SEE Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wyrwas, Edward J.

2017-01-01

This presentation will discuss the considerations an engineer should take to perform Single Event Effects (SEE) testing on GPU devices. Notable topics will include setup complexity, architecture insight which permits cross platform normalization, acquiring a reasonable detail of information from the test suite, and a few lessons learned from preliminary testing.

Confronting Space Debris: Strategies and Warnings from Comparable Examples Including Deepwater Horizon

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

Horizon (DH) was an ultra deepwater , semisubmers- ible offshore drilling rig contracted to BP by its owner, Transocean. The rig was capable of...Warnings from Comparable Examples Including Deepwater Horizon 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT...research quality and objectivity. StrategieS and WarningS from Comparable exampleS inCluding deepWater Horizon Confronting SpaCe DebriS dave baiocchi

Marine toxins and nonmarine toxins: convergence or symbiotic organisms?

PubMed

Daly, John W

2004-08-01

Bioactive marine natural products occur only rarely in nonmarine sources. The converse also is true. Divergent evolutionary pathways for the biosynthesis of bioactive secondary metabolites seem to be the rule. Marine biosynthetic pathways lead to a wide variety of different structural classes, among which polyethers, macrolides, terpenes, unusual amino acids/peptides, and alkaloids are notable. Nonmarine biosynthetic pathways also lead to a similar wide variety of structural classes. However, the structures are usually quite different from the marine analogues. The alkaloids of plants are notable, but again there appears little convergence between the marine and nonmarine alkaloids. However, tetrodotoxin, a remarkable, highly polar, marine alkaloid, does occur in various amphibians. The occurrence and possible origin of tetrodotoxin and congeners, including chiriquitoxin, and of the saxitoxin analogue zetekitoxin in amphibians are reviewed.

Endocrine therapy toxicity: management options.

PubMed

Henry, N Lynn

2014-01-01

Treatment with adjuvant endocrine therapy, including tamoxifen and the aromatase inhibitors, has resulted in notable improvements in disease-free and overall survival for patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Despite their proven benefit, however, adherence to and persistence with the medications is poor in part because of bothersome side effects that can negatively affect quality of life. Retrospective analyses have identified possible predictors of development of toxicity. Reports have also suggested that development of toxicity may be a biomarker of better response to therapy. In addition, there has been considerable research investment into the management of these side effects, which may lead to improved adherence and persistence with therapy. However, although notable advances have been made, much more remains to be done to provide patients with truly personalized therapy for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.

Rough set approach for accident chains exploration.

PubMed

Wong, Jinn-Tsai; Chung, Yi-Shih

2007-05-01

This paper presents a novel non-parametric methodology--rough set theory--for accident occurrence exploration. The rough set theory allows researchers to analyze accidents in multiple dimensions and to model accident occurrence as factor chains. Factor chains are composed of driver characteristics, trip characteristics, driver behavior and environment factors that imply typical accident occurrence. A real-world database (2003 Taiwan single auto-vehicle accidents) is used as an example to demonstrate the proposed approach. The results show that although most accident patterns are unique, some accident patterns are significant and worth noting. Student drivers who are young and less experienced exhibit a relatively high possibility of being involved in off-road accidents on roads with a speed limit between 51 and 79 km/h under normal driving circumstances. Notably, for bump-into-facility accidents, wet surface is a distinctive environmental factor.

Fire safety applications for spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedman, Robert; Olson, Sandra L.

1989-01-01

Fire safety for spacecraft is reviewed by first describing current practices, many of which are adapted directly from aircraft. Then, current analyses and experimental knowledge in low-gravity combustion, with implications for fire safety are discussed. In orbiting spacecraft, the detection and suppression of flames are strongly affected by the large reduction in buoyant flows under low gravity. Generally, combustion intensity is reduced in low gravity. There are some notable exceptions, however, one example being the strong enhancement of flames by low-velocity ventilation flows in space. Finally, the future requirements in fire safety, particularly the needs of long-duration space stations in fire prevention, detection, extinguishment, and atmospheric control are examined. The goal of spacecraft fire-safety investigations is the establishment of trade-offs that promote maximum safety without hampering the useful human and scientific activities in space.

Organization of Heterogeneous Scientific Data Using the EAV/CR Representation

PubMed Central

Nadkarni, Prakash M.; Marenco, Luis; Chen, Roland; Skoufos, Emmanouil; Shepherd, Gordon; Miller, Perry

1999-01-01

Entity-attribute-value (EAV) representation is a means of organizing highly heterogeneous data using a relatively simple physical database schema. EAV representation is widely used in the medical domain, most notably in the storage of data related to clinical patient records. Its potential strengths suggest its use in other biomedical areas, in particular research databases whose schemas are complex as well as constantly changing to reflect evolving knowledge in rapidly advancing scientific domains. When deployed for such purposes, the basic EAV representation needs to be augmented significantly to handle the modeling of complex objects (classes) as well as to manage interobject relationships. The authors refer to their modification of the basic EAV paradigm as EAV/CR (EAV with classes and relationships). They describe EAV/CR representation with examples from two biomedical databases that use it. PMID:10579606

Forging Colloidal Nanostructures via Cation Exchange Reactions

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Among the various postsynthesis treatments of colloidal nanocrystals that have been developed to date, transformations by cation exchange have recently emerged as an extremely versatile tool that has given access to a wide variety of materials and nanostructures. One notable example in this direction is represented by partial cation exchange, by which preformed nanocrystals can be either transformed to alloy nanocrystals or to various types of nanoheterostructures possessing core/shell, segmented, or striped architectures. In this review, we provide an up to date overview of the complex colloidal nanostructures that could be prepared so far by cation exchange. At the same time, the review gives an account of the fundamental thermodynamic and kinetic parameters governing these types of reactions, as they are currently understood, and outlines the main open issues and possible future developments in the field. PMID:26891471

Recent Advances in Clinical Glycoproteomics of Immunoglobulins (Igs).

PubMed

Plomp, Rosina; Bondt, Albert; de Haan, Noortje; Rombouts, Yoann; Wuhrer, Manfred

2016-07-01

Antibody glycosylation analysis has seen methodological progress resulting in new findings with regard to antibody glycan structure and function in recent years. For example, antigen-specific IgG glycosylation analysis is now applicable for clinical samples because of the increased sensitivity of measurements, and this has led to new insights in the relationship between IgG glycosylation and various diseases. Furthermore, many new methods have been developed for the purification and analysis of IgG Fc glycopeptides, notably multiple reaction monitoring for high-throughput quantitative glycosylation analysis. In addition, new protocols for IgG Fab glycosylation analysis were established revealing autoimmune disease-associated changes. Functional analysis has shown that glycosylation of IgA and IgE is involved in transport across the intestinal epithelium and receptor binding, respectively. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Exploring the Chemistry of Bicyclic Isoxazolidines for the Multicomponent Synthesis of Glycomimetic Building Blocks.

PubMed

Hoogenboom, Jorin; Lutz, Martin; Zuilhof, Han; Wennekes, Tom

2016-10-07

Starting from a chiral furanone, the nitrone-olefin [3 + 2] cycloaddition can be used to obtain bicyclic isoxazolidines for which we report a set of reactions to selectively modify each functional position. These synthetically versatile bicyclic isoxazolidines allowed us to obtain complex glycomimetic building blocks, like iminosugars, via multicomponent chemistry. For example, a library of 20 pipecolic acid derivatives, a recurring motif in various prescription drugs, could be obtained via a one-pot Staudinger/aza-Wittig/Ugi three-component reaction of a bicyclic isoxazolidine-derived azido-hemiacetal. Notably, specific pipecolic acids in this library were obtained via hydrolysis of an unique tricyclic imidate side product of the Ugi reaction. The azido-hemiacetal was also converted into an aza-C-glycoside iminosugar via an unprecendented one-pot Staudinger/aza-Wittig/Mannich reaction.

Observations Of General Learning Patterns In An Upper-Level Thermal Physics Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meltzer, David E.

2009-11-01

I discuss some observations from using interactive-engagement instructional methods in an upper-level thermal physics course over a two-year period. From the standpoint of the subject matter knowledge of the upper-level students, there was a striking persistence of common learning difficulties previously observed in students enrolled in the introductory course, accompanied, however, by some notable contrasts between the groups. More broadly, I comment on comparisons and contrasts regarding general pedagogical issues among different student sub-populations, for example: differences in the receptivity of lower- and upper-level students to diagrammatic representations; varying receptivity to tutorial-style instructional approach within the upper-level population; and contrasting approaches to learning among physics and engineering sub-populations in the upper-level course with regard to use of symbolic notation, mathematical equations, and readiness to employ verbal explanations.

Bringing feedback and resilience of high-latitude ecosystems into the corporate boardroom.

PubMed

Whiteman, Gail; Forbes, Bruce C; Niemelä, Jari; Chapin, F Stuart

2004-08-01

This paper discusses the role of companies in high-latitude regions, which are conceptualized as socially and economically mediated ecosystems, and identifies a number of important social actors within the business environment. We present three examples of corporate activity at high latitudes and discuss a variety of common threads. Notably, we argue that business theory and practice needs to move beyond a narrow social or economic concept of organizational resilience and embrace the ecological resilience of high-latitude regions as a business management goal. We also suggest that regional ecosystem resilience needs to become a meaningful measure of sustainable corporate governance, one that corporate boards of directors can review and commit to. The paper concludes with a call for a detailed research agenda on the role of transnational and national companies within high-latitude regions.

Applied environmental technology development at the Savannah River Site: A retrospective on the last half of the 20th century

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

Looney, B.B.

2000-03-13

Fifty years ago, the Savannah River Site (SRS) was built to produce nuclear materials. These operations impacted air, soil, groundwater, ecology and the local environment. Throughout its history, SRS has addressed these contamination issues directly and has maintained a strong commitment to environmental stewardship. The site boasts many environmental firsts. Notably, SRS was the first major DOE facility to perform a baseline ecological assessment. This pioneering effort, by Ruth Patrick and the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, was performed during SRS planning and construction in the early 1950's. This unique early example sets the stage for subsequent efforts. Since that time,more » the scientists and engineers at SRS have proactively identified environmental problems as they occurred and have skillfully developed elegant and efficient solutions.« less

Forging Colloidal Nanostructures via Cation Exchange Reactions.

PubMed

De Trizio, Luca; Manna, Liberato

2016-09-28

Among the various postsynthesis treatments of colloidal nanocrystals that have been developed to date, transformations by cation exchange have recently emerged as an extremely versatile tool that has given access to a wide variety of materials and nanostructures. One notable example in this direction is represented by partial cation exchange, by which preformed nanocrystals can be either transformed to alloy nanocrystals or to various types of nanoheterostructures possessing core/shell, segmented, or striped architectures. In this review, we provide an up to date overview of the complex colloidal nanostructures that could be prepared so far by cation exchange. At the same time, the review gives an account of the fundamental thermodynamic and kinetic parameters governing these types of reactions, as they are currently understood, and outlines the main open issues and possible future developments in the field.

Quality of Life Theory II. Quality of Life as the Realization of Life Potential: A Biological Theory of Human Being

PubMed Central

Ventegodt, Soren; Merrick, Joav; Andersen, Niels Jorgen

2003-01-01

This review presents one of the eight theories of the quality of life (QOL) used for making the SEQOL (self-evaluation of quality of life) questionnaire or the quality of life as realizing life potential. This theory is strongly inspired by Maslow and the review furthermore serves as an example on how to fulfill the demand for an overall theory of life (or philosophy of life), which we believe is necessary for global and generic quality-of-life research.Whereas traditional medical science has often been inspired by mechanical models in its attempts to understand human beings, this theory takes an explicitly biological starting point. The purpose is to take a close view of life as a unique entity, which mechanical models are unable to do. This means that things considered to be beyond the individual's purely biological nature, notably the quality of life, meaning in life, and aspirations in life, are included under this wider, biological treatise. Our interpretation of the nature of all living matter is intended as an alternative to medical mechanism, which dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. New ideas such as the notions of the human being as nestled in an evolutionary and ecological context, the spontaneous tendency of self-organizing systems for realization and concord, and the central role of consciousness in interpreting, planning, and expressing human reality are unavoidable today in attempts to scientifically understand all living matter, including human life. PMID:14570994

Steady-state, lumped-parameter model for capacitor-run, single-phase induction motors

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

Umans, S.D.

1996-01-01

This paper documents a technique for deriving a steady-state, lumped-parameter model for capacitor-run, single-phase induction motors. The objective of this model is to predict motor performance parameters such as torque, loss distribution, and efficiency as a function of applied voltage and motor speed as well as the temperatures of the stator windings and of the rotor. The model includes representations of both the main and auxiliary windings (including arbitrary external impedances) and also the effects of core and rotational losses. The technique can be easily implemented and the resultant model can be used in a wide variety of analyses tomore » investigate motor performance as a function of load, speed, and winding and rotor temperatures. The technique is based upon a coupled-circuit representation of the induction motor. A notable feature of the model is the technique used for representing core loss. In equivalent-circuit representations of transformers and induction motors, core loss is typically represented by a core-loss resistance in shunt with the magnetizing inductance. In order to maintain the coupled-circuit viewpoint adopted in this paper, this technique was modified slightly; core loss is represented by a set of core-loss resistances connected to the ``secondaries`` of a set of windings which perfectly couple to the air-gap flux of the motor. An example of the technique is presented based upon a 3.5 kW, single-phase, capacitor-run motor and the validity of the technique is demonstrated by comparing predicted and measured motor performance.« less

Modeling the fracture of ice sheets on parallel computers.

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

Waisman, Haim; Bell, Robin; Keyes, David

2010-03-01

The objective of this project is to investigate the complex fracture of ice and understand its role within larger ice sheet simulations and global climate change. At the present time, ice fracture is not explicitly considered within ice sheet models due in part to large computational costs associated with the accurate modeling of this complex phenomena. However, fracture not only plays an extremely important role in regional behavior but also influences ice dynamics over much larger zones in ways that are currently not well understood. Dramatic illustrations of fracture-induced phenomena most notably include the recent collapse of ice shelves inmore » Antarctica (e.g. partial collapse of the Wilkins shelf in March of 2008 and the diminishing extent of the Larsen B shelf from 1998 to 2002). Other fracture examples include ice calving (fracture of icebergs) which is presently approximated in simplistic ways within ice sheet models, and the draining of supraglacial lakes through a complex network of cracks, a so called ice sheet plumbing system, that is believed to cause accelerated ice sheet flows due essentially to lubrication of the contact surface with the ground. These dramatic changes are emblematic of the ongoing change in the Earth's polar regions and highlight the important role of fracturing ice. To model ice fracture, a simulation capability will be designed centered around extended finite elements and solved by specialized multigrid methods on parallel computers. In addition, appropriate dynamic load balancing techniques will be employed to ensure an approximate equal amount of work for each processor.« less

Diamond family of colloidal supercrystals as phononic metamaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aryana, Kiumars; Zanjani, Mehdi B.

2018-05-01

Colloidal crystals provide a versatile platform for designing phononic metamaterials with exciting applications for sound and heat management. New advances in the synthesis and self-assembly of anisotropic building blocks such as colloidal clusters have expanded the library of available micro- and nano-scale ordered multicomponent structures. Diamond-like supercrystals formed by such clusters and spherical particles are notable examples that include a rich family of crystal symmetries such as diamond, double diamond, zinc-blende, and MgCu2. This work investigates the design of phononic supercrystals by predicting and analyzing phonon transport properties. In addition to size variation and structural diversity, these supercrystals encapsulate different sub-lattice types within one structure. Computational models are used to calculate the effect of various parameters on the phononic spectrum of diamond-like supercrystals. The results show that structures with relatively small or large filling factors (f > 0.65 or f < 0.45) include smaller bandgaps compared to those with medium filling factors (0.65 > f > 0.45). The double diamond and zinc-blende structures render the largest bandgap size compared to the other supercrystals studied in this paper. Additionally, this article discusses the effect of incorporating various configurations of sub-lattices by selecting different material compositions for the building blocks. The results suggest that, for the same structure, there exist multiple phononic variants with drastically different band structures. This study provides a valuable insight for evaluating novel colloidal supercrystals for phononic applications and guides the future experimental work for the synthesis of colloidal structures with desired phononic behavior.

A Four Lake Latitudinal Comparison Along Coastal Southern to Central California: A Late-Holocene Perspective on the Western US Precipitation Dipole.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirby, M.; Nichols, K. E.; Ramezan, R.; Palermo, J. A.; Hiner, C.; Bonuso, N.; Patterson, W. P.; Silveira, E.

2016-12-01

One of the dominant hydroclimatic features of the western United States is the winter season precipitation dipole. The dipole is characterized by a N-S antiphased precipitation regime presently centered on 40° N latitude (Cayan et al., 1998; Dettinger et al., 1998; Wise, 2010). For example, the position of the dipole dictates where CA receives its winter precipitation; thus, it is critical to understand the dipole from a paleoperspective, which at present is poorly known. Here, we present four lake sites spanning 33°-36° N latitude along coastal CA. These sites include: Lake Elsinore, Crystal Lake, Zaca Lake, and Abbott Lake. All four of these sites are located south of the dipole's average historic (since 1950 AD) latitude. The predominant hydroclimatic indicator is similar for each basin (i.e., grain size); although, several other indicators are used for independent verification/assessment of the grain size interpretation. Notably, these lakes contain varied age control, which limits site-to-site correlation without consideration of age model dependence. Following a Bayesian framework, MCMC algorithms in conjuction with radiocarbon dating will be used to estimate timestamps of sediment deposits with a degree of statistical uncertainty. Samples from the posterior distribution will be used to correlate hydroclimatic features between sites. Included in this analysis are tree ring records from the region to assess the similarities and differences as recorded in annually resolved tree ring drought reconstructions and decadally resolved lake sediment hydroclimatic records. Finally, the four sites are assessed in the context of tropical and north Pacific SST forcing.

Treatment of pediatric obesity using a parent-only approach: a case example.

PubMed

Janicke, David M

2013-03-01

There is a great need for solution-oriented studies and descriptions of interventions for pediatric obesity in real-world settings. This report describes a group-based behavioral parent-only intervention to promote healthier lifestyle habits and reduce weight status in an obese 12-year-old female participant. The behavioral parent-only intervention program described was part of a randomized controlled trial that evaluated the impact of 2 behavioral interventions that addressed dietary intake, physical activity, and weight status in overweight and obese youth living in rural settings. Both the child and parent were targeted for behavior change. The intervention included 12 group sessions over 4 months. Behavioral strategies, including self-monitoring, goal setting, performance feedback, reinforcement, stimulus control, and instruction in behavioral parenting strategies were flexibly applied to meet the needs of the family. Assessments were completed at baseline, month-4 posttreatment, and month-10 follow-up. The parent attended 10 of 12 treatment sessions. At follow-up the child had lost 17 pounds and grew 1.7 in. in height. The child also experienced improved quality of dietary intake and a drop in the number of self-reported unhealthy weight control behaviors. The parent experienced no notable decrease or increase in BMI. The report describes the successful application of a behavioral intervention to address pediatric obesity that uses a parent-only approach. It is hoped that this presentation will facilitate discussion and help encourage further presentations of how the flexible application of evidenced-based interventions can be applied in real-world settings. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Rare events in stochastic populations under bursty reproduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Be'er, Shay; Assaf, Michael

2016-11-01

Recently, a first step was made by the authors towards a systematic investigation of the effect of reaction-step-size noise—uncertainty in the step size of the reaction—on the dynamics of stochastic populations. This was done by investigating the effect of bursty influx on the switching dynamics of stochastic populations. Here we extend this formalism to account for bursty reproduction processes, and improve the accuracy of the formalism to include subleading-order corrections. Bursty reproduction appears in various contexts, where notable examples include bursty viral production from infected cells, and reproduction of mammals involving varying number of offspring. The main question we quantitatively address is how bursty reproduction affects the overall fate of the population. We consider two complementary scenarios: population extinction and population survival; in the former a population gets extinct after maintaining a long-lived metastable state, whereas in the latter a population proliferates despite undergoing a deterministic drift towards extinction. In both models reproduction occurs in bursts, sampled from an arbitrary distribution. Using the WKB approach, we show in the extinction problem that bursty reproduction broadens the quasi-stationary distribution of population sizes in the metastable state, which results in a drastic reduction of the mean time to extinction compared to the non-bursty case. In the survival problem, it is shown that bursty reproduction drastically increases the survival probability of the population. Close to the bifurcation limit our analytical results simplify considerably and are shown to depend solely on the mean and variance of the burst-size distribution. Our formalism is demonstrated on several realistic distributions which all compare well with numerical Monte-Carlo simulations.

Optical contact micrometer

DOEpatents

Jacobson, Steven D.

2014-08-19

Certain examples provide optical contact micrometers and methods of use. An example optical contact micrometer includes a pair of opposable lenses to receive an object and immobilize the object in a position. The example optical contact micrometer includes a pair of opposable mirrors positioned with respect to the pair of lenses to facilitate viewing of the object through the lenses. The example optical contact micrometer includes a microscope to facilitate viewing of the object through the lenses via the mirrors; and an interferometer to obtain one or more measurements of the object.

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

Diehl, Alexander D.; Meehan, Terrence F.; Bradford, Yvonne M.

Background: The Cell Ontology (CL) is an OBO Foundry candidate ontology covering the domain of canonical, natural biological cell types. Since its inception in 2005, the CL has undergone multiple rounds of revision and expansion, most notably in its representation of hematopoietic cells. For in vivo cells, the CL focuses on vertebrates but provides general classes that can be used for other metazoans, which can be subtyped in species-specific ontologies. Construction and content: Recent work on the CL has focused on extending the representation of various cell types, and developing new modules in the CL itself, and in related ontologiesmore » in coordination with the CL. For example, the Kidney and Urinary Pathway Ontology was used as a template to populate the CL with additional cell types. In addition, subtypes of the class 'cell in vitro' have received improved definitions and labels to provide for modularity with the representation of cells in the Cell Line Ontology and Reagent Ontology. Recent changes in the ontology development methodology for CL include a switch from OBO to OWL for the primary encoding of the ontology, and an increasing reliance on logical definitions for improved reasoning. Utility and discussion: The CL is now mandated as a metadata standard for large functional genomics and transcriptomics projects, and is used extensively for annotation, querying, and analyses of cell type specific data in sequencing consortia such as FANTOM5 and ENCODE, as well as for the NIAID ImmPort database and the Cell Image Library. The CL is also a vital component used in the modular construction of other biomedical ontologies-for example, the Gene Ontology and the cross-species anatomy ontology, Uberon, use CL to support the consistent representation of cell types across different levels of anatomical granularity, such as tissues and organs. Conclusions: The ongoing improvements to the CL make it a valuable resource to both the OBO Foundry community and the wider scientific community, and we continue to experience increased interest in the CL both among developers and within the user community.« less

The Cell Ontology 2016: enhanced content, modularization, and ontology interoperability.

PubMed

Diehl, Alexander D; Meehan, Terrence F; Bradford, Yvonne M; Brush, Matthew H; Dahdul, Wasila M; Dougall, David S; He, Yongqun; Osumi-Sutherland, David; Ruttenberg, Alan; Sarntivijai, Sirarat; Van Slyke, Ceri E; Vasilevsky, Nicole A; Haendel, Melissa A; Blake, Judith A; Mungall, Christopher J

2016-07-04

The Cell Ontology (CL) is an OBO Foundry candidate ontology covering the domain of canonical, natural biological cell types. Since its inception in 2005, the CL has undergone multiple rounds of revision and expansion, most notably in its representation of hematopoietic cells. For in vivo cells, the CL focuses on vertebrates but provides general classes that can be used for other metazoans, which can be subtyped in species-specific ontologies. Recent work on the CL has focused on extending the representation of various cell types, and developing new modules in the CL itself, and in related ontologies in coordination with the CL. For example, the Kidney and Urinary Pathway Ontology was used as a template to populate the CL with additional cell types. In addition, subtypes of the class 'cell in vitro' have received improved definitions and labels to provide for modularity with the representation of cells in the Cell Line Ontology and Reagent Ontology. Recent changes in the ontology development methodology for CL include a switch from OBO to OWL for the primary encoding of the ontology, and an increasing reliance on logical definitions for improved reasoning. The CL is now mandated as a metadata standard for large functional genomics and transcriptomics projects, and is used extensively for annotation, querying, and analyses of cell type specific data in sequencing consortia such as FANTOM5 and ENCODE, as well as for the NIAID ImmPort database and the Cell Image Library. The CL is also a vital component used in the modular construction of other biomedical ontologies-for example, the Gene Ontology and the cross-species anatomy ontology, Uberon, use CL to support the consistent representation of cell types across different levels of anatomical granularity, such as tissues and organs. The ongoing improvements to the CL make it a valuable resource to both the OBO Foundry community and the wider scientific community, and we continue to experience increased interest in the CL both among developers and within the user community.

Seeing the Night in a New Light—VIIRS Day/Night Band Capabilities and Prospects for a Joint Suomi/JPSS-1 Observing System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solbrig, J. E.; Miller, S. D.; Straka, W. C.; Seaman, C.; Combs, C.; Heidinger, A.; Walther, A.

2017-12-01

The Day/Night Band (DNB), a special sensor on board the Visible/Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) devoted to low-light visible imaging, has representated a kind of `disruptive technology' in terms of how we observe the nocturnal environment. Since its debut on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP), launched in Fall 2011, the DNB has solidified its claim to fame as the most novel addition to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's future polar-oribitng program, represented by the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). The first member of which (JPSS-1) is scheduled to launch in Fall of 2017, joining Suomi in its 1330 local time ascending node orbit. JPSS-1 will be displaced by ½ orbit ahead of Suomi, providing roughly 50 min between overpasses. Importantly, JPSS-1 will provide a second DNB observation, enabling the first time-resolved measurements of low-light visible at low and mid-latitudes from this new sensor technology. The DNB provides unprecedented capability to leverage light emissions from natural and artificial nocturnal sources, ranging from moonlight and city lights, ships, fires, lightning flashes, and even atmospheric nightglow. The calibrated DNB observations enable use of moonlight in similar way to daytime visible, allowing for quantitative description of cloud and aerosol optical properties. This presentation updates the community on DNB-related research initiatives. Statistics based on a multi-year collection of data at Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia and White Sands, New Mexico lend confidence to the performance of a lunar irradiance model used to enable nighttime optical property retrievals. Selected examples of notable events, including the devastating Portugal wildfires, emergence of the massive rift in the Larsen C ice shelf, and examples from the growing compilation of atmospheric gravity waves in nightglow, will also be highlighted.

Exploring the role and function of trial steering committees: results of an expert panel meeting.

PubMed

Harman, Nicola L; Conroy, Elizabeth J; Lewis, Steff C; Murray, Gordon; Norrie, John; Sydes, Matt R; Lane, J Athene; Altman, Douglas G; Baigent, Colin; Bliss, Judith M; Campbell, Marion K; Elbourne, Diana; Evans, Stephen; Sandercock, Peter; Gamble, Carrol

2015-12-30

The independent oversight of clinical trials, which is recommended by the Medical Research Council (MRC) Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice, is typically provided by an independent advisory Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) and an independent executive committee, to whom the DMC makes recommendations. The detailed roles and function of this executive committee, known as the Trial Steering Committee (TSC), have not previously been studied or reviewed since those originally proposed by the MRC in 1998. An expert panel (n = 7) was convened comprising statisticians, clinicians and trial methodologists with prior TSC experience. Twelve questions about the role and responsibilities of the TSC were discussed by the panel at two full-day meetings. Each meeting was transcribed in full and the discussions were summarised. The expert panel reached agreement on the role of the TSC, to which it was accountable, the membership, the definition of independence, and the experience and training needed. The management of ethical issues, difficult/complex situations and issues the TSC should not ask the DMC to make recommendations on were more difficult to discuss without specific examples, but support existed for further work to help share issues and to provide appropriate training for TSC members. Additional topics discussed, which had not been identified by previous work relating to the DMCs but were pertinent to the role of the TSC, included the following: review of data sharing requests, indemnity, lifespan of the TSC, general TSC administration, and the roles of both the Funder and the Sponsor. This paper presents recommendations that will contribute to the revision and update of the MRC TSC terms of reference. Uncertainty remains in some areas due to the absence of real-life examples; future guidance on these issues would benefit from a repository of case studies. Notably, the role of a patient and public involvement (PPI) contributor was not discussed, and further work is warranted to explore the role of a PPI contributor in independent trial oversight.

Melts and fluids: An overview of recent advances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brenan, James M.

1995-07-01

Owing to their capacity to transport mass and heat melts and low viscosity fluids profoundly influence such global processes as planetary heat loss, large and small-scale planetary differentiation as well as affecting the evolution of oceans and atmospheres. As such, these materials play a key role in the physical and chemical volution of Earth, the terrestrial planets and the meteorite parent bodies. In this context, a review chapter that deals exclusively with recent advances in our understanding of the composition, properties, origin and volution of melts and fluids is clearly relevant.1 Since 1991, a host of research advances has provided earth and planetary scientists with new and unique perspectives for understanding natural melts and low viscosity fluids. New instrumentation has provided the basis for several advances, and perhaps most notable is the development and application of reaction cells that allow measurement of melt or fluid properties in situ. Such devices have allowed workers to monitor properties at high pressure and temperature that are typically not preserved when samples are quenched to ambient conditions. In addition to the development of new machines, tried and true experimental and analytical technologies have also yielded significant new results on melts and fluids, largely as a result of their clever application to the solution of what had been longstanding problems in geochemistry and petrology. Although laboratory-based measurements have provided the basis for many recent advances, it is also clear that the Earth still yields provocative samples for our study, and new insights have also been gained concerning the behavior of melts and fluids in natural processes based on recent documentation of previously unobserved melt and fluid compositions. Along with new technologies, clever experiments and unique samples, it is also notable that strides have been made in certain research areas enjoying a resurgence of activity following new and provocative developments. Provoked by controversial theoretical results, perhaps the most notable example of this has been an increased experimental effort aimed at evaluating whether equilibrium core segregation can account for the siderophile element abundances in Earth's upper mantle.

Resilient protein co-expression network in male orbitofrontal cortex layer 2/3 during human aging.

PubMed

Pabba, Mohan; Scifo, Enzo; Kapadia, Fenika; Nikolova, Yuliya S; Ma, Tianzhou; Mechawar, Naguib; Tseng, George C; Sibille, Etienne

2017-10-01

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is vulnerable to normal and pathologic aging. Currently, layer resolution large-scale proteomic studies describing "normal" age-related alterations at OFC are not available. Here, we performed a large-scale exploratory high-throughput mass spectrometry-based protein analysis on OFC layer 2/3 from 15 "young" (15-43 years) and 18 "old" (62-88 years) human male subjects. We detected 4193 proteins and identified 127 differentially expressed (DE) proteins (p-value ≤0.05; effect size >20%), including 65 up- and 62 downregulated proteins (e.g., GFAP, CALB1). Using a previously described categorization of biological aging based on somatic tissues, that is, peripheral "hallmarks of aging," and considering overlap in protein function, we show the highest representation of altered cell-cell communication (54%), deregulated nutrient sensing (39%), and loss of proteostasis (35%) in the set of OFC layer 2/3 DE proteins. DE proteins also showed a significant association with several neurologic disorders; for example, Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Notably, despite age-related changes in individual protein levels, protein co-expression modules were remarkably conserved across age groups, suggesting robust functional homeostasis. Collectively, these results provide biological insight into aging and associated homeostatic mechanisms that maintain normal brain function with advancing age. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Financial Burden From Prescription Drugs Has Declined Recently For The Nonelderly, Although It's Still High For Many

PubMed Central

Gellad, Walid F.; Donohue, Julie M.; Zhao, Xinhua; Zhang, Yuting; Banthin, Jessica S.

2012-01-01

Prescription drug spending and pharmacy benefit design have changed substantially over the last decade, yet little is known about the financial impact these changes have had on consumers. We examined ten years of nationally representative data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and describe trends in two measures of financial burden for prescription drugs: out-of-pocket drug costs as a function of family income and the proportion of all out-of-pocket health care costs accounted for by drugs. We found that although the percentage of people with high financial burden for prescription drugs increased from 1999 to 2003, it decreased from 2003 to 2007, with a slight increase in 2008. The decline is evidence of the success of strategies to lower drug costs for consumers, including the increased use of generic drugs. However, the financial burden is still high among some groups, notably those with public insurance and those with low incomes. For example, one in four nonelderly people devote more than half of their total out-of-pocket health care spending to prescription drugs. These trends suggest that the affordability of prescription drugs under the future insurance exchanges will need to be monitored, as will efforts by states to increase prescription drug copayments under Medicaid or otherwise restrict drug use to reduce public spending. PMID:22323172

The financial burden from prescription drugs has declined recently for the nonelderly, although it is still high for many.

PubMed

Gellad, Walid F; Donohue, Julie M; Zhao, Xinhua; Zhang, Yuting; Banthin, Jessica S

2012-02-01

Prescription drug spending and pharmacy benefit design have changed greatly over the past decade. However, little is known about the financial impact these changes have had on consumers. We examined ten years of nationally representative data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and describe trends in two measures of financial burden for prescription drugs: out-of-pocket drug costs as a function of family income and the proportion of all out-of-pocket health care expenses accounted for by drugs. We found that although the percentage of people with high financial burden for prescription drugs increased from 1999 to 2003, it decreased from 2003 to 2007, with a slight increase in 2008. The decline is evidence of the success of strategies to lower drug costs for consumers, including the increased use of generic drugs. However, the financial burden is still high among some groups, notably those with public insurance and those with low incomes. For example, one in four nonelderly people devote more than half of their total out-of-pocket health care spending to prescription drugs. These trends suggest that the affordability of prescription drugs under the future insurance exchanges will need to be monitored, as will efforts by states to increase prescription drug copayments under Medicaid or otherwise restrict drug use to reduce public spending.

Genome-Wide Association Studies of the Human Gut Microbiota.

PubMed

Davenport, Emily R; Cusanovich, Darren A; Michelini, Katelyn; Barreiro, Luis B; Ober, Carole; Gilad, Yoav

2015-01-01

The bacterial composition of the human fecal microbiome is influenced by many lifestyle factors, notably diet. It is less clear, however, what role host genetics plays in dictating the composition of bacteria living in the gut. In this study, we examined the association of ~200K host genotypes with the relative abundance of fecal bacterial taxa in a founder population, the Hutterites, during two seasons (n = 91 summer, n = 93 winter, n = 57 individuals collected in both). These individuals live and eat communally, minimizing variation due to environmental exposures, including diet, which could potentially mask small genetic effects. Using a GWAS approach that takes into account the relatedness between subjects, we identified at least 8 bacterial taxa whose abundances were associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms in the host genome in each season (at genome-wide FDR of 20%). For example, we identified an association between a taxon known to affect obesity (genus Akkermansia) and a variant near PLD1, a gene previously associated with body mass index. Moreover, we replicate a previously reported association from a quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping study of fecal microbiome abundance in mice (genus Lactococcus, rs3747113, P = 3.13 x 10-7). Finally, based on the significance distribution of the associated microbiome QTLs in our study with respect to chromatin accessibility profiles, we identified tissues in which host genetic variation may be acting to influence bacterial abundance in the gut.

Dynamic Hippocampal and Prefrontal Contributions to Memory Processes and Representations Blur the Boundaries of Traditional Cognitive Domains

PubMed Central

Schwarb, Hillary; Lucas, Heather D.; Dulas, Michael R.; Cohen, Neal J.

2017-01-01

The hippocampus has long been known to be a critical component of the memory system involved in the formation and use of long-term declarative memory. However, recent findings have revealed that the reach of hippocampal contributions extends to a variety of domains and tasks that require the flexible use of cognitive and social behavior, including domains traditionally linked to prefrontal cortex (PFC), such as decision-making. In addition, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has gained traction as a necessary part of the memory system. These findings challenge the conventional characterizations of hippocampus and PFC as being circumscribed to traditional cognitive domains. Here, we emphasize that the ability to parsimoniously account for the breadth of hippocampal and PFC contributions to behavior, in terms of memory function and beyond, requires theoretical advances in our understanding of their characteristic processing features and mental representations. Notably, several literatures exist that touch upon this issue, but have remained disjointed because of methodological differences that necessarily limit the scope of inquiry, as well as the somewhat artificial boundaries that have been historically imposed between domains of cognition. In particular, this article focuses on the contribution of relational memory theory as an example of a framework that describes both the representations and processes supported by the hippocampus, and further elucidates the role of the hippocampal–PFC network to a variety of behaviors. PMID:28704928

Protein logic: a statistical mechanical study of signal integration at the single-molecule level.

PubMed

de Ronde, Wiet; Rein ten Wolde, Pieter; Mugler, Andrew

2012-09-05

Information processing and decision-making is based upon logic operations, which in cellular networks has been well characterized at the level of transcription. In recent years, however, both experimentalists and theorists have begun to appreciate that cellular decision-making can also be performed at the level of a single protein, giving rise to the notion of protein logic. Here we systematically explore protein logic using a well-known statistical mechanical model. As an example system, we focus on receptors that bind either one or two ligands, and their associated dimers. Notably, we find that a single heterodimer can realize any of the 16 possible logic gates, including the XOR gate, by variation of biochemical parameters. We then introduce what to our knowledge is a novel idea: that a set of receptors with fixed parameters can encode functionally unique logic gates simply by forming different dimeric combinations. An exhaustive search reveals that the simplest set of receptors (two single-ligand receptors and one double-ligand receptor) can realize several different groups of three unique gates, a result for which the parametric analysis of single receptors and dimers provides a clear interpretation. Both results underscore the surprising functional freedom readily available to cells at the single-protein level. Copyright © 2012 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Application of immunohistochemical staining to detect antigen destruction as a measure of tissue damage.

PubMed

Onul, Abdullah; Colvard, Michael D; Paradise, William A; Elseth, Kim M; Vesper, Benjamin J; Gouvas, Eftychia; Deliu, Zane; Garcia, Kelly D; Pestle, William J; Radosevich, James A

2012-09-01

Electrocautery and directed energy devices (DEDs) such as lasers, which are used in surgery, result in tissue damage that cannot be readily detected by traditional histological methods, such as hematoxylin and eosin staining. Alternative staining methods, including 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) to stain live tissue, have been reported. Despite providing superior detection of damaged tissue relative to the hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) method, the MTT method possesses a number of drawbacks, most notably that it must be carried out on live tissue samples. Herein, we report the development of a novel staining method, "antigen destruction immunohistochemistry" (ADI), which can be carried out on paraffin-embedded tissue. The ADI method takes advantage of epitope loss to define the area of tissue damage and provides many of the benefits of live tissue MTT staining without the drawbacks inherent to that method. In addition, the authors provide data to support the use of antibodies directed at a number of gene products for use in animal tissue for which there are no species-specific antibodies commercially available, as well as an example of a species-specific direct antibody. Data are provided that support the use of this method in many tissue models, as well as evidence that ADI is comparable to the live tissue MTT method.

Application of Immunohistochemical Staining to Detect Antigen Destruction as a Measure of Tissue Damage

PubMed Central

Onul, Abdullah; Colvard, Michael D.; Paradise, William A.; Elseth, Kim M.; Vesper, Benjamin J.; Gouvas, Eftychia; Deliu, Zane; Garcia, Kelly D.; Pestle, William J.

2012-01-01

Electrocautery and directed energy devices (DEDs) such as lasers, which are used in surgery, result in tissue damage that cannot be readily detected by traditional histological methods, such as hematoxylin and eosin staining. Alternative staining methods, including 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) to stain live tissue, have been reported. Despite providing superior detection of damaged tissue relative to the hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) method, the MTT method possesses a number of drawbacks, most notably that it must be carried out on live tissue samples. Herein, we report the development of a novel staining method, “antigen destruction immunohistochemistry” (ADI), which can be carried out on paraffin-embedded tissue. The ADI method takes advantage of epitope loss to define the area of tissue damage and provides many of the benefits of live tissue MTT staining without the drawbacks inherent to that method. In addition, the authors provide data to support the use of antibodies directed at a number of gene products for use in animal tissue for which there are no species-specific antibodies commercially available, as well as an example of a species-specific direct antibody. Data are provided that support the use of this method in many tissue models, as well as evidence that ADI is comparable to the live tissue MTT method. PMID:22723525

Eccrine sweat gland development and sweat secretion

PubMed Central

Cui, Chang-Yi; Schlessinger, David

2017-01-01

Eccrine sweat glands help to maintain homoeostasis, primarily by stabilizing body temperature. Derived from embryonic ectoderm, millions of eccrine glands are distributed across human skin and secrete litres of sweat per day. Their easy accessibility has facilitated the start of analyses of their development and function. Mouse genetic models find sweat gland development regulated sequentially by Wnt, Eda and Shh pathways, although precise subpathways and additional regulators require further elucidation. Mature glands have two secretory cell types, clear and dark cells, whose comparative development and functional interactions remain largely unknown. Clear cells have long been known as the major secretory cells, but recent studies suggest that dark cells are also indispensable for sweat secretion. Dark cell-specific Foxa1 expression was shown to regulate a Ca2+-dependent Best2 anion channel that is the candidate driver for the required ion currents. Overall, it was shown that cholinergic impulses trigger sweat secretion in mature glands through second messengers – for example InsP3 and Ca2+ – and downstream ion channels/transporters in the framework of a Na+-K+-Cl− cotransporter model. Notably, the microenvironment surrounding secretory cells, including acid–base balance, was implicated to be important for proper sweat secretion, which requires further clarification. Furthermore, multiple ion channels have been shown to be expressed in clear and dark cells, but the degree to which various ion channels function redundantly or indispensably also remains to be determined. PMID:26014472

The potential of crowdsourcing and mobile technology to support flood disaster risk reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

See, Linda; McCallum, Ian; Liu, Wei; Mechler, Reinhard; Keating, Adriana; Hochrainer-Stigler, Stefan; Mochizuki, Junko; Fritz, Steffen; Dugar, Sumit; Arestegui, Michael; Szoenyi, Michael; Laso-Bayas, Juan-Carlos; Burek, Peter; French, Adam; Moorthy, Inian

2016-04-01

The last decade has seen a rise in citizen science and crowdsourcing for carrying out a variety of tasks across a number of different fields, most notably the collection of data such as the identification of species (e.g. eBird and iNaturalist) and the classification of images (e.g. Galaxy Zoo and Geo-Wiki). Combining human computing with the proliferation of mobile technology has resulted in vast amounts of geo-located data that have considerable value across multiple domains including flood disaster risk reduction. Crowdsourcing technologies, in the form of online mapping, are now being utilized to great effect in post-disaster mapping and relief efforts, e.g. the activities of Humanitarian OpenStreetMap, complementing official channels of relief (e.g. Haiti, Nepal and New York). Disaster event monitoring efforts have been further complemented with the use of social media (e.g. twitter for earthquakes, flood monitoring, and fire detection). Much of the activity in this area has focused on ex-post emergency management while there is considerable potential for utilizing crowdsourcing and mobile technology for vulnerability assessment, early warning and to bolster resilience to flood events. This paper examines the use of crowdsourcing and mobile technology for measuring and monitoring flood hazards, exposure to floods, and vulnerability, drawing upon examples from the literature and ongoing projects on flooding and food security at IIASA.

The Functional Basis of Wing Patterning in Heliconius Butterflies: The Molecules Behind Mimicry

PubMed Central

Kronforst, Marcus R.; Papa, Riccardo

2015-01-01

Wing-pattern mimicry in butterflies has provided an important example of adaptation since Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace proposed evolution by natural selection >150 years ago. The neotropical butterfly genus Heliconius played a central role in the development of mimicry theory and has since been studied extensively in the context of ecology and population biology, behavior, and mimicry genetics. Heliconius species are notable for their diverse color patterns, and previous crossing experiments revealed that much of this variation is controlled by a small number of large-effect, Mendelian switch loci. Recent comparative analyses have shown that the same switch loci control wing-pattern diversity throughout the genus, and a number of these have now been positionally cloned. Using a combination of comparative genetic mapping, association tests, and gene expression analyses, variation in red wing patterning throughout Heliconius has been traced back to the action of the transcription factor optix. Similarly, the signaling ligand WntA has been shown to control variation in melanin patterning across Heliconius and other butterflies. Our understanding of the molecular basis of Heliconius mimicry is now providing important insights into a variety of additional evolutionary phenomena, including the origin of supergenes, the interplay between constraint and evolvability, the genetic basis of convergence, the potential for introgression to facilitate adaptation, the mechanisms of hybrid speciation in animals, and the process of ecological speciation. PMID:25953905

On the initial singularity problem in rainbow cosmology

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

Santos, Grasiele; Gubitosi, Giulia; Amelino-Camelia, Giovanni, E-mail: grasiele.dossantos@icranet.org, E-mail: g.gubitosi@imperial.ac.uk, E-mail: giovanni.amelino-camelia@roma1.infn.it

2015-08-01

It has been recently claimed that the initial singularity might be avoided in the context of rainbow cosmology, where one attempts to account for quantum-gravitational corrections through an effective-theory description based on an energy-dependent ('rainbow') spacetime metric. We here scrutinize this exciting hypothesis much more in depth than previous analyses. In particular, we take into account all requirements for singularity avoidance, while previously only a subset of these requirements had been considered. Moreover, we show that the implications of a rainbow metric for thermodynamics are more significant than previously appreciated. Through the analysis of two particularly meaningful examples of rainbowmore » metrics we find that our concerns are not merely important conceptually, but actually change in quantitatively significant manner the outcome of the analysis. Notably we only find examples where the singularity is not avoided, though one can have that in the regime where our semi-classical picture is still reliable the approach to the singularity is slowed down when compared to the standard classical scenario. We conclude that the study of rainbow metrics provides tantalizing hints of singularity avoidance but is inconclusive, since some key questions remain to be addressed just when the scale factor is very small, a regime which, as here argued, cannot be reliably described by an effective rainbow-metric picture.« less

N = 1 Deformations and RG flows of N = 2 SCFTs, part II: non-principal deformations

DOE PAGES

Agarwal, Prarit; Maruyoshi, Kazunobu; Song, Jaewon

2016-12-20

We continue to investigate the N = 1 deformations of four-dimensional N = 2 superconformal field theories (SCFTs) labeled by a nilpotent element of the flavor symmetry [1]. This triggers a renormalization group (RG) flow to an N = 1 SCFT. We systematically analyze all possible deformations of this type for certain classes of N = 2 SCFTs: conformal SQCDs, generalized Argyres-Douglas theories and the E 6 SCFT. We find a number of examples where the amount of supersymmetry gets enhanced to N = 2 at the end point of the RG flow. Most notably, we find that the SU(N)more » and Sp(N) conformal SQCDs can be deformed to flow to the Argyres-Douglas (AD) theories of type (A 1,D 2 N-1) and (A 1,D 2 N) respectively. This RG flow therefore allows us to compute the full superconformal index of the (A 1,D N) class of AD theories. Moreover, we find an infrared duality between N = 1 theories where the fixed point is described by an N = 2 AD theory. We observe that the classes of examples that exhibit supersymmetry enhancement saturate certain bounds for the central charges implied by the associated two-dimensional chiral algebra.« less

Urania in the Marketplace: Using Telescopes to Sell Consumer Goods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rumstay, Kenneth S.

2018-01-01

For well over a century the iconic image of the astronomical telescope has been widely used to promote distinctly non-astronomical consumer goods. One of the most famous of early examples is the 1893 Chicago newspaper advertisement for Kirk’s Soap, which was inspired by the opening of the Yerkes Observatory. But such usage was not limited to periodicals. Advertising trade cards had become popular at the end of the 17th century in Europe, notably in Paris and London. In a time prior to the introduction of formal systems of street address numbering, they served as both advertisement and map, directing consumers to the merchants' stores. In many cases, attention was drawn to the product by picturing it as a heavenly body to be observed telescopically! In the 20th century trade cards gave way to the modern business card, and manufacturers began to increasingly rely on magazine and newspaper (and radio and television) advertising. But the telescope remains an evocative image! In modern advertising we see it used to sell an incredible variety of consumer goods: candy, coffee, cigarettes, whiskey, foodstuffs, clothing; the list is endless! Examples of these, along with earlier Victorian-era usages, are presented. This work was supported by a faculty development grant from Valdosta State University.

N = 1 Deformations and RG flows of N = 2 SCFTs, part II: non-principal deformations

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

Agarwal, Prarit; Maruyoshi, Kazunobu; Song, Jaewon

We continue to investigate the N = 1 deformations of four-dimensional N = 2 superconformal field theories (SCFTs) labeled by a nilpotent element of the flavor symmetry [1]. This triggers a renormalization group (RG) flow to an N = 1 SCFT. We systematically analyze all possible deformations of this type for certain classes of N = 2 SCFTs: conformal SQCDs, generalized Argyres-Douglas theories and the E 6 SCFT. We find a number of examples where the amount of supersymmetry gets enhanced to N = 2 at the end point of the RG flow. Most notably, we find that the SU(N)more » and Sp(N) conformal SQCDs can be deformed to flow to the Argyres-Douglas (AD) theories of type (A 1,D 2 N-1) and (A 1,D 2 N) respectively. This RG flow therefore allows us to compute the full superconformal index of the (A 1,D N) class of AD theories. Moreover, we find an infrared duality between N = 1 theories where the fixed point is described by an N = 2 AD theory. We observe that the classes of examples that exhibit supersymmetry enhancement saturate certain bounds for the central charges implied by the associated two-dimensional chiral algebra.« less

The people yet to come; avoiding the demographic trap.

PubMed

Brown, L R

1987-01-01

The demographic trap is defined as the condition where a nation has passed through the process of lowering death rates, but has not been able to lower birth rates before ecological carrying capacity is exceeded. A minimal estimate predicts that by the year 2000, 63 countries, or 1.1 billion people, will be trapped by starvation, dependence on imported food, and resulting economic and political instability. Such a country that failed to complete the demographic transition will fall back to the original stage, of high death as well as birth rates. Most nations in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa are at risk, notably Mexico, India, Nigeria, Ethiopia, because they already have falling living standards coupled with rapid growth rates. Most governments are unaware of the subtle signs that carrying capacity has been exceeded. Even those that are able to understand such events, often practice ineffective policies. For example, the U.S. has dropped U.N.F.P.A. support ostensibly because one nation, China, allowed forced abortions. On the other hand, some third world countries have initiated novel campaigns to reduce births, for example popular media campaigns in Mexico, free dissemination of birth control pills to all women in Brazil, and a separate family planning ministry in Zimbabwe.

Endocrine interactions between plants and animals: Implications of exogenous hormone sources for the evolution of hormone signaling.

PubMed

Miller, Ashley E M; Heyland, Andreas

2010-05-01

Hormones are central to animal physiology, metabolism and development. Details on signal transduction systems and regulation of hormone synthesis, activation and release have only been studied for a small number of animal groups, notably arthropods and chordates. However, a significant body of literature suggests that hormonal signaling systems are not restricted to these phyla. For example, work on several echinoderm species shows that exogenous thyroid hormones (THs) affect larval development and metamorphosis and our new data provide strong evidence for endogenous synthesis of THs in sea urchin larvae. In addition to these endogenous sources, these larvae obtain THs when they consume phytoplankton. Another example of an exogenously acquired hormone or their precursors is in insect and arthropod signaling. Sterols from plants are essential for the synthesis of ecdysteroids, a crucial group of insect morphogenic steroids. The availability of a hormone or hormone precursor from food has implications for understanding hormone function and the evolution of hormonal signaling in animals. For hormone function, it creates an important link between the environment and the regulation of internal homeostatic systems. For the evolution of hormonal signaling it helps us to better understand how complex endocrine mechanisms may have evolved. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

International Experiences as Professional Development to Enhance Classroom Practice: Beyond Educational Tourism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, John William, III

2012-01-01

Professional development of educators is a central feature in education reform efforts (Bredeson, 2000) and school improvement (Guskey & Huberman, 1995). The purpose of the study was to describe personal and professional gains from an international experience, notably the Fulbright-Hays Group Study Abroad Program, including new knowledge and…

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pathogenicity Island PAPI-1 is transferred via a novel Type IV pilus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major cause of nosocomial infections, particularly in immunocompromised patients or in individuals with cystic fibrosis. The notable ability of P. aeruginosa to inhabit a broad range of environments including humans is in part due to its large and diverse genomic repertoi...

Two decades of change in a coastal scrub community: songbird responses to plant succession

Treesearch

Mary K. Chase; Aaron L. Holmes; Thomas Gardali; Grant Ballard; Geoffrey R. Geupel; Nadav Nur

2005-01-01

Coastal scrub habitats in California are threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation. Local and statewide declines have been observed in several birds that breed in coastal scrub, most notably the California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica; Atwood 1993), but also include more common species such as the Whitecrowned Sparrow...

Attention Deficits in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC): Rethinking the Pathways to the Endstate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Vries, P. J.; Watson, P.

2008-01-01

Background: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder associated with a range of neurocognitive manifestations, including neuropsychological attention deficits most notably in dual tasking/divided attention. These dual-task deficits have so far been interpreted as evidence of a vulnerable "cognitive module" in TSC. Here, we suggest…

Statewide Work-Based Learning Intermediary Network: Fiscal Year 2014 Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iowa Department of Education, 2014

2014-01-01

The Statewide Work-based Learning Intermediary Network Fiscal Year 2014 Report summarizes fiscal year 2014 (FY14) work-based learning activities of the 15 regional intermediary networks. This report includes activities which occurred between October 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014. It is notable that some intermediary regional networks have been in…

Interoceptive Assessment and Exposure in Panic Disorder: A Descriptive Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Norman B.; Trakowski, Jack

2004-01-01

Cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) protocols for panic disorder (PD) typically include some form of interoceptive exposure (IE)--repeated exposure to internal sensations. Despite the widespread clinical use of IE, there is a notable absence of empirical reports about the nature of interoceptive assessments and IE. The present study was designed…

Paired Comparisons.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-05-01

including multidimensional scaling. Applications have arisen in many areas, but most notably in food technolog, marketing research, and sports ... competition .- An extensive bibliography on paired comparisons by Davidson and Farquhar (1976) contains some 400 references. - Paired comparisons have been...consideration of chess competition . Ford (1957) pro- posed the model independently. Both Zermelo and Ford concentrated on solution of normal equations for

[Medical services at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport].

PubMed

Bargain, Philippe

2015-01-01

Charles-de-Gaulle airport in Roissy, a 3 400 hectare citadel, contains a multitude of airlines, service companies, businesses, retailers and public services, including firefighters, police officers, customs officers, ministers and medical teams. This article presents its missions, notably with regard to health services. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Education through Images: Peronist Visual Propaganda between Innovation and Tradition (Argentina 1946-1955)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schembs, Katharina

2013-01-01

The first two Peronist governments (1946-1955) introduced extensive social reforms that notably improved working conditions and systematised vocational training. Thereby the foundations of the Argentine welfare state were laid and the working masses were socially included to an unprecedented degree: thus, they also constituted the majority of…

Results of Shipboard Approval Tests of Ballast Water Treatment Systems in Freshwater

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-01

AOC). This AOC notably has contaminated sediments, including PCBs, PAHs and heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium , chromium and lead (USEPA, 2014...because they are considered essential to the object of this report. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation...Organic Matter, Percent Transmittance and Mineral Matter

75 FR 24848 - Lead; Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program for Public and Commercial Buildings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-06

... study. Threshold levels, in terms of blood lead levels in individual children, for neurological effects.... While blood lead levels in U.S. children have decreased notably since the late 1970s, newer studies have... cognitive effects observed in studies of children have included effects on attention, executive functions...

All In: Teachers' and College Faculty's Roles in Recruiting Future Physical Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woods, Amelia Mays; Richards, K. Andrew R.; Ayers, Suzan F.

2016-01-01

A 10-year trend of nationwide decreases in teacher preparation enrollments has been notable in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs. Many factors have been offered as an explanation for this drop, including the convenience of online options, a strained economy, political factors, and widespread "teacher bashing." This…

Reactions to Hill End Adolescent Unit: Interviews with 20 Ex-Patients.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuart-Smith, Sue

1994-01-01

Interviewed 20 adolescents recently discharged from Hill End Adolescent Unit. Over one-half of sample described some benefit, most notably from drama therapy, family therapy, and peer group support. Areas of difficulty included objections to video recording and one-way mirrors; dislike of being on grounds of psychiatric hospital; inadequate…

48 CFR 1845.7101-1 - Property classification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... aeronautical and space programs, which are capable of stand-alone operation. Examples include research aircraft... characteristics. (ii) Examples of NASA heritage assets include buildings and structures designated as National...., it no longer provides service to NASA operations). Examples of obsolete property are items in...

48 CFR 1845.7101-1 - Property classification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... aeronautical and space programs, which are capable of stand-alone operation. Examples include research aircraft... characteristics. (ii) Examples of NASA heritage assets include buildings and structures designated as National...., it no longer provides service to NASA operations). Examples of obsolete property are items in...

48 CFR 1845.7101-1 - Property classification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... aeronautical and space programs, which are capable of stand-alone operation. Examples include research aircraft... characteristics. (ii) Examples of NASA heritage assets include buildings and structures designated as National...., it no longer provides service to NASA operations). Examples of obsolete property are items in...

48 CFR 1845.7101-1 - Property classification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... aeronautical and space programs, which are capable of stand-alone operation. Examples include research aircraft... characteristics. (ii) Examples of NASA heritage assets include buildings and structures designated as National...., it no longer provides service to NASA operations). Examples of obsolete property are items in...

48 CFR 1845.7101-1 - Property classification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... aeronautical and space programs, which are capable of stand-alone operation. Examples include research aircraft... characteristics. (ii) Examples of NASA heritage assets include buildings and structures designated as National...., it no longer provides service to NASA operations). Examples of obsolete property are items in...

Persistent Infrared Spectral Hole-Burning for Impurity Vibrational Modes in Solids.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-09-30

infrared vibrational transitions of impurity molecules in solids. Examples include 1,2- difluoroethane in rare gas matrices, perrhenate ions in alkali...observed consists of infrared vibrational transitions of impurity molecules in solids. Examples include 1,2- difluoroethane in rare gas matrices...solids. Examples include 1,2- difluoroethane in rare gas matrices, perrhenate ions in alkali halide crystals, and most recently, cyanide and nitrite

Examples as an Instructional Tool in Mathematics and Science Classrooms: Teachers' Perceptions and Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Xiaoxia; Cribbs, Jennifer

2017-01-01

This study examined mathematics and science teachers' perceptions and use of four types of examples, including typical textbook examples (standard worked examples) and erroneous worked examples in the written form as well as mastery modelling examples and peer modelling examples involving the verbalization of the problem-solving process. Data…

The replisome uses mRNA as a primer after colliding with RNA polymerase.

PubMed

Pomerantz, Richard T; O'Donnell, Mike

2008-12-11

Replication forks are impeded by DNA damage and protein-nucleic acid complexes such as transcribing RNA polymerase. For example, head-on collision of the replisome with RNA polymerase results in replication fork arrest. However, co-directional collision of the replisome with RNA polymerase has little or no effect on fork progression. Here we examine co-directional collisions between a replisome and RNA polymerase in vitro. We show that the Escherichia coli replisome uses the RNA transcript as a primer to continue leading-strand synthesis after the collision with RNA polymerase that is displaced from the DNA. This action results in a discontinuity in the leading strand, yet the replisome remains intact and bound to DNA during the entire process. These findings underscore the notable plasticity by which the replisome operates to circumvent obstacles in its path and may explain why the leading strand is synthesized discontinuously in vivo.

An adaptive supramolecular hydrogel comprising self-sorting double nanofibre networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shigemitsu, Hajime; Fujisaku, Takahiro; Tanaka, Wataru; Kubota, Ryou; Minami, Saori; Urayama, Kenji; Hamachi, Itaru

2018-02-01

Novel soft materials should comprise multiple supramolecular nanostructures whose responses (for example, assembly and disassembly) to external stimuli can be controlled independently. Such multicomponent systems are present in living cells and control the formation and break-up of a variety of supramolecular assemblies made of proteins, lipids, DNA and RNA in response to external stimuli; however, artificial counterparts are challenging to make. Here, we present a hybrid hydrogel consisting of a self-sorting double network of nanofibres in which each network responds to an applied external stimulus independent of the other. The hydrogel can be made to change its mechanical properties and rates of release of encapsulated proteins by adding Na2S2O4 or bacterial alkaline phosphatase. Notably, the properties of the gel depend on the order in which the external stimuli are applied. Multicomponent hydrogels comprising orthogonal stimulus-responsive supramolecular assemblies would be suitable for designing novel adaptive materials.

Probing the electroweak phase transition via enhanced di-Higgs boson production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carena, Marcela; Liu, Zhen; Riembau, Marc

2018-05-01

We consider a singlet extension of the standard model (SM) with a spontaneous Z2 breaking and study the gluon-gluon fusion production of the heavy scalar, with subsequent decay into a pair of SM-like Higgs bosons. We find that an on-shell interference effect can notably enhance the resonant di-Higgs production rate up to 40%. In addition, consistently taking into account both the on-shell and off-shell interference effects between the heavy scalar and the SM di-Higgs diagrams significantly improves the HL-LHC and HE-LHC reach in this channel. As an example, within an effective field theory analysis in an explicitly Z2 breaking scenario, we further discuss the potential to probe the parameter region compatible with a first-order electroweak phase transition. Our analysis is applicable for general potentials of the singlet extension of the SM as well as for more general resonance searches.

Promoting Health Equity And Eliminating Disparities Through Performance Measurement And Payment.

PubMed

Anderson, Andrew C; O'Rourke, Erin; Chin, Marshall H; Ponce, Ninez A; Bernheim, Susannah M; Burstin, Helen

2018-03-01

Current approaches to health care quality have failed to reduce health care disparities. Despite dramatic increases in the use of quality measurement and associated payment policies, there has been no notable implementation of measurement strategies to reduce health disparities. The National Quality Forum developed a road map to demonstrate how measurement and associated policies can contribute to eliminating disparities and promote health equity. Specifically, the road map presents a four-part strategy whose components are identifying and prioritizing areas to reduce health disparities, implementing evidence-based interventions to reduce disparities, investing in the development and use of health equity performance measures, and incentivizing the reduction of health disparities and achievement of health equity. To demonstrate how the road map can be applied, we present an example of how measurement and value-based payment can be used to reduce racial disparities in hypertension among African Americans.

‘Umpolung’ Reactivity in Semiaqueous Amide and Peptide Synthesis

PubMed Central

Shen, Bo; Makley, Dawn M.; Johnston, Jeffrey N.

2010-01-01

The amide functional group is one of Nature’s key functional and structural elements, most notably within peptides. Amides are also key intermediates in the preparation of a diverse range of therapeutic small molecules. Its construction using available methods focuses principally upon dehydrative approaches, although oxidative and radical-based methods are representative alternatives. During the carbon-nitrogen bond forming step in most every example, the carbon and nitrogen bear electrophilic and nucleophilic character, respectively. Here we show that activation of amines and nitroalkanes with an electrophilic iodine source in wet THF can lead directly to amide products. Preliminary observations support a mechanistic construct in which reactant polarity is reversed (umpolung) during C-N bond formation relative to traditional approaches. The use of nitroalkanes as acyl anion equivalents provides a conceptually innovative approach to amide and peptide synthesis, and one that might ultimately provide for efficient peptide synthesis that is fully reliant on enantioselective methods. PMID:20577205

Reconstitution reveals motor activation for intraflagellar transport.

PubMed

Mohamed, Mohamed A A; Stepp, Willi L; Ökten, Zeynep

2018-05-01

The human body represents a notable example of ciliary diversification. Extending from the surface of most cells, cilia accomplish a diverse set of tasks. Predictably, mutations in ciliary genes cause a wide range of human diseases such as male infertility and blindness. In Caenorhabditis elegans sensory cilia, this functional diversity appears to be traceable to the differential regulation of the kinesin-2-powered intraflagellar-transport (IFT) machinery. Here we reconstituted the first, to our knowledge, functional multi-component IFT complex that is deployed in the sensory cilia of C. elegans. Our bottom-up approach revealed the molecular basis of specific motor recruitment to the IFT trains. We identified the key component that incorporates homodimeric kinesin-2 into its physiologically relevant context, which in turn allosterically activates the motor for efficient transport. These results will enable the molecular delineation of IFT regulation, which has eluded understanding since its discovery more than two decades ago.

Imino Transfer Hydrogenation Reductions.

PubMed

Wills, Martin

2016-04-01

This review contains a summary of recent developments in the transfer hydrogenation of C=N bonds, with a particularly focus on reports from within the last 10 years and asymmetric transformations. However, earlier work in the area is also discussed in order to provide context for the more recent results described. I focus strongly on the Ru/TsDPEN class of asymmetric transfer hydrogenation reactions originally reported by Noyori et al., together with examples of their applications, particularly to medically valuable target molecules. The recent developments in the area of highly active imine-reduction catalysts, notably those based on iridium, are also described in some detail. I discuss diastereoselective reduction methods as a route to the synthesis of chiral amines using transfer hydrogenation. The recent development of a methodology for positioning reduction complexes within chiral proteins, permitting the generation of asymmetric reduction products through a directed modification of the protein environment in a controlled manner, is also discussed.

Botanicals and Hepatotoxicity.

PubMed

Roytman, Marina M; Poerzgen, Peter; Navarro, Victor

2018-06-19

The use of botanicals, often in the form of multi-ingredient herbal dietary supplements (HDS), has grown tremendously in the past three decades despite their unproven efficacy. This is paralleled by an increase in dietary supplement-related health complications, notably hepatotoxicity. This article reviews the demographics and motivations of dietary supplement (DS) consumers and the regulatory framework for DS in the US and other developed countries. It examines in detail three groups of multi-ingredient HDS associated with hepatotoxicity: OxyElite Pro (two formulations), green tea extract-based DS, and "designer anabolic steroids." These examples illustrate the difficulties in identifying and adjudicating causality of suspect compound(s) of multi-ingredient HDS-associated liver injury in the clinical setting. The article outlines future directions for further study of HDS-associated hepatotoxicity as well as measures to safeguard the consumer against it. © 2018, The American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

The quest for bacterial allergens.

PubMed

Nordengrün, Maria; Michalik, Stephan; Völker, Uwe; Bröker, Barbara M; Gómez-Gascón, Lidia

2018-04-26

Allergies are complex diseases featuring local tissue inflammation, which is characterized by an exaggerated type 2 immune response to environmental compounds known as allergens. Pollens, environmental fungi, and house dust mites are examples of common allergens. Bacteria have a dual role in allergy. Usually, they are associated with protection, however, certain bacterial species promote the development and exacerbation of allergic inflammation. Notably, IgE antibodies specific for bacterial antigens are found in the sera of allergic individuals. This implies that some bacterial factors are allergens, eliciting a specific type 2 immune response. However, to date, only a few of these are molecularly defined. This review summarizes the current knowledge about known bacterial allergens, and it provides an overview of the available techniques for the discovery of new allergens as well as for measuring the immune responses directed against them. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.

Coincidence, historical repetition, and self-knowledge: Jung, Vico, and Joyce.

PubMed

Verene, Donald Phillip

2002-07-01

Jung develops synchronicity as an a causal principle of connection by recounting various examples of meaningful coincidence from experience and by analysing various systems of divination, notably the I Ching. Philosophical theory of causality has given no significant attention to synchronicity; the events of synchronicity are regarded as chance. The Neapolitan philosopher Giambattista Vico (1668-1744) developed a doctrine of historical experience and of self-knowledge that grounds the phenomenon of synchronicity in a metaphysics. James Joyce employed Vico's conception of language and historical cycles as the basis of Joyce's final literary work, Finnegans Wake. Vico's metaphysical sense of synchronicity and Joyce's literary formulation offer a grounding of this principle in non-divinatory sources in modern Western thought, something which Jung's discussion does not provide. These philosophical and literary perspectives complement Jung's to offer an expanded context in which to recognize synchronicity and to make sense of it.

Rethinking the concept of professionalism: the case of journalism.

PubMed

Aldridge, Meryl; Evetts, Julia

2003-12-01

Journalists in the UK have always been ambivalent about what form of occupational control to pursue. Although resistant to the structures of the conventional profession, they have embraced the idea of 'professionalism'. As the formations traditionally associated with Anglo-American professions become relevant to fewer and fewer employees and increasingly subject to external regulation it is more relevant, we suggest, to investigate how the discourse of 'professionalism' as a set of values and identities can be mobilized by employers as a form of self-discipline. Journalism, notable for its powerful occupational mythology, provides a vivid example of how this process has eased the imposition of radical changes to the organization of work. Now, ironically, recent changes in the occupation's social composition and training may mean that journalists, who have always cherished a self-image as socially marginal, will aspire to conventional professional respectability.

Large Scale Production of Stem Cells and Their Derivatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zweigerdt, Robert

Stem cells have been envisioned to become an unlimited cell source for regenerative medicine. Notably, the interest in stem cells lies beyond direct therapeutic applications. They might also provide a previously unavailable source of valuable human cell types for screening platforms, which might facilitate the development of more efficient and safer drugs. The heterogeneity of stem cell types as well as the numerous areas of application suggests that differential processes are mandatory for their in vitro culture. Many of the envisioned applications would require the production of a high number of stem cells and their derivatives in scalable, well-defined and potentially clinical compliant manner under current good manufacturing practice (cGMP). In this review we provide an overview on recent strategies to develop bioprocesses for the expansion, differentiation and enrichment of stem cells and their progenies, presenting examples for adult and embryonic stem cells alike.

Impacts of climate change on the hydrological cycle over France and associated uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dayon, Gildas; Boé, Julien; Martin, Éric; Gailhard, Joël

2018-05-01

This study deals with the evolution of the hydrological cycle over France during the 21st century. A large multi-member, multi-scenario, and multi-model ensemble of climate projections is downscaled with a new statistical method to drive a physically-based hydrological model with recent improvements. For a business-as-usual scenario, annual precipitation changes generally remain small, except over southern France, where decreases close to 20% are projected. Annual streamflows roughly decrease by 10% (±20%) on the Seine, by 20% (±20%) on the Loire, by 20% (±15%) on the Rhone and by 40% (±15%) on the Garonne. Attenuation measures, as implied by the other scenarios analyzed, lead to less severe changes. However, even with a scenario generally compatible with a limitation of global warming to two degrees, some notable impacts may still occur, with for example a decrease in summer river flows close to 25% for the Garonne.

Sky-blue emitting bridged diiridium complexes: beneficial effects of intramolecular π-π stacking.

PubMed

Congrave, Daniel G; Hsu, Yu-Ting; Batsanov, Andrei S; Beeby, Andrew; Bryce, Martin R

2018-02-06

The potential of intramolecular π-π interactions to influence the photophysical properties of diiridium complexes is an unexplored topic, and provides the motivation for the present study. A series of diarylhydrazide-bridged diiridium complexes functionalised with phenylpyridine (ppy)-based cyclometalating ligands is reported. It is shown by NMR studies in solution and single crystal X-ray analysis that intramolecular π-π interactions between the bridging and cyclometalating ligands rigidify the complexes leading to high luminescence quantum efficiencies in solution and in doped films. Fluorine substituents on the phenyl rings of the bridge promote the intramolecular π-π interactions. Notably, these non-covalent interactions are harnessed in the rational design and synthesis of the first examples of highly emissive sky-blue diiridium complexes featuring conjugated bridging ligands, for which they play a vital role in the structural and photophysical properties. Experimental results are supported by computational studies.

Culture at work: Family therapy and the culture concept in post-World War II America.

PubMed

Weinstein, Deborah F

2004-01-01

During the 1950s and 1960s, the concept of culture had currency beyond the disciplinary boundaries of anthropology and sociology. This article takes up a clinical example of the invocation of the culture concept by examining how early family therapists such as Nathan Ackerman, Murray Bowen, and Don Jackson used culture as a category of analysis during the formative years of their new field. The culture concept played an integral role in the processes by which family therapists simultaneously defined the object of their research and treatment, the family, and built their new field. Their varied uses of culture also contained tensions and contradictions, most notably between universal and relativist views of family and psychopathology and between views of family therapy as a conservative force for maintaining the nuclear family or a progressive force for overcoming social inequality. Copyright 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Profitable solutions to climate, oil, and proliferation.

PubMed

Lovins, Amory B

2010-05-01

Protecting the climate is not costly but profitable (even if avoided climate change is worth zero), mainly because saving fuel costs less than buying fuel. The two biggest opportunities, both sufficiently fast, are oil and electricity. The US, for example, can eliminate its oil use by the 2040s at an average cost of $15 per barrel ($2000), half by redoubled efficiency and half by alternative supplies, and can save three-fourths of its electricity more cheaply than operating a thermal power station. Integrative design permits this by making big energy savings cheaper than small ones, turning traditionally assumed diminishing returns into empirically observed expanding returns. Such efficiency choices accelerate climate-safe, inexhaustible, and resilient energy supply-notably the "micropower" now delivering about a sixth of the world's electricity and 90% of its new electricity. These cheap, fast, market-financeable, globally applicable options offer the most effective, yet most underestimated and overlooked, solutions for climate, proliferation, and poverty.

GSFC Ada programming guidelines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roy, Daniel M.; Nelson, Robert W.

1986-01-01

A significant Ada effort has been under way at Goddard for the last two years. To ease the center's transition toward Ada (notably for future space station projects), a cooperative effort of half a dozen companies and NASA personnel was started in 1985 to produce programming standards and guidelines for the Ada language. The great richness of the Ada language and the need of programmers for good style examples makes Ada programming guidelines an important tool to smooth the Ada transition. Because of the natural divergence of technical opinions, the great diversity of our government and private organizations and the novelty of the Ada technology, the creation of an Ada programming guidelines document is a difficult and time consuming task. It is also a vital one. Steps must now be taken to ensure that the guide is refined in an organized but timely manner to reflect the growing level of expertise of the Ada community.

Higgs mechanism and the added-mass effect.

PubMed

Krishnaswami, Govind S; Phatak, Sachin S

2015-04-08

In the Higgs mechanism, mediators of the weak force acquire masses by interacting with the Higgs condensate, leading to a vector boson mass matrix. On the other hand, a rigid body accelerated through an inviscid, incompressible and irrotational fluid feels an opposing force linearly related to its acceleration, via an added-mass tensor. We uncover a striking physical analogy between the two effects and propose a dictionary relating them. The correspondence turns the gauge Lie algebra into the space of directions in which the body can move, encodes the pattern of gauge symmetry breaking in the shape of an associated body and relates symmetries of the body to those of the scalar vacuum manifold. The new viewpoint is illustrated with numerous examples, and raises interesting questions, notably on the fluid analogues of the broken symmetry and Higgs particle, and the field-theoretic analogue of the added mass of a composite body.

Ruthenium-catalysed alkoxycarbonylation of alkenes with carbon dioxide.

PubMed

Wu, Lipeng; Liu, Qiang; Fleischer, Ivana; Jackstell, Ralf; Beller, Matthias

2014-01-01

Alkene carbonylations represent a major technology for the production of value-added bulk and fine chemicals. Nowadays, all industrial carbonylation processes make use of highly toxic and flammable carbon monoxide. Here we show the application of abundantly available carbon dioxide as C1 building block for the alkoxycarbonylations of industrially important olefins in the presence of a convenient and inexpensive ruthenium catalyst system. In our system, carbon dioxide works much better than the traditional combination of carbon monoxide and alcohols. The unprecedented in situ formation of carbon monoxide from carbon dioxide and alcohols permits an efficient synthesis of carboxylic acid esters, which can be used as detergents and polymer-building blocks. Notably, this transformation allows the catalytic formation of C-C bonds with carbon dioxide as C1 source and avoids the use of sensitive and/or expensive reducing agents (for example, Grignard reagents, diethylzinc or triethylaluminum).

Multi-boson block factorization of fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giusti, Leonardo; Cè, Marco; Schaefer, Stefan

2018-03-01

The numerical computations of many quantities of theoretical and phenomenological interest are plagued by statistical errors which increase exponentially with the distance of the sources in the relevant correlators. Notable examples are baryon masses and matrix elements, the hadronic vacuum polarization and the light-by-light scattering contributions to the muon g - 2, and the form factors of semileptonic B decays. Reliable and precise determinations of these quantities are very difficult if not impractical with state-of-the-art standard Monte Carlo integration schemes. I will review a recent proposal for factorizing the fermion determinant in lattice QCD that leads to a local action in the gauge field and in the auxiliary boson fields. Once combined with the corresponding factorization of the quark propagator, it paves the way for multi-level Monte Carlo integration in the presence of fermions opening new perspectives in lattice QCD. Exploratory results on the impact on the above mentioned observables will be presented.

The geometry of on-shell diagrams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franco, Sebastián; Galloni, Daniele; Mariotti, Alberto

2014-08-01

The fundamental role of on-shell diagrams in quantum field theory has been recently recognized. On-shell diagrams, or equivalently bipartite graphs, provide a natural bridge connecting gauge theory to powerful mathematical structures such as the Grassmannian. We perform a detailed investigation of the combinatorial and geometric objects associated to these graphs. We mainly focus on their relation to polytopes and toric geometry, the Grassmannian and its stratification. Our work extends the current understanding of these connections along several important fronts, most notably eliminating restrictions imposed by planarity, positivity, reducibility and edge removability. We illustrate our ideas with several explicit examples and introduce concrete methods that considerably simplify computations. We consider it highly likely that the structures unveiled in this article will arise in the on-shell study of scattering amplitudes beyond the planar limit. Our results can be conversely regarded as an expansion in the understanding of the Grassmannian in terms of bipartite graphs.

[The cult of Asklepios and the doctors in Greek epigraphical evidence].

PubMed

Nissen, Cécile

2007-01-01

Greek inscriptions afford several examples of the relationship between Asklepios, the god of medicine, and human doctors in Graeco-Roman Antiquity. Many dedications of steles, statues, altars and even sanctuaries were consecrated to Asklepios by physicians. Other physicians have undertaken the offices of zacorate or priesthood in the worship of Asklepios. In some cities, notably at Athens and Ephesos, the doctors sacrificed collectively to the physician-god. The aim of this paper is to explain these cult relations between Asklepios and the doctors. After the Asklepiads, doctors at Kos and Knidos, who were believed to be the descendants of Asklepios, all the ancient doctors were connected with Asklepios by their techne; the physician-god was the divine patron of the physicians. Furthermore although the doctors rejected the divine origin of the diseases, they acknowledged the healing power of the gods, especially Asklepios, and could seek his help.

Probing Electroweak Phase Transition via Enhanced Di-Higgs Production

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

Carena, Marcela; Liu, Zhen; Riembau, Marc

2018-01-02

We consider a singlet extension of the Standard Model (SM) with a spontaneousmore » $$Z_2$$ breaking and study the gluon-gluon fusion production of the heavy scalar, with subsequent decay into a pair of SM-like Higgs bosons. We find that an on-shell interference effect can notably enhance the resonant di-Higgs production rate up to 40\\%. In addition, consistently taking into account both the on-shell and off-shell interference effects between the heavy scalar and the SM di-Higgs diagrams significantly improves the HL-LHC and HE-LHC reach in this channel. As an example, within an effective field theory analysis in an explicitly $$Z_2$$ breaking scenario, we further discuss the potential to probe the parameter region compatible with a first order electroweak phase transition. Our analysis is applicable for general potentials of the singlet extension of the SM as well as for more general resonance searches.« less

Visualizing time-related data in biology, a review

PubMed Central

Secrier, Maria; Schneider, Reinhard

2014-01-01

Time is of the essence in biology as in so much else. For example, monitoring disease progression or the timing of developmental defects is important for the processes of drug discovery and therapy trials. Furthermore, an understanding of the basic dynamics of biological phenomena that are often strictly time regulated (e.g. circadian rhythms) is needed to make accurate inferences about the evolution of biological processes. Recent advances in technologies have enabled us to measure timing effects more accurately and in more detail. This has driven related advances in visualization and analysis tools that try to effectively exploit this data. Beyond timeline plots, notable attempts at more involved temporal interpretation have been made in recent years, but awareness of the available resources is still limited within the scientific community. Here, we review some advances in biological visualization of time-driven processes and consider how they aid data analysis and interpretation. PMID:23585583

The hexadehydro-Diels-Alder reaction.

PubMed

Hoye, Thomas R; Baire, Beeraiah; Niu, Dawen; Willoughby, Patrick H; Woods, Brian P

2012-10-11

Arynes (aromatic systems containing, formally, a carbon-carbon triple bond) are among the most versatile of all reactive intermediates in organic chemistry. They can be 'trapped' to give products that are used as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, dyes, polymers and other fine chemicals. Here we explore a strategy that unites the de novo generation of benzynes-through a hexadehydro-Diels-Alder reaction-with their in situ elaboration into structurally complex benzenoid products. In the hexadehydro-Diels-Alder reaction, a 1,3-diyne is engaged in a [4+2] cycloisomerization with a 'diynophile' to produce the highly reactive benzyne intermediate. The reaction conditions for this simple, thermal transformation are notable for being free of metals and reagents. The subsequent and highly efficient trapping reactions increase the power of the overall process. Finally, we provide examples of how this de novo benzyne generation approach allows new modes of intrinsic reactivity to be revealed.

Self-Reference Acts as a Golden Thread in Binding.

PubMed

Sui, Jie

2016-07-01

In a recent article in this journal, Glyn Humphreys and I proposed a model of how self-reference enhances binding in perception and cognition [1]. We showed that self-reference changes particular functional processes; notably, self-reference increases binding between the features of stimuli and between different stages of processing. Lane and colleagues [2] provide an interesting comment on our article that suggests our theory of self-reference is compatible with Dennett's philosophical perspective on the narrative nature of the self. Although the nature of the self has attracted the attention of both philosophers and scientists, the two disciplines have generated different perspectives on the functions of the self, largely due to their different methodologies. For example, Dennett argues that the self is constituted through human narration on experience [3]. By contrast, work from psychologists and cognitive neuroscientists focuses on the functional and neural mechanisms of self-reference. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Idaho National Laboratory Research & Development Impacts

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

Stricker, Nicole

Technological advances that drive economic growth require both public and private investment. The U.S. Department of Energy’s national laboratories play a crucial role by conducting the type of research, testing and evaluation that is beyond the scope of regulators, academia or industry. Examples of such work from the past year can be found in these pages. Idaho National Laboratory’s engineering and applied science expertise helps deploy new technologies for nuclear energy, national security and new energy resources. Unique infrastructure, nuclear material inventory and vast expertise converge at INL, the nation’s nuclear energy laboratory. Productive partnerships with academia, industry and governmentmore » agencies deliver high-impact outcomes. This edition of INL’s Impacts magazine highlights national and regional leadership efforts, growing capabilities, notable collaborations, and technology innovations. Please take a few minutes to learn more about the critical resources and transformative research at one of the nation’s premier applied science laboratories.« less

Survey of research on unsteady aerodynamic loading of delta wings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashley, H.; Vaneck, T.; Katz, J.; Jarrah, M. A.

1991-01-01

For aeronautical applications, there has been recent interest in accurately determining the aerodynamic forces and moments experienced by low-aspect-ratio wings performing transient maneuvers which go to angles of attack as high as 90 deg. Focusing on the delta planform with sharp leading edges, the paper surveys experimental and theoretical investigations dealing with the associated unsteady flow phenomena. For maximum angles above a value between 30 and 40 deg, flow details and airloads are dominated by hysteresis in the 'bursting' instability of intense vortices which emanate from the leading edge. As examples of relevant test results, force and moment histories are presented for a model series with aspect ratios 1, 1.5 and 2. Influences of key parameters are discussed, notably those which measure unsteadiness. Comparisons are given with two theories: a paneling approximation that cannot capture bursting but clarifies other unsteady influences, and a simplified estimation scheme which uses measured bursting data.

A new route to nitramines in non-acidic media

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

Millar, R.W.

The novel synthesis of nitramines and nitramides by nitrolysis of the corresponding N-trialkysilyl compounds using dinitrogen pentoxide (N{sub 2}O{sub 5}) is described. In seventeen examples the yields are generally in the range 70 to over 90%, falling below the lower figure only if alkylsilyl groups with chain lengths greater than two are employed. The reactions are characterized by their cleanliness, and the co-products, trialkylsilyl nitrates, are relatively stable and volatile, facilitating isolation of the nitrated products. Furthermore, these trialkylsilyl nitrates, unlike the acyl nitrates produced in conventional nitrolyses, are isolable and can be used to nitrate further substrates, thus eliminatingmore » problems of disposal of spent liquors from conventional reactions. The process is both mild and versatile, enabling nitramine functions to be introduced into a variety of molecular environments, and two notable cases are examplified, namely N-nitroaziridines and N,N{prime}-dinitroaminals.« less

Specificity revisited and updated.

PubMed

Paulley, J W

1991-01-01

Typicality is probably a better representation of Alexander, Dunbar and others' conclusions than specificity, which was always too absolute a term. As such it became a valid cause of objection by opponents. No genuine attempts to repeat the original studies have been made and most of the original opposition to the concept is now acknowledged as invalid. Typicality (specificity) in psychosomatic disorders appears to be conferred by coping mechanisms acquired through interaction with mother and early surrogates in infancy and childhood as a means of reducing tensions and restoration of homeostatic emotional equilibrium. Psychosomatic medicine patients share one such mechanism, notably superstability/alexythymia, but contained within it are coping mechanisms typical for differing disorders. Examples are listed, and also mention of typicality of recurrently provocative life events/situations. Until typicality is appreciated, taught, learned and practised, success in management of psychosomatic disorders will be limited. The current bio-psycho-social approach is too imprecise.

Synthesis and structural characterization of some trisulfide analoges of thiouracil-based antithyroid drugs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhabak, Krishna P.; Bhowmick, Debasish

2012-08-01

Thiourea-based antithyroid drugs are effectively used for the treatment of hyperthyroidism. In this paper, we describe the synthesis of new trisulfides (11-12) from the commonly used thiourea-based antithyroid drugs such as 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU) and 6-methyl-2-thiouracil (MTU) in the reaction with I2/KI system. Structural analysis by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies revealed the stabilization of trisulfides by a lactam-lactim tautomerism facilitating effective intramolecular as well as intermolecular non-covalent interactions. Although the structures of both trisulfides were found to be quite similar, a notable difference in the intermolecular interactions was observed between compounds 11 and 12 leading to different structural patterns. Structural stabilization of these trisulfides by tautomerism followed by intramolecular as well as intermolecular H-bonds makes these molecules as perfect examples in molecular recognition with self-complementary donor and acceptor units within a single molecule.

[The investigation of formant on different artistic voice].

PubMed

Wang, Jianqun; Gao, Xia; Liu, Xiaozhou; Feng, Yulin; Shen, Xiaohui; Yu, Chenjie; Yang, Ye

2008-08-01

To explore the characteristic of formant-a very important parameter in the spectrogram of three types of artistic voice (western mode; Chinese mode; Beijing opera). We used MATLAB software to make the short-time Fourier transform and spectrogram analysis on the homeostasis vowel examples of the three types. The western mode had different representation "singer formant" (Fs) based on the voice part; the Chinese mode's notable features were that F1, F2, F3, were continuous and the energy of them changed softly; the Beijing opera had the common representation which was a very wide formant and there was soft transition between formants and various harmonic, besides it showed a similar component like the "Fs" (two formants connected normally). Different artistic voice showed their own characteristics of the formant parameter in the spectrogram, which had important value on the identification, objective evaluation and prediction.

Probing Electroweak Phase Transition via Enhanced Di-Higgs Production

DOE PAGES

Carena, Marcela; Liu, Zhen; Riembau, Marc

2018-05-24

We consider a singlet extension of the Standard Model (SM) with a spontaneousmore » $$Z_2$$ breaking and study the gluon-gluon fusion production of the heavy scalar, with subsequent decay into a pair of SM-like Higgs bosons. We find that an on-shell interference effect can notably enhance the resonant di-Higgs production rate up to 40\\%. In addition, consistently taking into account both the on-shell and off-shell interference effects between the heavy scalar and the SM di-Higgs diagrams significantly improves the HL-LHC and HE-LHC reach in this channel. As an example, within an effective field theory analysis in an explicitly $$Z_2$$ breaking scenario, we further discuss the potential to probe the parameter region compatible with a first order electroweak phase transition. Our analysis is applicable for general potentials of the singlet extension of the SM as well as for more general resonance searches.« less

Transmembrane mucins as novel therapeutic targets.

PubMed

Constantinou, Pamela E; Danysh, Brian P; Dharmaraj, Neeraja; Carson, Daniel D

2011-11-01

Membrane-tethered mucin glycoproteins are abundantly expressed at the apical surfaces of simple epithelia, where they play important roles in lubricating and protecting tissues from pathogens and enzymatic attack. Notable examples of these mucins are MUC1, MUC4 and MUC16 (also known as cancer antigen 125). In adenocarcinomas, apical mucin restriction is lost and overall expression is often highly increased. High-level mucin expression protects tumors from killing by the host immune system, as well as by chemotherapeutic agents, and affords protection from apoptosis. Mucin expression can increase as the result of gene duplication and/or in response to hormones, cytokines and growth factors prevalent in the tumor milieu. Rises in the normally low levels of mucin fragments in serum have been used as markers of disease, such as tumor burden, for many years. Currently, several approaches are being examined that target mucins for immunization or nanomedicine using mucin-specific antibodies.

Diego and Giorgina Vergani: The two hearts of translational autoimmunity.

PubMed

Liberal, Rodrigo; Selmi, Carlo; Gershwin, M Eric

2016-01-01

Since the publication of the first textbook on autoimmune diseases in 1963, the knowledge in the field has exponentially grown into numerous tracks of research, particularly at benchside. Systemic and organ-specific autoimmune diseases, as in the case of the liver, have witnessed notable advances in terms of epidemiology, genetics, effector and regulatory mechanisms, and ultimately treatment. While the available tools for communication have provided accelerating progress rates, we recognize that key opinion leaders continue to provide significant contributions to the field. The present issue is dedicated to celebrate Giorgina Mieli-Vergani and Diego Vergani as two of the finest examples of excellence in autoimmune liver diseases and the broader field of autoimmunity. Diego and Giorgina are extremely well-liked Colleagues who fully represent the translational efforts between laboratory research and clinically relevant questions in the practice of pediatric liver diseases and autoimmune hepatitis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolution of cyclohexadienyl dehydratase from an ancestral solute-binding protein.

PubMed

Clifton, Ben E; Kaczmarski, Joe A; Carr, Paul D; Gerth, Monica L; Tokuriki, Nobuhiko; Jackson, Colin J

2018-04-23

The emergence of enzymes through the neofunctionalization of noncatalytic proteins is ultimately responsible for the extraordinary range of biological catalysts observed in nature. Although the evolution of some enzymes from binding proteins can be inferred by homology, we have a limited understanding of the nature of the biochemical and biophysical adaptations along these evolutionary trajectories and the sequence in which they occurred. Here we reconstructed and characterized evolutionary intermediate states linking an ancestral solute-binding protein to the extant enzyme cyclohexadienyl dehydratase. We show how the intrinsic reactivity of a desolvated general acid was harnessed by a series of mutations radiating from the active site, which optimized enzyme-substrate complementarity and transition-state stabilization and minimized sampling of noncatalytic conformations. Our work reveals the molecular evolutionary processes that underlie the emergence of enzymes de novo, which are notably mirrored by recent examples of computational enzyme design and directed evolution.

Effects of urbanization on heavy metal accumulation in surface soils, Beijing.

PubMed

Wang, Meie; Liu, Rui; Chen, Weiping; Peng, Chi; Markert, Bernd

2018-02-01

Urbanization processes affect the accumulation of heavy metals in urban soils. Effects of urbanization on heavy metal accumulation in soils were studied using Beijing as an example. It has been suggested that the ecological function of vegetation covers shifting from natural to agricultural settings and then to urban greenbelts could increase the zinc (Zn) concentrations of soils successively. The Zn concentration of urban soils was significantly correlated to the percentage of the impervious land surface at the 500m×500m spatial scale. For urban parks, the age or years since the development accounted for 80% of the variances of cadmium (Cd) and Zn in soils. The population density, however, did not affect the heavy metal distributions in urban soils. To conclude, the urban age turned out to be a notable factor in quantifying heavy metal accumulation in urban soils. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Correlations of Life Form, Pollination Mode and Sexual System in Aquatic Angiosperms

PubMed Central

Du, Zhi-Yuan; Wang, Qing-Feng

2014-01-01

Aquatic plants are phylogenetically well dispersed across the angiosperms. Reproductive and other life-history traits of aquatic angiosperms are closely associated with specific growth forms. Hydrophilous pollination exhibits notable examples of convergent evolution in angiosperm reproductive structures, and hydrophiles exhibit great diversity in sexual system. In this study, we reconstructed ancestral characters of aquatic lineages based on the phylogeny of aquatic angiosperms. Our aim is to find the correlations of life form, pollination mode and sexual system in aquatic angiosperms. Hydrophily is the adaptive evolution of completely submersed angiosperms to aquatic habitats. Hydroautogamy and maleflower-ephydrophily are the transitional stages from anemophily and entomophily to hydrophily. True hydrophily occurs in 18 submersed angiosperm genera, which is associated with an unusually high incidence of unisexual flowers. All marine angiosperms are submersed, hydrophilous species. This study would help us understand the evolution of hydrophilous pollination and its correlations with life form and sexual system. PMID:25525810

Primary Care Physicians’ Evaluation and Treatment of Depression

PubMed Central

Epstein, Steven A.; Hooper, Lisa M.; Weinfurt, Kevin P.; DePuy, Venita; Cooper, Lisa A.; Harless, William G.; Tracy, Cynthia M.

2009-01-01

Little is known about how patient and primary care physician characteristics are associated with quality of depression care. The authors conducted structured interviews of 404 randomly selected primary care physicians after their interaction with CD-ROM vignettes of actors portraying depressed patients. Vignettes varied along the dimensions of medical comorbidity, attributions regarding the cause of depression, style, race/ethnicity, and gender. Results show that physicians showed wide variation in treatment decisions; for example, most did not inquire about suicidal ideation, and most did not state that they would inform the patient that there can be a delay before an antidepressant is therapeutic. Several physician characteristics were significantly associated with management decisions. Notably, physician age was inversely correlated with a number of quality-of-care measures. In conclusion, quality of care varies among primary care physicians and appears to be associated with physician characteristics to a greater extent than patient characteristics. PMID:18832109

A review of active learning approaches to experimental design for uncovering biological networks

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Various types of biological knowledge describe networks of interactions among elementary entities. For example, transcriptional regulatory networks consist of interactions among proteins and genes. Current knowledge about the exact structure of such networks is highly incomplete, and laboratory experiments that manipulate the entities involved are conducted to test hypotheses about these networks. In recent years, various automated approaches to experiment selection have been proposed. Many of these approaches can be characterized as active machine learning algorithms. Active learning is an iterative process in which a model is learned from data, hypotheses are generated from the model to propose informative experiments, and the experiments yield new data that is used to update the model. This review describes the various models, experiment selection strategies, validation techniques, and successful applications described in the literature; highlights common themes and notable distinctions among methods; and identifies likely directions of future research and open problems in the area. PMID:28570593

Approximating quantum many-body wave functions using artificial neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Zi; Liu, Jinguo

2018-01-01

In this paper, we demonstrate the expressibility of artificial neural networks (ANNs) in quantum many-body physics by showing that a feed-forward neural network with a small number of hidden layers can be trained to approximate with high precision the ground states of some notable quantum many-body systems. We consider the one-dimensional free bosons and fermions, spinless fermions on a square lattice away from half-filling, as well as frustrated quantum magnetism with a rapidly oscillating ground-state characteristic function. In the latter case, an ANN with a standard architecture fails, while that with a slightly modified one successfully learns the frustration-induced complex sign rule in the ground state and approximates the ground states with high precisions. As an example of practical use of our method, we also perform the variational method to explore the ground state of an antiferromagnetic J1-J2 Heisenberg model.

Evaluating the degradation, sorption, and negative mass balances of pharmaceuticals and personal care products during wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Blair, Benjamin; Nikolaus, Adam; Hedman, Curtis; Klaper, Rebecca; Grundl, Timothy

2015-09-01

Conventional activated sludge (CAS) wastewater treatment processes are insufficient at removing many pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) from wastewater. In addition, negative mass balances, where the effluent concentration is greater than the influent concentration, have been observed in wastewater treatment studies and a further understanding of these results is needed. In this study, the fate and occurrence of 57 PPCPs and hormones were evaluated in an activated sludge process and the mass balances were determined. The goal of the project was to understand the PPCPs biological degradation and the extent of sorption to solids. The samples containing in situ PPCPs (i.e. samples were not spiked with additional PPCPs) were evaluated. Forty-eight of the PPCPs were detected in the soluble form and 29 were detected sorbed to solids. Two notable results were found. First, the results of this study indicate a subset of the highly biodegradable PPCPs stop being degraded at low, yet notable, concentrations. Second, the results revealed that negative mass balances were present for a subset of the PPCPs when evaluating both the soluble and sorbed concentration, for example carbamazepine and ofloxacin. Desorption from solids was not found to attribute to negative mass balances. Overall, the results from this study provide new insights into the fate of PPCPs during CAS wastewater treatment by evaluating the degradation kinetics and sorption and the results may explain the consistent levels of highly degradable PPCPs being emitted from WWTPs worldwide. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Global Transcriptome Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus Response to Hydrogen Peroxide†

PubMed Central

Chang, Wook; Small, David A.; Toghrol, Freshteh; Bentley, William E.

2006-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus responds with protective strategies against phagocyte-derived reactive oxidants to infect humans. Herein, we report the transcriptome analysis of the cellular response of S. aureus to hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress. The data indicate that the oxidative response includes the induction of genes involved in virulence, DNA repair, and notably, anaerobic metabolism. PMID:16452450

Quality of Life in Older Adults: Benefits from Caring Services in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheung, Jacky Chau Kiu; Kwan, Alex Yui Huen; Chan, Sophia Siu Chee; Ngan, Raymond Man Hung; Ng, Sik Hung; Leung, Edward Man Fuk; Lau, Anna

2005-01-01

Many older adults are in need of care. Therefore, older people would generally benefit from the use of caring services, notably including home care, residential care, nursing, and medical services. The contributory factors underlying caring services tend to be a caring perspective that aspires to sustain older people's social relationships and…

The Common Core State Standards: Comparisons of Access and Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wasserman, Nicholas H.

2011-01-01

Last year the United States unveiled the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English and Mathematics for grades K-12. In particular, the authors included two possible sequences of 8-12 mathematics courses that would fulfill the standards. Most notably, the courses titled "3a" and "3b" in these two sequences have become…

South Carolina’s forests, 2016

Treesearch

Thomas J. Brandeis; Consuelo Brandeis; Andrew J. Hartsell

2018-01-01

South Carolina’s 12.9 million acres of forest cover 67 percent of the State. This forest land area has remained relatively stable for the past 15 years. Notable trends included timberland divestiture by forest industry, acquisition of that timberland by Timber Investment Management Organizations and Real Estate Investment Trusts, and a decrease in the average annual...

Technology's Past: America's Industrial Revolution and the People Who Delivered the Goods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karwatka, Dennis

This book presents illustrated profiles of 76 individuals and 2 notable vehicles (the winner of the first around-the-world car race in 1908 and the first steam locomotive in the United States). It includes such recognized innovators as Alexander Graham Bell (inventor of the telephone), George Washington Carver (agricultural products innovator),…

Truth, Masculinity and the Anti-Elitist Backlash against the University in the Age of Trump

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Read, Barbara

2018-01-01

The global rise of 'neo-populism', culminating in the election of the populist Republican candidate Donald Trump to the US presidency, has been accompanied by a notable backlash and resistance to what has been categorised as governing/dominating 'elites', including HE academic institutions. Populist critiques centre on a perceived climate of…

The Biomedical Doctorate in the Contemporary University: Education or Training and Why It Matters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kemp, Matthew W.; Newnham, John P.; Chapman, Elaine

2012-01-01

The form and function(s) of doctoral education continue to be a subject of much debate by stakeholders internal and external to the university. Notable concerns driving this debate derive from a seemingly discursive array of factors including increasing student numbers, increased understanding of the economic value of doctoral graduates,…

USGS VDP Infrasound Sensor Evaluation

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

Slad, George William; Merchant, Bion J.

2016-10-01

Sandia National Laboratories has tested and evaluated two infrasound sensors, the model VDP100 and VDP250, built in-house at the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory. The purpose of the infrasound sensor evaluation was to determine a measured sensitivity, self-noise, dynamic range and nominal transfer function. Notable features of the VDP sensors include novel and durable construction and compact size.

The Significance of Charter Schools and the Privatization of Standards: Holding the Wolf by the Ears

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, Brian

2005-01-01

The dynamics of educational policy discourse in the USA are illustrated by the highly contested positions on charter schools in three arenas: media debates, national policy and local school reform. In media debates, civil society actors--including teachers' unions, think tanks and print media--engage in polarized exchanges notable for their…

A Mixed-Methods Study Examining the Postgraduate Career Choices of Student-Athletes on 12 NCAA Women's Basketball Teams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beverly, Sharon R.

2010-01-01

Title IX, a federal law that was passed in 1972, ensured equitable treatment for women in any federally funded program. It affected educational institutions at every level (elementary, high school, higher education) and included areas such as admissions, facilities, financial assistance, and, most notably, athletics programs within those…

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

Richards, David G.

I present a survey of calculations of the excited $N^*$ spectrum in lattice QCD. I then describe recent advances aimed at extracting the momentum-dependent phase shifts from lattice calculations, notably in the meson sector, and the potential for their application to baryons. I conclude with a discussion of calculations of the electromagnetic transition form factors to excited nucleons, including calculations at high $Q^2$.

Setting Global Research Priorities for Developmental Disabilities, Including Intellectual Disabilities and Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomlinson, M.; Yasamy, M. T.; Emerson, E.; Officer, A.; Richler, D.; Saxena, S.

2014-01-01

Objectives: The prevalence of intellectual disabilities (ID) has been estimated at 10.4/1000 worldwide with higher rates among children and adolescents in lower income countries. The objective of this paper is to address research priorities for development disabilities, notably ID and autism, at the global level and to propose the more rational…

Two and Two Make Zero: The Counting Numbers, Their Conceptualization, Symbolization, and Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yaseen, H. S.

2011-01-01

"Two and Two Make Zero" considers children's acquisition of numerical concepts from a wide range of perspectives including topics that are often overlooked, most notably: the principal properties of the counting numbers in and of themselves; the role that numerical symbols play in number acquisition; the underlying conceptual structure of number…

Selected Bibliography of American History through Biography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fustukjian, Samuel, Comp.

The books included in this bibliography were written by or about notable Americans from the 16th century to the present and were selected from the holdings of the Penfield Library, State University of New York, Oswego, on the basis of the individual's contribution in his field. The division into subject groups is borrowed from the biographical…

User Acceptance of YouTube for Procedural Learning: An Extension of the Technology Acceptance Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Doo Young; Lehto, Mark R.

2013-01-01

The present study was framed using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to identify determinants affecting behavioral intention to use YouTube. Most importantly, this research emphasizes the motives for using YouTube, which is notable given its extrinsic task goal of being used for procedural learning tasks. Our conceptual framework included two…

p300/CBP Histone Acetyltransferase Activity Is Required for Newly Acquired and Reactivated Fear Memories in the Lateral Amygdala

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maddox, Stephanie A.; Watts, Casey S.; Schafe, Glenn E.

2013-01-01

Modifications in chromatin structure have been widely implicated in memory and cognition, most notably using hippocampal-dependent memory paradigms including object recognition, spatial memory, and contextual fear memory. Relatively little is known, however, about the role of chromatin-modifying enzymes in amygdala-dependent memory formation.…

NREL and NASA Receive Regional FLC Award for Notable Technology | News |

Science.gov Websites

NREL and NASA Receive Regional FLC Award for Notable Technology NREL and NASA Receive Regional FLC Award for Notable Technology August 25, 2016 NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) and the National Group Manager Ahmad Pesaran, along with NASA Scientist and collaborator Eric Darcy, will be honored

Oil and gas developments in South Africa, Central America, Caribbean Area, and Mexico in 1984

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

Tappmeyer, D.M.

1985-10-01

For the 25 countries described in the region, exploration activity continued to be centered in proven petroleum provinces in 1984. Exploration activity increased in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. Important, successful exploration efforts continued in areas around Cano Limon field in Colombia, and Guafita and La Victoria fields in Venezuela. Notable discoveries in South America included the 42-46-1X San Martin Cretaceous discovery by Shell in the Ucayali basin in Peru, the significant oil and gas discovery at Palmar Largo ES-1 by YPF in Argentina, and the first offshore gas discovery, the Pecten 1-SPS-20 wildcat in the Santo basin in Brazil. Oilmore » production increased in Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. A notable increase (40%) in oil production occurred in Brazil. Gas production increased in Argentina, Barbados, Colombia, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago. 8 figures, 8 tables.« less

Oil and gas developments in South America, Central America, Caribbean Area, and Mexico in 1984

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

Tappmeyer, D.M.

1985-10-01

For the 25 countries described in the region, exploration activity continued to be centered in proven petroleum provinces in 1984. Exploration activity increased in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. Important, successful exploration efforts continued in areas around Cano Limon field in Colombia, and Guafita and La Victoria fields in Venezuela. Notable discoveries in South America included the 42-461X San Martin Cretaceous discovery by Shell in the Ucayali basin in Peru, the significant oil and gas discovery at Palmar Largo ES-1 by YPF in Argentina, and the first offshore gas discovery, the Pecten 1-SPS-20 wildcat in the Santo basin in Brazil. Oilmore » production increased in Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. A notable increase (40%) in oil production occurred in Brazil. Gas production increased in Argentina, Barbados, Colombia, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago.« less

The impact of clustering of extreme European windstorm events on (re)insurance market portfolios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell-Wallace, Kirsten; Alvarez-Diaz, Teresa

2010-05-01

Traditionally the occurrence of windstorm loss events in Europe has been considered as independent. However, a number of significant losses close in space and time indicates that this assumption may need to be revised. Under particular atmospheric conditions multiple loss-causing cyclones can occur in succession, affecting similar geographic regions and, therefore, insurance markets. A notable example is of Lothar and Martin in France in December 1999. Although the existence of cyclone families is well-known by meteorologists, there has been limited research into occurrence of serial windstorms. However, climate modelling research is now providing the ability to explore the physical drivers of clustering, and to improve understanding of the hazard aspect of catastrophe modelling. While analytics tools, including catastrophe models, may incorporate assumptions regarding the influence of dependency through statistical means, the most recent research outputs provide a new strand of information with the potential to re-assess the probabilistic loss potential in light of clustering and to provide an additional view on probable maximum losses to windstorm-exposed portfolios across regions such as Northwest Europe. There is however, a need for the testing of these new techniques within operational (re)insurance applications, and this paper provide an overview of the most current clustering research, including the 2009 paper by Vitolo et. al., in relation to reinsurance risk modelling, and to assess the potential impact of such additional information on the overall risk assessment process. We examine the consequences of the serial clustering of extra-tropical cyclones demonstrated by Vitolo et al. (2009) from the perspective of a large European reinsurer, examining potential implications for: • Pricing • Accumulation And • Capital adequacy

miniSEED: The Backbone Data Format for Seismological Time Series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahern, T. K.; Benson, R. B.; Trabant, C. M.

2017-12-01

In 1987, the International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks (FDSN), adopted the Standard for the Exchange of Earthquake Data (SEED) format to be used for data archiving and exchange of seismological time series data. Since that time, the format has evolved to accommodate new capabilities and features. For example, a notable change in 1992 allowed the format, which includes both the comprehensive metadata and the time series samples, to be used in two additional forms: a container for metadata only called "dataless SEED", and 2) a stand-alone structure for time series called "miniSEED". While specifically designed for seismological data and related metadata, this format has proven to be a useful format for a wide variety of geophysical time series data. Many FDSN data centers now store temperature, pressure, infrasound, tilt and other time series measurements in this internationally used format. Since April 2016, members of the FDSN have been in discussions to design a next generation miniSEED format to accommodate current and future needs, to further generalize the format, and to address a number of historical problems or limitations. We believe the correct approach is to simplify the header, allow for arbitrary header additions, expand the current identifiers, and allow for anticipated future identifiers which are currently unknown. We also believe the primary goal of the format is for efficient archiving, selection and exchange of time series data. By focusing on these goals we avoid trying to generalize the format too broadly into specialized areas such as efficient, low-latency delivery, or including unbounded non-time series data. Our presentation will provide an overview of this format and highlight its most valuable characteristics for time series data from any geophysical domain or beyond.

Improved detection of genetic markers of antimicrobial resistance by hybridization probe-based melting curve analysis using primers to mask proximal mutations: examples include the influenza H275Y substitution.

PubMed

Whiley, David M; Jacob, Kevin; Nakos, Jennifer; Bletchly, Cheryl; Nimmo, Graeme R; Nissen, Michael D; Sloots, Theo P

2012-06-01

Numerous real-time PCR assays have been described for detection of the influenza A H275Y alteration. However, the performance of these methods can be undermined by sequence variation in the regions flanking the codon of interest. This is a problem encountered more broadly in microbial diagnostics. In this study, we developed a modification of hybridization probe-based melting curve analysis, whereby primers are used to mask proximal mutations in the sequence targets of hybridization probes, so as to limit the potential for sequence variation to interfere with typing. The approach was applied to the H275Y alteration of the influenza A (H1N1) 2009 strain, as well as a Neisseria gonorrhoeae mutation associated with antimicrobial resistance. Assay performances were assessed using influenza A and N. gonorrhoeae strains characterized by DNA sequencing. The modified hybridization probe-based approach proved successful in limiting the effects of proximal mutations, with the results of melting curve analyses being 100% consistent with the results of DNA sequencing for all influenza A and N. gonorrhoeae strains tested. Notably, these included influenza A and N. gonorrhoeae strains exhibiting additional mutations in hybridization probe targets. Of particular interest was that the H275Y assay correctly typed influenza A strains harbouring a T822C nucleotide substitution, previously shown to interfere with H275Y typing methods. Overall our modified hybridization probe-based approach provides a simple means of circumventing problems caused by sequence variation, and offers improved detection of the influenza A H275Y alteration and potentially other resistance mechanisms.

A Complete Developmental Sequence of a Drosophila Neuronal Lineage as Revealed by Twin-Spot MARCM

PubMed Central

He, Yisheng; Ding, Peng; Kao, Jui-Chun; Lee, Tzumin

2010-01-01

Drosophila brains contain numerous neurons that form complex circuits. These neurons are derived in stereotyped patterns from a fixed number of progenitors, called neuroblasts, and identifying individual neurons made by a neuroblast facilitates the reconstruction of neural circuits. An improved MARCM (mosaic analysis with a repressible cell marker) technique, called twin-spot MARCM, allows one to label the sister clones derived from a common progenitor simultaneously in different colors. It enables identification of every single neuron in an extended neuronal lineage based on the order of neuron birth. Here we report the first example, to our knowledge, of complete lineage analysis among neurons derived from a common neuroblast that relay olfactory information from the antennal lobe (AL) to higher brain centers. By identifying the sequentially derived neurons, we found that the neuroblast serially makes 40 types of AL projection neurons (PNs). During embryogenesis, one PN with multi-glomerular innervation and 18 uniglomerular PNs targeting 17 glomeruli of the adult AL are born. Many more PNs of 22 additional types, including four types of polyglomerular PNs, derive after the neuroblast resumes dividing in early larvae. Although different offspring are generated in a rather arbitrary sequence, the birth order strictly dictates the fate of each post-mitotic neuron, including the fate of programmed cell death. Notably, the embryonic progenitor has an altered temporal identity following each self-renewing asymmetric cell division. After larval hatching, the same progenitor produces multiple neurons for each cell type, but the number of neurons for each type is tightly regulated. These observations substantiate the origin-dependent specification of neuron types. Sequencing neuronal lineages will not only unravel how a complex brain develops but also permit systematic identification of neuron types for detailed structure and function analysis of the brain. PMID:20808769

Importance of plasticity and local adaptation for coping with changing salinity in coastal areas: a test case with barnacles in the Baltic Sea

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Salinity plays an important role in shaping coastal marine communities. Near-future climate predictions indicate that salinity will decrease in many shallow coastal areas due to increased precipitation; however, few studies have addressed this issue. The ability of ecosystems to cope with future changes will depend on species’ capacities to acclimatise or adapt to new environmental conditions. Here, we investigated the effects of a strong salinity gradient (the Baltic Sea system – Baltic, Kattegat, Skagerrak) on plasticity and adaptations in the euryhaline barnacle Balanus improvisus. We used a common-garden approach, where multiple batches of newly settled barnacles from each of three different geographical areas along the Skagerrak-Baltic salinity gradient were exposed to corresponding native salinities (6, 15 and 30 PSU), and phenotypic traits including mortality, growth, shell strength, condition index and reproductive maturity were recorded. Results We found that B. improvisus was highly euryhaline, but had highest growth and reproductive maturity at intermediate salinities. We also found that low salinity had negative effects on other fitness-related traits including initial growth and shell strength, although mortality was also lowest in low salinity. Overall, differences between populations in most measured traits were weak, indicating little local adaptation to salinity. Nonetheless, we observed some population-specific responses – notably that populations from high salinity grew stronger shells in their native salinity compared to the other populations, possibly indicating adaptation to differences in local predation pressure. Conclusions Our study shows that B. improvisus is an example of a true brackish-water species, and that plastic responses are more likely than evolutionary tracking in coping with future changes in coastal salinity. PMID:25038588

Gene expression and molecular phylogenetic analyses of beta-glucosidase in the termite Reticulitermes speratus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae).

PubMed

Shimada, Keisuke; Maekawa, Kiyoto

2014-06-01

Beta-glucosidase (BG) is known as a multifunctional enzyme for social maintenance in terms of both cellulose digestion and social communication in termites. However, the expression profiles of each BG gene and their evolutionary history are not well understood. First, we cloned two types of BG homologs (RsBGI and RsBGII) from the termite Reticulitermes speratus (Kolbe). Gene expression analyses showed that RsBGI expression levels of primary queens and kings from 30 to 100 days after colony foundation were high, but those of reproductives dropped after day 400. Extremely low gene expression levels of RsBGI were observed in eggs, whereas workers had significantly higher expression levels than those of soldiers and other colony members. Consequently, RsBGI gene expression levels changed among each developmental stage, and RsBGI was shown to be involved in cellulose digestion. On the other hand, the RsBGII gene was consistently expressed in all castes and developmental stages examined, and notable expression changes were not observed among them, including in eggs. It was indicated that RsBGII is a main component involved in social communication, for example, the egg-recognition pheromone shown in this species previously. Finally, we obtained partial gene homologs from other termite and cockroach species, including the woodroach (genus Cryptocercus), which is the sister group to termites, and performed molecular phylogenetic analyses. The results showed that the origin of the BG gene homologs preceded the divergence of termites and cockroaches, suggesting that the acquisition of multifunctionality of the BG gene also occurred in cockroach lineages. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mars2020 Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation (MEDLI2): Science Objectives and Instrument Requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bose, Deepak; White, Todd; Schoenenberger, Mark; Karlgaard, Chris; Wright, Henry

2015-01-01

NASAs exploration and technology roadmaps call for capability advancements in Mars entry, descent, and landing (EDL) systems to enable increased landed mass, a higher landing precision, and a wider planetary access. It is also recognized that these ambitious EDL performance goals must be met while maintaining a low mission risk in order to pave the way for future human missions. As NASA is engaged in developing new EDL systems and technologies via testing at Earth, instrumentation of existing Mars missions is providing valuable engineering data for performance improvement, risk reduction, and an improved definition of entry loads and environment. The most notable recent example is the Mars Entry, Descent and Landing Instrument (MEDLI) suite hosted by Mars Science Laboratory for its entry in Aug 2012. The MEDLI suite provided a comprehensive dataset for Mars entry aerodynamics, aerothermodynamics and thermal protection system (TPS) performance. MEDLI data has since been used for unprecedented reconstruction of aerodynamic drag, vehicle attitude, in-situ atmospheric density, aerothermal heating, and transition to turbulence, in-depth TPS performance and TPS ablation. [1,2] In addition to validating predictive models, MEDLI data has demonstrated extra margin available in the MSL forebody TPS, which can potentially be used to reduce vehicle parasitic mass. The presentation will introduce a follow-on MEDLI instrumentation suite (called MEDLI2) that is being developed for Mars-2020 mission. MEDLI2 has an enhanced scope that includes backshell instrumentation, a wider forebody coverage, and instruments that specifically target supersonic aerodynamics. Similar to MEDLI, MEDLI2 uses thermal plugs with embedded thermocouples and ports through the TPS to measure surface pressure. MEDLI2, however, also includes heat flux sensors in the backshell and a low range pressure transducer to measure afterbody pressure.

The impact of dynamic topography on the bedrock elevation and volume of the Pliocene Antarctic Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Austermann, Jacqueline; Pollard, David; Mitrovica, Jerry X.; Moucha, Robert; Forte, Alessandro M.; DeConto, Robert M.

2015-04-01

Reconstructions of the Antarctic ice sheet over long timescales (i.e. Myrs) require estimates of bedrock elevation through time. Ice sheet models have accounted, with varying levels of sophistication, for changes in the bedrock elevation due to glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), but they have neglected other processes that may perturb topography. One notable example is dynamic topography, the deflection of the solid surface of the Earth due to convective flow within the mantle. Numerically predicted changes in dynamic topography have been used to correct paleo shorelines for this departure from eustasy, but the effect of such changes on ice sheet stability is unknown. In this study we use numerical predictions of time-varying dynamic topography to reconstruct bedrock elevation below the Antarctic ice sheet during the mid Pliocene warm period (~3 Ma). Moreover, we couple this reconstruction to a three-dimensional ice sheet model to explore the impact of dynamic topography on the evolution of the Antarctic ice sheet since the Pliocene. Our modeling indicates significant uplift in the area of the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) and the adjacent Wilkes basin. This predicted uplift, which is at the lower end of geological inferences of uplift of the TAM, implies a lower elevation of the basin in the Pliocene. Relative to simulations that do not include dynamic topography, the lower elevation leads to a smaller Antarctic Ice Sheet volume and a more significant retreat of the grounding line in the Wilkes basin, both of which are consistent with offshore sediment core data. We conclude that reconstructions of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during the mid-Pliocene warm period should be based on bedrock elevation models that include the impact of both GIA and dynamic topography.

Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry characterization of the steroidal saponins of Dioscorea panthaica Prain et Burkill and its application for accelerating the isolation and structural elucidation of steroidal saponins.

PubMed

Wang, Weihao; Zhao, Ye; Jing, Wenguang; Zhang, Jun; Xiao, Hui; Zha, Qin; Liu, An

2015-03-01

Dioscorea panthaica is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb used in the treatment of various physiological conditions, including cardiovascular disease, gastropathy and hypertension. Steroidal saponins (SS) are the main active ingredients of this herb and have effects on myocardial ischemia and cancer. The phytochemical evaluation of SS is both time-consuming and laborious, and the isolation and structural determination steps can be especially demanding. For this reason, the development of new methods to accelerate the processes involved in the identification, isolation and structural elucidation of SS is highly desirable. In this study, a new ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-IT/MS(n)) method has been developed for the identification of the SS in D. panthaica Prain et Burkill. Notably, the current method can distinguish between spirostanol and furostanol-type compounds based on the fragmentation patterns observed by electrospray ionization-ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-IT/MS(n)) analysis. UHPLC-IT/MS(n) was used to conduct a detailed investigation of the number, structural class and order of the sugar moieties in the sugar chains of the SS present in D. panthaica. The established fragmentation features were used to analyze the compounds found in the 65% ethanol fraction of the water extracts of D. panthaica. Twenty-three SS were identified, including 11 potential new compounds and six groups of isomers. Two of these newly identified SS were selected as representative examples, and their chemical structures were confirmed by (1)H and (13)C NMR analyses. This newly developed UHPLC-IT/MS(n) method therefore allowed for the efficient identification, isolation and structural determination of the SS in D. panthaica. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Committed HSE management Vs TQM: Is there any difference?

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

Aitken, J.D.; McMath, C.R.; Lombardo, G.J.

1996-11-01

Safe performance of oilfield service operations at unfamiliar customer installations requires service personnel that are highly trained and motivated. When such operations are made in over sixty countries with an independent, multi-cultural work force, an additional level of difficulty in achieving an improved level of HSE (Health, Safety & Environment) performance is introduced. Recognizing these challenges, one company set out in 1989 to implement a comprehensive HSE management system suited to this environment. The system, described here, was launched with total commitment and participation of all levels of management and was designed to empower the work force rather than forcemore » them into compliance. This included a realignment of management priorities to give HSE a primary place along with other management responsibilities. One central theme of the system is a single standard applied to all HSE actions, throughout the world and at all levels of the Company. Thus, for example, all employees including all managers go through the same basic HSE training courses on a regular basis. After six years, a cultural change has taken place, along with a notable reduction in both accident frequency and severity, measured in terms of lost workdays. This reduction in lost workdays is an easily quantifiable cost saving which by far outweighs the total cost of the HSE system implementation. While the HSE management system was designed to specifically meet the needs of the company, the techniques used closely parallel those of Total Quality Management (TQM), which, in the last years, has gained momentum as a {open_quotes}new paradigm{close_quotes} in the HSE field. In this company`s experience, a common sense application of sound management to the HSE process has led to a TQM system.« less

CloVR-ITS: Automated internal transcribed spacer amplicon sequence analysis pipeline for the characterization of fungal microbiota

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Besides the development of comprehensive tools for high-throughput 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequence analysis, there exists a growing need for protocols emphasizing alternative phylogenetic markers such as those representing eukaryotic organisms. Results Here we introduce CloVR-ITS, an automated pipeline for comparative analysis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) pyrosequences amplified from metagenomic DNA isolates and representing fungal species. This pipeline performs a variety of steps similar to those commonly used for 16S rRNA amplicon sequence analysis, including preprocessing for quality, chimera detection, clustering of sequences into operational taxonomic units (OTUs), taxonomic assignment (at class, order, family, genus, and species levels) and statistical analysis of sample groups of interest based on user-provided information. Using ITS amplicon pyrosequencing data from a previous human gastric fluid study, we demonstrate the utility of CloVR-ITS for fungal microbiota analysis and provide runtime and cost examples, including analysis of extremely large datasets on the cloud. We show that the largest fractions of reads from the stomach fluid samples were assigned to Dothideomycetes, Saccharomycetes, Agaricomycetes and Sordariomycetes but that all samples were dominated by sequences that could not be taxonomically classified. Representatives of the Candida genus were identified in all samples, most notably C. quercitrusa, while sequence reads assigned to the Aspergillus genus were only identified in a subset of samples. CloVR-ITS is made available as a pre-installed, automated, and portable software pipeline for cloud-friendly execution as part of the CloVR virtual machine package (http://clovr.org). Conclusion The CloVR-ITS pipeline provides fungal microbiota analysis that can be complementary to bacterial 16S rRNA and total metagenome sequence analysis allowing for more comprehensive studies of environmental and host-associated microbial communities. PMID:24451270

Laser-polarized noble gases: a powerful probe for biology, medicine, and subatomic physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cates, Gordon

2010-03-01

For over a decade, laser-polarized noble gases such as ^3He and ^129Xe have proven useful for a wide range of scientific inquiries. These include investigations of pulmonary disease using the polarized gas as a signal source for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), measurements of various aspects of nucleon structure, and tests of fundamental symmetries. Early efforts were often limited by expensive and bulky laser systems, but ongoing advancements in solid-state lasers have enabled increasingly large volumes of polarized gas to be produced with steadily improved polarization. Equally important have been advances in the fundamental understanding of spin exchange. This has led, for example, to the introduction of hybrid mixtures of alkali metals that can increase the efficiency of spin exchange by an order of magnitude. As a consequence of these advances, the figure of merit for polarized nuclear targets has increased by roughly three orders of magnitude in comparison to early accelerator-based experiments. And in MRI applications, it has become possible to pursue increasingly sophisticated imaging protocols that provide a wide range of diagnostic information. Even the earliest noble-gas MR images of the gas space of the human lung provided unprecedented resolution. More recent work includes the use of diffusion-sensitizing pulse sequences to study lung microstructure, and tagging techniques that enable the visualization (in real-time MRI movies) of gas flow during breathing. The range of applications of laser-polarized noble gases is continuing to grow, and it is notable that with an improved understanding of the underlying physics, it is quite likely that the capabilities of this useful technology will expand for some time to come.

Recent Results From The Nasa Earth Science Terra Mission and Future Possibilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salomonson, Vincent V.

2000-01-01

The NASA Earth Sciences Enterprise has made some remarkable strides in recent times in using developing, implementing, and utilizing spaceborne observations to better understand how the Earth works as a coupled, interactive system of the land, ocean, and atmosphere. Notable examples include the Upper Atmosphere Research (UARS) Satellite, the Topology Ocean Experiment (TOPEX) mission, Landsat-7, SeaWiFS, the Tropical Rainfall Monitoring Mission (TRMM), Quickscatt, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), and, quite recently, the Terra'/Earth Observing System-1 mission. The Terra mission, for example, represents a major step forward in providing sensors that offer considerable advantages and progress over heritage instruments. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS), the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT), the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emissions and Reflections (ASTER) radiometer, and the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) radiometer are the instruments involved. Early indications in March indicate that each of these instruments are working well and will be augmenting data bases from heritage instruments as well as producing new, unprecedented observations of land, ocean, and atmosphere features. Several missions will follow the Terra mission as the Earth Observing mission systems complete development and go into operation. These missions include EOS PM-1/'Aqua', Icesat, Vegetation Canopy Lidar (VCL), Jason/TOPEX Follow-on, the Chemistry mission, etc. As the Earth Observing systems completes its first phase in about 2004 a wealth of data enabling better understanding of the Earth and the management of its resources will have been provided. Considerable thought is beginning to be placed on what advances in technology can be implemented that will enable further advances in the early part of the 21st century; e.g., in the time from of 2020. Concepts such as 'constellation' missions or 'formation flying' with 'sensorcraft', 'sensor webs', autonomous operation of satellites, more on-board processing and delivery to individual users, data synthesis and analysis in real-time, etc. are being considered. With the data now having been and soon to be received plus the very real possibilities of further advances in use and applicability of data the potential for very significant gains in knowledge for Earth studies and applications looks quite high in the next decade or two.

Butterfly wing coloration studied with a novel imaging scatterometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stavenga, Doekele

2010-03-01

Animal coloration functions for display or camouflage. Notably insects provide numerous examples of a rich variety of the applied optical mechanisms. For instance, many butterflies feature a distinct dichromatism, that is, the wing coloration of the male and the female differ substantially. The male Brimstone, Gonepteryx rhamni, has yellow wings that are strongly UV iridescent, but the female has white wings with low reflectance in the UV and a high reflectance in the visible wavelength range. In the Small White cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae crucivora, the wing reflectance of the male is low in the UV and high at visible wavelengths, whereas the wing reflectance of the female is higher in the UV and lower in the visible. Pierid butterflies apply nanosized, strongly scattering beads to achieve their bright coloration. The male Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly, Battus philenor, has dorsal wings with scales functioning as thin film gratings that exhibit polarized iridescence; the dorsal wings of the female are matte black. The polarized iridescence probably functions in intraspecific, sexual signaling, as has been demonstrated in Heliconius butterflies. An example of camouflage is the Green Hairstreak butterfly, Callophrys rubi, where photonic crystal domains exist in the ventral wing scales, resulting in a matte green color that well matches the color of plant leaves. The spectral reflection and polarization characteristics of biological tissues can be rapidly and with unprecedented detail assessed with a novel imaging scatterometer-spectrophotometer, built around an elliptical mirror [1]. Examples of butterfly and damselfly wings, bird feathers, and beetle cuticle will be presented. [4pt] [1] D.G. Stavenga, H.L. Leertouwer, P. Pirih, M.F. Wehling, Optics Express 17, 193-202 (2009)

Assessing the Measures of and Defining Community College Institutional Effectiveness: A President's Perspective Delphi Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laughlin, Juliet Adair

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study included two main goals. The first was to provide a common definition for community college institutional effectiveness through a review of the literature and from the personal definitions of a panel of community colleges presidents leading notably effective community colleges. The second purpose was to review the…

Methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis patients who are on hemodialysis.

PubMed

Al-Hasani, Hasanein; Roussou, Euthalia

2011-12-01

Methotrexate (MTX) can be toxic to patients suffering from end stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis even at low doses. This increase in toxicity is more notable in terms of bone marrow suppression in the form of pancytopenia. Many methods of elimination including dialysis itself have been proven ineffective, and alternate treatments with anti-TNF alpha blockers can be considered.

Assessing South China (Guangzhou) High School Students' Views on Nature of Science: A Validation Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deng, Feng; Chai, Ching Sing; Tsai, Chin-Chung; Lin, Tzung-Jin

2014-01-01

Research on students' views on nature of science (VNOS) in Asian countries such as China is notably lacking. This study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to measure South China high school students' VNOS. Based on the previously acquired qualitative data, the instrument included seven VNOS dimensions which reflect the crucial aspects of…

Parents' Adoption of Social Communication Intervention Strategies: Families Including Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Who Are Minimally Verbal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shire, Stephanie Y.; Goods, Kelly; Shih, Wendy; Distefano, Charlotte; Kaiser, Ann; Wright, Courtney; Mathy, Pamela; Landa, Rebecca; Kasari, Connie

2015-01-01

Notably absent from the intervention literature are parent training programs targeting school-aged children with autism who have limited communication skills (Tager-Flusberg and Kasari in "Autism Res" 6:468-478, 2013). Sixty-one children with autism age 5-8 with minimal spontaneous communication received a 6-month social communication…

Social Media Principles Applied to Critical Infrastructure Information Sharing

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

shooters. The DHS works throughout the year to build partnerships with industries across a wide spectrum, to include commercial facilities. They...security professionals , industry association and security organizations, emergency managers, and planners and architects. Each of these stakeholder sets... Project Report.126 The DARPA SCP fellows identified 14 factors that affected the performance of any one team. Notable among the collection were

The Adaptation of a School-Based Health Promotion Programme for Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Community-Engaged Research Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hubbard, Kristie L.; Bandini, Linda G.; Folta, Sara C.; Wansink, Brian; Must, Aviva

2014-01-01

Background: Evidenced-based health promotion programmes for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are notably absent. Barriers include a lack of understanding of how to adapt existing evidence-based programmes to their needs, maximize inclusion and support mutual goals of health and autonomy. Methods: We undertook a…

Rugged, Tunable Extended-Cavity Diode Laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Donald; Brinza, David; Seidel, David; Klipstein, William; Choi, Dong Ho; Le, Lam; Zhang, Guangzhi; Iniguez, Roberto; Tang, Wade

2007-01-01

A rugged, tunable extended-cavity diode laser (ECDL) has been developed to satisfy stringent requirements for frequency stability, notably including low sensitivity to vibration. This laser is designed specifically for use in an atomic-clock experiment to be performed aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Lasers of similar design would be suitable for use in terrestrial laboratories engaged in atomic-clock and atomic-physics research.

TENTACLE Multi-Camera Immersive Surveillance System Phase 2

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-16

successful in solving the most challenging video analytics problems and taking the advanced research concepts into working systems for end- users in both...commercial, space and military applications. Notable successes include winning the DARPA Urban Challenge , software autonomy to guide the NASA robots (spirit... challenging urban environments. CMU is developing a scalable and extensible architecture, improving search/pursuit/tracking capabilities, and addressing

Open-Trial Pilot Study of a Comprehensive School-Based Intervention for High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopata, Christopher; Thomeer, Marcus L.; Volker, Martin A.; Lee, Gloria K.; Smith, Tristram H.; Rodgers, Jonathan D.; Smith, Rachael A.; Gullo, Gaetano; McDonald, Christin A.; Mirwis, Joshua; Toomey, Jennifer A.

2013-01-01

There is a notable lack of manualized comprehensive school-based interventions (CSBIs) for children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASDs). This pilot study examined the feasibility and initial efficacy of a CSBI for 12 children with HFASDs, aged 6 to 9 years. Treatment included a 3-week summer preparation program followed by a…

Optimizing biomass feedstock logistics for forest residue processing and transportation on a tree-shaped road network

Treesearch

Hee Han; Woodam Chung; Lucas Wells; Nathaniel Anderson

2018-01-01

An important task in forest residue recovery operations is to select the most cost-efficient feedstock logistics system for a given distribution of residue piles, road access, and available machinery. Notable considerations include inaccessibility of treatment units to large chip vans and frequent, long-distance mobilization of forestry equipment required to process...

Information Literacy and the Public Library: We've Talked the Talk, but Are We Walking the Walk?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harding, Jane

2008-01-01

There has been much talk about libraries, including public libraries, being uniquely positioned to act as key agents for developing the critical skill of information literacy in their communities. Yet there is a notable lack of literature addressing information literacy and the public library, especially when compared to the volume of material on…

Changes in leaf epicuticular wax load and its effect on leaf temperature and physiological traits in wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum L.) exposed to high temperatures during anthesis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The physiological functions of epicuticular wax (EW) include reflectance of irradiation and the reduction of water loss. When a plant experiences stressful conditions, most notably, high irradiance and temperature, damage to the photosynthetic apparatus can occur and is signaled by a decrease in the...

Antarctic Meteorite Newsletter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindstrom, Marilyn

2000-01-01

This newsletter contains something for everyone! It lists classifications of about 440 meteorites mostly from the 1997 and 1998 ANSMET (Antarctic Search for Meteorites) seasons. It also gives descriptions of about 45 meteorites of special petrologic type. These include 1 iron, 17 chondrites (7 CC, 1 EC, 9 OC) and 27 achondrites (25 HED, UR). Most notable are an acapoloite (GRA98028) and an olivine diogenite (GRA98108).

Exercise Habit

MedlinePlus

... and lungs. Examples of aerobic exercise include walking, hiking, running, aerobic dance, biking, rowing, swimming, and cross- ... Examples of weight-bearing exercise include walking, yoga, hiking, climbing stairs, playing tennis, dancing, and strength training. ...

A prospective study in the Australian petroleum industry. I. Mortality.

PubMed Central

Christie, D; Robinson, K; Gordon, I; Bisby, J

1991-01-01

This paper reports the mortality experience of employees of the Australian petroleum industry from 1981 to 1989. Two surveys by personal interview incorporated more than 15,000 employees representing 92% of the eligible population. Subjects were included in the analysis after completing five years of service in the industry. At the time of this report the cohort does not include sufficiently large numbers of women for useful analysis; results presented are restricted to men. By 31 December 1989, 76,529 person-years of observation had accumulated for male mortality with 241 deaths. The standardised mortality ratio (SMR) analysis showed a favourable mortality experience for most causes with overall cancer rates slightly lower than those of the national population. Whereas deficits were seen in some cancer sites, notably lung cancers (SMR 0.5, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.3-0.8), mortality for lymphohaematopoietic cancers, notably leukaemia (SMR 1.6, 95% CI 0.6-3.4) suggested increased risk. The SMR for cancers of the pleura was 3.9 (95% CI 0.8-11). Two of the three cases seen had previous employment, however, in industries with likely exposure to asbestos. PMID:1878306

Clinical Research Informatics for Big Data and Precision Medicine.

PubMed

Weng, C; Kahn, M G

2016-11-10

To reflect on the notable events and significant developments in Clinical Research Informatics (CRI) in the year of 2015 and discuss near-term trends impacting CRI. We selected key publications that highlight not only important recent advances in CRI but also notable events likely to have significant impact on CRI activities over the next few years or longer, and consulted the discussions in relevant scientific communities and an online living textbook for modern clinical trials. We also related the new concepts with old problems to improve the continuity of CRI research. The highlights in CRI in 2015 include the growing adoption of electronic health records (EHR), the rapid development of regional, national, and global clinical data research networks for using EHR data to integrate scalable clinical research with clinical care and generate robust medical evidence. Data quality, integration, and fusion, data access by researchers, study transparency, results reproducibility, and infrastructure sustainability are persistent challenges. The advances in Big Data Analytics and Internet technologies together with the engagement of citizens in sciences are shaping the global clinical research enterprise, which is getting more open and increasingly stakeholder-centered, where stakeholders include patients, clinicians, researchers, and sponsors.

Clinical Research Informatics for Big Data and Precision Medicine

PubMed Central

Kahn, M. G.

2016-01-01

Summary Objectives To reflect on the notable events and significant developments in Clinical Research Informatics (CRI) in the year of 2015 and discuss near-term trends impacting CRI. Methods We selected key publications that highlight not only important recent advances in CRI but also notable events likely to have significant impact on CRI activities over the next few years or longer, and consulted the discussions in relevant scientific communities and an online living textbook for modern clinical trials. We also related the new concepts with old problems to improve the continuity of CRI research. Results The highlights in CRI in 2015 include the growing adoption of electronic health records (EHR), the rapid development of regional, national, and global clinical data research networks for using EHR data to integrate scalable clinical research with clinical care and generate robust medical evidence. Data quality, integration, and fusion, data access by researchers, study transparency, results reproducibility, and infrastructure sustainability are persistent challenges. Conclusion The advances in Big Data Analytics and Internet technologies together with the engagement of citizens in sciences are shaping the global clinical research enterprise, which is getting more open and increasingly stakeholder-centered, where stakeholders include patients, clinicians, researchers, and sponsors. PMID:27830253

Malagasy bats shelter a considerable genetic diversity of pathogenic Leptospira suggesting notable host-specificity patterns.

PubMed

Gomard, Yann; Dietrich, Muriel; Wieseke, Nicolas; Ramasindrazana, Beza; Lagadec, Erwan; Goodman, Steven M; Dellagi, Koussay; Tortosa, Pablo

2016-04-01

Pathogenic Leptospira are the causative agents of leptospirosis, a disease of global concern with major impact in tropical regions. Despite the importance of this zoonosis for human health, the evolutionary and ecological drivers shaping bacterial communities in host reservoirs remain poorly investigated. Here, we describe Leptospira communities hosted by Malagasy bats, composed of mostly endemic species, in order to characterize host-pathogen associations and investigate their evolutionary histories. We screened 947 individual bats (representing 31 species, 18 genera and seven families) for Leptospira infection and subsequently genotyped positive samples using three different bacterial loci. Molecular identification showed that these Leptospira are notably diverse and include several distinct lineages mostly belonging to Leptospira borgpetersenii and L. kirschneri. The exploration of the most probable host-pathogen evolutionary scenarios suggests that bacterial genetic diversity results from a combination of events related to the ecology and the evolutionary history of their hosts. Importantly, based on the data set presented herein, the notable host-specificity we have uncovered, together with a lack of geographical structuration of bacterial genetic diversity, indicates that the Leptospira community at a given site depends on the co-occurring bat species assemblage. The implications of such tight host-specificity on the epidemiology of leptospirosis are discussed. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Images that Twist and Turn.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hubbard, Guy

2002-01-01

Discusses various art movements that include examples of artworks with movement, such as Romantic, Classic, Rococo, and Art Nouveau. Addresses ways in which students can learn to incorporate movement into their own works of art. Includes examples of artists who included movement into their artworks. (CMK)

New ideas and their acceptance. As it has related to preservation of chordae tendinea and certain other discoveries.

PubMed

Lillehei, C W

1995-10-01

The significant benefits of preserving chordal-papillary muscle integrity in mitral valve replacement took some two decades to become widely accepted. Familiarity with history clearly tells us that this paradox between our dedication to "new ideas" on the one hand, and opposition to their acceptance on the other has existed for hundreds of years. Most "new ideas" have been surrounded by controversy and opposition before wide acceptance. Selected examples from history are cited beginning with Roger Bacon in the 13th century, and continuing with Galileo, Semmelweiss, Lister, and Forssmann. The author cites two notable examples from his personal experiences. They occurred during the development of open heart surgery, and another during the development of the rigid bileaflet cardiac prosthesis, now known as the St. Jude cardiac prosthesis. Some of the basic reasons for this inevitable opposition are: an innate skepticism over anything "new." Simplicity is often resented, as well as any need to change patterns of behavior/habits. Determination, persistence, stubbornness are the most important components for successful research. In addition, the successful innovator must learn to expect opposition and not be deterred by it, but rather must learn to take sustenance from it, and "learn to thrive upon opposition." In conclusion, these observations and suggestions are summarized in a satire on "The Seven Ages in the Evolution of an Idea--with particular reference to the critic."

Mental Health Evaluations for Adolescents Prior to Bariatric Surgery: A Review of Existing Practices and a Specific Example of Assessment Procedures.

PubMed

Sysko, Robyn; Zandberg, Laurie J; Devlin, Michael J; Annunziato, Rachel A; Zitsman, Jeffrey L; Walsh, B Timothy

2013-06-01

Best practice guidelines for adolescents considering bariatric surgery recommend a pre-operative mental health evaluation. However, only general information about these assessments appears in the literature, which makes consistency of administration challenging. This review proposes a specific empirically-derived format for pre-surgical mental health evaluations and summarizes currently available data on the psychiatric functioning of adolescents seeking bariatric surgery. Studies of mental health evaluations for adults preparing for bariatric surgery are reviewed, as is the limited literature relevant to adolescent evaluations. A specific and detailed example of an evaluation (clinical interview, self-report questionnaires, cognitive assessment) used for younger patients at a major metropolitan hospital center is presented, followed by data from an initial group of adolescents completing this evaluation. 200 adolescents (n=139 female; age: 14-18 y, BMI: 35.4-83.3 kg/m 2 ) presenting for bariatric surgery. A notable subset of adolescents reported current Axis I conditions (31.5%) and current mental health treatment (29.5%), but reports of current illicit drug use (1.5%) and regular alcohol use (0.5%) were relatively rare. Procedures for using the completed evaluation and post-surgery monitoring of psychosocial issues are discussed. Adolescents considering weight loss surgery should receive comprehensive pre-surgical mental health evaluations, but additional data are needed to develop specific recommendations the use of these evaluations in post-operative care.

Association of Endocrine Disruptors and Obesity: Perspectives from Epidemiologic Studies

PubMed Central

Hatch, Elizabeth E.; Nelson, Jessica W.; Stahlhut, Richard W.; Webster, Thomas F.

2010-01-01

Although changes in diet and physical activity are undoubtedly key causal factors related to the increase in obesity, there is growing interest in the possibility that endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may affect obesity-related pathways by altering cell signaling involved in weight and lipid homeostasis. Proposed mechanisms that could underlie associations between EDCs and obesity include effects on thyroid and steroid hormones, and activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) which play a major role in adipocyte differentiation and energy storage. Most evidence supporting the hypothesis that EDCs affect obesity comes from laboratory studies. We summarize the limited epidemiologic literature on the topic, including prospective studies of human prenatal exposure to EDCs. We also present findings from a cross-sectional study of levels of six phthalate metabolites and body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), using data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We found positive associations between BMI and WC among adult males for most phthalate metabolites. For example, in males aged 20–59, the adjusted mean BMI across quartiles of mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP) was 26.7, 27.2, 28.4, 29.0 (p-trend=0.0002). In females, BMI and WC increased with quartiles of mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP) in 12–19 year olds (adjusted mean BMI=22.9, 23.8, 24.1, 24.7, p-trend =0.03), and a similar but less strong pattern was seen in 20–59 year olds. In contrast, higher levels of mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) were associated with lower BMI in adolescent girls and females aged 20–59. This exploratory analysis found several associations between phthalate metabolites and obesity, including notable differences by gender. However, the cross-sectional data is a limitation. Additional prospective studies of the association between exposures to EDCs, especially during development, and obesity are warranted. As this field of research advances, there are challenging methodologic questions that must be considered by both epidemiologists and toxicologists. PMID:20113374

High-Resolution Fast-Neutron Spectrometry for Arms Control and Treaty Verification

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

David L. Chichester; James T. Johnson; Edward H. Seabury

2012-07-01

Many nondestructive nuclear analysis techniques have been developed to support the measurement needs of arms control and treaty verification, including gross photon and neutron counting, low- and high-resolution gamma spectrometry, time-correlated neutron measurements, and photon and neutron imaging. One notable measurement technique that has not been extensively studied to date for these applications is high-resolution fast-neutron spectrometry (HRFNS). Applied for arms control and treaty verification, HRFNS has the potential to serve as a complimentary measurement approach to these other techniques by providing a means to either qualitatively or quantitatively determine the composition and thickness of non-nuclear materials surrounding neutron-emitting materials.more » The technique uses the normally-occurring neutrons present in arms control and treaty verification objects of interest as an internal source of neutrons for performing active-interrogation transmission measurements. Most low-Z nuclei of interest for arms control and treaty verification, including 9Be, 12C, 14N, and 16O, possess fast-neutron resonance features in their absorption cross sections in the 0.5- to 5-MeV energy range. Measuring the selective removal of source neutrons over this energy range, assuming for example a fission-spectrum starting distribution, may be used to estimate the stoichiometric composition of intervening materials between the neutron source and detector. At a simpler level, determination of the emitted fast-neutron spectrum may be used for fingerprinting 'known' assemblies for later use in template-matching tests. As with photon spectrometry, automated analysis of fast-neutron spectra may be performed to support decision making and reporting systems protected behind information barriers. This paper will report recent work at Idaho National Laboratory to explore the feasibility of using HRFNS for arms control and treaty verification applications, including simulations and experiments, using fission-spectrum neutron sources to assess neutron transmission through composite low-Z attenuators.« less

NASA Astrophysics Funds Strategic Technology Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seery, Bernard D.; Ganel, Opher; Pham, Bruce

2016-01-01

The COR and PCOS Program Offices (POs) reside at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), serving as the NASA Astrophysics Division's implementation arm for matters relating to the two programs. One aspect of the PO's activities is managing the COR and PCOS Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) program, helping mature technologies to enable and enhance future astrophysics missions. For example, the SAT program is expected to fund key technology developments needed to close gaps identified by Science and Technology Definition Teams (STDTs) planned to study several large mission concept studies in preparation for the 2020 Decadal Survey.The POs are guided by the National Research Council's "New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics" Decadal Survey report, NASA's Astrophysics Implementation Plan, and the visionary Astrophysics Roadmap, "Enduring Quests, Daring Visions." Strategic goals include dark energy, gravitational waves, and X-ray observatories. Future missions pursuing these goals include, e.g., US participation in ESA's Euclid, Athena, and L3 missions; Inflation probe; and a large UV/Optical/IR (LUVOIR) telescope.To date, 65 COR and 71 PCOS SAT proposals have been received, of which 15 COR and 22 PCOS projects were funded. Notable successes include maturation of a new far-IR detector, later adopted by the SOFIA HAWC instrument; maturation of the H4RG near-IR detector, adopted by WFIRST; development of an antenna-coupled transition-edge superconducting bolometer, a technology deployed by BICEP2/BICEP3/Keck to measure polarization in the CMB signal; advanced UV reflective coatings implemented on the optics of GOLD and ICON, two heliophysics Explorers; and finally, the REXIS instrument on OSIRIS-REx is incorporating CCDs with directly deposited optical blocking filters developed by another SAT-funded project.We discuss our technology development process, with community input and strategic prioritization informing calls for SAT proposals and guiding investment decisions. We also present results of this year's technology gap prioritization and showcase our current portfolio of technology development projects.

Progress of Interoperability in Planetary Research for Geospatial Data Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hare, T. M.; Gaddis, L. R.

2015-12-01

For nearly a decade there has been a push in the planetary science community to support interoperable methods of accessing and working with geospatial data. Common geospatial data products for planetary research include image mosaics, digital elevation or terrain models, geologic maps, geographic location databases (i.e., craters, volcanoes) or any data that can be tied to the surface of a planetary body (including moons, comets or asteroids). Several U.S. and international cartographic research institutions have converged on mapping standards that embrace standardized image formats that retain geographic information (e.g., GeoTiff, GeoJpeg2000), digital geologic mapping conventions, planetary extensions for symbols that comply with U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee cartographic and geospatial metadata standards, and notably on-line mapping services as defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). The latter includes defined standards such as the OGC Web Mapping Services (simple image maps), Web Feature Services (feature streaming), Web Coverage Services (rich scientific data streaming), and Catalog Services for the Web (data searching and discoverability). While these standards were developed for application to Earth-based data, they have been modified to support the planetary domain. The motivation to support common, interoperable data format and delivery standards is not only to improve access for higher-level products but also to address the increasingly distributed nature of the rapidly growing volumes of data. The strength of using an OGC approach is that it provides consistent access to data that are distributed across many facilities. While data-steaming standards are well-supported by both the more sophisticated tools used in Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing industries, they are also supported by many light-weight browsers which facilitates large and small focused science applications and public use. Here we provide an overview of the interoperability initiatives that are currently ongoing in the planetary research community, examples of their successful application, and challenges that remain.

The Clawpack Community of Codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandli, K. T.; LeVeque, R. J.; Ketcheson, D.; Ahmadia, A. J.

2014-12-01

Clawpack, the Conservation Laws Package, has long been one of the standards for solving hyperbolic conservation laws but over the years has extended well beyond this role. Today a community of open-source codes have been developed that address a multitude of different needs including non-conservative balance laws, high-order accurate methods, and parallelism while remaining extensible and easy to use, largely by the judicious use of Python and the original Fortran codes that it wraps. This talk will present some of the recent developments in projects under the Clawpack umbrella, notably the GeoClaw and PyClaw projects. GeoClaw was originally developed as a tool for simulating tsunamis using adaptive mesh refinement but has since encompassed a large number of other geophysically relevant flows including storm surge and debris-flows. PyClaw originated as a Python version of the original Clawpack algorithms but has since been both a testing ground for new algorithmic advances in the Clawpack framework but also an easily extensible framework for solving hyperbolic balance laws. Some of these extensions include the addition of WENO high-order methods, massively parallel capabilities, and adaptive mesh refinement technologies, made possible largely by the flexibility of the Python language and community libraries such as NumPy and PETSc. Because of the tight integration with Python tecnologies, both packages have benefited also from the focus on reproducibility in the Python community, notably IPython notebooks.

Modelling Mediterranean agro-ecosystems by including agricultural trees in the LPJmL model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fader, M.; von Bloh, W.; Shi, S.; Bondeau, A.; Cramer, W.

2015-11-01

In the Mediterranean region, climate and land use change are expected to impact on natural and agricultural ecosystems by warming, reduced rainfall, direct degradation of ecosystems and biodiversity loss. Human population growth and socioeconomic changes, notably on the eastern and southern shores, will require increases in food production and put additional pressure on agro-ecosystems and water resources. Coping with these challenges requires informed decisions that, in turn, require assessments by means of a comprehensive agro-ecosystem and hydrological model. This study presents the inclusion of 10 Mediterranean agricultural plants, mainly perennial crops, in an agro-ecosystem model (Lund-Potsdam-Jena managed Land - LPJmL): nut trees, date palms, citrus trees, orchards, olive trees, grapes, cotton, potatoes, vegetables and fodder grasses. The model was successfully tested in three model outputs: agricultural yields, irrigation requirements and soil carbon density. With the development presented in this study, LPJmL is now able to simulate in good detail and mechanistically the functioning of Mediterranean agriculture with a comprehensive representation of ecophysiological processes for all vegetation types (natural and agricultural) and in a consistent framework that produces estimates of carbon, agricultural and hydrological variables for the entire Mediterranean basin. This development paves the way for further model extensions aiming at the representation of alternative agro-ecosystems (e.g. agroforestry), and opens the door for a large number of applications in the Mediterranean region, for example assessments of the consequences of land use transitions, the influence of management practices and climate change impacts.

Sex Differences in Depression: Does Inflammation Play a Role?

PubMed

Derry, Heather M; Padin, Avelina C; Kuo, Jennifer L; Hughes, Spenser; Kiecolt-Glaser, Janice K

2015-10-01

Women become depressed more frequently than men, a consistent pattern across cultures. Inflammation plays a key role in initiating depression among a subset of individuals, and depression also has inflammatory consequences. Notably, women experience higher levels of inflammation and greater autoimmune disease risk compared to men. In the current review, we explore the bidirectional relationship between inflammation and depression and describe how this link may be particularly relevant for women. Compared to men, women may be more vulnerable to inflammation-induced mood and behavior changes. For example, transient elevations in inflammation prompt greater feelings of loneliness and social disconnection for women than for men, which can contribute to the onset of depression. Women also appear to be disproportionately affected by several factors that elevate inflammation, including prior depression, somatic symptomatology, interpersonal stressors, childhood adversity, obesity, and physical inactivity. Relationship distress and obesity, both of which elevate depression risk, are also more strongly tied to inflammation for women than for men. Taken together, these findings suggest that women's susceptibility to inflammation and its mood effects may contribute to sex differences in depression. Depression continues to be a leading cause of disability worldwide, with women experiencing greater risk than men. Due to the depression-inflammation connection, these patterns may promote additional health risks for women. Considering the impact of inflammation on women's mental health may foster a better understanding of sex differences in depression, as well as the selection of effective depression treatments.

SYN2 is an autism predisposing gene: loss-of-function mutations alter synaptic vesicle cycling and axon outgrowth

PubMed Central

Corradi, Anna; Fadda, Manuela; Piton, Amélie; Patry, Lysanne; Marte, Antonella; Rossi, Pia; Cadieux-Dion, Maxime; Gauthier, Julie; Lapointe, Line; Mottron, Laurent; Valtorta, Flavia; Rouleau, Guy A.; Fassio, Anna; Benfenati, Fabio; Cossette, Patrick

2014-01-01

An increasing number of genes predisposing to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has been identified, many of which are implicated in synaptic function. This ‘synaptic autism pathway’ notably includes disruption of SYN1 that is associated with epilepsy, autism and abnormal behavior in both human and mice models. Synapsins constitute a multigene family of neuron-specific phosphoproteins (SYN1-3) present in the majority of synapses where they are implicated in the regulation of neurotransmitter release and synaptogenesis. Synapsins I and II, the major Syn isoforms in the adult brain, display partially overlapping functions and defects in both isoforms are associated with epilepsy and autistic-like behavior in mice. In this study, we show that nonsense (A94fs199X) and missense (Y236S and G464R) mutations in SYN2 are associated with ASD in humans. The phenotype is apparent in males. Female carriers of SYN2 mutations are unaffected, suggesting that SYN2 is another example of autosomal sex-limited expression in ASD. When expressed in SYN2  knockout neurons, wild-type human Syn II fully rescues the SYN2 knockout phenotype, whereas the nonsense mutant is not expressed and the missense mutants are virtually unable to modify the SYN2 knockout phenotype. These results identify for the first time SYN2  as a novel predisposing gene for ASD and strengthen the hypothesis that a disturbance of synaptic homeostasis underlies ASD. PMID:23956174

O Wave Interactions: Explosive Resonant Triads and Critical Layers.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahoney, Daniel J.

This thesis considers the phenomenon of explosive resonant triads in weakly nonlinear, dispersive wave systems. These are nearly linear waves with slowly varying amplitudes which become unbounded in finite time. It is shown that such interactions are much stronger than previously thought. These waves can be thought of as a nonlinear instability, in the sense that a weakly nonlinear perturbation to some system grows to such magnitudes that the behavior of the system is governed by strongly nonlinear effects. This may occur for systems which are linearly or neutrally stable. This is contrasted with previous resolutions of this problem, which treated such perturbations as being large amplitude, nearly linear waves. Analytical and numerical evidence is presented to support these claims. These waves represent a potentially important effect in a variety of physical systems, most notably plasma physics. Attention here is turned to their occurrence in fluid mechanics. Here previous work is extended to include flow systems with continuously varying basic velocities and densities. Many of the problems encountered here will be found to be of a singular nature themselves, and the techniques for analyzing these difficulties will be developed. This will involve the concept of a critical layer in a fluid, a level at which a wave phase speed equals the unperturbed fluid velocity in the direction of propagation. Examples of such waves in this context will be presented. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253 -1690.).

Anaphase B

PubMed Central

Scholey, Jonathan M.; Civelekoglu-Scholey, Gul; Brust-Mascher, Ingrid

2016-01-01

Anaphase B spindle elongation is characterized by the sliding apart of overlapping antiparallel interpolar (ip) microtubules (MTs) as the two opposite spindle poles separate, pulling along disjoined sister chromatids, thereby contributing to chromosome segregation and the propagation of all cellular life. The major biochemical “modules” that cooperate to mediate pole–pole separation include: (i) midzone pushing or (ii) braking by MT crosslinkers, such as kinesin-5 motors, which facilitate or restrict the outward sliding of antiparallel interpolar MTs (ipMTs); (iii) cortical pulling by disassembling astral MTs (aMTs) and/or dynein motors that pull aMTs outwards; (iv) ipMT plus end dynamics, notably net polymerization; and (v) ipMT minus end depolymerization manifest as poleward flux. The differential combination of these modules in different cell types produces diversity in the anaphase B mechanism. Combinations of antagonist modules can create a force balance that maintains the dynamic pre-anaphase B spindle at constant length. Tipping such a force balance at anaphase B onset can initiate and control the rate of spindle elongation. The activities of the basic motor filament components of the anaphase B machinery are controlled by a network of non-motor MT-associated proteins (MAPs), for example the key MT cross-linker, Ase1p/PRC1, and various cell-cycle kinases, phosphatases, and proteases. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms of anaphase B spindle elongation in eukaryotic cells and briefly mentions bacterial DNA segregation systems that operate by spindle elongation. PMID:27941648

Hazardous materials: chemistry and safe handling aspects of flammable, toxic and radioactive materials. A course of study

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

Smith, M.W.

1983-01-01

The subject of this dissertation is a one semester, three credit course designed for students who have taken at least twelve credits college chemistry, and for high school teachers as a continuing education course. The need for such a course arises from the increased concern for safety in recent years and the introduction of many regulations of which the working chemist should be aware, notably those issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A few colleges have recently started to offer courses in laboratory safety to undergraduate and graduate chemistry students. Thus, there is a need for the developmentmore » of courses in which chemical safety is taught. This course is divided into three units: 1) flammable materials; 2) toxic materials; and 3) radioactive materials. Each unit is self contained and could be taught separately as a one credit course. The material necessary for lecture presentation is given in the text of this dissertation: there are about seven topics in each unit. The chemical properties of selected substances are emphasized. Examples of governmental regulations are given, and there are sample examination questions for each unit and homework assignments that require the use of reference sources. Laboratory exercises are included to enable students to gain experience in the safe handling of hazardous chemicals and of some equipment and instruments used to analyze and study flammable, toxic and radioactive materials.« less

Aerobic Exercise as a Tool to Improve Hippocampal Plasticity and Function in Humans: Practical Implications for Mental Health Treatment

PubMed Central

Kandola, Aaron; Hendrikse, Joshua; Lucassen, Paul J.; Yücel, Murat

2016-01-01

Aerobic exercise (AE) has been widely praised for its potential benefits to cognition and overall brain and mental health. In particular, AE has a potent impact on promoting the function of the hippocampus and stimulating neuroplasticity. As the evidence-base rapidly builds, and given most of the supporting work can be readily translated from animal models to humans, the potential for AE to be applied as a therapeutic or adjunctive intervention for a range of human conditions appears ever more promising. Notably, many psychiatric and neurological disorders have been associated with hippocampal dysfunction, which may underlie the expression of certain symptoms common to these disorders, including (aspects of) cognitive dysfunction. Augmenting existing treatment approaches using AE based interventions may promote hippocampal function and alleviate cognitive deficits in various psychiatric disorders that currently remain untreated. Incorporating non-pharmacological interventions into clinical treatment may also have a number of other benefits to patient well being, such as limiting the risk of adverse side effects. This review incorporates both animal and human literature to comprehensively detail how AE is associated with cognitive enhancements and stimulates a cascade of neuroplastic mechanisms that support improvements in hippocampal functioning. Using the examples of schizophrenia and major depressive disorder, the utility and implementation of an AE intervention to the clinical domain will be proposed, aimed to reduce cognitive deficits in these, and related disorders. PMID:27524962

Rapid Evolution of Sex Pheromone-Producing Enzyme Expression in Drosophila

PubMed Central

Williams, Thomas M.; Carroll, Sean B.

2009-01-01

A wide range of organisms use sex pheromones to communicate with each other and to identify appropriate mating partners. While the evolution of chemical communication has been suggested to cause sexual isolation and speciation, the mechanisms that govern evolutionary transitions in sex pheromone production are poorly understood. Here, we decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying the rapid evolution in the expression of a gene involved in sex pheromone production in Drosophilid flies. Long-chain cuticular hydrocarbons (e.g., dienes) are produced female-specifically, notably via the activity of the desaturase DESAT-F, and are potent pheromones for male courtship behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. We show that across the genus Drosophila, the expression of this enzyme is correlated with long-chain diene production and has undergone an extraordinary number of evolutionary transitions, including six independent gene inactivations, three losses of expression without gene loss, and two transitions in sex-specificity. Furthermore, we show that evolutionary transitions from monomorphism to dimorphism (and its reversion) in desatF expression involved the gain (and the inactivation) of a binding-site for the sex-determination transcription factor, DOUBLESEX. In addition, we documented a surprising example of the gain of particular cis-regulatory motifs of the desatF locus via a set of small deletions. Together, our results suggest that frequent changes in the expression of pheromone-producing enzymes underlie evolutionary transitions in chemical communication, and reflect changing regimes of sexual selection, which may have contributed to speciation among Drosophila. PMID:19652700

Can breast cancer patients use soyafoods to help reduce risk of CHD?

PubMed

Messina, Mark; Messina, Virginia; Jenkins, David J A

2012-09-01

Over the past 20 years, the popularity of soyafoods has increased in part because of research suggesting that these foods convey health benefits independent of their nutrient content. For example, in 1999, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a health-claim for soyafoods and CHD based on the hypocholesterolaemic effects of soya protein. However, soyafoods have become controversial in recent years because of concerns that their uniquely rich phyto-oestrogen (isoflavone) content may cause untoward effects in some individuals. Most notable in this regard is the concern that soyafoods are contraindicated for breast cancer patients and women at high risk of developing this disease. Furthermore, the hypocholesterolaemic effects of soya protein have been challenged. However, the results of recently published meta-analyses indicate that soya protein directly lowers circulating LDL-cholesterol levels by approximately 4 %. There is also intriguing evidence that soyafoods reduce CHD risk independent of their effects on lipid levels. In regard to the breast cancer controversy, recently published clinical and epidemiological data do not support observations in rodents that soyabean isoflavones increase breast cancer risk. In postmenopausal women, isoflavone exposure does not adversely affect breast tissue density or breast cell proliferation. Furthermore, both US and Chinese prospective epidemiological studies show that post-diagnosis soya consumption is associated with an improved prognosis. Therefore, soyafoods should be considered by women as healthy foods to include in diets aimed at reducing the risk of CHD regardless of their breast cancer status.

Relating river discharge and water temperature to the recruitment of age‐0 White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus Richardson, 1836) in the Columbia River using over‐dispersed catch data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Counihan, Timothy D.; Chapman, Colin G.

2018-01-01

The goals were to (i) determine if river discharge and water temperature during various early life history stages were predictors of age‐0 White Sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, recruitment, and (ii) provide an example of how over‐dispersed catch data, including data with many zero observations, can be used to better understand the effects of regulated rivers on the productivity of depressed sturgeon populations. An information theoretic approach was used to develop and select negative binomial and zero‐inflated negative binomial models that model the relation of age‐0 White Sturgeon survey data from three contiguous Columbia River reservoirs to river discharge and water temperature during spawning, egg incubation, larval, and post‐larval phases. Age‐0 White Sturgeon were collected with small mesh gill nets in The Dalles and John Day reservoirs from 1997 to 2014 and a bottom trawl in Bonneville Reservoir from 1989 to 2006. Results suggest that seasonal river discharge was positively correlated with age‐0 recruitment; notably that discharge, 16 June–31 July was positively correlated to age‐0 recruitment in all three reservoirs. The best approximating models for two of the three reservoirs also suggest that seasonal water temperature may be a determinant of age‐0 recruitment. Our research demonstrates how over‐dispersed catch data can be used to better understand the effects of environmental conditions on sturgeon populations caused by the construction and operation of dams.

Marmosets: A Neuroscientific Model of Human Social Behavior

PubMed Central

Freiwald, Winrich A; Leopold, David A; Mitchell, Jude F; Silva, Afonso C; Wang, Xiaoqin

2016-01-01

The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) has garnered interest recently as a powerful model for the future of neuroscience research. Much of this excitement has centered on the species’ reproductive biology and compatibility with gene editing techniques, which together have provided a path for transgenic marmosets to contribute to the study of disease as well as basic brain mechanisms. In step with technical advances is the need to establish experimental paradigms that optimally tap into the marmosets’ behavioral and cognitive capacities. While conditioned task performance of a marmoset can compare unfavorably with rhesus monkey performance on conventional testing paradigms, marmosets’ social cognition and communication are more similar to that of humans. For example, marmosets are amongst only a handful of primates that, like humans, routinely pair bond and care cooperatively for their young. They are also notably pro-social and exhibit social cognitive abilities, such as imitation, that are rare outside of the Apes. In this review, we describe key facets of marmoset natural social behavior and demonstrate that emerging behavioral paradigms are well suited to isolate components of marmoset cognition that are highly relevant to humans. These approaches generally embrace natural behavior and communication, which has been rare in conventional primate testing, and thus allow for a new consideration of neural mechanisms underlying primate social cognition and communication. We anticipate that through parallel technical and paradigmatic advances, marmosets will become an essential model of human social behavior, including its dysfunction in nearly all neuropsychiatric disorders. PMID:27100195

Cancer prevention.

PubMed

Tubiana, M

1999-01-01

Over 70% of human cancers are associated with lifestyle and about half of cancer deaths could be prevented by relatively simple individual actions: no smoking, moderate consumption of alcohol, increased consumption of fruit and vegetables, avoidance of sunbathing, obesity and a too high consumption of saturated lipids. Most of these efforts would also markedly decrease the incidence of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. However, the concept of prevention is currently neither well accepted nor understood by the medical community and the general public. It is often felt that it restricts freedom, imposes a choice between pleasure and duty, and that passing judgement on lifestyle is a form of intolerance. The case of tobacco illustrates the difficulties encountered by prevention, notably among adolescents. The fight against smoking requires information, a societal approach (ban on advertising, increase in price), and a reduction of the example given by adult smoking (parents, peers, teachers, physicians, TV presenters, movie stars, have a great influence on adolescents), while tobacco cessation programs must be promoted. The various approaches should be integrated into a global program of health prevention, including health education at school from 5 to 12 years of age. The efficacy of each of the global program's components should be evaluated. Misconceptions such as overestimation of the impact of pollution on health should also be corrected. Health is created and experienced by people within the setting of their daily lives, in particular during childhood. Prevention is the responsibility of individual members of the community but also of the community as a whole.

Post-genomic behavioral genetics: From revolution to routine.

PubMed

Ashbrook, D G; Mulligan, M K; Williams, R W

2018-03-01

What was once expensive and revolutionary-full-genome sequence-is now affordable and routine. Costs will continue to drop, opening up new frontiers in behavioral genetics. This shift in costs from the genome to the phenome is most notable in large clinical studies of behavior and associated diseases in cohorts that exceed hundreds of thousands of subjects. Examples include the Women's Health Initiative (www.whi.org), the Million Veterans Program (www. va.gov/MVP), the 100 000 Genomes Project (genomicsengland.co.uk) and commercial efforts such as those by deCode (www.decode.com) and 23andme (www.23andme.com). The same transition is happening in experimental neuro- and behavioral genetics, and sample sizes of many hundreds of cases are becoming routine (www.genenetwork.org, www.mousephenotyping.org). There are two major consequences of this new affordability of massive omics datasets: (1) it is now far more practical to explore genetic modulation of behavioral differences and the key role of gene-by-environment interactions. Researchers are already doing the hard part-the quantitative analysis of behavior. Adding the omics component can provide powerful links to molecules, cells, circuits and even better treatment. (2) There is an acute need to highlight and train behavioral scientists in how best to exploit new omics approaches. This review addresses this second issue and highlights several new trends and opportunities that will be of interest to experts in animal and human behaviors. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.

Eccrine sweat gland development and sweat secretion.

PubMed

Cui, Chang-Yi; Schlessinger, David

2015-09-01

Eccrine sweat glands help to maintain homoeostasis, primarily by stabilizing body temperature. Derived from embryonic ectoderm, millions of eccrine glands are distributed across human skin and secrete litres of sweat per day. Their easy accessibility has facilitated the start of analyses of their development and function. Mouse genetic models find sweat gland development regulated sequentially by Wnt, Eda and Shh pathways, although precise subpathways and additional regulators require further elucidation. Mature glands have two secretory cell types, clear and dark cells, whose comparative development and functional interactions remain largely unknown. Clear cells have long been known as the major secretory cells, but recent studies suggest that dark cells are also indispensable for sweat secretion. Dark cell-specific Foxa1 expression was shown to regulate a Ca(2+) -dependent Best2 anion channel that is the candidate driver for the required ion currents. Overall, it was shown that cholinergic impulses trigger sweat secretion in mature glands through second messengers - for example InsP3 and Ca(2+) - and downstream ion channels/transporters in the framework of a Na(+) -K(+) -Cl(-) cotransporter model. Notably, the microenvironment surrounding secretory cells, including acid-base balance, was implicated to be important for proper sweat secretion, which requires further clarification. Furthermore, multiple ion channels have been shown to be expressed in clear and dark cells, but the degree to which various ion channels function redundantly or indispensably also remains to be determined. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Nitrative and Oxidative Stress in Toxicology and Disease

PubMed Central

Roberts, Ruth A.; Laskin, Debra L.; Smith, Charles V.; Robertson, Fredika M.; Allen, Erin M. G.; Doorn, Jonathan A.; Slikker, William

2009-01-01

Persistent inflammation and the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species play pivotal roles in tissue injury during disease pathogenesis and as a reaction to toxicant exposures. The associated oxidative and nitrative stress promote diverse pathologic reactions including neurodegenerative disorders, atherosclerosis, chronic inflammation, cancer, and premature labor and stillbirth. These effects occur via sustained inflammation, cellular proliferation and cytotoxicity and via induction of a proangiogenic environment. For example, exposure to the ubiquitous air pollutant ozone leads to generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in lung macrophages that play a key role in subsequent tissue damage. Similarly, studies indicate that genes involved in regulating oxidative stress are altered by anesthetic treatment resulting in brain injury, most notable during development. In addition to a role in tissue injury in the brain, inflammation, and oxidative stress are implicated in Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of dopamine neurons. Recent data suggest a mechanistic link between oxidative stress and elevated levels of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde, a neurotoxin endogenous to dopamine neurons. These findings have significant implications for development of therapeutics and identification of novel biomarkers for Parkinson's disease pathogenesis. Oxidative and nitrative stress is also thought to play a role in creating the proinflammatory microenvironment associated with the aggressive phenotype of inflammatory breast cancer. An understanding of fundamental concepts of oxidative and nitrative stress can underpin a rational plan of treatment for diseases and toxicities associated with excessive production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. PMID:19656995

Pivotal role of tissue plasminogen activator in the mechanism of action of electroconvulsive therapy.

PubMed

Hoirisch-Clapauch, Silvia; Mezzasalma, Marco A U; Nardi, Antonio E

2014-02-01

Electroconvulsive therapy is an important treatment option for major depressive disorders, acute mania, mood disorders with psychotic features, and catatonia. Several hypotheses have been proposed as electroconvulsive therapy's mechanism of action. Our hypothesis involves many converging pathways facilitated by increased synthesis and release of tissue-plasminogen activator. Human and animal experiments have shown that tissue-plasminogen activator participates in many mechanisms of action of electroconvulsive therapy or its animal variant, electroconvulsive stimulus, including improved N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated signaling, activation of both brain-derived neurotrophic factor and vascular endothelial growth factor, increased bioavailability of zinc, purinergic release, and increased mobility of dendritic spines. As a result, tissue-plasminogen activator helps promote neurogenesis in limbic structures, modulates synaptic transmission and plasticity, improves cognitive function, and mediates antidepressant effects. Notably, electroconvulsive therapy seems to influence tissue-plasminogen activator metabolism. For example, electroconvulsive stimulus increases the expression of glutamate decarboxylase 65 isoform in γ-aminobutyric acid-releasing neurons, which enhances the release of tissue-plasminogen activator, and the expression of p11, a protein involved in plasminogen and tissue-plasminogen activator assembling. This paper reviews how electroconvulsive therapy correlates with tissue-plasminogen activator. We suggest that interventions aiming at increasing tissue-plasminogen activator levels or its bioavailability - such as daily aerobic exercises together with a carbohydrate-restricted diet, or normalization of homocysteine levels - be evaluated in controlled studies assessing response and remission duration in patients who undergo electroconvulsive therapy.

Pairing States of Spin-3/2 Fermions: Symmetry-Enforced Topological Gap Functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venderbos, Jörn W. F.; Savary, Lucile; Ruhman, Jonathan; Lee, Patrick A.; Fu, Liang

2018-01-01

We study the topological properties of superconductors with paired j =3/2 quasiparticles. Higher spin Fermi surfaces can arise, for instance, in strongly spin-orbit coupled band-inverted semimetals. Examples include the Bi-based half-Heusler materials, which have recently been established as low-temperature and low-carrier density superconductors. Motivated by this experimental observation, we obtain a comprehensive symmetry-based classification of topological pairing states in systems with higher angular momentum Cooper pairing. Our study consists of two main parts. First, we develop the phenomenological theory of multicomponent (i.e., higher angular momentum) pairing by classifying the stationary points of the free energy within a Ginzburg-Landau framework. Based on the symmetry classification of stationary pairing states, we then derive the symmetry-imposed constraints on their gap structures. We find that, depending on the symmetry quantum numbers of the Cooper pairs, different types of topological pairing states can occur: fully gapped topological superconductors in class DIII, Dirac superconductors, and superconductors hosting Majorana fermions. Notably, we find a series of nematic fully gapped topological superconductors, as well as double- and triple-Dirac superconductors, with quadratic and cubic dispersion, respectively. Our approach, applied here to the case of j =3/2 Cooper pairing, is rooted in the symmetry properties of pairing states, and can therefore also be applied to other systems with higher angular momentum and high-spin pairing. We conclude by relating our results to experimentally accessible signatures in thermodynamic and dynamic probes.

Medicinal exploitation of inorganic substances in the Levant in the Medieval and early Ottoman periods.

PubMed

Lev, Efraim

2002-11-01

Various minerals, metals, clays, and rocks were among the natural medicinal substances used by physicians and pharmacists in early times in different cultures, for example, the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia. Classical physicians such as Hippocrates and Dioscorides mention tens of inorganic medicinal substances in their writings. Many references to minerals and chemicals are also found in the Muslim medical literature of the Eastern and Western Caliphates. The historical research presented in this article focuses on the inorganic substances applied as remedies by the medieval and early Ottoman (7th-17th) inhabitants of the Levant. The article is based upon a literature review covering tens of different historical sources, from the medieval and early Ottoman periods. Relevant information was found in the works of physicians such as al-Tamimi, Benevenutus, Ibn al-Baytar, Daud al-Antaki, and Hayyim Vital. The research revealed evidences of the medicinal uses of fifteen inorganic substances: Alum, Arsenic, Sulphide, Asphalt, Jew's stone, Earth sp., Galena, Haematite, iron, Lead, Pyrite, Salt, Sulphur, Thermal water, Green Vitriol, and Zinc. Inorganic materials comprise 5.2% of the list of medicinal substances. The geographic origin of most of these substances is the Levant, in which two geo-historical centers have been recorded: the Rift Valley and the northern region of the Levant, including upper Galilee, Mount Lebanon and Mount Hermon. A notable tendency to use these substances for treating diseases of the skin, the eyes, the sexual organs, and haemorrhoids was detected.

Parallel basal ganglia circuits for voluntary and automatic behaviour to reach rewards

PubMed Central

Hikosaka, Okihide

2015-01-01

The basal ganglia control body movements, value processing and decision-making. Many studies have shown that the inputs and outputs of each basal ganglia structure are topographically organized, which suggests that the basal ganglia consist of separate circuits that serve distinct functions. A notable example is the circuits that originate from the rostral (head) and caudal (tail) regions of the caudate nucleus, both of which target the superior colliculus. These two caudate regions encode the reward values of visual objects differently: flexible (short-term) values by the caudate head and stable (long-term) values by the caudate tail. These value signals in the caudate guide the orienting of gaze differently: voluntary saccades by the caudate head circuit and automatic saccades by the caudate tail circuit. Moreover, separate groups of dopamine neurons innervate the caudate head and tail and may selectively guide the flexible and stable learning/memory in the caudate regions. Studies focusing on manual handling of objects also suggest that rostrocaudally separated circuits in the basal ganglia control the action differently. These results suggest that the basal ganglia contain parallel circuits for two steps of goal-directed behaviour: finding valuable objects and manipulating the valuable objects. These parallel circuits may underlie voluntary behaviour and automatic skills, enabling animals (including humans) to adapt to both volatile and stable environments. This understanding of the functions and mechanisms of the basal ganglia parallel circuits may inform the differential diagnosis and treatment of basal ganglia disorders. PMID:25981958

A new paradigm in toxicology and teratology: altering gene activity in the absence of DNA sequence variation.

PubMed

Reamon-Buettner, Stella Marie; Borlak, Jürgen

2007-07-01

'Epigenetics' is a heritable phenomenon without change in primary DNA sequence. In recent years, this field has attracted much attention as more epigenetic controls of gene activities are being discovered. Such epigenetic controls ensue from an interplay of DNA methylation, histone modifications, and RNA-mediated pathways from non-coding RNAs, notably silencing RNA (siRNA) and microRNA (miRNA). Although epigenetic regulation is inherent to normal development and differentiation, this can be misdirected leading to a number of diseases including cancer. All the same, many of the processes can be reversed offering a hope for epigenetic therapies such as inhibitors of enzymes controlling epigenetic modifications, specifically DNA methyltransferases, histone deacetylases, and RNAi therapeutics. 'In utero' or early life exposures to dietary and environmental exposures can have a profound effect on our epigenetic code, the so-called 'epigenome', resulting in birth defects and diseases developed later in life. Indeed, examples are accumulating in which environmental exposures can be attributed to epigenetic causes, an encouraging edge towards greater understanding of the contribution of epigenetic influences of environmental exposures. Routine analysis of epigenetic modifications as part of the mechanisms of action of environmental contaminants is in order. There is, however, an explosion of research in the field of epigenetics and to keep abreast of these developments could be a challenge. In this paper, we provide an overview of epigenetic mechanisms focusing on recent reviews and studies to serve as an entry point into the realm of 'environmental epigenetics'.

Genomic paradigms for food-borne enteric pathogen analysis at the USFDA: case studies highlighting method utility, integration and resolution.

PubMed

Elkins, C A; Kotewicz, M L; Jackson, S A; Lacher, D W; Abu-Ali, G S; Patel, I R

2013-01-01

Modern risk control and food safety practices involving food-borne bacterial pathogens are benefiting from new genomic technologies for rapid, yet highly specific, strain characterisations. Within the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), optical genome mapping and DNA microarray genotyping have been used for several years to quickly assess genomic architecture and gene content, respectively, for outbreak strain subtyping and to enhance retrospective trace-back analyses. The application and relative utility of each method varies with outbreak scenario and the suspect pathogen, with comparative analytical power enhanced by database scale and depth. Integration of these two technologies allows high-resolution scrutiny of the genomic landscapes of enteric food-borne pathogens with notable examples including Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and Salmonella enterica serovars from a variety of food commodities. Moreover, the recent application of whole genome sequencing technologies to food-borne pathogen outbreaks and surveillance has enhanced resolution to the single nucleotide scale. This new wealth of sequence data will support more refined next-generation custom microarray designs, targeted re-sequencing and "genomic signature recognition" approaches involving a combination of genes and single nucleotide polymorphism detection to distil strain-specific fingerprinting to a minimised scale. This paper examines the utility of microarrays and optical mapping in analysing outbreaks, reviews best practices and the limits of these technologies for pathogen differentiation, and it considers future integration with whole genome sequencing efforts.

Copper-containing plastocyanin used for electron transport by an oceanic diatom.

PubMed

Peers, Graham; Price, Neil M

2006-05-18

The supply of some essential metals to pelagic ecosystems is less than the demand, so many phytoplankton have slow rates of photosynthetic production and restricted growth. The types and amounts of metals required by phytoplankton depends on their evolutionary history and on their adaptations to metal availability, which varies widely among ocean habitats. Diatoms, for example, need considerably less iron (Fe) to grow than chlorophyll-b-containing taxa, and the oceanic species demand roughly one-tenth the amount of coastal strains. Like Fe, copper (Cu) is scarce in the open sea, but notably higher concentrations of it are required for the growth of oceanic than of coastal isolates. Here we report that the greater Cu requirement in an oceanic diatom, Thalassiosira oceanica, is entirely due to a single Cu-containing protein, plastocyanin, which--until now--was only known to exist in organisms with chlorophyll b and cyanobacteria. Algae containing chlorophyll c, including the closely related coastal species T. weissflogii, are thought to lack plastocyanin and contain a functionally equivalent Fe-containing homologue, cytochrome c6 (ref. 9). Copper deficiency in T. oceanica inhibits electron transport regardless of Fe status, implying a constitutive role for plastocyanin in the light reactions of photosynthesis in this species. The results suggest that selection pressure imposed by Fe limitation has resulted in the use of a Cu protein for photosynthesis in an oceanic diatom. This biochemical switch reduces the need for Fe and increases the requirement for Cu, which is relatively more abundant in the open sea.

Meta-analysis reveals gender difference in the association of liver cancer incidence and excess BMI.

PubMed

Yao, Kun-Fang; Ma, Ming; Ding, Guo-Yong; Li, Zhan-Ming; Chen, Hui-Ling; Han, Bing; Chen, Qiang; Jiang, Xin-Quan; Wang, Li-Shun

2017-09-22

Excess body weight has a positive association with risk of liver cancer, but the gender difference in the relationship between body mass index and liver cancer risk remains uncertainty. In this work, we performed meta-analysis for excess body weight and risk of liver cancer incidence to identify the gender difference. We searched the English-languages database and the Chinese literature databases to May 12, 2017. Overall, a total of 17 studies were included. Relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals was used to evaluate the strength of these associations. The RRs of liver cancer incidence for obese men and women were 2.04 (1.70-2.44) and 1.56 (1.37-1.78). The former one was significantly higher than the later one (P for interaction = 0.02). Notably, the RR of liver cancer incidence in non-Asian obese men was even higher than their counter part (2.31(1.85-2.91) vs. 1.56 (1.31-1.86), P for interaction = 0.01). Similar gender difference was observed in the dose-response curve. As example, at the point of BMI = 32 kg/m 2 , the RRs for men and women were 1.61 (1.45-1.79) and 1.41 (1.02-1.94) respectively. Findings from this meta-analysis indicate that obesity is associated with a higher risk of liver cancer incidence in men, especially in non-Asian men, which might partially contribute to the male dominance of liver cancer incidence.

Estimates of segregation and overlap of functional connectivity networks in the human cerebral cortex.

PubMed

Yeo, B T Thomas; Krienen, Fenna M; Chee, Michael W L; Buckner, Randy L

2014-03-01

The organization of the human cerebral cortex has recently been explored using techniques for parcellating the cortex into distinct functionally coupled networks. The divergent and convergent nature of cortico-cortical anatomic connections suggests the need to consider the possibility of regions belonging to multiple networks and hierarchies among networks. Here we applied the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model and spatial independent component analysis (ICA) to solve for functionally coupled cerebral networks without assuming that cortical regions belong to a single network. Data analyzed included 1000 subjects from the Brain Genomics Superstruct Project (GSP) and 12 high quality individual subjects from the Human Connectome Project (HCP). The organization of the cerebral cortex was similar regardless of whether a winner-take-all approach or the more relaxed constraints of LDA (or ICA) were imposed. This suggests that large-scale networks may function as partially isolated modules. Several notable interactions among networks were uncovered by the LDA analysis. Many association regions belong to at least two networks, while somatomotor and early visual cortices are especially isolated. As examples of interaction, the precuneus, lateral temporal cortex, medial prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex participate in multiple paralimbic networks that together comprise subsystems of the default network. In addition, regions at or near the frontal eye field and human lateral intraparietal area homologue participate in multiple hierarchically organized networks. These observations were replicated in both datasets and could be detected (and replicated) in individual subjects from the HCP. © 2013.

Estimates of Segregation and Overlap of Functional Connectivity Networks in the Human Cerebral Cortex

PubMed Central

Yeo, BT Thomas; Krienen, Fenna M; Chee, Michael WL; Buckner, Randy L

2014-01-01

The organization of the human cerebral cortex has recently been explored using techniques for parcellating the cortex into distinct functionally coupled networks. The divergent and convergent nature of cortico-cortical anatomic connections suggests the need to consider the possibility of regions belonging to multiple networks and hierarchies among networks. Here we applied the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model and spatial independent component analysis (ICA) to solve for functionally coupled cerebral networks without assuming that cortical regions belong to a single network. Data analyzed included 1,000 subjects from the Brain Genomics Superstruct Project (GSP) and 12 high quality individual subjects from the Human Connectome Project (HCP). The organization of the cerebral cortex was similar regardless of whether a winner-take-all approach or the more relaxed constraints of LDA (or ICA) were imposed. This suggests that large-scale networks may function as partially isolated modules. Several notable interactions among networks were uncovered by the LDA analysis. Many association regions belong to at least two networks, while somatomotor and early visual cortices are especially isolated. As examples of interaction, the precuneus, lateral temporal cortex, medial prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex participate in multiple paralimbic networks that together comprise subsystems of the default network. In addition, regions at or near the frontal eye field and human lateral intraparietal area homologue participate in multiple hierarchically organized networks. These observations were replicated in both datasets and could be detected (and replicated) in individual subjects from the HCP. PMID:24185018

Example-Based Learning: Effects of Different Types of Examples on Student Performance, Cognitive Load and Self-Efficacy in a Statistical Learning Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Xiaoxia

2017-01-01

Previous research has indicated the disconnect between example-based research focusing on worked examples (WEs) and that focusing on modeling examples. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the effect of four different types of examples from the two separate lines of research, including standard WEs, erroneous WEs, expert (masterly)…

45 CFR 612.7 - Exemptions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... to which the information pertains. Examples of records exempt from disclosure include, but are not... information to be withheld. Examples of records exempt from disclosure include, but are not limited to: (i... Federal Government owns or may own a right, title, or interest (including a nonexclusive license), 35 U.S...

Worthy Women of Chile: What Role Did They Play? Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad Program 1995 (Chile).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hertzberg, Ruth A.

This paper describes the lives of some notable women in the history of Chile from the time of the conquistadors to the present. The significant women described in the paper include: (1) Ines de Suarez (accompanied Pedro de Validivia in 1544); (2) Micaela Bastidas Puyucahua (wife of Incan leader Jose Gabriel Tupac Amaru, about 1780); (3) Gabriela…

Notable Canadian Children's Books. 1983 Supplement = Un choix de livres Canadiens pour la jeunesse. Supplement 1983.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aubrey, Irene E., Ed.; And Others

This annotated bibliography reviews 32 children's books published in Canada in 1983. The list is arranged alphabetically by author and annotations and reviews are included in both English and French. Each book is designated as suitable for a particular age group. The 18 books published in English and the 14 published in French are reviewed in…

The Submarine, 1776-1918

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-01

destruction of many civilian lives in sunken passenger ships—notably the Cunard liner Lusitania , attacked in May 1915 with a loss of 1,200 lives, 128...former Ger- man passenger liners interned by their owners in American harbors in order to avoid capture by blockading British cruisers. Eventually there...submarines torpedoed merchant ships, including passenger liners , without warning. Then, because they had no way of rescuing those who had survived the

Digital Phase-Locked Loop With Phase And Frequency Feedback

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, J. Brooks

1991-01-01

Advanced design for digital phase-lock loop (DPLL) allows loop gains higher than those used in other designs. Divided into two major components: counterrotation processor and tracking processor. Notable features include use of both phase and rate-of-change-of-phase feedback instead of frequency feedback alone, normalized sine phase extractor, improved method for extracting measured phase, and improved method for "compressing" output rate.

Reactions and properties of clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castleman, A. W., Jr.

1992-09-01

The elucidation from a molecular point of view of the differences and similarities in the properties and reactivity of matter in the gaseous compared to the condensed state is a subject of considerable current interest. One of the promising approaches to this problem is to utilize mass spectrometry in conjunction with laser spectroscopy and fast-flow reaction devices to investigate the changing properties, structure and reactivity of clusters as a function of the degree of solvation under well-controlled conditions. In this regard, an investigation of molecular cluster ions has provided considerable new insight into the basic mechanisms of ion reactions within a cluster, and this paper reviews some of the recent advances in cluster production, the origin of magic numbers and relationship to cluster ion stabilities, and solvation effects on reactions. There have been some notable advances in the production of large cluster ions under thermal reaction conditions, enabling a systematic study of the influence of solvation on reactions to be carried out. These and other new studies of magic numbers have traced their origin to the thermochemical stability of cluster ions. There are several classes of reaction where solvation has a notable influence on reactivity. A particularly interesting example comes from recent studies of the reactions of the hydroxyl anion with CO2 and SO2, studied as a function of the degree of hydration of OH-. Both reactions are highly exothermic, yet the differences in reactivity are dramatic. In the case of SO2, the reaction occurs at near the collision rate. By contrast, CO2 reactivity plummets dramatically for clusters having more than four water molecules. The slow rate is in accord with observations in the liquid phase.