Recruitment and Retention Strategies for Environmental Exposure Studies: Lessons from the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study

EPA Science Inventory

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) was a complex 3-year personal exposure study. The six geographically defined areas in the Detroit (Wayne County), Michigan, area used as study locations are ethnically diverse; the majority ...

Deadline Dodgers: An Empirical Study, Of Sorts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fletcher, J. B.

1987-01-01

Details (facetiously) a study that examines why English students do not turn their work in on time. Concludes that numerous distractions, such as "Dear Abby," are responsible for sidetracking students doing research. (NKA)

Male song sparrows have elevated testosterone in response to neighbors versus strangers.

PubMed

Moser-Purdy, Christopher; MacDougall-Shackleton, Scott A; Bonier, Frances; Graham, Brendan A; Boyer, Andrea C; Mennill, Daniel J

2017-07-01

Upon hearing a conspecific signal, animals must assess their relationship with the signaller and respond appropriately. Territorial animals usually respond more aggressively to strangers than neighbors in a phenomenon known as the "dear enemy effect". This phenomenon likely evolved because strangers represent a threat to an animal's territory tenure and parentage, whereas neighbors only represent a threat to an animal's parentage because they already possess a territory (providing territory boundaries are established and stable). Although the dear enemy effect has been widely documented using behavioral response variables, little research has been conducted on the physiological responses of animals to neighbors versus strangers. We sought to investigate whether the dear enemy effect is observed physiologically by exposing territorial male song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) to playback simulating a neighbor or a stranger, and then collecting blood samples to measure plasma testosterone levels. We predicted that song sparrows would exhibit increased testosterone levels after exposure to stranger playback compared to neighbor playback, due to the role testosterone plays in regulating aggression. Contrary to our prediction, we found that song sparrows had higher testosterone levels after exposure to neighbor playback compared to stranger playback. We discuss several explanations for our result, notably that corticosterone may regulate the dear enemy effect in male song sparrows and this may inhibit plasma testosterone. Future studies will benefit from examining corticosterone in addition to testosterone, to better understand the hormonal underpinnings of the dear enemy effect. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Feelings and Ethics Education: The Film Dear Scientists

PubMed Central

Semendeferi, Ioanna

2014-01-01

There is an increasing body of evidence that not only cognition but also emotions shape moral judgment. The conventional teaching of responsible conduct of research, however, does not target emotions; its emphasis is on rational analysis. Here I present a new approach, ‘the feelings method,’ for incorporating emotions into science ethics education. This method is embodied in Dear Scientists, an innovative film that combines humanities with arts and works at the subconscious level, delivering an intense mix of music and images, contrasted by calm narration. Dear Scientists has struck a chord across the science, humanities, and arts communities—a promising sign. PMID:25574256

ORGANIC MOLECULAR MARKER ANALYSIS OF LOW VOLUME RESIDENTIAL SAMPLES FOR SOURCE APPORTIONMENT IN THE DETROIT EXPOSURE AND AEROSOL RESEARCH STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

This abstract describes a poster on results for organic speciation analysis for Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) to be presented at the 2006 International Aerosol Conference sponsored by the American Association for Aerosol Research in St. Paul, Minnesota on Se...

DETROIT EXPOSURE AND AEROSOL RESEARCH STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

The DEARS is a three-year field monitoring study that will be conducted in Detroit, Michigan and is designed to measure exposure and describe exposure relationships for air toxics, PM components, PM from specific sources, and criteria pollutants. Detroit, Michigan was considered ...

DAILY VARIATION IN ORGANIC COMPOSITION OF FINE PARTICULATE MATTER IN THE DETROIT EXPOSURE AND AEROSOL RESEARCH STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

Organic composition of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was investigated as a part of the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS). A high volume (113 liters/minute) sampler was used at the Allen Park community air monitoring station to collect PM2.5 for analysis by ga...

75 FR 69449 - Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff on Dear Health Care Provider...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-12

...] Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff on Dear Health Care Provider Letters... a draft guidance for industry and FDA staff entitled ``Dear Health Care Provider Letters: Improving Communication of Important Safety Information.'' Dear Health Care Provider (DHCP) Letters are correspondence...

DEAR1, a transcriptional repressor of DREB protein that mediates plant defense and freezing stress responses in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Tsutsui, Tomokazu; Kato, Wataru; Asada, Yutaka; Sako, Kaori; Sato, Takeo; Sonoda, Yutaka; Kidokoro, Satoshi; Yamaguchi-Shinozaki, Kazuko; Tamaoki, Masanori; Arakawa, Keita; Ichikawa, Takanari; Nakazawa, Miki; Seki, Motoaki; Shinozaki, Kazuo; Matsui, Minami; Ikeda, Akira; Yamaguchi, Junji

2009-11-01

Plants have evolved intricate mechanisms to respond and adapt to a wide variety of biotic and abiotic stresses in their environment. The Arabidopsis DEAR1 (DREB and EAR motif protein 1; At3g50260) gene encodes a protein containing significant homology to the DREB1/CBF (dehydration-responsive element binding protein 1/C-repeat binding factor) domain and the EAR (ethylene response factor-associated amphiphilic repression) motif. We show here that DEAR1 mRNA accumulates in response to both pathogen infection and cold treatment. Transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing DEAR1 (DEAR1ox) showed a dwarf phenotype and lesion-like cell death, together with constitutive expression of PR genes and accumulation of salicylic acid. DEAR1ox also showed more limited P. syringae pathogen growth compared to wild-type, consistent with an activated defense phenotype. In addition, transient expression experiments revealed that the DEAR1 protein represses DRE/CRT (dehydration-responsive element/C-repeat)-dependent transcription, which is regulated by low temperature. Furthermore, the induction of DREB1/CBF family genes by cold treatment was suppressed in DEAR1ox, leading to a reduction in freezing tolerance. These results suggest that DEAR1 has an upstream regulatory role in mediating crosstalk between signaling pathways for biotic and abiotic stress responses.

Spatial and Temporal Variability of Outdoor Coarse Particulate Matter Mass Concentrations Measured with a New Coarse Particulate Sampler during the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study

EPA Science Inventory

The Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) provided data to compare outdoor residential coarse particulate matter (PM_10-2.5) concentrations in six different areas of Detroit with data from a central monitoring site. Daily and seasonal influences on the spa...

SU-G-BRC-10: Feasibility of a Web-Based Monte Carlo Simulation Tool for Dynamic Electron Arc Radiotherapy (DEAR)

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

Rodrigues, A; Wu, Q; Sawkey, D

Purpose: DEAR is a radiation therapy technique utilizing synchronized motion of gantry and couch during delivery to optimize dose distribution homogeneity and penumbra for treatment of superficial disease. Dose calculation for DEAR is not yet supported by commercial TPSs. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of using a web-based Monte Carlo (MC) simulation tool (VirtuaLinac) to calculate dose distributions for a DEAR delivery. Methods: MC simulations were run through VirtuaLinac, which is based on the GEANT4 platform. VirtuaLinac utilizes detailed linac head geometry and material models, validated phase space files, and a voxelized phantom. The inputmore » was expanded to include an XML file for simulation of varying mechanical axes as a function of MU. A DEAR XML plan was generated and used in the MC simulation and delivered on a TrueBeam in Developer Mode. Radiographic film wrapped on a cylindrical phantom (12.5 cm radius) measured dose at a depth of 1.5 cm and compared to the simulation results. Results: A DEAR plan was simulated using an energy of 6 MeV and a 3×10 cm{sup 2} cut-out in a 15×15 cm{sup 2} applicator for a delivery of a 90° arc. The resulting data were found to provide qualitative and quantitative evidence that the simulation platform could be used as the basis for DEAR dose calculations. The resulting unwrapped 2D dose distributions agreed well in the cross-plane direction along the arc, with field sizes of 18.4 and 18.2 cm and penumbrae of 1.9 and 2.0 cm for measurements and simulations, respectively. Conclusion: Preliminary feasibility of a DEAR delivery using a web-based MC simulation platform has been demonstrated. This tool will benefit treatment planning for DEAR as a benchmark for developing other model based algorithms, allowing efficient optimization of trajectories, and quality assurance of plans without the need for extensive measurements.« less

The Influence of Human and Environmental Exposure Factors on Personal NO2 Exposures

EPA Science Inventory

The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (US EPA) Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) deployed a total of over 2000 nitrogen dioxide, NO₂, passive monitors during 3 years of field data collections. These 24-h based personal, residential outdoor and comm...

Analytic model for academic research productivity having factors, interactions and implications

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Financial support is dear in academia and will tighten further. How can the research mission be accomplished within new restraints? A model is presented for evaluating source components of academic research productivity. It comprises six factors: funding; investigator quality; efficiency of the research institution; the research mix of novelty, incremental advancement, and confirmatory studies; analytic accuracy; and passion. Their interactions produce output and patterned influences between factors. Strategies for optimizing output are enabled. PMID:22130145

Effect of Temperature Set-Back on Heat Pump Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-04-01

OF TEMPERATURE SET-BACK ON HEAT PUMP PERFORMANCE S. E. Kurtz SEPt 41981 Johns - Manville Sales Corporation S . Research and Development Center Ken...letter. The replies were catalogued according to their applicability. 13 -. 4 : "J.i Johns - Manville Sales Corporation Research & Development Center Ken...Caryl Harich De:nver Colorado 80217 July 28, 19ý8) Dear Sir: Johns - Manville Research and Development Center has been. engaged co study the potential

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

Wu, Q.

In memory of the significant contribution of Dr. Jacques Ovadia to electron beam techniques, this session will review recent, advanced techniques which are reinvigorating the science of electron beam radiation therapy. Recent research efforts in improving both the applicability and quality of the electron beam therapy will be discussed, including modulated electron beam radiotherapy (MERT) and dynamic electron arc radiotherapy (DEAR). Learning Objectives: To learn about recent advances in electron beam therapy, including modulated electron beam therapy and dynamic electron arc therapy (DEAR). Put recent advances in the context of work that Dr. Ovadia pursued during his career in medicalmore » physics.« less

Development of a Distance-to-Roadway Proximity Metric to Compare Near-Road Pollutant Levels to a Central Site Monitor

EPA Science Inventory

The primary objective of the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) was to compare air pollutant concentrations measured at various neighborhoods, or exposure monitoring areas (EMAs), throughout a major metropolitan area to levels measured at a central site or commun...

Dear Nel: Opening the Circles of Care (Letters to Nel Noddings)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lake, Robert

2012-01-01

This collection is a moving tribute to Nel Noddings, a fascinating and influential scholar who has contributed greatly to numerous fields, including education, feminism, ethics, and the study of social justice and equity. "Dear Nel: Opening the Circles of Care" presents contributions from renowned teachers, educators, and activists, such as David…

"Dear OWL Mail": Reshaping Our Stories about Writers and Writers' Concerns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elder, Cristyn L.

2012-01-01

Much of the literature in the field of rhetoric and composition narrates the stories of writers and their writing as told by teachers, administrators, and researchers. In an effort to bring writers' voices to the forefront of these stories, this empirical study examines the types of questions and concerns writers have about writing as…

Assessing Spatial and Temporal Variability of VOCs and PM-Components in Outdoor Air during the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS)

EPA Science Inventory

Exposure models for air pollutants often adjust for effects of the physical environment (e.g., season, urban vs. rural populations) in order to improve exposure and risk predictions. Yet attempts are seldom made to attribute variability in observed outdoor air measurements to spe...

DEARS particulate matter relationships for personal, indoor, outdoor, and central site settings for a general population

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodes, Charles E.; Lawless, Phil A.; Thornburg, Jonathan W.; Williams, Ronald W.; Croghan, Carry W.

2010-04-01

This analysis provides the initial summary of PM 2.5 mass concentrations relationships for all seasons and participants for a general population in the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS). The summary presented highlights the utility of the new methodologies applied, in addition to summarizing the particulate matter (PM) data. Results include the requirement to adjust the exposure data for monitor wearing compliance and measured environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) levels, even though the study design specified a non-smoking household. A 40% wearing compliance acceptance level was suggested as necessary to balance minimizing exposure misclassification (from poor compliance) and having sufficient data to conduct robust statistical analyses. An ETS threshold level equivalent to adding more than 1.5 μg m -3 to the collected sample was found to be necessary to detect changes in the personal exposure factor ( Fpex). It is not completely clear why such a large threshold level was necessary. Statistically significant spatial PM 2.5 gradients were identified in three of the six DEARS neighborhoods in Wayne County. These were expected, given the number of strong, localized PM sources in the Detroit (Michigan) metro area. Some residential outdoor bias levels compared with the central site at Allen Park exceeded 15%. After adjusting for ETS biases, the outdoor contributions to the personal exposure were typically larger by factors from 1.75 to 2.2 compared with those of the non-outdoor sources. The outdoor contribution was larger in the summer than in the winter, which is consistent with the fractions of time spent outdoors in the summer vs. the winter (6.7% vs. 1.1% of the time). Mean personal PM 2.5 cloud levels for the general population DEARS cohort ranged from 1.5 to 3.8 (after ETS adjustment) and were comparable to those reported previously. The personal exposure collections indoors were typically at least 13 times greater than those contributed outdoors.

Narratives of Nigerian Educated Women Pursuing Higher Education Degrees in Western Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bulus, Vincent Hassan

2012-01-01

The impetus for conducting this research is near and dear to my heart along with desiring to make a change for the better. In conducting interviews of Nigerian women's experiences, struggles and accessibility to secondary education, the research shows significant barriers to secondary education in their narrative experiences that their male…

Dear Diary, Is Plastic Better than Paper? I Can't Remember: Comment on Green, Rafaeli, Bolger, Shrout, and Reis (2006)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Takarangi, Melanie K. T.; Garry, Maryanne; Loftus, Elizabeth F.

2006-01-01

In this commentary, the authors discuss the implications of A. S. Green, E. Rafaeli, N. Bolger, P. E. Shrout, and H. T. Reis's (2006) diary studies with respect to memory. Researchers must take 2 issues into account when determining whether paper-and-pencil or handheld electronic diaries gather more trustworthy data. The first issue is a matter of…

VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS MEASURED IN DEARS PASSIVE SAMPLERS

EPA Science Inventory

A suite of 27 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were monitored in personal exposures, indoors and outdoors of participant's residences, and at a central community site during the DEARS summer 2004 monitoring season. The list of VOCs focused on compounds typically associated with ...

FEDERAL RESEARCH: Small Business Involvement in Federal Research and Development.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-02-01

Subcommittee on Innovation, Technology and Productivity, Committee on Small Business , U.S. Senate SFebruary 1988 FEDERAL RESEARCH Small Business ...Subcommittee on Innovation, Technology, and Productivity Committee on Small Business ~u United States Senate Dear 1r. Chairman: I In your September 30...1987, letter and in surbsequent discussions with your office, you asked us to&Lobtainj. information on the role of small business in the federal

Subtraction Radiography for the Diagnosis of Bone Lesions in Dogs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-05-31

Avail ander Journal of Periodontology Dist Special Ř 211 East Chicago Avenue Room 924 Chicago, IL 60611 Dear Sirs: I m submitting an original...research article titled "Subtraction Radiography for the Diagnosis of Bone Lesions in Dogs" solely to the Journal of Periodontology for review and

78 FR 45168 - Acquisition Regulations: Export Control

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-26

... Control AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of reopening of public comment period. SUMMARY: On... (78 FR 35195) to amend the Department of Energy Acquisition Regulation (DEAR) to add export control... ``DEAR: Export Control and RIN 1991-AB99,'' by any of the following methods: Federal eRulemaking Portal...

Annual Report to Congress, Fiscal Year 1997. A Report by the Scientific Advisory Board of the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program.

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-03-01

Environmental Research June 18, 1998 Ms. Joyce Chiras Defense Technical Information Center DTIC/OCA Suite 0944 8725 John J. Kingman Road Ft. Belvoir, VA 22060...6218 Re: Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) Annual Reports to Congress - FY 1997 Dear Ms. Chiras : Enclosed are copies of...Achievement in Water Science and Technology, National Water Research Institute, 1996; The Gordon Maskew Fair Award, American Academy of Environmental

48 CFR 952.227-84 - Notice of right to request patent waiver.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... solicitation, in advance of or within 30 days after the effective date of contracting. Even where such advance... businesses and domestic nonprofit organizations normally will receive the patent rights clause at DEAR 952... management or operation of a Government-owned research and development facility or under contracts involving...

Nutrition Frontiers - Winter 2018 | Division of Cancer Prevention

Cancer.gov

Dear Colleague, The winter issue of Nutrition Frontiers showcases the chemopreventive activity of sulforaphane, how a high fat, high cholesterol diet may impact hepatocellular carcinoma, and p53 activation from benzyl isothiocyanate. Meet our spotlight investigator, Dr. John Groopman, and his research on detoxication of air pollutants with a broccoli supplement. Learn about

Nutrition Frontiers - Spring 2018 | Division of Cancer Prevention

Cancer.gov

Dear Colleague, The spring issue of Nutrition Frontiers showcases the association of gut microbial communities in premenopausal women, how high-fat, high-calorie-diet-induced obesity may increase pancreatic cancer, and the effects of calorie restriction protocols on pro-inflammatory cytokines. Meet our spotlight investigator, Dr. Purnima Kumar, and her research on black

Nutrition Frontiers - Winter 2017 | Division of Cancer Prevention

Cancer.gov

Volume 8, Issue 1 Dear Colleague, The winter issue of Nutrition Frontiers showcases gut permeability and calcium supplementation, potential chemopreventive effects of dietary DHM for lung tumorigenesis, and the role of the MCP-1 chemokine on adiposity and inflammation. Learn about our spotlight investigator, Dr. Gregory Lesinski, and his research on dietary interventions to

Final Environmental Assessment, Assured Aerospace Fuels Research Facility, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

Fish and Wildlife Services Amir Mott Program Manager 88 ABW/CECW Zachary Olds WPAFB Air and Water Program Technician 88 ABW/CEV Warren Richardson...Building 22 Wright Patterson AFB, OH 45433-5209 Dear Mr. Baker: BOARD OF DIRECTORS William E. Lukens Gayle B. Price, Jr. Thomas B. Rentschler GENERAL

Writing Dear Abby: An Interim Report to Teachers of Spelling.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Virginia French

New spellers, adults just beginning to learn to read and write, face daunting problems with English vocabulary. Teachers use varying approaches to help these students, including published lists of Words Most Frequently Used. This paper provides an inventory of words used in letters to syndicated columnist "Dear Abby" as published in a…

Helping Students Succeed. Annual Report, 2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New Mexico Higher Education Department, 2010

2010-01-01

This annual report contains postsecondary data that has been collected and analyzed using the New Mexico Higher Education Department's Data Editing and Reporting (DEAR) database, unless otherwise noted. The purpose of the DEAR system is to increase the reliability in the data and to make more efficient efforts by institutions and the New Mexico…

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

Wang, Shaobu; Lu, Shuai; Zhou, Ning

In interconnected power systems, dynamic model reduction can be applied on generators outside the area of interest to mitigate the computational cost with transient stability studies. This paper presents an approach of deriving the reduced dynamic model of the external area based on dynamic response measurements, which comprises of three steps, dynamic-feature extraction, attribution and reconstruction (DEAR). In the DEAR approach, a feature extraction technique, such as singular value decomposition (SVD), is applied to the measured generator dynamics after a disturbance. Characteristic generators are then identified in the feature attribution step for matching the extracted dynamic features with the highestmore » similarity, forming a suboptimal ‘basis’ of system dynamics. In the reconstruction step, generator state variables such as rotor angles and voltage magnitudes are approximated with a linear combination of the characteristic generators, resulting in a quasi-nonlinear reduced model of the original external system. Network model is un-changed in the DEAR method. Tests on several IEEE standard systems show that the proposed method gets better reduction ratio and response errors than the traditional coherency aggregation methods.« less

Dear Colleague Letter Harassment and Bullying (October 26, 2010). Background, Summary, and Fast Facts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Department of Education, 2010

2010-01-01

The Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) does the following: (1) Clarifies the relationship between bullying and discriminatory harassment under the civil rights laws enforced by the Department of Education's (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR); (2) Explains how student misconduct that falls under an anti-bullying policy also may trigger responsibilities…

A Closer Look: The Representation of Slavery in the "Dear America" Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, T. Lee

2009-01-01

The "Dear America" series is one of the most successful brands in children's literature. It inspired the publisher, Scholastic Books, to produce four related series that include more than 90 titles. Each book seeks to personalize important events in American history through the diary of a fictionalized main character. According to the publisher,…

"The Taming of the Shrew." A Play Packet To Accompany "Elementary, My Dear Shakespeare."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engen, Barbara; Campbell, Joy

Intended for use by elementary school teachers as a supplement to the book, "Elementary, My Dear Shakespeare," or for use by itself to produce one Shakespeare play, this play packet contains ready-to-reproduce materials for the production of "The Taming of the Shrew." Materials include: staging suggestions for scenery, props,…

Landscapes of Consciousness: Reading Theory of Mind in "Dear Juno" and "Chato and the Party Animals"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arvelo Alicea, Zaira R.; Lysaker, Judith T.

2017-01-01

Picturebooks aid children's developing social understanding because they are dialogic, relational contexts where child readers have opportunities to engage vicariously with a wide range of imagined others. We use research by literacy and literature scholars, including our own past work, to showcase a series of visual and linguistic elements in…

Nutrition Frontiers - Spring 2017 | Division of Cancer Prevention

Cancer.gov

Volume 8, Issue 2 Dear Colleague, The spring issue of Nutrition Frontiers showcases the calcium/magnesium intake ratio in colorectal adenoma, the role of PPARγ in metabolism and reproduction, and the effects of time-restricted feeding on metabolic parameters. Meet our spotlight investigator, Dr. Maria Cruz-Correa, and her research on gut bacterial genes, diet, and colorectal

Highlights from CPTAC Scientific Symposium | Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research

Cancer.gov

Dear Colleagues and Friends, The first CPTAC Public Scientific Symposium was recently held on November 13, 2013 at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. The symposium brought together a record number of registrants, 450 scientists, who shared and discussed novel biological discoveries, analytical methods, and translational approaches using CPTAC data.

"Elementary, My Dear Shakespeare." Producing a Shakespearean Festival in the Elementary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engen, Barbara; Campbell, Joy

Intended to give teachers usable information and prepared materials that are ready-to-reproduce for students, this book compiles research, tips, and teaching ideas into a sourcebook on teaching and producing William Shakespeare's plays in the elementary classroom. It is designed to bring the student into an awareness of Shakespeare's art and…

"Prompt and Equitable" Explained: How to Craft a Title IX Compliant Sexual Harassment Policy and Why It Matters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Block, Jason A.

2012-01-01

An April 2011 "Dear Colleague" letter issued by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights provided new guidance related to Title IX and the civil rights violation inherent in sexual harassment cases. Using the "Dear Colleague" letter as a guide, this article will provide best practice suggestions to remedy…

Transmission of Cultural Specific Items into English Translation of "Dear Shameless Death" by Latife Tekin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Öztemel, Figen; Kurt, Mustafa

2017-01-01

This article aims at demonstrating which translation strategies are preferred in order to deal with the translation of culture-specific items in Latife Tekin's Sevgili Arsiz Ölüm (1983) and its English translation entitled "Dear Shameless Death" (2001). To achieve this primary aim, a comparative analysis is carried out between Sevgili…

Helping General Physical Educators and Adapted Physical Educators Address the Office of Civil Rights Dear Colleague Guidance Letter: Part IV--Sport Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lieberman, Lauren; Lucas, Mark; Jones, Jeffery; Humphreys, Dan; Cody, Ann; Vaughn, Bev; Storms, Tommie

2013-01-01

"Helping General Physical Educators and Adapted Physical Educators Address the Office of Civil Rights Dear Colleague Guidance Letter: Part IV--Sport Groups" provides the the following articles: (1) "Sport Programming Offered by Camp Abilities and the United States Association for Blind Athletes" (Lauren Lieberman and Mark…

Helping General Physical Educators and Adapted Physical Educators Address the Office of Civil Rights Dear Colleague Guidance Letter: Part III--Practitioners and Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poulin, David; Martinez, David; Aenchbacher, Amy; Aiello, Rocco; Doyle, Mike; Hilgenbrinck, Linda; Busse, Sean; Cappuccio, Jim

2013-01-01

In Part III of the feature, physical educators and adapted physical educators offer current best practices as models of implementation for readers. Contributions included are: (1) Answer to the Dear Colleague Letter from the Anchorage School District's Adapted Sport Program (David Poulin); (2) Georgia's Adapted Physical Educators Response to the…

Employability in the First Degree: The Role of Work Placements on Students' Perceptions of Graduate Employability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahmood, Lynsey; Slabu, Letitia; de Moura, Georgina Randsley; Hopthrow, Tim

2014-01-01

Employers often claim that graduates are not ready for the world of work as they lack employability skills (Archer & Davison, 2008). One policy response to this claim has been to encourage students to undertake a work placement to enhance success in the competitive job market (The Dearing Report, 1997). The present research investigated…

Nutrition Frontiers - Summer 2017 | Division of Cancer Prevention

Cancer.gov

Volume 8, Issue 3 Dear Colleague, The summer issue of Nutrition Frontiers showcases insulin-like growth factor and vitamin D in prostate cancer risk, bile acid and FXR inactivation and gender dissimilarity, and CerS6, a novel transcriptional target of p53 protein. Meet our spotlight investigator, Dr. Wendy Russell, and her research on the functional role of the gut microbiota.

Paying Dearly for Privilege: Conceptions, Experiences and Temporalities of Vocation in Academic Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barcan, Ruth

2018-01-01

This paper explores the forms of lived time that characterise a vocational relationship to academic work. Drawing on interviews and surveys with over 30 academics who have left the profession early or have given up looking for ongoing academic work, it paints a portrait of vocationalism as a double-edged sword. The research found that despite…

Enriching the Values of Micro and Small Business Research Projects: Co-Creation Service Provision as Perceived by Academic, Business and Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thatcher, James; Alao, Hanan; Brown, Christopher J.; Choudhary, Shahriar

2016-01-01

The National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (1996) chaired by Lord Dearing envisioned a university sector central to the UK's knowledge-based economy. With successive government support the university-business partnership ideology has been put into practice. Widening participation has increased in emphasis over recent years, providing…

Part I--The Historical and Legal Background Leading to the Office of Civil Rights "Dear Colleague Letter"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnhold, Robert; Young, Lauren; Lakowski, Terri

2013-01-01

Part I of the feature describes the historical path of the Dear Colleague Letter and discusses the specific road to this landmark guidance, what it means, and how the leadership and action of the Office for Civil Rights will pave the way for students with disabilities to participate in sports the same way that Title IX has enabled participation…

[A history of the research on bone metabolism for the past 50 years in Japan and a memory of Dr. Hirotoshi Morii].

PubMed

Suda, Tatsuo

2011-12-01

It has been 20 years since the monthly Journal "CLINICAL CALCIUM" was published in November, 1991. This review Journal edited by Drs. Hirotoshi Morii and Yoshio Yazaki has contributed a lot to the understanding of the importance of calcium in bone and cardiovascular systems. This article describes a history of the research on bone metabolism for the past 50 years in Japan. Also, a memory of my dear friend, Hirotoshi Morii, is retraced.

Distributed Episodic and Analogical Reasoning (DEAR)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

of a more abstract class like environmental catastrophe. Analogical reasoning researchers like Gentner and Stevens (1983) caution that “the...hurricane and an earthquake can be useful for quickly determining how to respond to an environmental catastrophe in general but will need to be...with Uncertain Dynamic Outside Options. Proceedings of the First IEEE International Workshop on Electronic Contracting ( WEC 󈧈), p.54-61, July 06-06

Building a New Early Childhood Professional Development System Based on the 3 Rs: Research, Rigor, and Respect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karp, Naomi

2005-01-01

Professional development is a topic that is near and dear to the author's heart. The author has spent more hours than she can count trying to get her colleagues in the U.S. Department of Education to understand that early childhood professional development has to be part of the education continuum. She would argue that even if they had the luxury…

Performance Evaluation of Vinyl Replacement Windows.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-07-15

VINYL REPLACEMENT WINDOWS P. B. SHEPHERD JOHNS - MANVILLE SALES CORPORATION LEU ! RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CENTER CLE 0 KEN-CARYL RANCH DENVER, COLORADO...PE F -I.. E RI.. Philip B.heperd/K^678D00 9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS SO. PROGRAM ELEMENT. PROJECT, TASK Johns - Manville Sales Corporatp...Development Center Ken-Caryl Ranch Denver. Colorado 80217 (303) 979-1000 October 23, 1979 Dear Sir: The Johns - Manville R&D Center has been contacted

Implementation of warnings from Dear Doctor Letters (Rote-Hand-Briefe): an analysis of medication data from a large cohort of elderly patients.

PubMed

Schächtele, Simone; Tümena, Thomas; Gaßmann, Karl-Günter; Fromm, Martin F; Maas, Renke

2014-04-11

Dear Doctor Letters (also known as Direct Healthcare Professional Communications) inform physicians about significant newly discovered drug risks and about measures to take to reduce these risks. How far these warnings actually influence prescribing behavior is unclear. The Geriatrics in Bavaria-Database (GiB-DAT, Geriatrie in Bayern Datenbank) collects data from more than 50 centers offering inpatient geriatric health care. Based on GiB-DAT data, the discharge medication of 76 568 patients (81 ± 8 years, 67% women) was recorded in a standardized manner and analyzed for the implementation of information contained in two Dear Doctor Letters about the risks of dose-related or drug interaction-related QT interval prolongation caused by citalopram or escitalopram. Patients were discharged with a median of 8 drugs. In the four quarters of 2012 following release of the Dear Doctor Letters, in comparison to the four quarters before their publication, a marked drop from 9.8% to 4.1% was seen in prescriptions for >20 mg/day citalopram--a dosage no longer recommended in elderly patients--and a similar drop from 23.6% to 12.8% in prescriptions for >10 mg/day escitalopram (p<0.0001). Co-prescription of either of these two drugs with other QT interval-prolonging drugs, which was now contraindicated, remained almost unchanged (citalopram: 19.3% [95% confidence interval (CI): 17.9-20.9%] versus 18.4% [95% CI: 17.0-19.8%]; escitalopram: 17.6% [95% CI: 15.8-19.6%] versus 17.1% [95% CI: 14.5-19.9%]). Simple information in Dear Doctor Letters, such as a reduction of the maximum daily dose, was better implemented than complicated information regarding contraindicated co-medication. Quality assurance systems such as the GiB-DAT network make it possible to identify problems of this kind. Licensing authorities and pharmaceutical companies should should improve the clinical usability, e.g., by providing official reference lists of drugs with safety warnings.

Analysis of Small Muscle Movement Effects on EEG Signals

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-22

research. Finally, I wish to extend my appreciation to my dear family and girlfriend, in Turkey for their deep trust and devotion. Erhan E YANTERI...and it hasn’t been fully discovered and understood yet. Advances in cognitive neuroscience and brain imaging technologies have started to provide us...Since we have the reference channels and EMG data, this detection problem can be solved by a supervised machine learning method. The level of small

Cardiovascular impacts and micro-environmental exposure factors associated with continuous personal PM2.5 monitoring.

PubMed

Hammond, Davyda; Croghan, Carry; Shin, Hwashin; Burnett, Richard; Bard, Robert; Brook, Robert D; Williams, Ron

2014-07-01

The US Environmental Protection Agency's (US EPA) Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) has provided extensive data on human exposures to a wide variety of air pollutants and their impact on human health. Previous analyses in the DEARS revealed select cardiovascular (CV) health outcomes such as increase in heart rate (HR) associated with hourly based continuous personal fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposures in this adult, non-smoking cohort. Examination of time activity diary (TAD), follow-up questionnaire (FQ) and the continuous PM2.5 personal monitoring data provided the means to more fully examine the impact of discreet human activity patterns on personal PM2.5 exposures and changes in CV outcomes. A total of 329 343 min-based PM2.5 personal measurements involving 50 participants indicated that ∼75% of these total events resulted in exposures <35 μg/m(3). Cooking and car-related events accounted for nearly 10% of the hourly activities that were identified with observed peaks in personal PM2.5 exposures. In-residence cooking often resulted in some of the highest incidents of 1 min exposures (33.5-17.6 μg/m(3)), with average peaks for such events in excess of 209 μg/m(3). PM2.5 exposure data from hourly based personal exposure activities (for example,, cooking, cleaning and household products) were compared with daily CV data from the DEARS subject population. A total of 1300 hourly based lag risk estimates associated with changes in brachial artery diameter and flow-mediated dilatation (BAD and FMD, respectively), among others, were defined for this cohort. Findings indicate that environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposures resulted in significant HR changes between 3 and 7 h following the event, and exposure to smells resulted in increases in BAD on the order of 0.2-0.7 mm/μg/m(3). Results demonstrate that personal exposures may be associated with several biological responses, sometimes varying in degree and direction in relation to the extent of the exposure.

Computer Simulation of Protein-Protein and Protein-Peptide Interactions

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-12-08

a full molecular dynamic z simulation is performed, with resulting dipolar re - laxation. However, this is prohibitive when a large . number of...1993 Dr. Mike Marron Program Manager Molecular Biology Office of Naval Research 800 N. Quincy Street Arlington, VA 22217 Dear Mike, Here is the...rztnbutior is unLi--ited. , 93-30630 98 12 � 12/08/93 01/0/92-;03/31/93: Final Report, Computer Simulation of Protein-Protein and Protein-Peptide

Fractions, trees and unfinished business

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shraiman, Boris

In this talk, mourning the loss of a teacher and a dear friend, I would like to share some unfinished thoughts loosely connecting - via Farey fraction trees - Kadanoff's study of universality of quasi-periodic route to chaos with the effort to understand universal features of genealogical trees.

Groups in Action on Prime-Time TV.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keyton, Joann

A study analyzed six prime-time television shows--"The Cosby Show,""Cheers,""Dear John,""Designing Women,""Golden Girls," and "Roseanne"--to examine group communication as it is portrayed on a daily basis in these shows, or how groups interact in the sitcom genre. One episode of each of…

LETTER TO THE EDITOR ON FENITROTHION (TOXICOLOGY SCIENCES, 2001)

EPA Science Inventory

Dear Dr. Klaassen:

We appreciate the opportunity to respond to Dr. Goodman's comments.
As noted by Dr. Goodman, the purpose of our study was to assess
whether fenitrothion was an antiandrogen. Our interest in this issue
was driven by the close structural simil...

IEEE Workshop on Real-Time Operating Systems (8th) Held in Atlanta, Georgia on 15-17 May 1991

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

and sug- posiur, pages 259-169. !988. gestions in earlier drafts of this paper. [12] L. Sha. J. Lehoczky, and R. Rajkumar. Solutions for some...Telecomunicacion, * j Ciudad Universitaria , E-28040 Madrid, Spain, jpuente@dit.upm.es, Tel:(34-1)3367342, Fax: (34-1)5432077. I Donner, Marc, IBM Research, P.O...Telecomunicacion Ciudad Universitaria E-28040 Madrid SPANJE Dear Juan, Enclosed please find the Final Report on the 17th IFAC/IFIP Workshop on Real Time Programming

Identifying Housing and Meteorological Conditions Influencing Residential Air Exchange Rates in the DEARS and RIOPA Studies: Development of Distributions for Human Exposure Modeling

EPA Science Inventory

Appropriate prediction of residential air exchange rate (AER) is important for estimating human exposures in the residential microenvironment, as AER drives the infiltration of outdoor-generated air pollutants indoors. AER differences among homes may result from a number of fact...

Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-15

skills for both deployed and garrison experiences.” — Quote from a participant Soldier “The communication skills I learned from TEAM can be applied...problem solving, communication , and goal-setting skills . Data were collected from military families from Washing- ton, DC, San Antonio, TX and...to war, disasters, terrorism, community violence and public health threats. Dear Center Colleagues and Friends, The Center for the Study of Traumatic

Dear Cesar Chavez: Writing Persuasive Letters in the Sixth Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beddow, Maggie

2012-01-01

Cesar Chavez, who co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with Dolores Huerta in 1962, dedicated his life to grassroots organizing to persuade lawmakers and the public to help improve the working conditions of migrant farm workers. In October 1992, the author had been teaching a unit of study on civics to her sixth grade bilingual students in…

76 FR 37094 - List of Correspondence

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-24

... May Be of Interest to Readers Topic Addressed: Harassment And Bullying. [cir] Dear Colleague Letter dated October 26, 2010 from Office for Civil Rights Assistant Secretary Russlynn Ali, regarding bullying...

Dear Hillary....

PubMed

Pherwani, M; Hostetler, C; Miller, S

1993-10-01

As Hillary Clinton worked on the reforms of the US health system, three University of Minnesota fellows, Meeta Pherwani, Craig Hostetler and Sarah Miller, offered her some advice based on their experience with the NHS.

New GOES-R Risk Reduction Activities at CIRA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, M. A.; Miller, S. D.; Grasso, L. D.; Haynes, J. M.; NOH, Y. J.; Forsythe, J.; Zupanski, M.; Lindsey, D. T.

2017-12-01

A team of atmospheric scientists at the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at the Colorado State University has been selected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) GOES-R Risk Reduction (GOES-R3) science program to develop applications to enhance the utilization of the GOES-R sensors, including the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). The selected project topics follow NOAA's Research and Development Objectives listed in its 5-year Strategic Plan. The projects will be carried out over a three-year period which started on 1 July 2017 and will end on 30 June 2019. CIRA is working on five GOES-R3 application developments: 1) Developing an Environmental Awareness Repertoire of ABI Imagery (`DEAR-ABII') to Advise the Operational Weather Forecaster. DEAR-ABII maximizes the vast potential of the new GOES-R/GOES-16 sensor technology. 2) GOES-R ABI channel differencing used to reveal cloud-free zones of `precursors of convective initiation'. This product identifies where convective initiation may occur in cloud free skies. 3) Improving the ABI Cloud Layers Product for Multiple Layer Cloud Systems and Aviation Forecast Applications. This project aims to improve the GOES-16 cloud layer product by providing information on the boundaries of cloud layers even when one layer overlies another. 4) Using the New Capabilities of GOES-R to Improve Blended, Multisensor Water Vapor Products for Forecasters. GOES-R TPW retrievals will be merged with TPW derived from polar orbiter and surface data to improve the operational NOAA blended TPW product. 5) Data assimilation of GLM observations in HWRF/GSI system. Assimilation of GOES-R GLM observations for the NOAA operational hurricane model with the goal to improve operational hurricane forecasting. Examples for each of these applications will be presented.

"Dear Bob . . . ."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimmel, Eric A.

1980-01-01

A humorous presentation of publisher-to-author correspondence that indicates how contemporary publishers might criticize or reject such works as "Treasure Island,""The Tale of Peter Rabbit,""Little Women," and the Grimm brothers' fairy tales. (ET)

"You Are Learning Well My Dear": Shifts in Novice Teachers' Talk about Teaching during Their Internship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bieda, Kristen N.; Sela, Hagit; Chazan, Daniel

2015-01-01

Against the backdrop of mentor teachers' reasoning about practice, we seek to understand shifts in intern teachers' reasoning about practice during a year in which they take their final methods course in the fall and then do intern teaching in the spring. The data we analyze consist of intern and mentor teacher study group discussions of repeated…

"Dear Teacher, Johnny Copied."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Louise A.; And Others

1987-01-01

Presents the problem of intentional or unintentional plagiarism on the part of young students, several possible causes for it, and offers ways teachers can help students avoid copying and understand the value of owning one's writing. (JC)

“Frankly, My Dear, I Don't Give a Damn”

PubMed Central

Evans, Robert G.

2014-01-01

Four years ago, Michelle Holmes, Wendy Chen and collegues reported a significant negative correlation between aspirin use and breast cancer (Holmes et al. 2010). This summer, they noted that no randomized trials have been initiated that test this potentially important association. Why not? Pharmaceutical companies fund most drug research; there is no profit in aspirin. This explanation is incomplete. The deeper issue is a mismatch between the public interest in advancing research, and the interests of the institutions that governments subsidize in different ways for that purpose. In addition to patent protection, governments directly fund public granting agencies and provide the tax relief offered by private charities. Like pharmaceutical companies, these have their own “stakeholders” and objectives. Nobody, it appears, is interested in aspirin. PMID:25617511

Reducing Teacher Turnover by Utilizing a National List of Reasons for Teacher Dissatisfaction or How to Keep Teachers from Declaring "Dear Folks, I Quit"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopez, Angela J.

2010-01-01

Background: Teacher turnover is a national problem and has been investigated on the national level since the 1920's. This study compares the reasons teachers give for leaving teaching positions from data collected nationwide with local data. Purpose: To examine whether the same problems that arise on the local level have been identified in the…

Dear authors: We do read your cover letters

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This is an editorial written as Editor-in-Chief (EIC) for the Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (JAOCS) describing the importance of writing a cover letter for the submission of manuscripts to JAOCS....

48 CFR 901.105-3 - Copies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 or viewed on line at http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov or at http://management.energy.gov/DEAR. [61 FR 41704, Aug. 9, 1996. Redesignated and amended at 76 FR 7689, Feb. 11, 2011] ...

48 CFR 901.105-3 - Copies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 or viewed on line at http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov or at http://management.energy.gov/DEAR. [61 FR 41704, Aug. 9, 1996. Redesignated and amended at 76 FR 7689, Feb. 11, 2011] ...

48 CFR 901.105-3 - Copies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 or viewed on line at http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov or at http://management.energy.gov/DEAR. [61 FR 41704, Aug. 9, 1996. Redesignated and amended at 76 FR 7689, Feb. 11, 2011] ...

48 CFR 901.105-3 - Copies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 or viewed on line at http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov or at http://management.energy.gov/DEAR. [61 FR 41704, Aug. 9, 1996. Redesignated and amended at 76 FR 7689, Feb. 11, 2011] ...

32 CFR Appendix B to Part 216 - ROTC Sample Letter of Inquiry

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... letter to situation presented) Dr. Jane Smith, President, ABC University, Anywhere, USA 12345-9876. Dear Dr. Smith: I understand that ABC University has [refused a request from a Military Department to...

For Strong Bones...For Lifelong Health...Milk Matters!

MedlinePlus

... Child Health and Human Development Dear Reader, Milk Matters is for parents, teachers, and health care providers ... also get some of their needed calcium from dark green vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, and bok ...

Critiquing bachelor candidates' theses: are the criteria useful?

PubMed

Kapborg, I; Berterö, C

2002-06-01

Nursing education programmes should be at an academic level and connected to research. In Sweden, empirical studies are generally required in order to obtain a Bachelor's degree; hence, in some cases, these studies are replaced by a literature review. A study was conducted using 11 criteria. Thirteen theses produced in a department of nursing science were examined, elaborated and reproduced by reviewing international and national literature. Thereafter, the criteria themselves were scrutinized. Principal findings when critiquing the theses were that in eight theses the purpose was dearly identified and well defined in relation to the study accomplished; in three theses the purpose was indistinct and vague; and in two the definitions and research questions were lacking. The topic was relevant for the area of nursing in all theses. General problems identified were poor spelling and grammar, and unsatisfactory thesis structure. This article discusses whether criteria are useful when examining the Bachelor candidates' theses. The authors report that the criteria seemed to be useful, giving some guidance for scrutinizing theses and facilitating correspondence. Criteria could be appropriate guidelines for using to increase the quality of the theses as well as the quality of nursing.

The big-bang-for-your-buck theory.

PubMed

Lucas, H C; Weill, P; Cox, S

1993-01-01

Do it right, and your investment in information technology can have all sorts of strategic payoffs. Do it wrong, and you'll be paying, dearly, for nothing. Here's a guide to evaluating IT and measuring its impact.

Remembrances of Hannelore Wass.

PubMed

Siegel, Betty L

2015-01-01

A brief tribute to a dear friend and former colleague, Hannelore Wass, these remembrances evidence her delightfully humorous and mischievous side as well as celebrate her long and illustrious career. A woman in full, she is sorely missed but fondly remembered.

Exploring Space Weathering on Mercury Using Global UV-VIS Reflectance Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izenberg, N. R.; Denevi, B. W.

2018-05-01

We apply UV analysis methods used on lunar LROC data to Mercury to explore space weathering maturity and possibly evidence of shocked minerals. What says the UV // about shock, maturity // on dear Mercury?

Yakir Aharonov: From A to B

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pines, A.

Twenty years ago, I was accorded the privilege and pleasure of presenting the after banquet speech—reprinted below—at a conference celebrating the sixtieth year of my dear friend Yakir Aharonov. Does what I said then still hold today? You bet it does …the now adult Yakir has maintained the same burning curiosity, fiery enthusiasm and explosive genius for physics that characterized the life of the adolescent sixty year old. There may be no free lunch, but Yakir is living proof that there is free will, and he has exercised his free will to make ever more creative contributions to quantum physics, future and present. My admiration of Yakir as a scientist and mensch has only grown over the years. Sorry I can't be with you all at Chapman to participate in this marvelous eightieth year celebration. Dear Yakir, Ditsa and I wish you, Nilli and your family many more joyous years of health, science and friendship…' til 120.

77 FR 32873 - Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-01

... rice paddies, heat and monsoon, fighting heroically to protect the ideals we hold dear as Americans... in black granite--who sacrificed all they had and all they would ever know. We draw inspiration from...

Dear microtubule, I see you

DOE PAGES

Nogales, Eva

2016-11-01

This essay summarizes my personal journey toward the atomic visualization of microtubules and a mechanistic understanding of how these amazing polymers work. During this journey, I have been witness and partaker in the blooming of a technique I love—cryo-electron microscopy.

Dear microtubule, I see you

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

Nogales, Eva

This essay summarizes my personal journey toward the atomic visualization of microtubules and a mechanistic understanding of how these amazing polymers work. During this journey, I have been witness and partaker in the blooming of a technique I love—cryo-electron microscopy.

Dear Publisher.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chelton, Mary K.

1992-01-01

Addresses issues that concern the relationship between publishers and librarians, including differences between libraries and bookstores; necessary information for advertisements; out-of-stock designations and their effect on budgets; the role of distributors and vendors; direct mail for book promotions; unsolicited review copies; communications…

A Study of the Emergency Medical Service System at Womack Army Hospital, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-04-01

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks must be given to Colonel Llewellyn Legters , Colonel Joseph E. Brannock, and Major James...DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY HEADQUARTERS. UNITED STATES ARMY HEALTH SERVICES COMMAND FORT SAIA HOUSTON. TEXAS 78234 HSPA 2 2 .0 7 Colonel Llewellyn J. Legters ...Commander US Army Medical Department Activity Fort Bragg, NC 28307 Dear Colonel Legters : The continuing military physician shortage is the most

Army Corps of Engineers: Better Guidance Could Improve Corps’ Information on Water Resources Projects Undertaken by Nonfederal Sponsors

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

Nonfederal Sponsors Why GAO Did This Study Through its Civil Works program, the Corps designs , constructs, and maintains federal water resources...Public Works United States Senate Dear Mr. Chairman: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is the world’s largest public engineering, design ...its Civil Works Program, in general, the Corps plans, designs , constructs, operates, and maintains a wide range of water resources projects. Congress

Dear Verity: Why Are All the Dictionaries Wrong?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dempsey, Deirdre; Marshall, John

2001-01-01

An education major enrolled in a mathematics education course ponders confusing definitions of "multiplication" functions in dictionaries and in a handout on Euclid. This student teacher wants to teach elementary students what multiplication really is, not just impart an algorithmic skill. (MLH)

SSE Announcement - New GIS Web Mapping Applications and Services

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2016-06-30

Dear SSE Users, We are excited to announce SSE-GIS v1.0.3 is now available! If you haven’t already noticed the link to the new SSE-GIS web application on the SSE homepage entitled “GIS Web Mapping ...

Processing of phonological variation in children with hearing loss: compensation for English place assimilation in connected speech.

PubMed

Skoruppa, Katrin; Rosen, Stuart

2014-06-01

In this study, the authors explored phonological processing in connected speech in children with hearing loss. Specifically, the authors investigated these children's sensitivity to English place assimilation, by which alveolar consonants like t and n can adapt to following sounds (e.g., the word ten can be realized as tem in the phrase ten pounds). Twenty-seven 4- to 8-year-old children with moderate to profound hearing impairments, using hearing aids (n = 10) or cochlear implants (n = 17), and 19 children with normal hearing participated. They were asked to choose between pictures of familiar (e.g., pen) and unfamiliar objects (e.g., astrolabe) after hearing t- and n-final words in sentences. Standard pronunciations (Can you find the pen dear?) and assimilated forms in correct (… pem please?) and incorrect contexts (… pem dear?) were presented. As expected, the children with normal hearing chose the familiar object more often for standard forms and correct assimilations than for incorrect assimilations. Thus, they are sensitive to word-final place changes and compensate for assimilation. However, the children with hearing impairment demonstrated reduced sensitivity to word-final place changes, and no compensation for assimilation. Restricted analyses revealed that children with hearing aids who showed good perceptual skills compensated for assimilation in plosives only.

3 CFR 8558 - Proclamation 8558 of September 10, 2010. National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, 2010

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... lost the comfort and companionship of loved ones and friends in those moments, and we mourn with them... dear friends and loved ones—reinforces our resolve to unite with one another, for the country we all...

78 FR 35195 - Acquisition Regulations: Export Control

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-12

... Control AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. SUMMARY: The Department of... control requirements applicable to the performance of DOE contracts. DATES: Written comments on this... comments, identified by ``DEAR: Export Control and RIN 1991-AB99,'' by any of the following methods...

Books in Children's Lives: Convincing Portraits.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abrahamson, Richard F.; Carter, Betty

1998-01-01

Provides a descriptive bibliography of titles that show the significant role books play in a young person's existence. Includes a letter excerpted from "Dear Author" magazine, from a 14-year old to "Charlotte's Web" author E.B. White telling how the book changed her life. (AEF)

How to Help Kids Enjoy Reading.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ziegler, Robert J.

1993-01-01

Because reading for pleasure faces such stiff competition from other activities, one Minnesota elementary principal instituted rewarding and enjoyable reading activities: DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) Time, principal's book club, "I love to read" month, RIOT (Reading Instead of Television) Time, celebrity readers, T-shirt logos, and…

All About Letters.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Post Office Dept., Washington, DC.

This booklet, designed to promote the letter writing habit, provides information about writing letters in a variety of situations. It is divided into several short sections with illustrations. Reasons to write letters and postcards are offered by several authors and celebrites including Stevie Wonder, Darryl Stingley, and "Dear Abby." Addresses…

Meeting women's contraceptive needs in the Philippines.

PubMed

Darroch, Jacqueline E; Singh, Susheela; Bal, Haley; Cabigon, Josefina V

2009-01-01

The ability to practice contraception is essential to protecting Filipino women's health and rights. Yet low levels of use have led to high levels of unintended pregnancy in the Philippines, for which women and society pay dearly-- in lives, family well-being and public funds.

Gaydar, Marriage, and Rip-Roaring Homosexuals: Discourses About Homosexuality in Dear Abby and Ann Landers Advice Columns, 1967-1982.

PubMed

Johnson, Patrick M; Holmes, Kwame A

2017-12-04

Over the past 70 years, the history of acceptance of the lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) community within the United States has seen much change and fluctuation. One of the places that this dialogue has been preserved is through the syndicated advice columns of Dear Abby and Ann Landers, in which individuals in the United States were writing in for advice to deal with their anxiety over a newly emerging and highly visible new community of individuals once considered to be mentally ill and dangerous. Using discourse analysis, this article traces the evolution of public and scientific opinions about the LGBT community during the years leading up to the Stonewall riots all the way to right before the AIDs epidemic. This analysis sheds light on several moral panics that emerged regarding this newly visible population, especially in regard to disturbances within the domestic sphere and a stigmatization of bisexuality.

In Search of the Nature of Extensive Reading in L2: Cognitive, Affective, and Pedagogical Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamashita, Junko

2015-01-01

Extensive reading (ER) has been implemented under a wide variety of names, such as "(uninterrupted) sustained silent reading," "free voluntary reading," "pleasure reading," "book flood," "independent reading," and "Drop Everything And Read (DEAR)"; its various names emphasize different…

31 CFR Appendix A to Part 132 - Model Notice

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... THE TREASURY PROHIBITION ON FUNDING OF UNLAWFUL INTERNET GAMBLING Pt. 132, App. A Appendix A to Part... Internet Gambling Enforcement Act Notice Dear [Name of foreign counterparty]: On [date], U.S. government officials informed us that your institution processed payments through our facilities for Internet gambling...

31 CFR Appendix A to Part 132 - Model Notice

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... THE TREASURY PROHIBITION ON FUNDING OF UNLAWFUL INTERNET GAMBLING Pt. 132, App. A Appendix A to Part... Internet Gambling Enforcement Act Notice Dear [Name of foreign counterparty]: On [date], U.S. government officials informed us that your institution processed payments through our facilities for Internet gambling...

31 CFR Appendix A to Part 132 - Model Notice

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... THE TREASURY PROHIBITION ON FUNDING OF UNLAWFUL INTERNET GAMBLING Pt. 132, App. A Appendix A to Part... Internet Gambling Enforcement Act Notice Dear [Name of foreign counterparty]: On [date], U.S. government officials informed us that your institution processed payments through our facilities for Internet gambling...

IN DEFENSE OF ECORISK ASSESSMENT (LETTER TO EDITOR)

EPA Science Inventory

Dear Editor: We are writing to convey a more accurate portrayal of the status of ecological ("environmental" in Europe) risk assessment that was presented in the recent article by M. Power and L.S. McCarty (Fallacies in Ecological Risk Assessment Practices," August 1997, pp 370A-...

Standards vs. Customization: Finding the Balance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cuban, Larry

2012-01-01

Many practitioners (and the public) highly value standardizing curriculum and instruction for students. They believe that common standards and instruction will produce equal opportunity--a value dear to most policymakers and educators, and to Americans in general. Yet educators and the public also prize individual excellence. Differentiating the…

31 CFR Appendix A to Part 132 - Model Notice

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... THE TREASURY PROHIBITION ON FUNDING OF UNLAWFUL INTERNET GAMBLING Pt. 132, App. A Appendix A to Part... Internet Gambling Enforcement Act Notice Dear [Name of foreign counterparty]: On [date], U.S. government officials informed us that your institution processed payments through our facilities for Internet gambling...

48 CFR 901.102 - Authority.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Authority. 901.102 Section... REGULATIONS SYSTEM Purpose, Authority, Issuance 901.102 Authority. The DEAR and amendments thereto are issued... the authority of section 644 of the Department of Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7254), section...

UTILIZING THE PAKS METHOD FOR MEASURING ACROLEIN AND OTHER ALDEHYDES IN DEARS

EPA Science Inventory

Acrolein is a hazardous air pollutant of high priority due to its high irritation potency and other potential adverse health effects. However, a reliable method is currently unavailable for measuring airborne acrolein at typical environmental levels. In the Detroit Exposure and A...

Dear Colleague Letter: Harassment and Bullying

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ali, Russlynn

2010-01-01

In recent years, many state departments of education and local school districts have taken steps to reduce bullying in schools. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) fully supports these efforts. Bullying fosters a climate of fear and disrespect that can seriously impair the physical and psychological health of its victims and create…

Americans in Middle Years: Career Options and Educational Opportunities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Entine, Alan D., Ed.

Twelve papers address three topics: the middle years--dimensions and dilemmas; the middle years--suggestions and solutions; and the changing university--new audiences for learning. Bruce Dearing examines personal, human questions posed by maturing individuals and indicates how they present challenges for a lifetime learning process. Bentley Glass…

Dear Mrs. Roosevelt: Cries for Help from Depression Youth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Robert

1996-01-01

Personalizes the devastating effect of the Great Depression on young people through excerpts of letters sent to Eleanor Roosevelt. Young people across the country responded to the First Lady's efforts on behalf of the poor and dispossessed. Discusses the many relief and work programs created by the New Deal. (MJP)

Air Force Pilot Retention-1988.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-04-01

34 Air Force Times, 11 January 1988, pp. -" 1,12. 3. D.irbv’, Kit. "Dear Military Pilot." Future Aviation Pro- fessionals of America, ( FAPA ), 15...America ( FAPA . 0. Other professional journals or publications E. Newspapers . A. "Wurd of mouth" L. Personal contact(s) made while occupying my present

Cowards, Comrades, and Killer Angels: The Soldier in Literature

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-06-01

feelings of a soldier already resigned to the grave. Thus, for the sane soldier who holds life dear, fear is an ever-present companion , and, not...counts on them for his own survival. Killer Angels Once Chamberlain had a speech memorized from Shakespeare and gave it proudly, [his father

12 CFR Appendix A to Part 233 - Model Notice

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

...) PROHIBITION ON FUNDING OF UNLAWFUL INTERNET GAMBLING (REGULATION GG) Pt. 233, App. A Appendix A to Part 233... Internet Gambling Enforcement Act Notice Dear [Name of foreign counterparty]: On [date], U.S. government officials informed us that your institution processed payments through our facilities for Internet gambling...

12 CFR Appendix A to Part 233 - Model Notice

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

...) PROHIBITION ON FUNDING OF UNLAWFUL INTERNET GAMBLING (REGULATION GG) Pt. 233, App. A Appendix A to Part 233... Internet Gambling Enforcement Act Notice Dear [Name of foreign counterparty]: On [date], U.S. government officials informed us that your institution processed payments through our facilities for Internet gambling...

12 CFR Appendix A to Part 233 - Model Notice

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

...) PROHIBITION ON FUNDING OF UNLAWFUL INTERNET GAMBLING (REGULATION GG) Pt. 233, App. A Appendix A to Part 233... Internet Gambling Enforcement Act Notice Dear [Name of foreign counterparty]: On [date], U.S. government officials informed us that your institution processed payments through our facilities for Internet gambling...

Teaching with Newspapers (Third Edition).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunn, Angus M.

Student materials, teaching suggestions, and resource lists for using newspapers in various content areas in elementary and junior high schools are presented. The first section provides an overview of a newspaper by having students identify items on the first page, reply to a "Dear Abby" letter, analyze a photograph, examine a ski…

Mixing It Up with Dickinson: Two High School Poetry Workshops.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackhawk, Terry

2003-01-01

Uses Emily Dickinson as the focus of three poetry workshops at Western Michigan University with high school students attending the Michigan Youth Arts Festival as winners in a state-wide poetry competition. Describes two poetry workshops: "Dear World" - Dickinson in Detroit, and "Walking toward you without knowing" - Michigan…

Questioning the Order of Operations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dupree, Kami M.

2016-01-01

For decades, students have been encouraged to use "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" as a means of learning the order of operations. Teachers unfamiliar with the Aunt Sally mnemonic are perhaps more familiar with a mnemonic such as PEMDAS. Each mnemonic is intended to convey "parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division,…

Excellence in Public Relations: Lesson from Larry Speakes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Detweiler, John S.

Former presidential press secretary Larry Speakes' confession that he manufactured a quote for President Reagan at the November 1987 summit in Geneva, Switzerland, created a firestorm which cost Speakes dearly, raised serious problems about the ethics of public relations practitioners, and contained broad implications for the profession. A study…

Good Advice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dryden, Lisa S.

2005-01-01

Letter writing in a "Dear Abby" format can encourage your reluctant writers to dig deeper into books by dispensing advice to troubled characters When this author's triplet daughters were in the fifth grade and wrote the advice column for their school newspaper, she discovered giving advice can motivate reluctant writers. This realization prompted …

Our Voices: A Descriptive Account of African American Parental Involvement in an Urban Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sudduth, Charletta D.

2011-01-01

Parent involvement may have implications for student achievement (Epstein, 1986; Hoover-Dempsey, Bassler, & Brisse, 1987; Lopez, Scribner, & Mahitivanichcha, 2001). Today African-American parents are frequently criticized for not being involved enough in their students' education (Dearing, Kreider, Simpkins, & Weiss, 2006). African-American parent…

Diaries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohrn, Deborah Gore, Ed.

1992-01-01

This periodical issue focuses on the theme of diaries, and includes excerpts from the diaries of Iowa children who lived at different times in history. The following features are included: Dear Diary; Eliza's Journey Across the Plains; The Vacation Diary; Children's Diaries; How to Keep a Diary; Soldiering Diary; Slang Game; Diary Detective Game;…

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

Bernstein, J.

Last month Saddam Hussein charged that oil overproduction by his neighbors was costing Iraq dearly. When an OPEC meeting collapsed last week, he sent 100,000 troops to seize Kuwait, which he had accused of stealing oil. The US is scrambling to organize a Western boycott, but some analysts question just how effective such a more would be.

Civil Wrongs: Federal Equity Initiative Promotes Paperwork, Not Equality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melnick, R. Shep

2016-01-01

In October 2014, U.S. secretary of education Arne Duncan announced the Obama administration's new "education equity initiative," explaining that the president could not "continue to wait" for Congress to act "on behalf of vulnerable children." The centerpiece of this initiative was a 37-page "Dear Colleague"…

75 FR 68217 - Acquisition Regulation: Agency Supplementary Regulations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-05

... amending the Department of Energy Acquisition Regulation (DEAR) on DOE Management and Operating Contracts..., and update references. Today's rule does not alter substantive rights or obligations under current law... Contracts to conform it to the FAR. None of today's changes are substantive or of a nature to cause any...

Latin America Report, No. 2713

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-07-27

UNOMASUNO in Spanish 8 Jun 83 pp 1, 6 [Article by Sara Lovera and Mario Garcia Sordo] [Text] Yesterday, in the establishment of the National Peasant...Director Rolando Trelles, dated 24 June 1983] [Text] Dear Director and Friend: The aim of the Christian Democratic Party’s [PDC] owners is not

Exploitability Assessment with TEASER

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-01

dear friends Leo St. Amour, Ricky T, Andreas Kellas, and Paul Deardorff for taking time out of their busy schedules to proofread this thesis. Last, I...in glibc mal- loc function. Marked as severe on Chromium, but no known exploit Table 5.1: Summary of results of TEASER compared with other tools and

DEAR FELLOW AMERICANS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

GULMON, LYNN

THE HOUSING, WORK, HEALTH, AND SCHOOLING CONDITIONS OF COLORADO MIGRANT WORKERS AND THEIR CHILDREN WERE PRESENTED. HOUSING CONDITIONS FOR DOMESTIC LABORERS WERE VERY POOR. THERE WERE NO WELLS, NO REFRIGERATION, NO RUNNING WATER, NO STOVES OTHER THAN WOODBURNING OR COAL ONES, AND NO SCREENS ON DOORS AND WINDOWS. IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT MIGRANT…

Korea to Kalimantan and Beyond: The Employment of United States Army Forces in Military Civic Action in the Pacific Command Area of Responsibility

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-04-09

may not be reeased (or open ibkou eanb t it his been deared by de appropriate military servlc or govemlient mency. Co KOREA TO KALIMANTAN AND BEYOND... Kalimantan and Beyond: The Employment of United States Army Forces Individual Study in Military Civic Action in the Pacific 6. PERFORMING ORG. REPORTN MBER...PROGRAM PAPER KOREA TO KALIMANTAN AND BEYOND: THE EMPLOYMENT OF UNITED STATES ARMY FORCES IN MILITARY CIVIC ACTION IN THE PACIFIC COMMAND AREA OF

The Social Context of Mathematics Teaching. Perspectives 37.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ernest, Paul, Ed.

This publication contains seven papers by the staff of the University of Exeter School of Education and by invited outside contributors. The focus is on issues that consider the social context of mathematics. The papers are: (1) "Images of Mathematics" (Leone Burton); (2) "Of Course You Could be an Engineer, Dear, but Wouldn't You…

Defending a New Domain: The Pentagon’s Cyberstrategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

mentali.tT will not work. The United States cannot retreat behind a Maginot Line offire- wttlls or it will risk being overrun. Cyber - warfare is like...provides a dear and accountable way to marshal cyber - warfare resources from across tl~e military. A single chain of command runs f’rom the U.S

Make an Alarm! Grades 3-5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rushton, Erik; Ryan, Emily; Swift, Charles

After reading the story "Dear Mr. Henshaw" by Beverly Cleary, students build an alarm system for something in the classroom as the main character, Leigh, does to protect his lunchbox from thieves. Students learn about alarms and use their creativity to create an alarm system to protect their lockers, desk, or classroom door. This activity uses a…

Sexual Assault Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg: Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevalence in College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oswalt, Sara B.; Wyatt, Tammy J.; Ochoa, Yesenia

2018-01-01

With the advent of the "Dear Colleague" letter in 2011, higher education institutions have become focused on sexual assault and related policies, procedures regarding offenses, and prevention education. Institutions should consider using this spotlight on interpersonal dynamics to increase awareness about other types of relationship…

Gender-Based Violence Prevention. Issues in Prevention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence Prevention, 2012

2012-01-01

This issue of "Issues in Prevention" focuses on gender-based violence prevention. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Preventing Gender-Based Violence: An Overview (Linda Langford); (2) Q&A With Amelia Cobb; (3) Denim Day at HBCUs; (4) Dear Colleague Letter; (5) ED Grants for Violence Prevention; and (6) Higher Education Center…

The Experiences of Incoming Transgender College Students: New Data on Gender Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stolzenberg, Ellen Bara; Hughes, Bryce

2017-01-01

According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, transgender students in K-12 settings experience high rates of harassment (78 percent), physical assault (35 percent), and even sexual violence (12 percent). In response to the mounting evidence of discrimination, the Obama administration in May 2016 issued a "Dear Colleague"…

31 CFR Appendix A to Part 132 - Model Notice

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... INTERNET GAMBLING Pt. 132, App. A Appendix A to Part 132—Model Notice [Date] [Name of foreign sender or foreign banking office] [Address] Re: U.S. Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act Notice Dear [Name of... payments through our facilities for Internet gambling transactions restricted by U.S. law on [dates...

"Dear Fresher …"--How Online Questionnaires Can Improve Learning and Teaching Statistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bebermeier, Sarah; Nussbeck, Fridtjof W.; Ontrup, Greta

2015-01-01

Lecturers teaching statistics are faced with several challenges supporting students' learning in appropriate ways. A variety of methods and tools exist to facilitate students' learning on statistics courses. The online questionnaires presented in this report are a new, slightly different computer-based tool: the central aim was to support students…

Tragic Paradox in Achebe's "Arrow of God"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soile, Sola

1976-01-01

Leads into a discussion of Chinua Achebe's "Arrow of God" (1964) from his earlier novel "Things Fall Apart" (1958), because such a comparative approach provides an opportunity to see Achebe's elaboration and development of a subject that is obviously dear to his heart, namely, the trials and tribulations of a dynamic society as…

Voices from Vietnam: The New Literature from America's Longest War.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kneeshaw, Stephen

1988-01-01

Provides an essay review of seven books, written since 1983, on the Vietnam War. The titles include: THE BAD WAR: AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE VIETNAM WAR (1987); IN THE COMBAT ZONE: AN ORAL HISTORY OF AMERICAN WOMEN IN VIETNAM, 1966-1975 (1987); and DEAR AMERICA: LETTERS HOME FROM VIETNAM (1985). (JDH)

10 CFR 626.6 - Acquiring oil by direct purchase.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., DOE may increase the rate of purchases if prices fall below recent price trends or futures markets... accordance with the FAR and the DEAR. (b) Acquisition strategy. (1) DOE solicitations: (i) May be either... availability of ships, pipelines and terminals to move and receive the oil. (3) Based on the market analysis...

"Dear Professor: This Is What I Want You to Know."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Workman, Brooke

1986-01-01

Describes high school students' letters written to help their teacher interpret youth culture to college professors at an upcoming seminar. Essays reflected four themes: (1) a search for family, (2) identity problems and loneliness, (3) living with rapid change, and (4) fear of failure, especially in college. (2 references) (MLH)

Introduction to "Queering the Writing Center"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eodice, Michele

2010-01-01

Queer theory challenges what is "normal" and questions the mechanics behind individuals and their institutions' efforts to maintain "normal." Queer theory can help a person get over himself/herself, and, as a result, the words, bodies, spaces, and beliefs that he/she holds dear will be called upon to respond. Harry Denny's article instructs…

Dear Reader, Please Write!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giles, Rebecca McMahon

2008-01-01

In our modern world of cellular phone calls, text messaging, and electronic mail, letter writing has become a lost art. What better way to motivate today's youth to experience the pleasure of "snail mail" than by reading a tale told through a series of such correspondence? The winning combination of a good story line and entertaining…

Thoughts on the "Languages Review"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byram, Michael

2007-01-01

The Review (Dearing & King, 2007) will doubtless be judged less on its detailed content and standpoint and more on the impact it has on politicians' and ministers' priorities for teaching languages. For the Review is concerned with language "teaching" much more than with "learning". This is evident, for example, in the discussion of the consensus…

Black Like Who?: The Class of 2014 Considers Race in "Dear White People"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beck, Bernard

2015-01-01

Modern educational institutions were associated with the separation of children from ordinary people and of the schoolhouse from the ordinary world, creating an educational subculture and a minority population of schoolchildren. Passage through this subculture became a universal shared experience. Higher education grew at the same time into an…

"Dear Friend" (?): Culture and Genre in American and Canadian Direct Marketing Letters.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graves, Roger

1997-01-01

Examines differences between Canadian and American cultures as manifested in direct marketing letters. Investigates aspects of Canadian culture, including tolerance for others, awareness of class distinctions, and concern for the collective over the individual. Compares direct mail letters sent to Canadians and to Americans, analyzing the use of…

‘Nasty neighbours’ rather than ‘dear enemies’ in a social carnivore

PubMed Central

Müller, Corsin A; Manser, Marta B

2007-01-01

Territorial animals typically respond less aggressively to neighbours than to strangers. This ‘dear enemy effect’ has been explained by differing familiarity or by different threat levels posed by neighbours and strangers. In most species, both the familiarity and the threat-level hypotheses predict a stronger response to strangers than to neighbours. In contrast, the threat-level hypothesis predicts a stronger response to neighbours than to strangers in species with intense competition between neighbours and with residents outnumbering strangers, as commonly found in social mammals such as the banded mongoose (Mungos mungo). The familiarity hypothesis predicts reduced aggression towards neighbours also in these species. We exposed free-living banded mongoose groups to translocated scent marks of neighbouring groups and strangers. Groups vocalized more and inspected more samples in response to olfactory cues of the neighbours than to the strangers. Our results support the threat-level hypothesis and contradict the familiarity hypothesis. We suggest that increased aggression towards neighbours is more common in social species with intense competition between neighbours, as opposed to reduced aggression towards neighbours typical for most solitary species. PMID:17251103

Road safety risk evaluation and target setting using data envelopment analysis and its extensions.

PubMed

Shen, Yongjun; Hermans, Elke; Brijs, Tom; Wets, Geert; Vanhoof, Koen

2012-09-01

Currently, comparison between countries in terms of their road safety performance is widely conducted in order to better understand one's own safety situation and to learn from those best-performing countries by indicating practical targets and formulating action programmes. In this respect, crash data such as the number of road fatalities and casualties are mostly investigated. However, the absolute numbers are not directly comparable between countries. Therefore, the concept of risk, which is defined as the ratio of road safety outcomes and some measure of exposure (e.g., the population size, the number of registered vehicles, or distance travelled), is often used in the context of benchmarking. Nevertheless, these risk indicators are not consistent in most cases. In other words, countries may have different evaluation results or ranking positions using different exposure information. In this study, data envelopment analysis (DEA) as a performance measurement technique is investigated to provide an overall perspective on a country's road safety situation, and further assess whether the road safety outcomes registered in a country correspond to the numbers that can be expected based on the level of exposure. In doing so, three model extensions are considered, which are the DEA based road safety model (DEA-RS), the cross-efficiency method, and the categorical DEA model. Using the measures of exposure to risk as the model's input and the number of road fatalities as output, an overall road safety efficiency score is computed for the 27 European Union (EU) countries based on the DEA-RS model, and the ranking of countries in accordance with their cross-efficiency scores is evaluated. Furthermore, after applying clustering analysis to group countries with inherent similarity in their practices, the categorical DEA-RS model is adopted to identify best-performing and underperforming countries in each cluster, as well as the reference sets or benchmarks for those underperforming ones. More importantly, the extent to which each reference set could be learned from is specified, and practical yet challenging targets are given for each underperforming country, which enables policymakers to recognize the gap with those best-performing countries and further develop their own road safety policy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ACSI Survey 2014

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2014-08-26

Upcoming EOSDIS Survey   Dear Colleagues,   In the next few days, you will ... on behalf of NASA. This message will ask you to complete a survey for users of NASA Earth science data and services, which includes the ... System (EOSDIS) science data centers evaluated by this survey. The purpose of this survey is to help NASA and the DAACs assess ...

Campus Improvement Committee Working to Increase Morale, Productivity | Poster

Cancer.gov

The Campus Improvement Committee (CIC) has recently been re-established, with Mike Addington, manager, Operations and Maintenance, as chair. Addington is excited to be involved in a committee that’s so near and dear to his heart, and he’s a big believer in the value of increasing morale and productivity through an appealing and pleasant work environment.

41 CFR 109-1.106-50 - Applicability of FPMR and DOE-PMR.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Regulation (DEAR), 48 CFR part 945. (g) Regulations for the management of personal property held by financial... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Applicability of FPMR and DOE-PMR. 109-1.106-50 Section 109-1.106-50 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal...

Dear Colleague Letter: English Learner Students and Limited English Proficient Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Department of Justice, 2015

2015-01-01

Forty years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States determined that in order for public schools to comply with their legal obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), they must take affirmative steps to ensure that students with limited English proficiency (LEP) can meaningfully participate in their educational…

Dear Diary: Confessions of a Nice White Girl

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradley, Deborah

2005-01-01

"Music and the Racial Imagination" triggered the reminiscences from the author's teens described in the "diary presented in this article." These memories undoubtedly played a role in her decision to enter an undergraduate music education program at the age of 40. These and other memories have been called up in a variety of contexts more recently…

Dear Colleague Letter: Responding to Bullying of Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lhamon, Catherine E.

2014-01-01

While there is broad consensus that bullying is wrong and cannot be tolerated in schools, the reality is that bullying persists in schools today, and especially for students with disabilities. In recent years, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the U.S. Department of Education (Department) has received an ever-increasing number of complaints…

Organisational Communication and Its Relationships with Occupational Stress of Primary School Staff in Western Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Nobile, John

2016-01-01

Occupational stress is an important issue for most occupations and often arises when the demands of the workplace become excessive or aspects of work are unpleasant. If left unmanaged occupational stress can lead to a range of outcomes that can cost organisations dearly, including burnout, physical sickness, absenteeism and turnover. Some aspects…

75 FR 37520 - Bureau of Political-Military Affairs: Directorate of Defense Trade Controls; Notifications to the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-29

... support the HYLAS 2 Commercial Communication Satellite Program of the United Kingdom. The United States... (Transmittal No. 10-002) Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives Dear Madam Speaker... the C-130 Air Crew Training Device Program for end use by the Royal Saudi Air Force. The United States...

Developmental Needs and Early Childhood Education: Evolutionary, My Dear Watson

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henry, Margaret

2004-01-01

Examining the processes of natural selection, described by Darwin in "The Origin of Species", casts light on our own species' fundamental needs and on the far greater role that early childhood educators can play in their fulfillment. The second section of this paper analyzes how our fundamental needs emerge in a sequence underpinned by the…

Restoring Progressive Values

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berman, Sheldon H.

2005-01-01

Irwin Blumer, a colleague and mentor, once said that it is the vision one articulates and the values one holds dear that provide the real leadership to move a school district forward. In his own tenure as superintendent, the values of equity and respect for human differences were paramount, and everyone in his district knew it. Today, in an era of…

No Tears for the Dear Departed "Inservice"--Its Time Has Come

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Joan

2007-01-01

In this article, the author wants to bury inservice and all of the outdated practices that go with it such as "delivery of professional development," "training," "staff development programs," "professional development activities," and "ippy dippys." She wants to bury them so deep that no educator will ever again use them to describe the learning…

A Quilt of Many Colors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masse, Don

2012-01-01

The author discovered artist Eleanor McCain's work on "Dear Ada," an art blog he follows. McCain makes brightly colored art quilts using various rectangles and squares. She creates visual "pop" by using these shapes in a variety of sizes and bright colors. There is an interesting spatial "push and pull" that happens when looking at her quilts.…

"Dear Miss Breed": Using Primary Documents to Advance Student Understanding of Japanese Internment Camps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westcott, Patrick; Viator, Martha Graham

2008-01-01

The history of the United States includes myriad examples of courage and selflessness as well as instances of prejudice and discrimination. Many students believe that prejudice and discrimination are limited to individuals and do not realize that these can form part of government or national policy. In this article, the authors highlight the…

Enhancing Title Ix Due Process Standards in Campus Sexual Assault Adjudication: Considering the Roles of Distributive, Procedural, and Restorative Justice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harper, Shannon; Maskaly, Jon; Kirkner, Anne; Lorenz, Katherine

2017-01-01

Title IX prohibits sex discrimination--including sexual assault--in higher education. The Department of Education Office for Civil Rights' 2011 "Dear Colleague Letter" outlines recommendations for campus sexual assault adjudication allowing a variety of procedures that fail to protect accused students' due process rights and victims'…

77 FR 56523 - National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, 2012

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-13

... Proclamation Eleven years ago, America confronted one of our darkest days. The events of September 11, 2001... dear. Many have returned with dark memories of distant places and fallen friends; too many will never... September 11, 2001, in our hour of grief, a Nation came together. No matter where we came from, what God we...

Utilizing the Virtual Communication Sport-Delivery Model to Promote Extracurricular Athletics for Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Busse, Sean; Davis, Ronald

2016-01-01

In 2010, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) reevaluated the status of Public Law 93-112, Sec 504, which protects against discrimination solely based on someone's disability. Recommendations and findings were reported to school districts around the country in a document called the Dear Colleague Letter of 2013. The GAO…

Biological Survey, Buffalo River and Outer Harbor of Buffalo, New York. Volume II. Data Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-01

SamplintDate: 4-23-81 and 4-24-81 MG - male, gravid FG - female, gravid S - spent Secies Iength(cm) Sex Condition Station 14 Net lost due to log jam moving down...virginiana Duchesne. Strawberry Melilotus officinklis (L.) Dear. Sweet yellow clover annuus (L.) Pers. Fleabane Rosa sp. Rose Rhamnus sp. Buckthorn

32 CFR Appendix G to Part 516 - Figures

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... that you respond to this letter by 27 April 1993. If you have any questions, please call CPT Taylor at... 84167 Dear Mr. Taylor: This letter responds to your request to interview and depose Captain Buzz Sawyer... United States. See 32 CFR § 516.48. If you have any questions, please call CPT Taylor at 919-882-4500...

Can We Legislate Spam?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wigen, Wendy

2004-01-01

Spam is not just a technology issue. It is a social issue, and it threatens something very dear: the viability of e-mail. Campuses struggle to support solutions that will control the costs of filtering spam, keep "false positives" to a minimum and not diminish their own marketing use of mass e-mails. The openness of the Internet, long touted as…

Civil Rights Enforcement Gone Haywire: The Federal Government's New School-Discipline Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Epstein, Richard A.

2014-01-01

In January, 2014, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education (ED) issued a joint "Dear Colleague Letter" to K-12 schools. The topic discussed in their joint letter is whether administrators are punishing minority children more harshly than white children for…

Students with Disabilities Participation in Extracurricular Athletics: School District Obligations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yell, Mitchell L.; Losinski, Mickey L.; Katsiyannis, Antonis

2014-01-01

On January 25, 2013 the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) in the U.S. Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague letter (DCL) that addressed the obligations of school districts under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act regarding the participation of students with disabilities in extracurricular athletic activities (U.S. Department of Education,…

Preface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliasson, B.; Stenflo, L.; Bingham, R.; Mendonça, J. T.; Mamun, A. A.; Shaikh, D.

2010-08-01

It is our great pleasure to dedicate this special issue of Journal of Plasma Physics to our dear friend and colleague Professor Padma Kant Shukla on the occasion of his 60th birthday on 7th July 2010. Padma is one of the most prominent and productive scientists in plasma physics and in neighboring fields, and has published more than 1300 papers in scientific journals. It has for some time been the aim of his friends to honor him on this occasion, and earlier this year we sent out invitations to distinguished scientists who have collaborated with Padma over the years. The response has been overwhelming, and we collected 43 manuscripts, covering a diverse range of topics in plasma physics, which are now published in this issue. We believe that these papers reflect some of the impact of Padma's research in plasma physics.

OBJ-1, a Study in Executable Algebraic Formal Specification.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-09-30

AD-A136 282 0~ DNEEAA EAGBACOM / SPEC CAION(U) SRI INTERNATIONAL MENL0 PARK CA 30 SEP 83 NOON 4-83- C 0333 UNCLASSIFIED A/ 9/2 NL.mE.. liii102. 8...Contract No. N00014-83- C -0333 Subject: Progress Report for Fiscal Year 1983 Dear Dr. Grafton: Enclosed is one copy of our technical progress report on our...Unlimited 313 Ravenswood Ave e Menlo Park. CA94025 0 415 326-620) e flWX 010-373-1246 • TELEX 3,463 * Facsimilp 415 32f-5512 ~3 / C /A% ., A cceSionFor L T

32 CFR Appendix A to Part 327 - Sample DeCA Response Letter

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 32 National Defense 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Sample DeCA Response Letter A Appendix A to Part...) PRIVACY PROGRAM DEFENSE COMMISSARY AGENCY PRIVACY ACT PROGRAM Pt. 327, App. A Appendix A to Part 327—Sample DeCA Response Letter Mrs. Floria Employee 551 Florida Avenue Oakland, CA 94618 Dear Mrs. Employee...

Your Wildest Dreams: "No End in Sight", "The Astronaut Farmer", and Other American Follies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beck, Bernard

2008-01-01

Two recent movies, "No End in Sight" and "The Astronaut Farmer", exemplify a common kind of American movie: An intrepid lone individual pursues an impossible and outlandish goal against great odds and the opposition of many people, including dear ones. Although there are great costs and early failures, the lone hero is successful, and all doubts…

Dear Diary: Don't Be Alarmed . . . I'm a Boy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heydt, Scott

2004-01-01

Females of all ages seem to be encouraged by literature to pick up a journal and document their lives. Indeed, the words diary and female seem to be synonymous with one another. Females everyday are exposed to the first hand benefits of keeping a diary or journal, but what sort of influences do males have to gain approval that journaling is…

Dear Mr. Kozol. . . . Four African American Women Scholars and the Re-Authoring of Savage Inequalities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farmer-Hinton, Raquel; Lewis, Joi D.; Patton, Lori D.; Rivers, Ishwanzya D.

2013-01-01

Background: In 1991, Savage Inequalities quickly became the most riveting assessment of the inequalities in U.S. public schools. When Kozol visited East St. Louis for his book, the authors of this paper lived and attended schools there. As Kozol's readers in their respective graduate and undergraduate classes, the authors found it difficult to…

Discussing Education by Means of Metaphors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guilherme, Alex; Souza de Freitas, Ana Lucia

2018-01-01

Metaphors help us understand a concept by resorting to the imaginary because it is sometimes difficult to do so through the use of words alone. Thinkers have made use of metaphors to not only describe 'falling in love', 'the pain of losing someone dear to us', but also to describe particular concepts both in arts and sciences. In fact, the use of…

"Dear Employer, Let Me Introduce Myself"--Flow, Satisfaction with Work-Life Balance and Millennials' Creativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mihelic, Katarina Katja; Aleksic, Darija

2017-01-01

With creativity being recognised as a key driver of organizational success, organizations emphasize the need for their employees to be creative and to work long hours. This article takes a step toward understanding the factors contributing to the creativity of millennials, a generation pursuing meaningful work and cherishing a work-life balance.…

77 FR 12617 - United States et al. v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana, Inc., et al.; Public Comments and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-01

... AMA is the largest association of physicians and medical students in the United States. The AMA's...-29656] Dear Mr. Soven: On behalf of the physician and medical student members of the American Medical... robust competition within the market than existed before the Agreement. Given the weak state of health...

STEM Education: A Deficit Framework for the Twenty First Century? A Sociocultural Socioscientific Response

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeidler, Dana L.

2016-01-01

The ubiquitous of STEM education initiatives in recent years has created a bandwagon that has moved at nearly light speed. The impulse of the science education community and policy-makers is to grab hold for dear life or be marginalized from subsequent discussions about the necessity and consequences of using STEM initiatives to prepare and inform…

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

J. Blair Briggs; Robert W. Schaefer

Richard D. McKnight passed away on 28 August 2013. Dick was known to most for his technical excellence; leadership; and kind, thoughtful demeanor. The authors have attempted to capture, in a few short pages, elements of each of those qualities that defined Dick McKnight. The authors will then conclude with some personal memories of a man they looked to as a dear colleague, mentor, and friend.

Dear World: How Children around the World Feel about Our Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Temple, Lannis, Ed.

This book is a collection of letters and drawings created by children, that illustrate what they like to do with nature, their fears about the future of nature, and how they would like to treat nature. The book's author traveled the world and visited schools from a variety of areas, including large, medium, and small cities, country towns, and…

A Distance-based Energy Aware Routing algorithm for wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Wang, Jin; Kim, Jeong-Uk; Shu, Lei; Niu, Yu; Lee, Sungyoung

2010-01-01

Energy efficiency and balancing is one of the primary challenges for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) since the tiny sensor nodes cannot be easily recharged once they are deployed. Up to now, many energy efficient routing algorithms or protocols have been proposed with techniques like clustering, data aggregation and location tracking etc. However, many of them aim to minimize parameters like total energy consumption, latency etc., which cause hotspot nodes and partitioned network due to the overuse of certain nodes. In this paper, a Distance-based Energy Aware Routing (DEAR) algorithm is proposed to ensure energy efficiency and energy balancing based on theoretical analysis of different energy and traffic models. During the routing process, we consider individual distance as the primary parameter in order to adjust and equalize the energy consumption among involved sensors. The residual energy is also considered as a secondary factor. In this way, all the intermediate nodes will consume their energy at similar rate, which maximizes network lifetime. Simulation results show that the DEAR algorithm can reduce and balance the energy consumption for all sensor nodes so network lifetime is greatly prolonged compared to other routing algorithms.

Kuiper Prize: Giant Planet Atmospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingersoll, Andrew P.

2007-10-01

The study of giant planet atmospheres is near and dear to me, for several reasons. First, the giant planets are photogenic; the colored clouds are great tracers, and one can make fantastic movies of the atmosphere in motion. Second, the giant planets challenge us with storms that last for hundreds of years and winds that blow faster the farther you go from the sun. Third, they remind us of Earth with their hurricanes, auroras, and lightning, but they also are the link to the 200 giant planets that have been discovered around other stars. This talk will cover the past, present, and future (one hopes) of giant planet research. I will review the surprises of the Voyager and Galileo eras, and will discuss what we are learning now from the Cassini orbiter. I will review the prospects for answering the outstanding questions like: Where's the water? What is providing the colors of the clouds? How deep do the features extend? Where do the winds get their energy? What is the role of the magnetic field? Finally, I will briefly discuss how extrasolar giant planets compare with objects in our own solar system.

Development And Characterization Of A Liner-On-Target Injector For Staged Z-Pinch Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valenzuela, J. C.; Conti, F.; Krasheninnikov, I.; Narkis, J.; Beg, F.; Wessel, F. J.; Rahman, H. U.

2016-10-01

We present the design and optimization of a liner-on-target injector for Staged Z-pinch experiments. The injector is composed of an annular high atomic number (e.g. Ar, Kr) gas-puff and an on-axis plasma gun that delivers the ionized deuterium target. The liner nozzle injector has been carefully studied using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to produce a highly collimated 1 cm radius gas profile that satisfies the theoretical requirement for best performance on the 1 MA Zebra current driver. The CFD simulations produce density profiles as a function of the nozzle shape and gas. These profiles are initialized in the MHD MACH2 code to find the optimal liner density for a stable, uniform implosion. We use a simple Snowplow model to study the plasma sheath acceleration in a coaxial plasma gun to help us properly design the target injector. We have performed line-integrated density measurements using a CW He-Ne laser to characterize the liner gas and the plasma gun density as a function of time. The measurements are compared with models and calculations and benchmarked accordingly. Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy, DE-AR0000569.

The Birth of a Faith School in the Post-Dearing Era: Asking Questions and Consultation, and Getting Things Done

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Worsley, Howard

2005-01-01

The article is an historical account of the establishment of a new voluntary aided secondary school, named Nottingham Emmanuel School. The national and local contexts are established and discussed in practical and theological reflective ways by examining four key questions; (1) will the church take risks in education; (2) can the church deliver in…

Computer Security: Virus Highlights Need for Improved Internet Management

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

and Finance Committee on Energy and Commerce House of Representatives Dear Mr. Chairman: This report responds to your October 14,1988, request and...virus incident, the Chairman, Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance , House Committee on Energy and Commerce, asked GAO to provide an overview...Chairman, Subcom- mittee on Telecommunications and Finance , House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and subsequent agreements with his office, the

What Will They Learn? A Survey of Core Requirements at Our Nation's Colleges and Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bako, Tom; Kempson, Lauri; Lakemacher, Heather; Markley, Eric

2010-01-01

The crisis in higher education is about more than money. It is about what one has been paying for, paying for dearly. The public, even in these hard times, supports higher education with its tax dollars. And families make huge sacrifices to send their sons and daughters to college. They deserve in return higher education that provides real…

17 CFR 270.27f-1 - Notice of right of withdrawal required to be mailed to periodic payment plan certificate holders...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (Date of mailing) Re: __ (1) __ Dear __ (2) __: This notice is required to be sent to all purchasers of... the option of the sender. (2) The name of certificate holder or an identification such as “Investor...) The name and address of the custodian bank or other person authorized to accept surrendered...

"Dear Tupac, You Speak to Me": Recruiting Hip Hop as Curriculum at a School for Pregnant and Parenting Teens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hallman, Heidi L.

2009-01-01

This article provides a rich representation of how in-school practices that recruit students' "out-of-school" literacies, such as hip hop, can be used as critical bridges in students' learning. Hip hop, conceptualized in this article as an "out-of-school" literacy, works as a vehicle for curricular change at Eastview School for Pregnant and…

Final Report for DE-AR0000708

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

Donohue, Marc; Aranovich, Gregory; Wang, Chao

This project determined the effect of adsorption compression on the rates of catalytic chemical reactions. It was shown that in regions of strong adsorption compression there is a dramatic increase in the rate of catalytic chemical reaction. Experiments focused on the conversion of NO to molecular nitrogen and oxygen. Data analysis techniques were developed to allow interpretation of experimental data and prediction of conditions for optimal reaction rates.

United States Air Force F-35A Operational Basing Environmental Impact Statement. Appendix E: Comments

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

Germanos, Nicholas M Civ USAF HQ ACC/A7NS From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Mr. Germanos, Ginger Hobbs Monday, July 15, 2013 9:45PM Germanos...considerat ion of all t he facts. Thank you, Ginger Hobbs 1 E-757 Germanos, Nicholas M Civ USAF HQ ACC/A7NS From: Sent: To: Subject: Kara Schwartz

Instructional design strategies for health behavior change.

PubMed

Kinzie, Mable B

2005-01-01

To help health educators build upon the best of different health behavior change theories, this paper offers a unified set of instructional design strategies for health education interventions. This set draws upon the recommendations of Rosenstock (Health Belief Model), Bandura (Social Cognitive Theory), and Dearing (Diffusion Theory), and uses a modified Events of Instruction framework (adapted from Robert Gagne): gain attention (convey health threats and benefits), present stimulus material (tailor message to audience knowledge and values, demonstrate observable effectiveness, make behaviors easy-to-understand and do), provide guidance (use trustworthy models to demonstrate), elicit performance and provide feedback (to enhance trialability, develop proficiency and self-efficacy), enhance retention and transfer (provide social supports and deliver behavioral cues). Sample applications of these strategies are provided. A brief review of research on adolescent smoking prevention enables consideration of the frequency with which these strategies are used, and possible patterns between strategy use and behavioral outcomes.

From the ventral to the dorsal striatum: devolving views of their roles in drug addiction.

PubMed

Everitt, Barry J; Robbins, Trevor W

2013-11-01

We revisit our hypothesis that drug addiction can be viewed as the endpoint of a series of transitions from initial voluntarily drug use to habitual, and ultimately compulsive drug use. We especially focus on the transitions in striatal control over drug seeking behaviour that underlie these transitions since functional heterogeneity of the striatum was a key area of Ann Kelley's research interests and one in which she made enormous contributions. We also discuss the hypothesis in light of recent data that the emergence of a compulsive drug seeking habit both reflects a shift to dorsal striatal control over behaviour and impaired prefontal cortical inhibitory control mechanisms. We further discuss aspects of the vulnerability to compulsive drug use and in particular the impact of impulsivity. In writing this review we acknowledge the untimely death of an outstanding scientist and a dear personal friend. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Letter to Dr. Felix Bronner

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenleaf, John E.; Dalton, Bonnie (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Dear Dr. Bronner: I have been reading in The Physiologist the letters from senior physiologists for many years with great interest. It is impressive that many of the respondents are still pursuing scientific endeavours in their 70's and some even in their 80's. The interesting task is to ponder the relative causative proportions of heredity and environment responsible. One wonders whether knowing something about physiology engenders longer and more productive lives? I suspect so because of the accompanying self-discipline. But another factor would seem to be the pervasive joy of working in this profession. I have been fortunate to be able to acquire the joy of physiology during my graduate studies at Illinois, and to have been able to carry it over here at NASA, Ames Research Center for the past 40 years. A truly academic style research environment at a federal research center is rare. The trick to a joyous research career is to overcome those ever-present slings and arrows of outrageous fortune with dignity whenever possible. To that end I have found solace and guidance in reading the history of warfare and its leaders, especially Sun Tsu's The Art of War and Clauswitz's On War. I became eligible for retirement in 1993, but to insure domestic tranquility and also the joy of pursuing my research hobby have continued working in the laboratory on human research. It is troubling to see that funding for individual scientists conducting human research is declining rapidly, along with their new ideas; perhaps the old ones are more comfortable. Hopefully I can provide a similar response when I'm 80! Thanks for your interest. Sincerely, John Greenleaf

3D Aerosol-Cloud Radiative Interaction Observed in Collocated MODIS and ASTER Images of Cumulus Cloud Fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wen, Guoyong; Marshak, Alexander; Cahalan, Robert F.; Remer, Lorraine A.; Kleidman, Richard G.

2007-01-01

3D aerosol-cloud interaction is examined by analyzing two images containing cumulus clouds in biomass burning regions in Brazil. The research consists of two parts. The first part focuses on identifying 3D clo ud impacts on the reflectance of pixel selected for the MODIS aerosol retrieval based purely on observations. The second part of the resea rch combines the observations with radiative transfer computations to identify key parameters in 3D aerosol-cloud interaction. We found that 3D cloud-induced enhancement depends on optical properties of nearb y clouds as well as wavelength. The enhancement is too large to be ig nored. Associated biased error in 1D aerosol optical thickness retrie val ranges from 50% to 140% depending on wavelength and optical prope rties of nearby clouds as well as aerosol optical thickness. We caution the community to be prudent when applying 1D approximations in comp uting solar radiation in dear regions adjacent to clouds or when usin g traditional retrieved aerosol optical thickness in aerosol indirect effect research.

A representation of place attachment: A study of spatial cognition in Latvia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skilters, Jurgis; Zarina, Liga; Raita, Liva

2017-04-01

Perception of geographical space is reflected in place attachment, i.e., a multidimensional cognitive-affective link between humans and their spatial environment. Place attachment balances emotions, conception of proximity. It is both social and spatial cognitive structure. Place attachment has an impact on people's actions, which in turn reversibly affect the environment in which people live. Place attachment provides emotional regulation for humans linking local - neighborhood-scale and country and world-scale environments. In Latvia a large-scale spatial cognition study has been conducted within participatory research project „Telpas pavasaris" ("Spatial Spring") by foundation Viegli. In the study 1523 respondents reported their associations characterizing certain type of places (e.g., safe place, dangerous place, far place, close place, dear place). The answers were analyzed according to several cognitive-affective categories including modes of experience, emotional valence, geographical distance, and perceptual modality. The current results indicate that socio-cognitive and affective information are primary in respect to purely spatial information (referring to spatial objects or regions and their relations). However, different types of geographical places and spatial objects (natural or artefactual) have to be distinguished and are significant to a different degree. Our results are important for environmental and urban planning because they show the ways how socio-cognitive and affective knowledge shapes the spatial cognition of geographic environment.

Queridos Padres: En Los Estados Unidos...La Escuela es Nuestra Tambien (Dear Parents: In the United States...It's Our School Too).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicolau, Siobhan; Ramos, Carmen Lydia

This guidebook for Hispanic parents advises that children's success in school may depend on the home environment during the formative years. Hispanic youth drop out of school at a rate of 40 percent; 25 percent of those who graduate are not qualified for good jobs. In Latin American countries, parents are expected to leave education to the…

7 CFR Exhibit E to Subpart K of... - Guide Letter to Delinquent FmHA or Its Successor Agency Under Public Law 103-354 Single Family...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Agency Under Public Law 103-354 Single Family Housing Loan Borrowers E Exhibit E to Subpart K of Part... Agency Under Public Law 103-354 Single Family Housing Loan Borrowers Dear (name of borrower): This is to.... Their counseling services include advice on debt levels and credit purchases, consumer and cost...

Final Environmental Assessment for Jacksonville Aviation Authority Launch Site Operator License at Cecil Field, Florida

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-01

eligible areas near Cecil Field – Branan Field Mitigation Park Wildlife and Environmental Area , Cecil Field Conservation Corridor, and Sal Taylor... Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks (April 21, 1997), Federal agencies are directed to make it a high priority to identify and assess ... Environmental Protection 3900 Commonwealth Blvd. Mail Station 47 Tallahassee, FL 32399-3000 Dear Ms. Milligan: RE: Environmental Assessment

Understanding Noncompliance: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Title IX Sexual Misconduct Violations Using the Office for Civil Rights Investigative Findings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaffer, Lenore

2017-01-01

On April 4, 2011, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) reminding higher education institutions (HEIs) of their obligations under Title IX to respond to complaints of sexual misconduct. The 2011 DCL was meant to be a guidance document to assist HEIs in complying with Title IX, but…

"They Were Constantly on the Losing Side of Things": The Pedagogical Power of an African-American Teacher Candidate Bearing Witness in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bryson, Brandy S.

2017-01-01

The stories of students and teacher candidates of Color (Just as singular racial/ethnic identities are capitalized (i.e. African-American, Asian, Latina, Native American etc.), I capitalize Color to honor the various identities that many "non-white" people hold near and dear. I recognize the nuances in doing so- such as the reality that…

STEADY-STATE SOLUTIONS TO PBPK MODELS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS TO RISK ASSESSMENT I: ROUTE-TO-ROUTE EXTRAPOLATION OF VOLATILE CHEMICALS - AUTHORS' RESPONSE TO LETTER BY DR. KENNETH BOGEN

EPA Science Inventory

Dear Editor: We are disappointed that Dr. Bogen felt our paper(1) “adds little new” to previously published work utilizing steady state solutions to PBPK models. Moreover, it was not our intention to be either “dismissive” or “misleading” in our admittedly brief citation of the...

JPRS Report, Soviet Union, Political Affairs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-05-23

implement ods of work. political reform is the reorganization of the apparatus of party committees. What are the characteristics of this [Gruzinform] What...most characteristically expressed in the speech by the nost, and punishment of all the guilty parties, no matter writer, Yuri Karyakin: "The forces...and otherwise when impressionism came into being? And tortured, and to their near ones and dear ones. didn’t the public get upset when romanticism

Context-dependent responses to neighbours and strangers in wild European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

PubMed

Monclús, Raquel; Saavedra, Irene; de Miguel, Javier

2014-07-01

Territorial animals defend their territories against intruders. The level of aggression directed to intruders depends on the familiarity and/or the relative threat they pose, and it could be modified by the context of the interaction. We explored in a wild social mammal, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), whether residents responded more aggressively to strangers or to neighbours (dear enemy or nasty neighbour effects, respectively). We simulated the intrusion of neighbours or strangers in different parts of the territory of wild European rabbits in a suburban area in central Spain. For that, we placed faecal pellets of neighbouring or stranger rabbits in the territory of 5 rabbit colonies. Resident rabbits counter-marked preferably the odour stations with stranger odour, compared to the ones with neighbour odour, and they did not make a difference between neighbour and a non-odour control stimuli. The results suggest that rabbits show a dear enemy effect. However, repeated intrusions escalated the responses of rabbits towards neighbours. The location within the territory or the sex of the stranger did not affect the level of response. We conclude that in rabbits the relative threat posed by the intruder triggers the intensity of the interaction. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Plagiarism. A fools' errand.

PubMed

Jefferson, Tom; De Fiore, Luca

2017-01-01

An old Italian proverb states that lies have short legs. In other words, in the end you get found out. This is exactly what happened to an Italian researcher who acted as a referee for a manuscript submitted in 2015 to Annals of Internal Medicine. After a negative report (which presumably led to the rejection of the submission) he submitted a manuscript which was essentially the same. But he and his accomplices got found out and paraded in front of the world in an earth-shatteringly polite "Dear Plagiarist" letter by the first robbed author: Dr Michael Dansinger. Dr Dansiger's letter is a model of polite logic and an ethical masterpiece, the fake article got retracted and the thief's institution contacted. No reply so far, a depressingly familiar theme in contemporary research. We wonder why we carry on with a system which is completely broken. Commercial interests, reporting bias, secrecy, ethically dubious studies and inertia are the ingredients of contemporary research and publication practices. Editorial peer review, a scholarly practice originating in a more genteel era, is clearly unable to do much other than lend a very thin veneer of credibility to this pandemic of junk which is threatening healthcare budgets and the ethics of the next generation of researchers. We need a complete reform of the system which could give back some credibility to the "e" of evidence-based medicine. Complete lawful transparency, public reimbursement of interventions only on the basis of independently generated evidence and research ethics as a part of an international curriculum for budding researchers are urgently needed. These should be linked to publishers' complete disclosure of their sources of income and custodial sentences for those who abuse positions of trust. Meanwhile, stay away from anything implausible and non-replicable (as they probably are).

Helping General Physical Educators and Adapted Physical Educators Address the Office Of Civil Rights Dear Colleague Guidance Letter: Part VI--Addressing Professional Preparation for Serving Students with Disabilities in Extracurricular Athletic Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silliman-French, Lisa; French, Ron

2013-01-01

One of the major components in the development of quality extracurricular athletic (ECA) programs that involves the infusion of students who have been classified as educationally disabled is the preparation of effective, high-quality physical educators who will assume coaching positions (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2012). These coaches…

Current Law Limits the State Department’s Authority to Manage Certain Overseas Properties Cost Effectively

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-07-11

GAO-02-790R Management of Overseas Property United States General Accounting Office Washington, DC 20548 July 11, 2002 The Honorable Christopher...Representatives Subject: Current Law Limits the State Department’s Authority to Manage Certain Overseas Properties Cost Effectively Dear Mr. Chairman: The...limits the Department of State’s authority to implement cost -effective decisions about sales of unneeded overseas property and the use of sales proceeds

The Importance of Women Scientists to the World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Do Yoon, Byun

2009-04-01

Dear Professor Barbara Sandow, Conference Chair; Ms. Young-Ah Park of the National Assembly; Professor Jeong-Gu Kim, President of Korean Physics Association; and Professor Elizabeth Giacobino, Director of CNRS: Hello and welcome. It is good to see you all. Today I congratulate you on the Third ICWIP Conference and welcome so many women physicists from around the world. Also, I express my sincere gratitude to those who have worked hard preparing for this Conference.

Asthma myths, controversies, and dogma.

PubMed

Rubin, Bruce K

2015-03-01

Although the symptom complex we call asthma has been well described since antiquity, our understanding of the causes and therapy of asthma has evolved. Even with this evolution in our understanding, there are persistent myths (widely held but false beliefs) and dogma (entrenched beliefs) regarding the causes, classification, and therapy of asthma. It is sobering that some of the knowledge we hold dear today, will become the mythology of tomorrow. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Helping General Physical Educators and Adapted Physical Educators Address the Office of Civil Rights Dear Colleague Guidance Letter: Part V--Outdoor Pursuits as an Extracurricular Alternative for Addressing Office of Civil Rights Guidance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Timothy D.; Felix, Manny

2013-01-01

The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) recently clarified that schools are required to provide students with disabilities (SWD) equal opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities (U.S. Department of Education [USDE] Office for Civil Rights, 2013). Schools have flexibility to design and expand extracurricular opportunities based on existing…

Adducin at the Neuromuscular Junction in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Hanging on for Dear Life

PubMed Central

Krieger, Charles; Wang, Simon Ji Hau; Yoo, Soo Hyun; Harden, Nicholas

2016-01-01

The neurological dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)/motor neurone disease (MND) is associated with defective nerve-muscle contacts early in the disease suggesting that perturbations of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) linking the pre- and post-synaptic components of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) are involved. To search for candidate proteins implicated in this degenerative process, researchers have studied the Drosophila larval NMJ and find that the cytoskeleton-associated protein, adducin, is ideally placed to regulate synaptic contacts. By controlling the levels of synaptic proteins, adducin can de-stabilize synaptic contacts. Interestingly, elevated levels of phosphorylated adducin have been reported in ALS patients and in a mouse model of the disease. Adducin is regulated by phosphorylation through protein kinase C (PKC), some isoforms of which exhibit Ca2+-dependence, raising the possibility that changes in intracellular Ca2+ might alter PKC activation and secondarily influence adducin phosphorylation. Furthermore, adducin has interactions with the alpha subunit of the Na+/K+-ATPase. Thus, the phosphorylation of adducin may secondarily influence synaptic stability at the NMJ and so influence pre- and post-synaptic integrity at the NMJ in ALS. PMID:26858605

Without discrimination for religion, race, or gender.

PubMed

Ben-David, Orit Brawer; Abu-Rabi, Aref

2002-01-01

The transplantation of organs, which at first sight appears to be just a technical medical procedure, is, first and foremost a sociocultural action that gives expression to existential perceptions. In Israeli society, as in most western societies the donation of the body or parts of it, is interpreted as possible at a societal level, and not as a gift from one individual to another. The medical achievement inherent in organ transplantation brings forward the relationship between the body, death and society. The moment the body ceases to function biologically, its position within the social entity is examined. The donation of organs evinces the acceptance of the idea that the personal body belongs to the society which sanctions the transition of the private body into organs that become national assets. This research is a first attempt to study the motives of people from Muslim society, who donated organs of their dear ones. The ability of these people to enter into a system of exchange flows from a tacit assumption by all of them that the action is approved by their social group. This paper presents the concepts of death and of the body that enable donation in general and the donation of the Muslim population in particular.

AC/RC Force Integration

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-05-01

ib qeocie. Thki document may not be rdeaed for open publicado. untit hu been deared by die appropriate military seavice or a veunent agency. AC /RC...A N/A N/A 11. TITLE (Include Security Classification) AC /RC Force Structure Integraticn 12. PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) Russell A. Eggers 13a. TYPE OF REPORT... AC ) and Reserve Components (RC) Force Integration is critical in today’s Total Army. The Army of soldiers, Active and Reserve, exists to play a key

The Role of Skp2 in the Prostate Tumorigenesis Following Rb and p53 Loss

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

of Developmental and Molecular Biology Room 521 Ullmann 1300 Morris Park Avenue Bronx, NY 10461-1975 AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING...ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER rt t f l t l Molecular Biology Room 521 Ullmann 1300 Morris Park Avenue Bronx, NY 10461-1975...Congratulations! Mary Anne Clifford Tuesday , October 21, 2014 1:33 PM October 21, 2014 Hongling Zhao, M.D., Ph.D. Department of DMB Ullmann - 521 Dear

Strategic Mobility 21. Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Reference Model - Global Transportation Management System Architecture

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-07

SECTION A. BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT 1 INTRODUCTION The Strategic Mobility 21 (SM21) program is currently in the process of developing the Joint...Platform ( BPP ) which enables the ability to rapidly compose new business processes and expand the core TMS feature-set to adapt to the challenges...Reference: Strategic Mobility 21 Contract N00014-06-C-0060 Dear Paul, In accordance with the requirements of referenced contract, we are pleased to

Modulation of Estrogen-Depurinating DNA Adducts by Sulforaphane for Breast Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-01

oup.com Subject: Carcinogenesis MS - CARCIN-2011-00715 Date: Tue, August 30, 2011 1:41 pm To: liyang@pitt.edu 30-Aug-2011   35   36 Dear...and its metabolites may play an important role in renal cell carcinogenesis. Catechol-<i>O</i>-methyltransferase ( COMT ) participates in the estrogen...metabolism pathway by neutralizing toxic substances. Although reduced COMT activity has been suggested to be a risk factor for estrogen-associated

Bulk Fuel Pricing: DOD Needs to Take Additional Actions to Establish a More Reliable Methodology

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-19

Page 1 GAO-16-78R Bulk Fuel Pricing 441 G St. N.W. Washington, DC 20548 November 19, 2015 The Honorable Ashton Carter The Secretary of...Defense Bulk Fuel Pricing : DOD Needs to Take Additional Actions to Establish a More Reliable Methodology Dear Secretary Carter: Each fiscal...year, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), in coordination with the Defense Logistics Agency, sets a standard price per barrel

Helping General Physical Educators and Adapted Physical Educators Address the Office of Civil Rights Dear Colleague Guidance Letter: Part II--What Parents Should Know and Do to Ensure Extracurricular Interscholastic Sport Opportunities for Their Children with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tymeson, Garth

2013-01-01

The rights of all students to participate in extracurricular programs are required by current law but are often nonexistent, misunderstood, or even sometimes purposely not shared with parents. This article is addressed to parents regarding the rights of their children with disabilities to participate in extracurricular sport activities. Included…

Dear Hillary.

PubMed

Vasquez, M

1993-05-01

Michael Vasquez, president of Health Care Expert Systems, Inc., attended a meeting the task force on healthcare reform. After the meeting, he sent the following letter to Hillary Rodham Clinton, to members of Iowa's Congressional delegation and to Steven Schroeder, M.D., of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, who moderated the discussion along with Clinton and HHS Secretary Donna Shalala. Vasquez said he was "concerned that the role of information systems was not adequately represented as part of the possible solution during the discussion."

USSR Report, Problems of the Far East No 4, Oct-Dec 1986.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-04-21

including long-range land- based cruise missiles, it should be dealt with separately. Last May the Soviet Union prolonged its moratorium on nuclear test ...Union has unilaterally adhered to a moratorium on nuclear testing . All those who hold dear the future of mankind in the nuclear age heartily...support this action, while the wave of indignation over Washington’s persistence in nuclear testing is mounting throughout the world. As a matter of fact

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, 1999 Annual Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-01-01

Bradley Gravitt hoists up to an Antisubmarine Helicopter (SH-60) "Sea Hawk." U.S. Navy photo by PH3 Christopher Hollaway. BACK COVER...how long people remember the helping hand they once received. "Dear Sir : Many years ago, in 1948, I needed help in securing a deposit for quarters...Ret.) Chief John T. Wilson, USN, (Ret.) Rhea J. Wren V Sgt R. A. Yarumian, USMC (Ret.) A Comparison of Financial Assistance to Contributions The

Deterrence & Influence in Counterterrorism. A Component in the War on al Qaeda

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-02-01

13, 2001). Summary xv There is a lesson to learn from this for he who wishes to learn . . . . The Soviet Union entered Afghanistan in the last week of...subject needs urgent attention. Placing at Risk What the Terrorists Hold Dear: Convincing Regional Allies to Act One of the lessons learned from...formal reviews of the draft manuscript by Jerrold Green and Ambassador L. Paul Bremer. Although we learned a great deal from interactions with our

The Voices of Women Physicists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khim, Zheong G.

2009-04-01

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Speakers, and Delegates from all over the world! It is my pleasure to meet you at the ICWIP meeting here in Seoul to discuss the gender inequality problem in science and technology, especially in physics. We will evaluate the present situation and try to find a way of improving current adverse circumstances. I am very much impressed by the enthusiasm of the organizers and participants, and confident that the Conference will be a great success.

Performance of a Liner-on-Target Injector for Staged Z-Pinch Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conti, F.; Valenzuela, J. C.; Narkis, J.; Krasheninnikov, I.; Beg, F.; Wessel, F. J.; Ruskov, E.; Rahman, H. U.; McGee, E.

2016-10-01

We present the design and characterization of a compact liner-on-target injector, used in the Staged Z-pinch experiments conducted on the UNR-NTF Zebra Facility. Previous experiments and analysis indicate that high-Z gas liners produce a uniform and efficient implosion on a low-Z target plasma. The liner gas shell is produced by an annular solenoid valve and a converging-diverging nozzle designed to achieve a collimated, supersonic, Mach-5 flow. The on-axis target is produced by a coaxial plasma gun, where a high voltage pulse is applied to ionize neutral gas and accelerate the plasma by the J-> × B-> force. Measurements of the liner and target dynamics, resolved by interferometry in space and time, fast imaging, and collection of the emitted light, are presented. The results are compared to the predictions from Computational Fluid Dynamics and MHD simulations that model the injector. Optimization of the design parameters, for upcoming Staged Z-pinch experiments, will be discussed. Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy, DE-AR0000569.

Oh dear, what can the matter be? A commentary on Pratto's 'On power and empowerment'.

PubMed

Reicher, Stephen

2016-03-01

In this response, I welcome Pratto's wide ranging and innovative contribution on the social psychology of power. It fulfils an important role in opening up debate around an issue of key importance for our discipline. At the same time (and to further that debate), I take issue with both of her core arguments: First, that power should not be seen as relational but rather about one's ability to reach one's desired ends and, second, that these ends are ultimately about survival. More fundamentally, though, I argue that Pratto's analysis is limited by the fact that she takes the subject of power for granted. This ignores a wealth of research which shows, on the one hand, how power constitutes the nature of subjects and, on the other, how subjects (especially collective subjects - groups) constitute power. It is through exploring these dynamics that we can understand power and its relevance to social life. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

Staged Z-pinch Experiments on Cobra and Zebra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wessel, Frank J.; Anderson, A.; Banasek, J. T.; Byvank, T.; Conti, F.; Darling, T. W.; Dutra, E.; Glebov, V.; Greenly, J.; Hammer, D. A.; Potter, W. M.; Rocco, S. V.; Ross, M. P.; Ruskov, E.; Valenzuela, J.; Beg, F.; Covington, A.; Narkis, J.; Rahman, H. U.

2017-10-01

A Staged Z-pinch (SZP), configured as a pre-magnetized, high-Z (Ar, or Kr) annular liner imploding onto a low-Z (H, or D) target, was tested on the Cornell University, Cobra Facility and the University of Nevada, Reno, Zebra Facility; each characterized similarly by a nominal 1-MA current and 100-ns risetime while possessing different diagnostic packages. XUV-fast imaging reveals that the SZP implosion dynamics is similar on both machines and that it is more stable with an axial (Bz) magnetic field, a target, or both, than without. On Zebra, where neutron production is possible, reproducible thermonuclear (DD) yields were recorded at levels in excess of 109/shot. Flux compression in the SZP is also expected to produce magnetic field intensities of the order of kilo-Tesla. Thus, the DD reaction produced tritions should also yield secondary DT neutrons. Indeed, secondaries are measured above the noise threshold at levels approaching 106/shot. Funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy, under Grant Number DE-AR0000569.

Why the Rediscoverer Ended up on the Sidelines: Hugo De Vries's Theory of Inheritance and the Mendelian Laws

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stamhuis, Ida H.

2015-01-01

Eleven years before the `rediscovery' in 1900 of Mendel's work, Hugo De Vries published his theory of heredity. He expected his theory to become a big success, but it was not well-received. To find supporting evidence for this theory De Vries started an extensive research program. Because of the parallels of his ideas with the Mendelian laws and because of his use of statistics, he became one of the rediscoverers. However, the Mendelian laws, which soon became the foundation of a new discipline of genetics, presented a problem. De Vries was the only one of the early Mendelians who had developed his own theory of heredity. His theory could not be brought in line with the Mendelian laws. But because his original theory was still very dear to him, something important was at stake and he was unwilling to adapt his ideas to the new situation. He belittled the importance of the Mendelian laws and ended up on the sidelines.

Open Access Publishing in High-Energy Physics: the SCOAP3 Initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mele, S.

2010-10-01

Scholarly communication in High-Energy Physics (HEP) shows traits very similar to Astronomy and Astrophysics: pervasiveness of Open Access to preprints through community-based services; a culture of openness and sharing among its researchers; a compact number of yearly articles published by a relatively small number of journals which are dear to the community. These aspects have led HEP to spearhead an innovative model for the transition of its scholarly publishing to Open Access. The Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics (SCOAP) aims to be a central body to finance peer-review service rather than the purchase of access to information as in the traditional subscription model, with all articles in the discipline eventually available in Open Access. Sustainable funding to SCOAP would come from libraries, library consortia and HEP funding agencies, through a re-direction of funds currently spent for subscriptions to HEP journals. This paper presents the cultural and bibliometric factors at the roots of SCOAP and the current status of this worldwide initiative.

Obituary: Lynne Karen Deutsch, 1954-2004

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sprague, Ann L.

2004-12-01

It is with deep sadness and regret that we note the passing of our dear friend and colleague Prof. Lynne K. Deutsch. Lynne died on 2 April 2004 after a protracted illness and lengthy battle with complications caused by the blood disease Polycythaemia Vera. Lynne was born in Chicago on 26 November 1956 to Victor and Ailsa Deutsch. She lived with her family in the town of Morton Grove, IL until she was 8 years old, when they moved to Beverly Hills, CA. She was an outgoing child who played basketball and excelled in her studies. She graduated from Beverly Hills High School at the age of 16 after completing all high school requirements in only three years. Lynne had a beautiful singing voice, and was in the chorus in high school and college. Lynne earned her first bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of California at Berkeley in 1977. She then returned to Berkeley and received a second bachelor's degree, this time in physics, in 1981. She was a graduate student and teaching assistant at MIT and earned an MS in physics from MIT in 1983. Lynne then attended the astronomy graduate program at Harvard University, where she earned her MA in 1985 and PhD in 1990. During her degree studies she began crafting mid-infrared instrumentation. These instruments were destined to be used by a host of eager observers to discover, identify, and study many emissions from the Solar System, and galactic and extragalactic sources. Lynne was a National Research Council Post-doctoral Fellow at NASA Ames Research Center from 1990 - 1992, where she played an important role in the development of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory/University of Arizona Mid-Infrared Array Camera (MIRAC), a well-known and much sought after instrument frequently used in studies of Mercury, Jupiter, the Moon, planetary nebulae, star formation regions, galactic center, young stellar objects, and extragalactic objects. After leaving NASA Ames Research Center, Lynne taught for several years (1993-96) at Smith College where she had a significant impact on undergraduate research, especially for women, whom she enjoyed mentoring. Lynne joined the faculty in the Astronomy Department of Boston University in 1996 where she taught instrumentation principles and techniques to undergraduate and graduate students. Over the course of her faculty career, she received numerous research grants and fellowships that were used to support her research, her students, and her postdoctoral associates. She was the principal investigator of Boston University's advanced technologies and instrumentation program MIRABU: A Mid-Infrared Array. As her health declined and the rigors of a full teaching schedule became unacceptably taxing, Lynne took a leave of absence from Boston University and returned to Harvard University and the Center for Astrophysics in 2001. There she became a very active member of the Infrared Group in the OIR Division and a member of the IRAC/Spitzer Space Telescope team. Her research in infrared astronomy covered many areas including star formation, planetary and protoplanetary nebulae, solar system objects, the interstellar medium and infrared-luminous galaxies. Her most recent research with the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on the Spitzer Space Telescope concentrated on high-mass star formation and the related evolution of the interstellar medium. In her short life, Lynne made many devoted friends and colleagues and was active in encouraging school-age girls to pursue their interests in the sciences. In her short career, she published more than seventy-five articles. She was an outstanding observer and instrumentalist, whose promising career was tragically cut short. Lynne was also a devoted mother and wife, and, while still well, she found the time to be an active participant in her son's elementary school. She is very greatly missed by her family. She is survived by her husband Douglas Sondak, PhD and her son Reed Deutsch-Sondak who live in Acton, MA, and her parents and sister Judith who reside in California. Lynne will be forever missed by her family, friends, colleagues, and the astronomical community. Her contributions will continue to benefit the community for many years to come. We only wish she were here to share them with us. She will be remembered as a dear friend, colleague, accomplished scientist, and dedicated family member.

Status of Strategic Petroleum Reserve Activities--October 1980.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-11-03

within days of the award’s announcement because it was temporarily storing the oil in a tanker in the Gulf of Mexico. Status of SPR facilities...NATURA S0tS p. US @A m wa A.SHI. NT . C. in0500 - July 23, 1980 Honorable Elmer B. Staats Comptroller General of the United States GENERALACCOUNTING...OFFICE 441 G Street, N.W.Washington, DC. C. 20548 Dear Mr. Staats : On June 30, 1980 the President signed the Energy Security Act (Public Law 96-294

The Joint Commission calls for comprehensive action on poor health literacy.

PubMed

2007-03-01

A new call to action on poor health literacy. Maintaining that the problem is costing the country dearly in dollars as well as quality of life, The Joint Commission has put out a new policy white paper calling on all key players to take steps to deal with the problem of poor health literacy. Although changes at the top are sorely needed, policy makers maintain that there is much that individual providers can do to alleviate the problem.

50 years of Dutch immunology--founders, institutions, highlights.

PubMed

Gmelig-Meyling, Frits H J; Meyaard, Linde; Mebius, Reina E

2014-12-01

At the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Dutch Society for Immunology (DSI, de Nederlandse Vereniging voor Immunologie), this contribution deals with some highlights of 50 years of Immunology in the Netherlands. It narrates about the founders and first board members of the DSI, their institutes, progeny and patrimony, describes major centers of immunological activities, mentions key persons in the field, and touches upon some events dear to the Society and its members. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Terminating the Audit of the National Flood Insurance Program’s Fiscal 1980 Financial Statements.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-21

7 AD-A107 188 GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE WASHINGTON DC ACCOUNTING A ETC F/G 5/1 TERMINATING THE AUDIT OF THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAN S-,-ETC...Management Agency Dear Mr. Giuffrida: A Subject: Terminating the Audit of the National Floodr .) Insurance Program’s Fiscal 1980 Financial...objective of the audit was to express an opinion on the NFIP’s < fiscal 1980 financial statements. We will not meet this objec- tive, however, because

National Program for Inspection of Non-Federal Dams. Lake Franklin Pierce Dam (NH 00199), NHWRB-116.04, Merrimack River Basin, Hillsboro, New Hampshire. Phase I Inspection Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-08-01

ATTENTION OF: NEDED-~EAR1817*V Honorable Hugh J. Gallen ... Governor of the State of New Hampshire , State House Concord, New Hampshire 03301 Dear...8217.. . , , .. .. , .. . . . - :o , ... . ?....* -. , _ _ :, . ,,. ., Q ,; ,-. t,’. ,. NEDED-E Honorable Hugh J. Gallen It is recommended that within twelve...7.5 ft. diameter penstock runs downstream from the dam a distance of 1.3 miles to the Jackman Hydroelectric ..* *. Station. The dam is owned by the

Learning Distance Functions for Exemplar-Based Object Recognition

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-08-08

requires prior specific permission. Learning Distance Functions for Exemplar-Based Object Recognition by Andrea Lynn Frome B.S. ( Mary Washington...fantastic advisor and advocate when I was at Mary Washington College i and has since become a dear friend. Thank you, Dr. Bass, for continuing to stand...Antonio Torralba. 5 Chapter 1. Introduction 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 Number of training examples per class M ea n

Learning Distance Functions for Exemplar-Based Object Recognition

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

Learning Distance Functions for Exemplar-Based Object Recognition by Andrea Lynn Frome B.S. ( Mary Washington College) 1996 A dissertation submitted...advisor and advocate when I was at Mary Washington College i and has since become a dear friend. Thank you, Dr. Bass, for continuing to stand by my...Torralba. 5 Chapter 1. Introduction 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 Number of training examples per class M ea n re co

The History of MIS-Y: U.S. Strategic Interrogation During World War II

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-08-01

27Ian Dear, Escape and Evasion, (London, UK: Arms and Armour Press, 1997), 11. 28Lloyd R. Shoemaker, The Escape Factory (New York: St. Martin’s...soldiers are beginning to understand that they are the underdogs carrying the weight of the bureaucracy. 11. Building up the Nazi Gangster Ideal. In...and Evasion: Prisoner of War Breakouts and the Routes to Safety in World War Two. New York: Arms and Armour Press, 1997. DeForest, Orrin, and David

George S. Patton’s Student Days at the Army War College

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-01-01

The death in November of his dear Aunt Nannie Wilson took Patton to California for the funeral. While he was staying with his sister in the...the US Army to hold the magnificent title "Master of the Sword," and was widely known as a horseman , polo player, sailor, amateur poet, and military...ranking officers had the primary aim of winning, not of. surviving. Furthermore-and this was pure Patton-their deaths would have great inspirational

Child Support; Need to Improve Efforts to Identify Fathers and Obtain Support Orders.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-04-01

34 Reduces the stigma of illegitimacy and helps give the child a sense of identity. • Increases the child’s opportunity to develop a close parental...A179 979 CHILD SUPPORT; NEED TO IMPROVE EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY 1/1 FATHERS AND OBTAIN SUPPORT ORDERS(U) GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE WASHINGTON DC HUNAN...April 30, 1987 The Honorable Otis R. Bowen, M.D. The Secretary of Health and Human Services Dear Mr. Secretary: This report discusses child support

Creating a Systems Engineering Distance Learning Experience

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

4077th? Comment on two other students’ responses. Dear Mom, Last month, Major Burns and Lt were complaining about the powered eggs and powdered...area homes. I ordered 500 yds. of copper wire and traded it to Cho. He is now delivering eggs and vegetable to the mess nearly every day. None of the...and a full support staff. He called this meatball surgery. Yet he sacrificed the man’s leg, and he saved two others from death. He told Hawkeye that

Fiches pratiques: Douce France; S'ecouter lire; Mots d'estomac; Prendre un mauvais document pour faire une bonne lecon (Practical Ideas: Dear France; Listening to Oneself Read; Stomach Talk; Using a Bad Document for a Good Lesson).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Begioni, Louis; And Others

1991-01-01

Four ideas for use in the French language classroom are presented, including a card game about regional France; activities using tape recorders and music to improve oral reading; a true-false quiz about food to develop vocabulary and comprehension; and an exercise in deciphering French using a bad copy of a document. (MSE)

Problems with the Small Business Administration’s Merit Appraisal and Compensation System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-21

TAD-AI07 181 GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE WASHINGTON DC FEDERAL PERS-ETC F/6 5/9 PROBLEMS WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION’S MERIT APPRAIS--ETC(U...Adninistrator, Small Business Administration Dear Mr. Car D Subjec::/ Problems with the Small Business Administra- tjon’s Merit Appraisal and Compensation...System, (rLP68 8i 71). We reviewed the Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) performance appraisal/merit pay program as part of our review of

Without Testing: Stockpile Stewardship in the Second Nuclear Age

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

Martz, Joseph C.

2014-01-07

Stockpile stewardship is a topic dear to my heart. I’ve been fascinated by it, and I’ve lived it—mostly on the technical side but also on the policy side from 2009 to 2010 at Stanford University as a visiting scholar and the inaugural William J. Perry Fellow. At Stanford I worked with Perry, former secretary of defense, and Sig Hecker, former Los Alamos Lab director (1986–1997), looking at nuclear deterrence, nuclear policy, and stockpile stewardship and at where all this was headed.

Expeditionary Readiness Course Expansion Final Supplemental Environmental Assessment, Nevada Test and Training Range

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

Mario Bermudez, Planning Manager Clark County Department of Comprehensive Planning...89191-7007 Mr. Mario Bermudez, Planning Manager Clark County Department of Comprehensive Planning P.O. Box 551744 Las Vegas, NV 89155 Dear Mr...hi ch no co ns tr uc tio n sh ou ld o cc ur . I t ta ke s a m in im um o f 74 d ay s fr om w he n eg gs a re l ai d un til c hi

Old/Past/Ancient/Historic Frontiers in Black Hole Astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trimble, Virginia

Basic questions about black holes, some of which are fairly old, include (1) What is a black hole? (2) Do black holes exist? And the answer to this depends a good deal on the answer to (1), (3) Where, when, why, and how have they formed? and (4) What are they good for? Here I attempt some elaboration of the questions and partial answers, noting that general relativity is required to described some of the phenomena, while dear old Isaac Newton is OK for others.

Southeast Asia Report, Vietnam, Tap Chi Cong San, No. 11, November 1986

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-03-09

Strong, Prosperous and Beautiful (pp 4-12) (Truong Chinh ) 4 TOWARD THE 6TH CONGRESS OF THE PARTY: Attaching More Importance To Building the Party...40) (Xuan Kieu) 74 Socialist Business in Agriculture (pp 65-70, 55) ( Tran Quang) • 80 The Red Vietnamese (pp 71-72) 88 Review of Le Due Tho’s...Nov 86 pp 4-12 [Speech by Truong Chinh at the 10th Congress of Delegates of the Hanoi Municipal Party Organization] [Text] Dear comrade delegates: on

A General Model of Production: Theory and Application

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-01-01

It may be verified that X2 , - (o.1) and y2a, -,O and thus dearly the nets {x2,), LA ,,) satisfy the conditions of Proposition (3.4.6) but violate the...and (4-1d) are identical. This example shows thai, two See ,ao La a a oWBO Y=1921. >........................... *’*** . . . 89 /00- aa b (a) Detailed...intensities. 4.3.1. Constructing the Domain of the Aggregate Operating Intensity L_., A represent an aggregate activity. As notation, let EA min El, LA

Staged Z-pinch experiments on the Mega-Ampere current driver COBRA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valenzuela, Julio; Banasek, Jacob; Byvank, Thomas; Conti, Fabio; Greenly, John; Hammer, David; Potter, William; Rocco, Sophia; Ross, Michael; Wessel, Frank; Narkis, Jeff; Rahman, Hafiz; Ruskov, Emil; Beg, Farhat

2017-10-01

Experiments were conducted on the Cornell's 1 MA, 100 ns current driver COBRA with the goal of better understanding the Staged Z-pinch physics and validating MHD codes. We used a gas injector composed of an annular (1.2 cm radius) high atomic number (e.g., Ar or Kr) gas-puff and an on-axis plasma gun that delivers the ionized hydrogen target. Liner implosion velocity and stability were studied using laser shadowgraphy and interferometry as well as XUV imaging. From the data, the signature of the MRT instability and zippering effect can be seen, but time integrated X-ray imaging show a stable target plasma. A key component of the experiment was the use of optical Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostics to characterize the liner and target plasmas. By fitting the experimental scattered spectra with synthetic data, electron and ion temperature as well as density can be obtained. Preliminary analysis shows significant scattered line broadening from the plasma on-axis ( 0.5 mm diameter) which can be explained by either a low temperature H plasma with Te =Ti =75eV, or by a hot plasma with Ti =3keV, Te =350eV if an Ar-H mixture is present with an Ar fraction higher than 10%. Funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy, DE-AR0000569.

Labelling and 'Dear Doctor' letters: are they noncommittal?

PubMed

van Grootheest, A C Kees; Edwards, I Ralph

2002-01-01

Over the past few years, a number of drugs have been withdrawn for safety reasons, either by drug approval authorities, or by the manufacturer. A recent example is the withdrawal of cerivastatin in connection with rhabdomyolysis. Several other drugs have also been taken off the market as a security measure, not because the nature of the risk involved was unknown but because the risk had proved apparently uncontainable. It seems that the inclusion of a warning or contraindication in the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) or sending a 'Dear Doctor' letter is insufficient to ensure compliant prescription behaviour. There appears to be a discrepancy between the careful use of evidence underpinning the SPC content and formal warnings and changes to the SPC and the effect they have on the prescription and dispensing of the drugs involved. This results in undue loss or damage for both the manufacturer and the patient. There are no easy solutions to tackle this problem; the ineffectiveness of labelling and 'Dear Doctor' letters has ramifications for the whole regulatory/ industrial/educational complex. We discuss briefly four possible strategies for improving the current situation, with the emphasis on the place the prescriber has in this process. The first strategy is education-based. Clinicians need to know about the comparative merits of the effectiveness and risk of drugs, as well as how they work pharmacologically, toxicologically, and what interactions they have with each other. The second strategy involves improving the information available for clinicians. Frequently, physicians do not consult the SPC for verification, leaving aside whether they have taken notice of the contents of the official SPC in the first place. It is recommended that the accessibility of SPCs is enhanced for doctors and pharmacists, drawing attention specifically to any changes. There needs to be a single body of information that covers every drug. The third strategy involves communication. There is much to be done in this area both in terms of follow-up and understanding of health professional's behaviour and how to empower best practise. The final strategy involves professional freedom. It goes without saying that doctors who issue off-label prescriptions may need to justify their actions. Deviating from the SPC should always be a considered decision and health professionals need to be aware of the additional responsibilities associated with such a decision. The dispensing pharmacist can play an important role in the implementation of warnings and contraindications.

Finding of No Significant Impact, Skiffes Creek Federal Navigation Channel Maintenance Dredging, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Fort Eustis, Virginia

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-06

National Marine Fisheries Service Habitat Conservation District 904 South Morris Street Oxford, MD 21654 Dear Mr. Goodger: The U.S. Army...Nadal, Teresita I NAO From: Nadal, Teresita I NAO Sent: Tuesday , February 04, 2014 2:10 PM To: ’David.L.O’Brien@noaa.gov’ Subject: Skiffes Creek EFH...Noaa.gov). Sincerely, DanielS. Morris Acting Regional Administrator File Code: H:\\S7ST1Section 7\\Non-Fisheries\\ACOE\\Infonnal\\20 I2\\Norfolk District

The Coast Artillery Journal. Volume 72, Number 4, April 1930

DTIC Science & Technology

1930-04-01

managed to keep one jump ahead of its rivals. When the clothyard shafts of English bowmenmowed down the flower of French chivalry at Crecy in 1346 it...bread will be in- spected for pineapple flies. It will be cut shortly before each required meaL Iced Drinks The dining room orderly will prepare all iced...975th C. A. (AA). Thanks for the Flowers The Editor, the COAl’\\T,.,\\RTIT,I,ERY.Tol1RNAr, Dear Sir: I am a ehemieal enll:ineer hJ’ profession. I

American Security and the International Energy Situation. Volume 2. World Energy and the Security of Supply

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-04-15

flue gas desulfurization technology seems to oe progressing so that by the late 1970s utilities may be able to burn high-sultur coal directly with...CObHqat ion•.V Conferva 1i on 0’ I , gas . and shale Coa I Lir.’I ronmcntal control Nuclear fission Nuclear fusion Other a. So I a r B...abandonment of all import controls , its findings on th: key problem of import dependence and security did not reflect a dear conviction that a

How to pass exams on the run.

PubMed

Atkinson, J

1988-09-17

Yes, dear friends of my youth, it is I - he who left school with two 'O' levels, o music CSE [Illegible Word] a budgerigar; consolidating this by failing his SRN three times, finally getting on the only refresher course in England and passing in October 1979- the very last occasion to take an SRN for the fourth time. Have I got a cheek to write about passing exams? These experiences hove had their effect! I come to academic life late and have developed a hectic domestic, social and professional life meanwhile.

Saugus River and Tributaries, Lynn Malden, Revere and Saugus, Massachusetts. Flood Damage Reduction. Volume 6. Appendix I. Planning Correspondence: Lynn, Malden, Revere, Saugus, Interest Groups, and News Articles

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

Development Representative Alfred 9. Saggesse Mabel Voodcock Robert Fox Fred Milton G73 PINES RIVERSIDE ASSOCIATION REVERE, MASSACHUSETTS 02151 April...28 Rice Ave. Revere, Massachusetts 02151 Dear Mr. Piccinni: I appreciate your willingness to sit on the Citizens’ Steering Comittee for the Saugus...Pint t/ nej sack 6 I 9nc. 2S RICE AVENUE, REVERE, MASS. 02151 Telephone 284-9717 Mr. Joseph L. Ignazio March 30, 1987 Chief, Planning Division New

National Dam Safety Program. Foxs Lake Dam (NJ00342), Passaic River Basin, Foxs Brook, Morris County, New Jersey. Phase 1 Inspection Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-01-01

c.6E RECEIVED :r. Robert L. Hardman , Chieff Fureau of Water Control N. J Dept. of Conservation & Economic Development Division of Water Policy...Supply Trenton, N. J. 08625 Dear mr. Hardman : re: Rockaway Park Lake Dam Application No. 93 With regard to your communications of April 26th and July 3rd...1968, please be advised that the Borough of Rockaway acquired Rockaway Park Lakes, the subject dam and surrounding shore area by Tax Foreclosure on

Dear health minister: tend the garden but make sure you fence the crocodiles.

PubMed

Baum, Frances E; Laris, Paul; Fisher, Matthew; Newman, Lareen A; MacDougall, Colin

2014-04-01

This paper offers lessons to in-coming health ministers on how they can act to reduce inequities and take action on social determinants. It draws on an interview study of twenty former Australian State, Territory and Federal health ministers about the extent to which they were able to do these things during their tenure. In order to take effective health equity action the health ministers advised: ensure evidence is used to develop a strong party policy platform for health equity; install policy entrepreneurs for health equity and social determinants in the health ministry; build popular constituencies through processes of deliberative democracy; establish context appropriate cross-department mechanisms to co-ordinate action on social determinants; and be elected in the context of a political party which values social justice and redistribution.

Glomed-Land: a research project to study the effect of global change in contrasted mediterranean landscapes and future scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz-Sinoga, José D.; Hueso-González, Paloma; León-Gross, Teodoro; Molina, Julián; Remond, Ricardo; Martínez-Murillo, Juan F.

2017-04-01

The Global Change is referred to the occurrence of great environmental changes associated to climatic fluctuations and human activity as wel (Vitousek et al., 1997; Steffen et al., 2004; Dearing et al., 2006). García-Ruiz et al. (2015) indicated that the relief varies very slowly in time while the changes in vegetation, overland flow generation and erosion occurred very rapidly and conditioned by their interactions and the climate variability as well. The GLOMED-LAND Project has its bases and scientific justification on the combination of the experience of the members of the research team, from one side, in the analysis of the dynamics and eco-geomorphological and climatic processes in Mediterranean environments of southern Spain, in the context of current Global change, and from another, in the study, development and application of new tools for simulation and modelling of future scenarios, and finally, in the analysis of the impact that society exercises the broadcast media related to the problem derived from the awareness and adaptation to Global change. Climate change (CC), directly affects the elements that compose the landscape. Both in the analysis of future climate scenarios raised by the IPCC (2013), such as the regionalisation carried out by AEMET, the Mediterranean region and, especially, the South of Spain, - with its defined longitudinal pluviometric gradient - configured as one of the areas of greatest uncertainty, reflected in a higher concentration of temporal rainfall, and even a reduction in the rainfall. Faced with this situation, the CC can modify the current landscape setting, with all the environmental impacts that this would entail for the terrestrial ecosystems and the systemic services rendered to the society. The combination of different work scales allows the analysis of the dynamics of the landscape and the consequence of its modifications on, hydro-geomorphological processes, closely related to degradation processes that can affect the abiotic, biotic, and human elements of the landscape (soil, plant cover, crops, water resources, etc.). Simulation and modelling is now an essential tool in the study of landscape and of the effects of Climate Change, not only towards the future through scenarios and simulation modelling, also to the past, to better understand what causes have led to effects, and to what extent. In this work we aim to create a set of software tools for analysis, modelling and simulation of the effects of Global change on two Mediterranean catchments: the middle and upper basin of the Grande River and the high Benamargosa River, both of them in the Province of Málaga (South of Spain). This will allow a full analysis, monitor, and predict those effects at local scale. Finally, we analyse the role that the impact of Global Change issues has had from the media point of view and what tendency can follow. References Dearing, J. et al. (2006): «Human-environment interactions: towards synthesis and simulation». Regional Environmental Change, n° 6, 115-123. García-Ruiz et al. (2015): «Los efectos geoecológicos del cambio global en el Pirineo central español: una revisión a distintas escalas espaciales y temporales». Pirineos, 170. Steffen, W. et al. (2004): Global Change and the Earth System: a planet under pressure. Executive summary. The IGBP Global Change Series. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelburg, 44 pp., New York. Vitousek, P.M. et al. (1997): «Human domination of earth's ecosystems». Science, n° 277, 494-499.

Geochemical maps of the Cornplanter Roadless Area, Warren County, Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lesure, Frank G.; Day, Gordon W.

1984-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) made a reconnaissance geochemical survey of the Cornplanter Roadless Area (fig. 1) to test for indistinct or unexposed mineral deposits that might be recognized by their geochemical halos or patterns formed by the distribution of trace elements. Lesure, assisted by Andrew E. Grosz, collected 22 stream-sediment, 63 soil, and 23 rock samples from within and dear the study area during October 1980. All samples were analyzed for 31 elements using semi-quantitative spectrographic methods by Day in USGS laboratories, Denver, Colo. (table 1). In addition, the samples were also analyzed for zinc by means of an atomic absorption method by B.F. Arbogast and W.C. Martin, USGS laboratories, Denver Colo. J.T. Hanley and P.G. Schruben formatted the analytical data by computer methods for table 1. 

On the effectiveness of and preference for punishment and extinction components of function-based interventions.

PubMed

Hanley, Gregory P; Piazza, Cathleen C; Fisher, Wayne W; Maglieri, Kristen A

2005-01-01

The current study describes an assessment sequence that may be used to identify individualized, effective, and preferred interventions for severe problem behavior in lieu of relying on a restricted set of treatment options that are assumed to be in the best interest of consumers. The relative effectiveness of functional communication training (FCT) with and without a punishment component was evaluated with 2 children for whom functional analyses demonstrated behavioral maintenance via social positive reinforcement. The results showed that FCT plus punishment was more effective than FCT in reducing problem behavior. Subsequently, participants' relative preference for each treatment was evaluated in a concurrent-chains arrangement, and both participants demonstrated a dear preference for FCT with punishment. These findings suggest that the treatment-selection process may be guided by person-centered and evidence-based values.

A friend request from dear old dad: associations between parent-child social networking and adolescent outcomes.

PubMed

Coyne, Sarah M; Padilla-Walker, Laura M; Day, Randal D; Harper, James; Stockdale, Laura

2014-01-01

This study examined the relationship between parent-child social networking, connection, and outcomes for adolescents. Participants (491 adolescents and their parents) completed a number of questionnaires on social networking use, feelings of connection, and behavioral outcomes. Social networking with parents was associated with increased connection between parents and adolescents. Feelings of connection then mediated the relationship between social networking with parents and behavioral outcomes, including higher prosocial behavior and lower relational aggression and internalizing behavior. Conversely, adolescent social networking use without parents was associated with negative outcomes, such as increased relational aggression, internalizing behaviors, delinquency, and decreased feelings of connection. These results indicate that although high levels of social networking use may be problematic for some individuals, social networking with parents may potentially strengthen parent-child relationships and then lead to positive outcomes for adolescents.

Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Public Lands and Reserved Water Committee on Energy and Natural Resources United States Senate.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-11-25

A II-. BY THE U.S. GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE Report To The Chairman, Subcommittee On Public Lands And Reserved Water • Committee On Energy And Natural ... Natural Resources United States Senate Dear Mr. Chairman: In response to your request, we have reviewed the recreation construction backlogs at six...0 215 215 Pennsy Ivan ia: Tloge-ai4bnd Lakes 192,700 12,125 10,546c 1,579 1,579 b Puerto Rico: Portugues and Bucane Rivers 295,000 7,579 0 7,579

New approach to high-risk pregnancy begins far earlier than traditional programs.

PubMed

2002-10-01

Why? Because traditional programs that focus on women as soon as they become pregnant are not making any headway against the incidence of low and very low birth weight (LBW) babies. As a result, while more of these babies are surviving, a significant number have disabilities that will impact them for life while costing the health care system dearly. Experts at Emory University in Atlanta believe there must be a better way to curb the incidence of poor birth outcomes, and they are putting their theories to work in a new program focused on "interpregnancy" care.

Response of the New Mexico Disaster Medical Assistance Team in St. Croix after Hurricane Hugo.

PubMed

Lewis-Rakestraw, L

1991-06-01

Our DMAT pulled together with the energy, flexibility, and adaptability necessary to make things work. Sally Coan expressed it best, saying, "I was with a group of people who would do anything [that was] needed." Dedication and trust within the DMAT helped create lasting friendships. The islanders were appreciative and we formed attachments to them that made them too dear to leave without sadness. The DMAT did leave, but we left in place an established medical system that the island would not otherwise have had a standard of care of which we felt proud.

Two pathogenic species of Pythium: P. aphanidermatum and P. diclinum from a wheat field.

PubMed

Al-Sheikh, Hashem

2010-10-01

During a survey of pathogenic and non-pathogenic Pythium spp. in different localities in Egypt, several isolates of Pythia were obtained and maintained on corn meal agar. Among these isolates, Pythium aphanidermatum and Pythium diclinum were obtained from rhizosphere of wheat plants grown in Dear Attia village, Minia, Egypt. Identification was made using morphological and molecular analyses. P. aphanidermatum and P. diclinum were able to cause reductions in emergence and adulating in wheat in laboratory scale. P. aphanidermatum appeared to be the most aggressive parasite under agar and pot experimental conditions.

Two pathogenic species of Pythium: P. aphanidermatum and P. diclinum from a wheat field

PubMed Central

Al-Sheikh, Hashem

2010-01-01

During a survey of pathogenic and non-pathogenic Pythium spp. in different localities in Egypt, several isolates of Pythia were obtained and maintained on corn meal agar. Among these isolates, Pythium aphanidermatum and Pythium diclinum were obtained from rhizosphere of wheat plants grown in Dear Attia village, Minia, Egypt. Identification was made using morphological and molecular analyses. P. aphanidermatum and P. diclinum were able to cause reductions in emergence and adulating in wheat in laboratory scale. P. aphanidermatum appeared to be the most aggressive parasite under agar and pot experimental conditions. PMID:23961096

Coherent Wave Measurement Buoy Arrays to Support Wave Energy Extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spada, F.; Chang, G.; Jones, C.; Janssen, T. T.; Barney, P.; Roberts, J.

2016-02-01

Wave energy is the most abundant form of hydrokinetic energy in the United States and wave energy converters (WECs) are being developed to extract the maximum possible power from the prevailing wave climate. However, maximum wave energy capture is currently limited by the narrow banded frequency response of WECs as well as extended protective shutdown requirements during periods of large waves. These limitations must be overcome in order to maximize energy extraction, thus significantly decreasing the cost of wave energy and making it a viable energy source. Techno-economic studies of several WEC devices have shown significant potential to improve wave energy capture efficiency through operational control strategies that incorporate real-time information about local surface wave motions. Integral Consulting Inc., with ARPA-E support, is partnering with Sandia National Laboratories and Spoondrift LLC to develop a coherent array of wave-measuring devices to relay and enable the prediction of wave-resolved surface dynamics at a WEC location ahead of real time. This capability will provide necessary information to optimize power production of WECs through control strategies, thereby allowing for a single WEC design to perform more effectively across a wide range of wave environments. The information, data, or work presented herein was funded in part by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), U.S. Department of Energy, under Award Number DE-AR0000514.

XVI Workshop on High Energy Spin Physics (D-SPIN2015)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lednicky, Richard

2016-02-01

Dear Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the Directorate of Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) it is a pleasure for me to welcome you here to Dubna for the 16th International Workshop on High Energy Spin Physics. It provides an opportunity to present and discuss the news accumulated during last year. Another important feature of this series of workshops has always been the participation of a large number of physicists from the former Soviet Union and Eastern European countries, for which long trips have previously been limited by financial (and earlier also by bureaucratic) reasons. It thus represents an important addition to the series of large International Symposia on spin physics held in even-numbered years in different countries, including the Symposium held in Dubna in 2012. JINR has a long-lasting tradition of experimental and theoretical studies of spin phenomena. The workshops on high energy spin physics started in Dubna in 1981 due to the initiative of L. Lapidus, an outstanding theoretical physicist. Since then, these meetings have been held in Dubna in every odd year and have become regular thanks to Anatoly Vasilievich Efremov, the chairman for many years. Recent years have brought a lot of new experimental results, and above all the discovery and determination of quantum characteristics of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider.

Growth and characterization of III-V epitaxial films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tripathi, A.; Adamski, J.

1991-11-01

Investigations were conducted on the growth of epitaxial layers using an Organo Metallic Chemical Vapor Deposition technique of selected III-V materials which are potentially useful for photonics and microwave devices. RL/ERX's MOCVD machine was leak checked for safety. The whole gas handling plumbing system has been leak checked and the problems were reported to the manufacturer, CVD Equipment Corporation of Dear Park, NY. CVD Equipment Corporation is making an effort to correct these problems and also supply the part according to our redesign specifications. One of the main emphasis during this contract period was understanding the operating procedure and writing an operating manual for this MOCVD machine. To study the dynamic fluid flow in the vertical reactor of this MOCVD machine, an experimental apparatus was designed, tested, and put together. This study gave very important information on the turbulent gas flow patterns in this vertical reactor. The turbulent flow affects the epitaxial growth adversely. This study will also help in redesigning a vertical reactor so that the turbulent gas flow can be eliminated.

EDITORIAL: Letter from the Editor Letter from the Editor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pashinin, Pavel P.

2013-01-01

Dear readers, contributors, and members of the world laser physics community. It is a great honour for us to introduce to you our new publishing partner, IOP Publishing, a subsidiary of the Institute of Physics, United Kingdom. IOP Publishing is a world renowned authority in producing journals, magazines, websites and services that enable researchers and research organizations to present their work to a world-wide audience. Laser Physics, the first English-language scientific journal in Russia, was founded in 1990 on the initiative of Alexander M Prokhorov, a pioneer and leader in laser physics research. Professor Prokhorov served as the first Editor-in-Chief of the journal until 2002. We are proud that it is our 23rd year of publishing Laser Physics and our 10th year of publishing Laser Physics Letters. We would like to honour the memory of our friend, late Professor Igor Yevseyev, whose enthusiasm and unwavering dedication to our journals contributed most significantly to their success. It was initially his idea in 2011 to approach IOP with a partnership proposal. We deeply regret that he is no longer with us as we enter this productive alliance. Now, in partnership with IOP, we are turning a new page in providing world-wide access to the cutting-edge research results in our journals, serving our well established global audience. We see new horizons opening for our journals for years to come and hope that our readers share our enthusiasm and aspirations. Please accept our best wishes for all your new scientific endeavors in the exciting field of laser physics.

The Complex Cepstrum - Revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemerait, R. C., Sr.

2016-12-01

Since this paper comes at the twilight of my career, it is appropriate to share my views on a subject very dear to my heart and to my long career. In 2004 "From Frequency to Quefrency: A History of the Cepstrum" was published in the IEEE Signal Processing magazine. There is no question that the authors, Alan V. Oppenheim and Ronald W. Schafer, were pioneers in this area of research, and this publication documents their involvement quite nicely. In parallel research also performed in the 1960's, Childers, et. al., renamed the original "Cepstrum" to the "Power Cepstrum" to avoid confusion with the principal topic of their research, that being the "Complex Cepstrum." The term "Power Cepstrum" has become widely used in the literature since that time. The Childers team, including Dr. Kemerait, published a summary of their work, as of that date, in the IEEE Proceedings of October 1977, and titled the article "The Cepstrum: A Guide to Processing." In the subsequent 40 years, Dr. Kemerait has continued to research cepstral techniques applied to many diverse problems; however, his primary research has been on estimating the depth of underground and underwater events. He has also applied these techniques to biomedical data: EEG, EKG, and Visua-evoked responses as well as on hydroacoustic data ; thereby, determining the "bubble pulse frequency", and the depths of the explosion and the ocean depth at the explosion point. He has also used cepstral techniques in the processing of ground penetrating radar, speech, machine diagnostics, and, throughout these years, seismic data. This paper emphasizes his recent improvements in processing primarily seismic and infrasound data associated with nuclear treaty monitoring. The emphasis is mainly on the recent improvements and the automation of the Complex Cepstrum process.

Participation in higher education: A geodemographic perspective on the potential for further expansion in student numbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batey, Peter; Brown, Peter; Corver, Mark

Higher education in England has expanded rapidly in the last ten years with the result that currently more than 30% of young people go on to university. Expansion is likely to continue following the recommendations of a national committee of inquiry (the Dearing Committee). The participation rate is known to vary substantially among social groups and between geographical areas. In this paper the participation rate is calculated using a new measure, the Young Entrants Index (YEI), and the extent of variation by region, gender and residential neighbourhood type established. The Super Profiles geodemographic system is used to facilitate the latter. This is shown to be a powerful discriminator and to offer great potential as an alternative analytical approach to the conventional social class categories, based on parental occupation, that have formed the basis of most participation studies to date.

Clinical and electrophysiologic attributes as predictors of results of autonomic function tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, C. L.; Denq, J. C.; Harper, C. M.; O'Brien, P. C.; Low, P. A.

1998-01-01

Autonomic dysfunction is a feature of some neuropathies and not others. It has been suggested that some clinical and electrophysiologic attributes are predictable of autonomic impairment detected using laboratory testing; however, dear guidelines are unavailable. We evaluated 138 relatively unselected patients with peripheral neuropathy who underwent neurologic evaluation, electromyography (EMG), nerve conduction studies, and autonomic function tests to determine which variables were predictive of laboratory findings of autonomic failure. The variables evaluated were 1) clinical somatic neuropathic findings, 2) clinical autonomic symptoms, and 3) electrophysiologic findings. Autonomic symptoms were strongly predictive (Rs = 0.40, p < 0.001) of autonomic failure. Among the non-autonomic indices, absent ankle reflexes were mildly predictive (Rs = 0.19, p = 0.022) of autonomic impairment, but all others were not (duration, clinical pattern, severity, weakness, sensory loss). Electrophysiologic changes of an axonal neuropathy predicted autonomic impairment while demyelinating neuropathy did not. We conclude that autonomic studies will most likely be abnormal in patients who have symptoms of autonomic involvement and those who have an axonal neuropathy.

Validate Mitotic Checkpoint and Kinetochore Motor Proteins in Breast Cancer Cells as Targets for the Development of Novel Anti-Mitotic Drugs

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-07-01

checkpoint pathway remains to MAD1 MAD1 xMADI be clarified, it is dear that all of them MAD2 MAD2 xMAD2 are essential for cells to arrest in mitosis MPS1 ...TrK in response to unattached kineto- chores. Given that MPS1 , BUB1 and (G) Structural Proteins/Unknown Functions the Mad3-related BUBR1 are all pro...BUB3, MADI, MAD2, MAD3, and MPS1 have been shown to be essential for establishing the checkpoint response in all eukaryotes examined to date (Abrieu et

This is How it Was...: In Four Parts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kogan, Ilya

The following sections are included: * Part I - End of Childhood * Chapter 1 - A Thousand Years Before Our Era. June 15, 1941 * Chapter 2 - Farewell Childhood! August 18, 1941 * Chapter 3 - And They Came, Scourged By the Sun… Germans August 1941-June 1942 * Chapter 4 - Hell. Third Month in Hell. June 17, 1942 - October 31, 1942 * Chapter 5 - Third Day of the New Era. Policeman. November 3, 1942 * Chapter 6 - Happy Holiday, My Son! November 7, 1942 * Chapter 7 - My Dear Grachiki! November 13, 1942 * Chapter 8 - Mikhailovna and Pronya. Kettle. March 1943 * Chapter 9 - The Last… * Part II - Stalingrad * Part III - Glazov * Part IV - Kaddish

Controlling public speaking jitters: making the butterflies fly in formation.

PubMed

Harvey, Hannah; Baum, Neil

2014-01-01

Nearly every person who has been asked to give a speech or who has volunteered to make a presentation to a group of strangers develops fear and anxiety prior to the presentation. Most of us, the authors included, start hyperventilating, our pulse quickens, and we feel a little weak in the knees. We grab the lectern and our knuckles turn white as we hold on for dear life. This is a normal response that everyone experiences. However, this stress can be controlled and made manageable by understanding the stress response cycle and practicing a few techniques that calm those butterflies flying around in the pit of your stomach.

Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) project Integrated Safety Management System phase I and II Verification Review Plan

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

CARTER, R.P.

1999-11-19

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) commits to accomplishing its mission safely. To ensure this objective is met, DOE issued DOE P 450.4, Safety Management System Policy, and incorporated safety management into the DOE Acquisition Regulations ([DEAR] 48 CFR 970.5204-2 and 90.5204-78). Integrated Safety Management (ISM) requires contractors to integrate safety into management and work practices at all levels so that missions are achieved while protecting the public, the worker, and the environment. The contractor is required to describe the Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS) to be used to implement the safety performance objective.

Why Wars End: An Expected Utility War Termination Model

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-04-15

any o( I, qelei. Thk document may not be rMeed for ope pubjckdoa untu it huA been deared by de appropriate militUay e r "e r aovsmment agency. WHY WARS...MONITORING ORGANIZATION 4I r U11f (if applicable) 6c. ADDRESS (City, State, and ZIP Code) 7b. ADDRESS (City. State, and ZIP Code) /Z OCT HfuL.I(i RL...Classification) ~ LA.’ 7Z f/ ’YA 479 , 12. PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) 𔃾 M70?’ 7- 04ŝ’- r -71 on6, .13 . TYPE OF REPORT 113b. TIME COVERED 14- DATE OF REPORT

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

Inokuti, M.; Rau, A. R. P.; Physics

With the passing of Ugo Fano on 13 February 2001, Comments on Atomic and Molecular Physics lost a longtime correspondent since its founding in 1969. A broader community dearly misses a great theoretical physicist. The present tribute is designed in a special way appropriate for this journal, in view of other documents describing Fano's life and work. It is accompanied by a curriculum vitae, which shows the span of a rich professional life. We shall concentrate on his accomplishments in atomic and molecular physics, leaving aside contributions to radiation physics and other areas. We also present a list of hismore » publications, which should be useful as a resource material.« less

Analysis of staged Z-pinch implosion trajectories from experiments on Zebra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, Mike P.; Conti, F.; Darling, T. W.; Ruskov, E.; Valenzuela, J.; Wessel, F. J.; Beg, F.; Narkis, J.; Rahman, H. U.

2017-10-01

The Staged Z-pinch plasma confinement concept relies on compressing an annular liner of high-Z plasma onto a target plasma column of deuterium fuel. The interface between the liner and target is stable against the Magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor Instability, which leads to effective fuel compression and makes the concept interesting as a potential fusion reactor. The liner initiates as a neutral gas puff, while the target plasma is a partially ionized (Zeff < 10 percent column ejected from a coaxial plasma gun. The Zebra pulsed power generator (1 MA peak current, 100 ns rise time) provides the discharge that ionizes the liner and drives the Z-pinch implosion. Diverse diagnostics observe the 100-300 km/s implosions including silicon diodes, photo-conducting detectors (PCDs), laser shadowgraphy, an XUV framing camera, and a visible streak camera. The imaging diagnostics track instabilities smaller than 0.1 mm, and Z-pinch diameters below 2.5 mm are seen at peak compression. This poster correlates the data from these diagnostics to elucidate implosion behavior dependencies on liner gas, liner pressure, target pressure, and applied, axial-magnetic field. Funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy, DE-AR0000569.

Staged Z-pinch Experiments at the 1MA Zebra pulsed-power generator: Neutron measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruskov, Emil; Darling, T.; Glebov, V.; Wessel, F. J.; Anderson, A.; Beg, F.; Conti, F.; Covington, A.; Dutra, E.; Narkis, J.; Rahman, H.; Ross, M.; Valenzuela, J.

2017-10-01

We report on neutron measurements from the latest Staged Z-pinch experiments at the 1MA Zebra pulsed-power generator. In these experiments a hollow shell of argon or krypton gas liner, injected between the 1 cm anode-cathode gap, compresses a deuterium plasma target of varying density. Axial magnetic field Bz <= 2 kGs, applied throughout the pinch region, stabilizes the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. The standard silver activation diagnostics and 4 plastic scintillator neutron Time of Flight (nTOF) detectors are augmented with a large area ( 1400 cm2) liquid scintillator detector to which fast gatedPhotek photomultipliers are attached. Sample data from these neutron diagnostics systems is presented. Consistently high neutron yields YDD >109 are measured, with highest yield of 2.6 ×109 . A pair of horizontally and vertically placed plastic scintillator nTOFs suggest isotropic i.e. thermonuclear origin of the neutrons produced. nTOF data from the liquid scintillator detector was cross-calibrated with the silver activation detector, and can be used for accurate calculation of the neutron yield. Funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy, under Grant Number DE-AR0000569.

Philosophy of biology. Is there still a need for philosophy?

PubMed

Graziano, Mario

2013-01-01

In this paper we now focus on critically examining the theoretical and methodological conceptual foundations in the particular field of science of the living, namely the philosophy of biology. The latter seems to draw attention to two disparate disciplines in methods and scope of interest. On the one hand there seems to be a point of view that considers the cognitive phenomenon in question in a way so as to say "abstract", i.e. as something that seeks to determine the nature or essence, to use a term dear to many philosophers. On the other hand, there is a point of view that considers these phenomena in the actual place, the result of a process caused by the cognitive system of the subject, if the latter, of course, does not mean that they are human beings. We will argue that the two approaches do not represent two distinct planes of research: in fact philosophy takes on a main task, namely helping to lay the foundations for a philosophy of nature capable of meeting first a completeness, that is, to describe and explain what is special in all the different layers of the different natural systems.

Sixty Years of Casting Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, John

2015-11-01

The 60 years of solidification research since the publication of Chalmer's constitutional undercooling in 1953 has been a dramatic advance of understanding which has and continues to be an inspiration. In contrast, 60 years of casting research has seen mixed fortunes. One of its success stories relates to improvements in inoculation of gray irons, and another to the discovery of spheroidal graphite iron, although both of these can be classified as metallurgical rather than casting advances. It is suggested that true casting advances have dated from the author's lab in 1992 when a critical surface turbulence condition was defined for the first time. These last 20 years have seen the surface entrainment issues of castings developed to a sufficient sophistication to revolutionize the performance of light alloy and steel foundries. However, there is still a long way to go, with large sections of the steel and Ni-base casting industries still in denial that casting defects are important or even exist. The result has been that special ingots are still cast poorly, and shaped casting operations have suffered massive losses. For secondary melted and cast materials, electro-slag remelting has the potential to be much superior to expensive vacuum arc remelting, which has cost our aerospace and defense industries dearly over the years. This failure to address and upgrade our processing of liquid metals is a serious concern, since the principle entrainment defect, the bifilm, is seen as the principle initiator of cracks in metals; in general, bifilms are the Griffith cracks that initiate failures by cracking. A new generation of crack resistant metals and engineering structures can now be envisaged.

Financial Accounting and Reporting Improvement Concepts.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-02-01

systems: coordination and nonlro m" f𔃾mannia systems- la_ 20. ABSTRACT (C a tgo *a n Fa.. ’" o I t nce so . y a, den ,A . blok M ) r a n g e p i a n a i...I NOV IS II0II Unclassified .. SECURITY CLSIIAX klq P.9 Dt "’~~~~-- kA ___________ O -eh awa UawOVd tI4A do NOIAV J.JiUV1 AJ|I¥fl*U 2M.0 ontinued J...800 North Quincy Street Arlington, Virginia 22217 r r .ut . o / - .. J .. . r Codes Attention: Dr. Thomas C. Varley Dear Sirs: sp RE: CONTRACT NO. 0014

Update on Service Management Project

ScienceCinema

None

2018-05-11

GS and IT Service Management project status meeting - Distribution: Sigurd Lettow, Frederic Hemmer, Thomas Pettersson, David Foster, Matti Tiirakari, GS&IT; Service Providers When and where: Thursday 2nd September at 10:00-11:30 in IFiltration Plant (222-R-001) Dear All, We would like to inform you about progress made on different topics like the Service Catalogue, the new Service Management Tool and the Service Desk. We would also like to present the plan for when we hope to go live and what this will mean for all of you running and providing services today. We will need your active support and help in the coming months to make this happen. GS&IT; Service Management Teams Reinoud Martens, Mats Moller

Philosophy of experiment in early modern England: the case of Bacon, Boyle and Hooke.

PubMed

Anstey, Peter R

2014-01-01

Serious philosophical reflection on the nature of experiment began in earnest in the seventeenth century. This paper expounds the most influential philosophy of experiment in seventeenth-century England, the Bacon-Boyle-Hooke view of experiment. It is argued that this can only be understood in the context of the new experimental philosophy practised according to the Baconian theory of natural history. The distinctive typology of experiments of this view is discussed, as well as its account of the relation between experiment and theory. This leads into an assessment of other recent discussions of early modern experiment, namely, those of David Gooding, Thomas Kuhn, J.E. Tiles and Peter Dear.

"A Little Seasoning Would Aid in the Digestion of Our Factums": Wit, Evidence, and the Evolving Form of Medical Debate in New Orleans, 1853-1868.

PubMed

Forbes, Amy

2017-01-01

This history of the categorization of yellow fever explores the interchange between rhetoric and evidence in understanding the disease. Eighteenth-century models of medicine relied on rhetorical manipulation to convince readers of accuracy, unlike modern medicine, which claims objective evidence as the professional standard. But how did the physician as intellectual give way to the physician as scientist? This article analyzes the transition through a case study: J.-C. Faget, who famously discovered the definitive sign of yellow fever, and Charles Deléry disputed how doctors should attempt to understand the disease in New Orleans, a vital yet understudied medical center dominated by Francophone creole interests. It addresses the use of ideas about immunity to define racial, ethnic, and class differences; the rhetoric of health and medicine; and developing ontological theories of disease. It shows the struggle to employ intellectual realizations to understand this disease that cost the region dearly in lives and income.

Fuel Areal-Density Measurements in Laser-Driven Magnetized Inertial Fusion from Secondary Neutrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, J. R.; Barnak, D. H.; Betti, R.; Glebov, V. Yu.; Knauer, J. P.; Peebles, J. L.

2017-10-01

Laser-driven magnetized liner inertial fusion is being developed on the OMEGA laser to provide the first data at a significantly smaller scale than the Z pulsed-power machine in order to test scaling and to provide more shots with better diagnostic access than Z. In OMEGA experiments, a 0.6-mm-outer-diam plastic cylinder filled with 11 atm of D2 is placed in an axial magnetic field of 10 T, the D2 is preheated by a single beam along the axis, and then the cylinder is compressed by 40 beams. Secondary DT neutron yields provide a measurement of the areal density of the compressed D2 because the compressed fuel is much smaller than the mean free path and the Larmor radius of the T produced in D-D fusion. Measured secondary yields confirm theoretical predictions that preheating and magnetization reduce fuel compression. Higher fuel compression is found to consistently lead to lower neutron yields, which is not predicted by simulations. The information, data, or work presented herein was funded in part by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), U.S. Department of Energy, under Award Number DE-AR0000568 and the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944.

International Materials Research Meeting in the Greater Region: “Current Trends in the Characterisation of Materials and Surface Modification”

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2017-10-01

Preface Dear ladies and gentlemen, On 6th and 7th of April 2017 took place the “International Materials Research Meeting in the Greater Region” at the Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany. This meeting corresponded to the 9th EEIGM International Conference on Advanced Materials Research and it was intended as a meeting place for researchers of the Greater Region as well as their partners of the different cooperation activities, like the EEIGM program, the ‘Erasmus Mundus’ Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Master program (AMASE), the ‘Erasmus Mundus’ Doctoral Program in Materials Science and Engineering (DocMASE) and the CREATe-Network. On this meeting, 72 participants from 15 countries and 24 institutions discussed and exchanged ideas on the latest trends in the characterization of materials and surface modifications. Different aspects of the material research of metals, ceramics, polymers and biomaterials were presented. As a conclusion of the meeting, the new astronaut of the European Space Agency Dr. Matthias Maurer, who is an alumni of the Saarland University and the EEIGM, held an exciting presentation about his activities. Following the publication of selected papers of the 2009 meeting in Volume 5 and 2012 meeting in Volume 31 of this journal, it is a great pleasure to present this selection of 9 articles to the readers of the IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering. The editors are thankful to all of the reviewers for reviewing the papers. Special praise is also given to the sponsors of the conference: European Commission within the program Erasmus Mundus (AMASE and DocMASE), Erasmus+ (AMASE), and Horizon2020 (CREATe-Network, Grant agreement No 644013): the DAAD (Alumni Program), and the German-French University (PhD-Track). List of Author signatures, Conference topics, Organization, Conference impressions and list of the participants are available in this PDF.

Department of Otolaryngology and Audiology, Hôpital D'Enfants Armand Trousseau, Paris, France, 2009.

PubMed

Harris, R

2010-06-01

Towards the end of my time at Trousseau, it was a huge honour to be asked if I would like to consider staying on as an observer until October, with a view to continuing on, after that, in a Chef de Clinique appointment. This was a golden opportunity that I would have dearly snapped up. Unfortunately, the timing clashed with other previously made, very solid, arrangements. I am tremendously grateful to The Journal of Laryngology & Otology for supporting this Fellowship, and also to Professor Garabedian and his team for their exceptional hospitality, approachability and generosity. I have made some excellent friends in Paris. Overall, this was an extremely positive and valuable experience both in terms of family and work.

Living Ethnoastronomy: Discovering the Connectedness of the Human Spirit Beneath the Night Sky

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hechter, Richard Paul; Awad, Nayif

2017-09-01

We are writing this article from opposite sides of the Earth and are getting ready to meet again in December 2017 to continue our project of bringing the world together through physics education, one constellation at a time. With the events in France, Belgium, Germany, United States, and United Kingdom fresh in our minds, there is not a more critical time than now to work on this project. Although some people believe that the authors (Richard, a Canadian Jew, and Nayif, a Palestinian Arab) should not be colleagues on an international project rooted in global unity, and certainly not be dear friends, we carry on as our work transcends the myopic limitations that society has placed on us. This is our story.

Yura-George's world line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gamov, I. L.

It is quite interesting and flattering for an economist to publish a paper in such a prominent astronomical journal. And taking into account the fact that the author is a relative of the great cosmologist of the 20th century does not diminish but, vice versa, increases the piquancy of the appearance of this article. You may agree, dear readers, that it is fairly difficult to avoid a temptation of addressing you on behalf of numerous admirers of George Gamow's talent, as well as of supporters of the Gamow Foundation of Moldova. Frankly speaking, I cannot get rid of a feeling that George Gamow himself, through some genetic "channels" known to him alone, is pushing me to tell about him, for he was famous for all kinds of tricks.

Serious injuries: an additional indicator to fatalities for road safety benchmarking.

PubMed

Shen, Yongjun; Hermans, Elke; Bao, Qiong; Brijs, Tom; Wets, Geert

2015-01-01

Almost all of the current road safety benchmarking studies focus entirely on fatalities, which, however, represent only one measure of the magnitude of the road safety problem. The main objective of this article was to investigate the possibility of including the number of serious injuries in addition to the number of fatalities for road safety benchmarking and to further illuminate its impact on the countries' rankings. We introduced the technique of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to the road safety domain and developed a DEA-based road safety model (DEA-RS) in this study. Moreover, we outlined different types of possible weight restrictions and adopted 2 of them to indicate the relationship between road fatalities and serious injuries for the sake of rational benchmarking. One was a relative weight restriction based on the information of their shadow price, and the other was a virtual weight restriction using a priori knowledge about the importance level of these 2 aspects. By computing the most optimal road safety risk scores of 10 European countries based on the different models, we found that United Kingdom was the only best-performing country no matter which model was utilized. However, countries such as The Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland were no longer best-performing when the serious injuries were integrated. On the contrary, Spain, which ranked almost at the bottom among all of the countries when only the number of road fatalities was considered, became a relatively well-performing country when integrating its number of serious injuries in the evaluation. In general, no matter whether the country's road safety ranking was improved or deteriorated, most of the countries achieved a higher risk score when the number of serious injuries was included, which implied that compared to the road fatalities, more policy attention has to be paid to improve the situation of serious injuries in most countries. Given the importance of considering the serious injuries in addition to the fatalities for international benchmarking of road safety, the proposed model (i.e., the DEA-RS model with weight restrictions) turned out to be effective in deriving reasonable results. We are thereby also inspired to apply this kind of model to a more complete road safety benchmarking practice in the future when the data on, for example, the number of slight injuries, the degree of property damage, and the number of crashes are ready (i.e., comparable) to use.

Research, evidence, and ethics: new technology or grey medicine.

PubMed

Zhai, Haoran; Zhong, Wenzhao; Wu, Yilong

2015-02-01

Major pioneering advances of medicine in history tend to manifest in two directions that seem divergent but actually unified with dialectics: one is the important biological principle revealed by in-depth studies from the clinic to the laboratory based on individual cases; the other is the colonial generality displayed by epidemiologic data from large-scale samples. Although advances predominated, we human beings were paying dearly for it due to serious incidents of endangering ourselves and defects of restrictions of laws and ethics. Subsequently, the Nuremberg Code, Declaration of Helsinki and Belmont Report came into light and constrained human experiments and clinical trials. However, the development of such laws and regulations in China is lagging behind and renders China as a breeding ground for gray medicine. There are three lessons we can learn from painful histories and apply to individualized treatment of lung cancer. Firstly, the abuse of Avastin beyond its indications reflected the similar situation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in lung cancer due to different molecular types and stages of tumors; secondly, the black market of stem cell therapy in China reminds us how to identify the boundaries of clinical trials and clinical treatment, in similar to the cellular immunotherapy of tumors; thirdly, the theory of Xiao's Reflex Arc emerged us to rethink the level of the validity of clinical evidences, which can provide hints related to video-assisted thoracoscopic surgeries (VATSs). In conclusion, clinical applications of new techniques and treatment regimens should follow three points: identify indications and contraindications clearly, obtain informed consent and permission of patients and supervise effectively according to laws and ethics.

TH-AB-BRB-00: Research Opportunities with Digital Linear Accelerators

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

NONE

2016-06-15

Current state-of-the art digital C-arm medical linear accelerators are capable of delivering radiation treatments with high level of automation, which affords coordinated motions of gantry, couch, and multileaf collimator (MLC) with dose rate modulations. The new machine capacity has shown the potential to bring substantially improved radiation dosimetry and/or delivery efficiency to many challenging diseases. Combining an integrated beam orientation optimization algorithm with automated machine navigation, markedly improved dose conformity has been achieved using 4ρ therapy. Trajectory modulated radiation therapy (TMAT) can be used to deliver highly conformal dose to partial breast or to carve complex dose distribution for therapymore » involving extended volumes such as total marrow and total lymph node treatment. Dynamic electron arc radiotherapy (DEAR) not only overcomes the deficiencies of conventional electron therapy in dose conformity and homogeneity but also achieves so without patient-specific shields. The combination of MLC and couch tracking provides improved motion management of thoracic and abdominal tumors. A substantial body of work has been done in these technological advances for clinical translation. The proposed symposium will provide a timely review of these exciting opportunities. Learning Objectives: Recognize the potential of using digitally controlled linacs for clinically significant improvements in delivered dose distributions for various treatment sites. Identify existing approaches to treatment planning, optimization and delivery for treatment techniques utilizing the advanced functions of digital linacs and venues for further development and improvement. Understand methods for testing and validating delivery system performance. Identify tools available on current delivery systems for implementation and control for such treatments. Obtain the update in clinical applications, trials and regulatory approval. K. Sheng, NIH U19AI067769, NIH R43CA183390, NIH R01CA188300, Varian Medical Systems V. Yu, Varian Medical Systems, AAPM Summer Undergraduate Fellowship, NSF graduate fellowship S. Nill, Elekta AB. Cancer Research UK under Programme C33589/A19727, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at The Royal Marsden and The Institute of Cancer Research.« less

[City-laboratory: Campinas and yellow fever at the dawn of the Republican era].

PubMed

Martins, Valter

2015-01-01

In the late nineteenth century, there were yellow fever epidemics in Campinas. Considered a seaside disease, the fever startled lay people and physicians. The scientific debate about the etiology of the disease left the domain of magazines and medical correspondence to orient political and sanitary actions. In order to combat the disease, the city began to resemble a laboratory and experienced its "era of sanitation and demolition," with victories over the ailment and inconvenience to the public. The State Sanitary Commission led by Emilio Ribas, aware of Finlay's Culicidae theory, rehearsed in Campinas what would happen with Oswaldo Cruz and Pereira Passos in Rio de Janeiro. The novelty of combating mosquitoes coexisted with age-old practices dear to miasmatic theory, such as disinfection.

A Basic Approach to the Use of Canonical Variables and Von Zeipel’s Method in Perturbation Theory

DTIC Science & Technology

1964-05-01

derivatives of ~. 1lcnr the part of’ the .olutioD periodic ill L is obtaiDed t.o firat order (i.e., o(t) troa . lqa . (!’f)). H ~(So + ~) I tL𔃼 l L...detent1n1ng S2 •. At thia poi.Dt, the HamiltoDian n* is rrea lqa . (31.) a4 (]6) *< I * * H L ) • H 0 + ~ + ••• , 3 ef2 •kL + + ••• 8k 19 * H2 ~ be...oouic1eriz18 tbe el.aMnta or CODataDtl ot the l1Dear .olaUoa to be tiM variablea. ’Dda vaa expreaae4 l:v lqa . (22) wtlich are repeated below u. ex ( It

[Tubal sterilization in mentally handicapped women].

PubMed

Barjot, P; Hervé, C

2001-09-22

When performed for contraception purposes, tubular sterilization for mentally handicapped women poses important ethical issues, including patient's rights, body integrity, and the notion of informed consent. French law guarantees the respect and safety of all patients, but in everyday practice, patient's rights must be upheld by family and healthcare workers searching for the most adapted solutions for each individual situation. We present here our proposals for everyday practice. Our conclusions are based on an analysis of the notion of handicap as defined by the WHO and on the observed sexual activities of this type of patient. In this context, informed consent involves a number of subjective factors pointing out the difficulty encountered in providing dear comprehensible information. Finally we discuss the ethical issue of tubular sterilization which many consider to be a masked form of eugenism.

The Great Alliance Between Politics and Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grasso, Pietro

2014-07-01

Dear Friends, I accepted the invitation to take part in this important scientific appointment, which has remarkably reached its 46th edition this year, with great pleasure. First of all, I would like to warmly welcome and thank the scientists who have come from all over the world to give their contribution of intelligence and commitment to the future of our planet and of humanity. I would like to thank the World Federation of Scientists, the ICSC World Lab and the Ettore Majorana Foundation for their invitation and hospitality and I would like to express my personal consideration and respect for Professor Antonino Zichichi, for his competent and passionate dedication in keeping the attention of science, public opinion and politics focused on planetary emergencies for decades, combining scientific rigour and popularisation skill...

Dr Pugh: a poisoner?

PubMed

Paull, J D; Morris, G M

2012-07-01

On 16 February 1845 the Reverend W. H. Browne, rector of St John's Church in Launceston, Van Diemen's Land, wrote in his journal, "My dear Wife died very suddenly almost immediately after and in consequence of taking a preparation of Hyd. Cyan. Acid prepared & supplied by Dr Pugh". This journal entry raises a number of questions. Was Dr Pugh treating a condition which he thought merited that treatment or was it a ghastly mistake? Was Caroline Browne suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis? Was hydrocyanic acid an accepted treatment at that time? Did Mrs Browne take the wrong dose? Was an incorrect concentration of the drug prepared by Dr Pugh? Did he use the wrong pharmacopoeia in preparing the hydrocyanic acid? Why was there no inquest? Only some of these questions can be answered.

"DEAR ROCK, WHAT'S YOUR DESTINY? Ancient and modern uses of rocks in industry, building and art."

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pennesi, Daniela

2015-04-01

The project is for students of first grade of secondary school. The activity is a game, virtual or real of associations between rock and soil samples with their uses in industry, building and art. The students, alone or in a team, have to form pairs having available various samples of rocks, soils and building materials as bags of cement, tiles.. They have images of colonnades, staircases of famous churches, cave paintings and colors. The project is multidisciplinary. During the activity, the teachers of art and technical education are involved with and the teacher of sciences. The game can be used as an introduction for the rocks' classification. The inquiry in team, is a good way to learn the several uses of mineral resources.

A Spectroscopisc's View of Nearby RR Lyrae Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preston, George W.

2016-06-01

I am greatly honored to be the second Bohdan Paczyński Medal lecturer. Bohdan was a dear friend who left an indelible imprint on my life. He was, as well, an invaluable participant in my early explorations of RR Lyrae spectra, the subject of this lecture. I share the hope of Polskie Towarzystwo Astronomiczne that the Paczyński lecture series will serve to remind present and future astronomers, particularly those who will never have the opportunity to see or hear Bohdan Paczyński in person, of the boisterous enthusiasm, sharp wit, and penetrating insight that he brought to every scientific question, to every conversation, to every social occasion that attracted his attention. To this end I begin with a few memories of Bohdan from the mid 20th century.

Andrzej Trautman, Ivor Robinson, and the foundations of gravitational radiation theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salisbury, Donald

It is especially pertinent following the momentous detection of gravitational waves by LIGO and the death of Ivor Robinson in 2016 that we investigate the central role played by the Polish physicist Andrzej Trautman and his dear collaborator Robinson in helping to establish the foundations of gravitational wave research. Trautman was a student of Leopold Infeld who had famously rejected the reality of gravitational waves. Yet Trautman's intuition, informed in part by his training as a radio engineer, led him to be the first to correctly pose asymptotic boundary conditions that described the mass loss of an isolated system through emitted gravitational radiation. His series of papers announcing these results were published in a then obscure Polish journal. Fortunately, though, Felix Pirani visited Warsaw in 1957 and he was so impressed with Trautman that he arranged for him to visit his group at King's College in London. Trautman's lectures in London won him wide admiration, and significantly affected the subsequent work on gravitational wave solutions of Einstein's equations in the group led by Hermann Bondi. This was also the occasion in which Trautman and Robinson discovered a deep and abiding mathematical affinity, resulting in the discovery of exact solutions of Einstein's equations that could be interpreted as representing gravitational radiation. This talk is based in part on an interview with Trautman conducted in Warsaw in June, 2016.

High-Voltage, High-Power Gaseous Electronics Switch For Electric Grid Power Conversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sommerer, Timothy J.

2014-05-01

We are developing a high-voltage, high-power gas switch for use in low-cost power conversion terminals on the electric power grid. Direct-current (dc) power transmission has many advantages over alternating current (ac) transmission, but at present the high cost of ac-dc power interconversion limits the use of dc. The gas switch we are developing conducts current through a magnetized cold cathode plasma in hydrogen or helium to reach practical current densities > 1 A/cm2. Thermal and sputter damage of the cathode by the incident ion flux is a major technical risk, and is being addressed through use of a ``self-healing'' liquid metal cathode (eg, gallium). Plasma conditions and cathode sputtering loss are estimated by analyzing plasma spectral emission. A particle-in-cell plasma model is used to understand various aspects of switch operation, including the conduction phase (where plasma densities can exceed 1013 cm-3), the switch-open phase (where the high-voltage must be held against gas breakdown on the left side of Paschen's curve), and the switching transitions (especially the opening process, which is initiated by forming an ion-matrix sheath adjacent to a control grid). The information, data, or work presented herein was funded in part by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), U.S. Department of Energy, under Award Number DE-AR0000298.

Burden Among Caregivers of Children Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in North India

PubMed Central

Chauhan, Ramesh Chand; Rai, Sanjay Kumar; Kant, Shashi; Lodha, Rakesh; Kumar, Nand; Singh, Neelima

2016-01-01

Background: Due to wider access to and free antiretroviral therapy (ART) program, the number of children dying due to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related causes has declined and the nature and duration of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS caregiving has also dramatically altered. The care of children living with HIV/AIDS (CLHA) places a significant additional burden on the caregivers. Aims: This study was conducted to assess the perceived burden among caregivers of children living with HIV in North India. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study among 156 CLHA-caregiver dyads in North India was conducted from June 2010 to May 2011. Data were collected by using a pretested structured interview schedule. The caregiver burden was measured with a 36-item scale adapted from Burden Assessment Schedule of Schizophrenia Research Foundation (BASS). Child characteristics, caregiver characteristics, caregiving burden, the knowledge of caregivers, and issues related to health care, nutrition, education, and psychological aspects were studied. Results: Caregivers had a mean age of 35.9 ± 10.2 years. Women accounted for over three-fourth (76.9%) of the caregivers. Nearly two-third of them (65.4%) reported as living with HIV. The mean caregiver burden score was 68.7 ± 2.9. A majority of the caregivers reported either low or moderate burden. Standardized percentage score was high in the domains of physical and mental health, external support, patients’ behavior, and caregivers’ strategy and seemed to be comparatively less in the other domains such as support of the patient and taking responsibility. Conclusions: Caring of children is a universal practice but there is a need of special care for children living with HIV. The majority of caregivers who were usually the mothers perceived the burden and need to be assisted in caring for the child. Stigma and discrimination with HIV infection further increased the burden as caregivers did not disclose the HIV status to any near and dear one. PMID:27114969

Energetic Processing of Interstellar Ices: A Route to Complexity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Marla H.; Hudson, Reggie L.

2009-01-01

More than 140 gas-phase molecules have been detected in the interstellar (IS) medium or in circumstellar environments including inorganics, organics, ions, and radicals. The significant abundance of large, complex organic molecules, and families of isomers in these regions makes the origin and formation history of these species the subject of debate. Observationally determined condensed-phase species are H2O, CO, CO2, NH3 and CH30H, with CH4, HCOOH, OCS, OCN-, H2CO and NH4(+) present at trace levels. These ices can undergo energetic processing with cosmic rays or far-UV photons to form larger complex organics with abundance levels that make them undetectable in icy mantles. Once warmed, however, it is likely that these complex species would enter the gas-phase where they might be detected by Herschel or Alma. Understanding the role of radiation chemistry and thermal processing of ices and identifying new products are the goals of our laboratory research. In the Cosmic lee Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Plight Center, we can study both the photo-and radiation chemistries of ices from 8 -- 300 K. Using dear- and mid-IR spectroscopy we can follow the destruction of primary molecules and the formation of radicals and secondary products as a function of energetic processing. During warming we can monitor the trapping of species and the results of any thermal chemistry. An overview of recent and past work will focus on complex secondary radiation products from small condensed-phase IS species. Likely reactions include dimerization, isomerization, H-addition and H-elimination. Another focus of our work is the development of reaction schemes for the formation of complex molecules and the use of such schemes to predict new molecules awaiting detection by Herschel and Alma.

Professor Igor Yevseyev: In Memoriam Professor Igor Yevseyev: In Memoriam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2012-06-01

Dear readers and authors, June 3, 2012 will mark five months since Professor Igor Yevseyev, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of both journals Laser Physics and Laser Physics Letters passed away, suddenly and unexpectedly. He was 67. Born in Moscow, he entered one of the world's best schools of physics, Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI). With this renowned educational and research institution he bonded an alliance for his entire life, starting as an undergraduate student in the Department of Theoretical Physics and later continued as graduate student, assistant professor, associated professor, and full professor in the same department, a rare accomplishment of a person. All those years he retained the love of his life—the love for physics. He worked tirelessly as a teacher and scholar in this captivating field of knowledge. Professor Yevseyev was one of the founders of the international journal of Laser Physics in 1990, the first academic English language journal published in the former USSR. Later, in 2004, the second journal, Laser Physics Letters was brought to the forum of global laser physics community. The idea behind this new title was Professor Yevseyev's initiative to reach the readers and participants with new pioneering and break-through research results more rapidly. His leadership and indefatigable dedication to the quality of published materials made it possible that this journal reached international recognition in a few short years. Still, in order to attract even more attention of potential contributors and readers, Professor Yevseyev originally proposed to conduct the International Laser Physics Workshop (LPHYS) on the annual basis. Since 1992 the Workshop has been conducted every year, each year in a different country. As in all previous years, Professor Yevseyev was the key organizer of this year's workshop in Calgary, Canada. Sadly, this workshop will take place without him. Editorial Board

Light sterile neutrinos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gariazzo, S.; Giunti, C.; Laveder, M.; Li, Y. F.; Zavanin, E. M.

2016-03-01

The theory and phenomenology of light sterile neutrinos at the eV mass scale is reviewed. The reactor, gallium and Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector anomalies are briefly described and interpreted as indications of the existence of short-baseline oscillations which require the existence of light sterile neutrinos. The global fits of short-baseline oscillation data in 3 + 1 and 3 + 2 schemes are discussed, together with the implications for β-decay and neutrinoless double-β decay. The cosmological effects of light sterile neutrinos are briefly reviewed and the implications of existing cosmological data are discussed. The review concludes with a summary of future perspectives. This review is dedicated to the memory of Hai-Wei Long, our dear friend and collaborator, who passed away on 29 May 2015. He was an exceptionally kind person and an enthusiastic physicist. We deeply miss him.

Nikola Tesla: Why was he so much resisted and forgotten? [Retrospectroscope].

PubMed

Valentinuzzi, Max E; Ortiz, Martin Hill; Cervantes, Daniel; Leder, Ron S

2016-01-01

Recently, during the Christmas season, a friend of mine visited me and, sneaking a look at my bookshelves, found two rather old Nikola Tesla biographies, which I had used to prepare a "Retrospectroscope" column for the then-named IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine when our dear friend Alvin Wald was its editor-inchief [2]. Eighteen years have elapsed since then; soon, the idea came up of revamping the article. Cynthia Weber, the magazine's current associate editor, considered it acceptable, and here is the new note divided in two parts: that is, a slightly revised version of the original article followed by new material, including some quite interesting information regarding Tesla's homes and laboratories. On top of this, Tesla is not devoid of a science fiction touch, as mentioned at the end.

TH-AB-BRB-04: Quality Assurance for Advanced Digital Linac Implementations

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

Yu, V.

2016-06-15

Current state-of-the art digital C-arm medical linear accelerators are capable of delivering radiation treatments with high level of automation, which affords coordinated motions of gantry, couch, and multileaf collimator (MLC) with dose rate modulations. The new machine capacity has shown the potential to bring substantially improved radiation dosimetry and/or delivery efficiency to many challenging diseases. Combining an integrated beam orientation optimization algorithm with automated machine navigation, markedly improved dose conformity has been achieved using 4ρ therapy. Trajectory modulated radiation therapy (TMAT) can be used to deliver highly conformal dose to partial breast or to carve complex dose distribution for therapymore » involving extended volumes such as total marrow and total lymph node treatment. Dynamic electron arc radiotherapy (DEAR) not only overcomes the deficiencies of conventional electron therapy in dose conformity and homogeneity but also achieves so without patient-specific shields. The combination of MLC and couch tracking provides improved motion management of thoracic and abdominal tumors. A substantial body of work has been done in these technological advances for clinical translation. The proposed symposium will provide a timely review of these exciting opportunities. Learning Objectives: Recognize the potential of using digitally controlled linacs for clinically significant improvements in delivered dose distributions for various treatment sites. Identify existing approaches to treatment planning, optimization and delivery for treatment techniques utilizing the advanced functions of digital linacs and venues for further development and improvement. Understand methods for testing and validating delivery system performance. Identify tools available on current delivery systems for implementation and control for such treatments. Obtain the update in clinical applications, trials and regulatory approval. K. Sheng, NIH U19AI067769, NIH R43CA183390, NIH R01CA188300, Varian Medical Systems V. Yu, Varian Medical Systems, AAPM Summer Undergraduate Fellowship, NSF graduate fellowship S. Nill, Elekta AB. Cancer Research UK under Programme C33589/A19727, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at The Royal Marsden and The Institute of Cancer Research.« less

Radioprotectors and Radiomitigators for Improving Radiation Therapy: The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Gateway for Accelerating Clinical Translation

PubMed Central

Prasanna, Pataje G. S.; Narayanan, Deepa; Hallett, Kory; Bernhard, Eric J.; Ahmed, Mansoor M.; Evans, Gregory; Vikram, Bhadrasain; Weingarten, Michael; Coleman, C. Norman

2015-01-01

Although radiation therapy is an important cancer treatment modality, patients may experience adverse effects. The use of a radiation-effect modulator may help improve the outcome and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients undergoing radiation therapy either by enhancing tumor cell killing or by protecting normal tissues. Historically, the successful translation of radiation-effect modulators to the clinic has been hindered due to the lack of focused collaboration between academia, pharmaceutical companies and the clinic, along with limited availability of support for such ventures. The U.S. Government has been developing medical countermeasures against accidental and intentional radiation exposures to mitigate the risk and/or severity of acute radiation syndrome (ARS) and the delayed effects of acute radiation exposures (DEARE), and there is now a drug development pipeline established. Some of these medical countermeasures could potentially be repurposed for improving the outcome of radiation therapy and HRQOL of cancer patients. With the objective of developing radiation-effect modulators to improve radiotherapy, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Development Center at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), supported by the Radiation Research Program (RRP), provided funding to companies from 2011 to 2014 through the SBIR contracts mechanism. Although radiation-effect modulators collectively refer to radioprotectors, radiomitigators and radiosensitizers, the focus of this article is on radioprotection and mitigation of radiation injury. This specific SBIR contract opportunity strengthened existing partnerships and facilitated new collaborations between academia and industry. In this commentary, we assess the impact of this funding opportunity, outline the review process, highlight the organ/site-specific disease needs in the clinic for the development of radiation-effect modulators, provide a general understanding of a framework for gathering preclinical and clinical evidence to obtain regulatory approval and provide a basis for broader venture capital needs and support from pharmaceutical companies to fully capitalize on the advances made thus far in this field. PMID:26284423

Radioprotectors and Radiomitigators for Improving Radiation Therapy: The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Gateway for Accelerating Clinical Translation.

PubMed

Prasanna, Pataje G S; Narayanan, Deepa; Hallett, Kory; Bernhard, Eric J; Ahmed, Mansoor M; Evans, Gregory; Vikram, Bhadrasain; Weingarten, Michael; Coleman, C Norman

2015-09-01

Although radiation therapy is an important cancer treatment modality, patients may experience adverse effects. The use of a radiation-effect modulator may help improve the outcome and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients undergoing radiation therapy either by enhancing tumor cell killing or by protecting normal tissues. Historically, the successful translation of radiation-effect modulators to the clinic has been hindered due to the lack of focused collaboration between academia, pharmaceutical companies and the clinic, along with limited availability of support for such ventures. The U.S. Government has been developing medical countermeasures against accidental and intentional radiation exposures to mitigate the risk and/or severity of acute radiation syndrome (ARS) and the delayed effects of acute radiation exposures (DEARE), and there is now a drug development pipeline established. Some of these medical countermeasures could potentially be repurposed for improving the outcome of radiation therapy and HRQOL of cancer patients. With the objective of developing radiation-effect modulators to improve radiotherapy, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Development Center at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), supported by the Radiation Research Program (RRP), provided funding to companies from 2011 to 2014 through the SBIR contracts mechanism. Although radiation-effect modulators collectively refer to radioprotectors, radiomitigators and radiosensitizers, the focus of this article is on radioprotection and mitigation of radiation injury. This specific SBIR contract opportunity strengthened existing partnerships and facilitated new collaborations between academia and industry. In this commentary, we assess the impact of this funding opportunity, outline the review process, highlight the organ/site-specific disease needs in the clinic for the development of radiation-effect modulators, provide a general understanding of a framework for gathering preclinical and clinical evidence to obtain regulatory approval and provide a basis for broader venture capital needs and support from pharmaceutical companies to fully capitalize on the advances made thus far in this field.

Contributions of diesel truck emissions to indoor elemental carbon concentrations in homes in proximity to Ambassador Bridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baxter, Lisa K.; Barzyk, Timothy M.; Vette, Alan F.; Croghan, Carry; Williams, Ronald W.

Ambassador Bridge, connecting Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario, is the busiest international commercial vehicle crossing in North America, with a large percentage of heavy duty diesel trucks. This study seeks to examine the contribution of diesel truck traffic across Ambassador Bridge to indoor exposure patterns of elemental carbon (EC), a common surrogate for diesel exhaust particles, in homes in close proximity to the bridge. We also aim to understand the relative importance of home ventilation characteristics and wind speed. Measurements were collected as part of the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS). Residential indoor and outdoor EC measurements were collected over five consecutive 24 h periods in both the summer and winter at 16 homes in close proximity to Ambassador Bridge. Ambient concentrations and meteorological data were collected at a central-site monitor, and home air exchange rates were estimated using a perfluorocarbon tracer. The contributions of ambient concentrations and Ambassador Bridge, and potential effect modification by wind speed and home ventilation status were quantified with regression analyses. Both ambient concentrations and the percentage of time a home was downwind from the bridge were associated with an increase in indoor concentrations. Ambient concentrations significantly contributed to indoor concentrations regardless of wind speed category but were a greater influence in home experiencing calm winds. The effect of the percent of time downwind variable on indoor levels was only significant in homes where the ventilation status was high. The distance a home was from the bridge tollbooth complex was not significantly associated with indoor concentrations. We conclude that diesel traffic emissions related to Ambassador Bridge may have an impact on indoor EC exposures. Given that people spend the majority of their time indoors, it is important to evaluate the impact of traffic-related pollution in the home environment.

Stressful life events and risk of colorectal cancer: a case-control study of Iran.

PubMed

Azizi, Hosein; Esmaeili, Elham Davtalab

2015-01-01

Very few analytical studies are available on any association between stressful life events (SLE) and colorectal cancer (CRC), at least in Iran. The aim of this case control study was to determine the association between stressful life events (SLE) and colorectal cancer. This study was conducted in four hospital colonoscopy units in Tabriz city of Iran including 414 participants aged 40-75 years: 207 cases with CRC confirmed by pathology and colonoscopy findings and 207 controls free of neoplastic conditions were selected (from the same hospitals at the same period for the cases and after matching for age and sex). Stressful life events were assessed using a 43-item Holmes and Rahe Life Events Questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios for SLE and risk of CRC. The stressful life event mean score in the case group was 141.3, in contrast to 63.8 in the control group (p<0.011). After adjusting for confounders, death of dear ones increased the risk of CRC (OR: 2.49; 95%CI: 1.41-5.13). Other types of stressful life events (family and husband disputes, serious occupational problems, unemployment of >6 months, and Serious financial problems) were also associated with CRC, but without statistical significance. According to our findings, it seems that SLE may increase the risk of CRC.

Opening Address

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abalakin, V. K.

1997-03-01

Dear Colleagues, It is a great pleasure and honor for me to invite you on the occasion of the IAU Colloquium International Cooperation in Dissemination of the Astronomical Data to the Central (Pulkovo) Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences. This distinguished gathering of experts in the vast field of modern methods for archiving and managing almost infinite astronomical data files of everlasting value will doubtlessly make a considerable and important contribution to success in the present and future research in astronomy. All of us are witnesses of a great technological, even psychological upturn that occurs in the everyday astronomical practice. The small but the most powerful handy devices known as desktop, laptop, or even palm-top PCs, have rendered a tedious calculating work and stressing search in the card-file or book-form catalogs to a pure pleasure and raised an admiration for those brilliant minds that have invented such a kind of hard- and software. The networks of all kinds and sorts -- Internet, Bitnet, World Wide Web, etc. -- have realized ancient dreams of a Man to fly with thought all over the world communicating with other human beings. But ... don't forget that the most real and valuable communication is the live one, when one can see the face and the eyes of his (or her) partner, listen to his voice as large as life, and the only opportunity for this is to stay together. And this just occurs at the colloquium like ours! So, let me heartily welcome you to the Pulkovo Observatory.

PREFACE: International Conference on Structural Nano Composites (NANOSTRUC 2012)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Njuguna, James

2012-09-01

Dear Colleagues It is a great pleasure to welcome you to NanoStruc2012 at Cranfield University. The purpose of the 2012 International Conference on Structural Nano Composites (NanoStruc2012) is to promote activities in various areas of materials and structures by providing a forum for exchange of ideas, presentation of technical achievements and discussion of future directions. NanoStruc brings together an international community of experts to discuss the state-of-the-art, new research results, perspectives of future developments, and innovative applications relevant to structural materials, engineering structures, nanocomposites, modelling and simulations, and their related application areas. The conference is split in 7 panel sessions, Metallic Nanocomposites and Coatings, Silica based Nanocomposites, safty of Nanomaterials, Carboin based Nanocomposites, Multscale Modelling, Bio materials and Application of Nanomaterials. All accepted Papers will be published in the IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), and included in the NanoStruc online digital library. The abstracts will be indexed in Scopus, Compedex, Inspec, INIS (International Nuclear Information System), Chemical Abstracts, NASA Astrophysics Data System and Polymer Library. Before ending this message, I would like to acknowledge the hard work, professional skills and efficiency of the team which ensured the general organisation. As a conclusion, I would like to Welcome you to the Nanostruc2012 and wish you a stimulating Conference and a wonderful time. On behalf of the scientific committee, Signature James Njuguna Conference Chair The PDF of this preface also contains committee listings and associates logos.

Low-temperature plasma simulations with the LSP PIC code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlsson, Johan; Khrabrov, Alex; Kaganovich, Igor; Keating, David; Selezneva, Svetlana; Sommerer, Timothy

2014-10-01

The LSP (Large-Scale Plasma) PIC-MCC code has been used to simulate several low-temperature plasma configurations, including a gas switch for high-power AC/DC conversion, a glow discharge and a Hall thruster. Simulation results will be presented with an emphasis on code comparison and validation against experiment. High-voltage, direct-current (HVDC) power transmission is becoming more common as it can reduce construction costs and power losses. Solid-state power-electronics devices are presently used, but it has been proposed that gas switches could become a compact, less costly, alternative. A gas-switch conversion device would be based on a glow discharge, with a magnetically insulated cold cathode. Its operation is similar to that of a sputtering magnetron, but with much higher pressure (0.1 to 0.3 Torr) in order to achieve high current density. We have performed 1D (axial) and 2D (axial/radial) simulations of such a gas switch using LSP. The 1D results were compared with results from the EDIPIC code. To test and compare the collision models used by the LSP and EDIPIC codes in more detail, a validation exercise was performed for the cathode fall of a glow discharge. We will also present some 2D (radial/azimuthal) LSP simulations of a Hall thruster. The information, data, or work presented herein was funded in part by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), U.S. Department of Energy, under Award Number DE-AR0000298.

John L. LaBrecque Receives 2013 Edward A. Flinn III Award: Response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LaBrecque, John L.

2014-01-01

Thank you, Jean Bernard Minster and those who supported my nomination for the Edward A. Flinn III Award. We owe so much to colleagues such as Bernard Minster who support NASA and Earth Science with unrelenting and unselfish service. I am also grateful to my parents, the people of Lewiston, Maine, and the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) of 1958 for nurturing my early interest in science with an education that ultimately led me to Columbia University and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Lamont for me was a scientific wonderland tended by scientists with global appetites for discovery and adventure. Marine geophysics, geomagnetism, and satellite altimetry of the oceans were creating a revolution of discovery, and Lamont was the center of this revolution. I owe so much to my mentor and dear friend, Walter C. Pitman III, who showed me that great science was accomplished through boundless curiosity, perseverance, and, most of all, humility.

Crab Waist Collision at DAFNE

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

Milardi, C.; Alesini, D.; Biagini, M.E.

DAFNE is an accelerator complex consisting of a double ring lepton collider working at the c.m. energy of the {Phi}-resonance (1.02 GeV) and an injection system. In its original configuration the collider consisted of two independent rings, each {approx}97 m long, sharing two 10 m long interaction regions (IR1 and IR2) where the KLOE and FINUDA or DEAR detectors were respectively installed. A full energy injection system, including an S-band linac, 180 m long transfer lines and an accumulator/damping ring, provides fast and high efficiency electron positron injection also in topping-up mode during collisions. Recently the DAFNE collider has beenmore » upgraded in order to implement a new collision scheme based on large Piwinski angle and cancellation of the synchro-betatron resonances by means of electromagnetic sextupoles (Crab-Waist compensation). The novel approach has proved to be effective in improving beam-beam interaction and collider luminosity.« less

Few believe the world is flat: How embodiment is changing the scientific understanding of cognition.

PubMed

Glenberg, Arthur M

2015-06-01

Science has changed many of our dearly held and commonsensical (but incorrect) beliefs. For example, few still believe the world is flat, and few still believe the sun orbits the earth. Few still believe humans are unrelated to the rest of the animal kingdom, and soon few will believe human thinking is computer-like. Instead, as with all animals, our thoughts are based on bodily experiences, and our thoughts and behaviors are controlled by bodily and neural systems of perception, action, and emotion interacting with the physical and social environments. We are embodied; nothing more. Embodied cognition is about cognition formatted in sensorimotor experience, and sensorimotor systems make those thoughts dynamic. Even processes that seem abstract, such as language comprehension and goal understanding, are embodied. Thus, embodied cognition is not limited to 1 type of thought or another: It is cognition. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: A Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background Power Spectrum at 148 AND 218 GHz from the 2008 Southern Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Das, Sudeep; Marriage, Tobias A.; Ade, Peter A. R.; Aguirre, Paula; Amiri, Mandana; Appel, John W.; Barrientos, L. Felipe; Battistelli, Elia A.; Bond, J. Richard; Brown, Ben;

Remarking on a blackened eye: Persifor Frazer's blow-by-blow account of a fistfight with his dear friend Edward Drinker Cope.

PubMed

Brinkman, Paul D

2015-01-01

Edward Drinker Cope, a brilliant and prolific American naturalist, was notoriously combative. His infamous feud with Yale paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh, which played out publicly on the front pages of the New York Herald, was one of the worst scandals of nineteenth-century American science. Cope did not fight exclusively with his pen, however. In 1888, for example, he traded blows with his close friend Persifor Frazer over a matter of honor at the entrance of Philadelphia's hallowed Philosophical Hall, just as a meeting of the American Philosophical Society was getting under way. A six-page letter, handwritten by Persifor Frazer and housed in the Frazer Family Papers at the University of Pennsylvania, details the circumstances of their quarrel. An annotated transcription of Frazer's letter appears here. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Engineering design of the PLX- α coaxial gun

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruz, E.; Brockington, S.; Case, A.; Luna, M.; Witherspoon, F. D.; Thio, Y. C. Francis; PLX-α Team

2017-10-01

We describe the engineering and technical improvements, as well as provide a detailed overview of the design choices, of the latest PLX- α coaxial gun designed for the 60-gun scaling study of spherically imploding plasma liners as a standoff driver for plasma-jet-driven magneto-inertial fusion. Each coaxial gun incorporates a fast, dense gas injection and triggering system, a compact low-weight pfn with integral sparkgap switching, and a contoured gap designed to suppress the blow-by instability. The evolution of the latest Alpha gun is presented with emphasis on its upgraded performance. Changes include a faster more robust gas valve, better-quality ceramic insulator material and enhancements to overall design layout. These changes result in a gun with increased repeatability, reduced potential failure modes, improved fault tolerance and better than expected efficiency. A custom 600- μF, 5-kV pfn and a set of six inline sparkgap switches operated in parallel are mounted directly to the back of the gun, and are designed to reduce inductance, cost, and complexity, maximize efficiency and system reliability, and ensure symmetric current flow. This work supported by the ARPA-E ALPHA Program under contract DE-AR0000566 and Strong Atomics, LLC.

Leadership in your midst: tapping the hidden strengths of minority executives.

PubMed

Hewlett, Sylvia Ann; Luce, Carolyn Buck; West, Cornel

2005-11-01

All companies value leadership-some of them enough to invest dearly in cultivating it. But few management teams seem to value one engine of leadership development that is right under their noses, churning out the kind of talent they need most. It's the complicated, overburdened but very rich lives of their minority managers. Minority professionals-particularly women of color-are called upon inordinately to lend their skills and guidance to activities outside their jobs. Sylvia Ann Hewlett, who heads the Center for Work-Life Policy, and her coauthors, Carolyn Buck Luce of Ernst & Young and Cornel West of Princeton, present new research on the extent to which minority professionals take on community service and other responsibilities outside the workplace and more than their share of recruiting, mentoring, and committee work within the workplace. These invisible lives, argue the authors, can be a source of competitive strength if companies can learn to recognize and further cultivate the cultural capital they represent. But it's hard to convince minority professionals that their employer respects and values their off-hours responsibilities. A lack of trust keeps many people from revealing much about their personal lives. The authors outline four ways companies can leverage hidden skills: Develop a new level of awareness of minority professionals' invisible lives; appreciate the outsize burdens these professionals carry and try to lighten them; build trust by putting teeth into diversity goals; and, to finish the job of leadership development, help minorities reflect on their off-hours experiences, extract and generalize the lessons, and apply what's been learned in other settings.

Employee unethical behavior to shame as an indicator of self-image threat and exemplification as a form of self-image protection: The exacerbating role of supervisor bottom-line mentality.

PubMed

Bonner, Julena M; Greenbaum, Rebecca L; Quade, Matthew J

2017-08-01

Employee unethical behavior continues to be an area of interest as real-world business scandals persist. We investigate what happens after people engage in unethical behavior. Drawing from emotion theories (e.g., Tangney & Dearing, 2002) and the self-presentation literature (e.g., Leary & Miller, 2000), we first argue that people are socialized to experience shame after moral violations (Hypothesis 1). People then manage their shame and try to protect their self-images by engaging in exemplification behaviors (i.e., self-sacrificial behaviors that give the attribution of being a dedicated person; Hypothesis 2). We also examine the moderating role of supervisor bottom-line mentality (BLM; i.e., a supervisor's singular focus on pursuing bottom-line outcomes) in relation to our theoretical model. We argue that high supervisor BLM intensifies the employee unethical behavior to shame relationship (Hypothesis 3) and results in heightened exemplification as a way to protect one's self-image by portraying the self as a dedicated person who is worthy of association (Hypothesis 4). We test our theoretical model across 2 experimental studies and 2 field studies. Although our results provide general support for Hypotheses 1, 2, and 3, our results produced mixed findings for Hypothesis 4. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

TH-AB-BRB-01: Trajectory Modulated Arc Therapy: Application to Partial Breast Irradiation

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

Hristov, D.

2016-06-15

Current state-of-the art digital C-arm medical linear accelerators are capable of delivering radiation treatments with high level of automation, which affords coordinated motions of gantry, couch, and multileaf collimator (MLC) with dose rate modulations. The new machine capacity has shown the potential to bring substantially improved radiation dosimetry and/or delivery efficiency to many challenging diseases. Combining an integrated beam orientation optimization algorithm with automated machine navigation, markedly improved dose conformity has been achieved using 4ρ therapy. Trajectory modulated radiation therapy (TMAT) can be used to deliver highly conformal dose to partial breast or to carve complex dose distribution for therapymore » involving extended volumes such as total marrow and total lymph node treatment. Dynamic electron arc radiotherapy (DEAR) not only overcomes the deficiencies of conventional electron therapy in dose conformity and homogeneity but also achieves so without patient-specific shields. The combination of MLC and couch tracking provides improved motion management of thoracic and abdominal tumors. A substantial body of work has been done in these technological advances for clinical translation. The proposed symposium will provide a timely review of these exciting opportunities. Learning Objectives: Recognize the potential of using digitally controlled linacs for clinically significant improvements in delivered dose distributions for various treatment sites. Identify existing approaches to treatment planning, optimization and delivery for treatment techniques utilizing the advanced functions of digital linacs and venues for further development and improvement. Understand methods for testing and validating delivery system performance. Identify tools available on current delivery systems for implementation and control for such treatments. Obtain the update in clinical applications, trials and regulatory approval. K. Sheng, NIH U19AI067769, NIH R43CA183390, NIH R01CA188300, Varian Medical Systems V. Yu, Varian Medical Systems, AAPM Summer Undergraduate Fellowship, NSF graduate fellowship S. Nill, Elekta AB. Cancer Research UK under Programme C33589/A19727, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at The Royal Marsden and The Institute of Cancer Research.« less

Living into the imagined body: how the diagnostic image confronts the lived body.

PubMed

Stahl, Devan

2013-06-01

In this paper I will show how the medical image, presented to the patient by the physician, participates in medicine's cold culture of abstraction, objectification and mandated normativity. I begin by giving a brief account of the use of anatomical imaging since the Renaissance to show how images have historically functioned in contrast to how they are currently used in medical practice. Next, I examine how contemporary medical imaging techniques participate in a kind of knowledge production that objectifies the human body. Finally, I elucidate how physicians ought to place the medical image within the context of the lived body so as to create a healing relationship with the patient. In all this I hope to show that the medical image, far from a piece of objective data, testifies to the interplay of particular beliefs, practices and doctrines contemporary medicine holds dear. To best treat her patient, the physician must appreciate the influence of these images and appropriately place them within the context of the patient's lived experience.

Comparison of three neurotropic viruses reveals differences in viral dissemination to the central nervous system

PubMed Central

Luethy, Lauren N.; Erickson, Andrea K; Jesudhasan, Palmy R.; Ikizler, Mine; Dermody, Terence S.; Pfeiffer, Julie K.

2015-01-01

Neurotropic viruses initiate infection in peripheral tissues prior to entry into the central nervous system (CNS). However, mechanisms of dissemination are not completely understood. We used genetically marked viruses to compare dissemination of poliovirus, yellow fever virus 17D (YFV-17D), and reovirus type 3 Dearing in mice from a hind limb intramuscular inoculation site to the sciatic nerve, spinal cord, and brain. While YFV-17D likely entered the CNS via blood, poliovirus and reovirus likely entered the CNS by transport through the sciatic nerve to the spinal cord. We found that dissemination was inefficient in adult immune-competent mice for all three viruses, particularly reovirus. Dissemination of all viruses was more efficient in immune-deficient mice. Although poliovirus and reovirus both accessed the CNS by transit through the sciatic nerve, stimulation of neuronal transport by muscle damage enhanced dissemination only of poliovirus. Our results suggest that these viruses access the CNS using different pathways. PMID:26479325

Campus Sexual Misconduct: Restorative Justice Approaches to Enhance Compliance With Title IX Guidance.

PubMed

Koss, Mary P; Wilgus, Jay K; Williamsen, Kaaren M

2014-07-01

Campus response to sexual violence is increasingly governed by federal law and administrative guidance such as the 1972 Title IX, the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), and the 2013 Violence Against Women Act. Educational institutions are directed to expand disciplinary responses and establish coordinated action to eliminate sexual violence and remedy its effects. Compliance fosters a quasi-criminal justice approach not suited to all sexual misconduct and inconsistent with developing practice in student conduct management. This article envisions restorative justice (RJ) enhancements to traditional student conduct processes that maintain compliance, expand options, empower victim choice, and increase responsiveness to DCL aims. The article (1) defines sexual violence and sexual harassment within the DCL scope, (2) elaborates the DCL position on permissible alternative resolutions and differentiates mediation from RJ, (3) sequences action steps from case report to finalization, including both restorative and traditional justice pathways; and (4) discusses building support for innovation beginning with existing campus response. © The Author(s) 2014.

The PLX- α Plasma Guns: Progress and Plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witherspoon, F. D.; Brockington, S.; Case, A.; Cruz, E.; Luna, M.; Thio, Y. C. Francis; LANL PLX-α Team

2017-10-01

The ALPHA coaxial plasma guns are being developed to support a 60-gun scaling study of spherically imploding plasma liners as a standoff driver for plasma-jet-driven magneto-inertial fusion (PJMIF). Seven complete guns have been delivered to LANL with 6 guns currently undergoing simultaneous test firings on PLX. The guns are designed to operate over a range of parameters: 0.5-5.0 mg of Ar, Ne, N2, Kr, and Xe; 20-60 km/s; 2 × 1016 cm-3 muzzle density; and up to 7.5 kJ stored energy per gun. Each coaxial gun incorporates a fast dense gas injection and triggering system, a compact low-weight pfn with integral sparkgap switching, and a contoured coaxial gap to suppress the blow-by instability. Optimizing parameter scans performed at HyperV have achieved : 4 mg at >50 km/s and length of 10 cm. Peak axial density 30 cm from the muzzle is 2 ×1016 cm-3. We will provide an overview of the experimental results, along with plans for further improvements in reliability, maintainability, fabricability, and plasma jet performance, with the latter focused on further improvements in the fast gas valve and the ignitors. This work supported by the ARPA-E ALPHA Program under contract DE-AR0000566 and Strong Atomics, LLC.

Development of a distance-to-roadway proximity metric to compare near-road pollutant levels to a central site monitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barzyk, Timothy M.; George, Barbara Jane; Vette, Alan F.; Williams, Ronald W.; Croghan, Carry W.; Stevens, Carvin D.

The primary objective of the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) was to compare air pollutant concentrations measured at various neighborhoods, or exposure monitoring areas (EMAs), throughout a major metropolitan area to levels measured at a central site or community monitor. One of the EMAs was located near a busy freeway (annual average daily traffic (AADT) of ˜130,000) so that impacts of mobile sources could be examined. Air pollution concentrations from the roadway-proximate sites were compared to the central site monitor. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) selected (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m,p- and o-xylene, 1,3 butadiene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene and 4-ethyltoluene) are typically associated with mobile sources. Gradients were also evident that demonstrated the amplification of pollutant levels near the roadway compared to the community monitor. A novel distance-to-roadway proximity metric was developed to plot the measurements and model these gradients. Effective distance represents the actual distance an air parcel travels from the middle of a roadway to a site and varies as a function of wind direction, whereas perpendicular distance is a fixed distance oriented normal to the roadway. Perpendicular distance is often used as a proxy for exposures to traffic emissions in epidemiological studies. Elevated concentrations of all the compounds were found for both a summer and winter season. Effective distance was found to be a statistically significant ( p < 0.05) univariate predictor for concentrations of toluene, ethylbenzene, m,p-xylene and o-xylene for summer 2005. For each of these pollutants, effective distance yielded lower p-values than the corresponding perpendicular distance models, and model fit improved. Results demonstrate that this near-road EMA had elevated levels of traffic-related VOCs compared to the community monitor, and that effective distance was a more accurate predictor of the degree to which they were elevated as a function of distance. Effective distance produced a range of distance-to-roadway values for a single site based on wind direction, thus increasing the number and range of values that could be used to plot and predict relative differences in pollutant concentrations between two sites.

'Dear diary I saw an angel, she looked like heaven on earth': Sex talk and sex education.

PubMed

Pattman, Rob; Chege, Fatuma

2003-01-01

In this paper we highlight and address some of the problems involved in teaching HIV/AIDS education in southern and eastern Africa, and especially in generating open discussion among pupils about sex and sexuality. The paper draws on the findings of a UNICEF-funded study, in which we were involved, as research consultants (2001). The study focused on 'young people, gender, sexuality and HIV/AIDS education' and was conducted in Botswana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In Botswana, Rwanda and Kenya, teachers and young people were interviewed about their attitudes towards and experiences of teaching/learning HIV/AIDS education. Young people were also interviewed more generally, in all the countries, about what it was like being a boy or girl of their age. We argue that HIV/AIDS education, as it is commonly taught, as a series of moral injunctions (against pre marital sex) effectively silences young people, and means that sex 'becomes' naughty when they do talk about it. We propose HIV/AIDS pedagogies, which emulate the practices our researchers adopted when researching the identities and views of boys and girls, especially concerning gender and sexuality. By addressing young people as experts about themselves and in a holistic and non-judgemental way, our interviewees were able to speak about anxieties and pleasures, many of which related to sexuality. This, they had not been able to do with other adults, and even with other children. We focus on the regulation and production of gender identities through the ways boys and girls talked about sex in our interviews and also in their participation in HIV/AIDS classes. In particular we look at how boys and girls 'performed' gender when discussing sexuality with boys often very loud and girls quiet, with boys presenting themselves as sexual and girls presenting themselves as asexual. We argue for approaches to HIV/AIDS education which challenge gender power relations without alienating boys by problematising them, and without reproducing stereotypes of boys as subjects and girls as objects of sexual desire. We examine the implications of this for single sex and mixed group work and for addressing 'sexual harassment'. Importantly, we found that both girls and boys described people of the opposite sex and heterosexual desire very differently in mixed-sex group interviews and in the diaries they kept. Rather than addressing girls and boys as unitary gendered subjects, we argue for approaches in HIV/AIDS education, which are responsive to the different and contradictory ways boys and girls present themselves and talk about sexual desire and the opposite sex in different contexts.

Music, memory, and Alzheimer's disease: is music recognition spared in dementia, and how can it be assessed?

PubMed

Cuddy, Lola L; Duffin, Jacalyn

2005-01-01

Despite intriguing and suggestive clinical observations, no formal research has assessed the possible sparing of musical recognition and memory in Alzheimer's dementia (AD). A case study is presented of an 84-year old woman with severe cognitive impairment implicating AD, but for whom music recognition and memory, according to her caregivers, appeared to be spared. The hypotheses addressed were, first, that memory for familiar music may be spared in dementia, and second, that musical recognition and memory may be reliably assessed with existing tests if behavioral observation is employed to overcome the problem of verbal or written communication. Our hypotheses were stimulated by the patient EN, for whom diagnosis of AD became probable in 2000. With severe problems in memory, language, and cognition, she now has a mini-mental status score of 8 (out of 30) and is unable to understand or recall standard instructions. In order to assess her music recognition abilities, three tests from the previous literature were adapted for behavioral observation. Two tests involved the discrimination of familiar melodies from unfamiliar melodies. The third involved the detection of distortions ("wrong" notes) in familiar melodies and discrimination of distorted melodies from melodies correctly reproduced. Test melodies were presented to EN on a CD player and her responses were observed by two test administrators. EN responded to familiar melodies by singing along, usually with the words, and often continuing to sing after the stimulus had stopped. She never responded to the unfamiliar melodies. She responded to distorted melodies with facial expressions - surprise, laughter, a frown, or an exclamation, "Oh, dear!"; she never responded in this way to the undistorted melodies. Allowing these responses as indicators of detection, the results for EN were in the normal or near normal range of scores for elderly controls. As well, lyrics to familiar melodies, spoken in a conversational voice without rhythmic or pitch clues, often prompted EN to sing the tune that correctly accompanied the lyrics. EN's results provide encouraging support for our hypotheses that sparing of musical memory may be a feature of some forms of dementia and that it may be reliably and quantitatively assessed through behavioral observation. The contrast between EN's response to music and her mini-mental status is dramatic. The article concludes with several considerations why music may be preserved in dementia and suggestions to guide future research.

Are your engineers talking to one another when they should?

PubMed

Sosa, Manuel E; Eppinger, Steven D; Rowles, Craig M

2007-11-01

Communication may not be on managers' minds at companies that design complex, highly engineered products, but it should be. When mistakes take place, it's often because product-component teams fail to talk. The consequences can be huge: Ford and Bridgestone Firestone lost billions by not coordinating the design of the Explorer with the design of its tires. The major delays and cost overruns involved in the development of Airbus's A380 "superjumbo"--which most likely led to the CEO's exit--were a result of unforeseen design incompatibilities. To help managers mitigate such problems, the authors present a new application of the design structure matrix, a project management tool that maps the flow of information and its impact on product development. Drawing on research into how Pratt & Whitney handled the development of the PW4098 jet engine, they have developed an approach that uncovers (a) areas where communication should be occurring but is not (unattended interfaces, usually bad) and (b) areas where communication is occurring but has not been planned for (unidentified interfaces, usually good). After finding the unattended and unidentified interfaces, the next step is to figure out the causes of the critical ones. If a significant number of unattended interfaces cross organizational boundaries, executives may need to redraw organizational lines. Executives can then manage the remaining critical interfaces by extending the responsibilities of existing integration teams (those responsible for cross-system aspects, such as a jet engine's fuel economy) to include supervising the interaction, by dedicating teams to specific interfaces, or by formally charging teams already involved with the interfaces to oversee them. Finally, it's important to ensure that the teams are working with compatible design equipment; inconsistencies between CAD tools have cost Airbus dearly.

Contemporary Science and Worldview-Making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cordero, Alberto

2009-06-01

This paper discusses the impact of contemporary scientific knowledge on worldviews. The first three sections provide epistemological background for the arguments that follow. Sections 2 and 3 discuss the reliable part of science, specifically the characterization, scope and limits of the present scientific canon. Section 4 deals with the mode of thinking responsible for both the canon’s credibility and its power to guide speculative activity. With these preliminaries in place, the remainder of the paper addresses the issue of tolerance to “alternative perspectives”. The analyses in this part focus on the extent to which mature scientific thought embodies open-mindedness, with pluralism and competition between perspectives as central themes. I argue for four related claims, concerning scientific literacy, the impact of the canon on rational speculation, the limits of scientific pluralism, and the popular idea that recent forms of “scientific (natural) theology” have rational merit and can help worldview-making in our age, respectively: (C1) Which theories and narratives (or parts of them) belong in the scientific canon, and whether they are worldview independent, are matters contingent upon the state of knowledge—not something one can convincingly determine on metascientific or transcendental insight. (C2) The current scientific canon and its associated methodology provide research with strong directionality, often against popular currents. (C3) Current science does marginalize some views dear to many people. (C4) Although natural theology “officially” purports to embody scientific methodology, all it presently has on offer are poorly thought out ventures embodying (at best) only relaxed versions of that methodology; if so, the relationship between current projects in natural theology and science cannot (without begging the question) be reasonably described as one of “partial overlap”, “mutual modification”, or “ongoing complementarity”.

Teaching Scientists to Fish, as Inspired by Jack Dymond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franks, S. E.

2004-12-01

It is almost inconceivable that as Jack Dymond's graduate student for eight years, I never mastered the skill of fly-fishing, a pursuit so near and dear to his heart. In fact, Jack did inspire me, not to tie flies and cast, but eventually to teach fellow scientists to fish. The work I'll present - connecting scientists and educators to achieve societal benefit - is profoundly influenced by Jack's dedication to applying scientific understanding and critical thinking to societal issues. With colleagues in the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE), http://www.cosee.net/, I enable scientists to efficiently make meaningful contributions to educational outreach. A key goal of the multi-Center, national COSEE Network is helping scientists build the skills and acquire the resources needed to share their science with diverse audiences. At Scripps, we are piloting an innovative approach to helping scientists meet funding agencies' broader impact requirements. Key elements of the approach include: 1) services to identify educational outreach options that best fit scientists' research and preferences; 2) assistance establishing partnerships with educational outreach providers who have the skills and resources to develop and implement effective programs and exhibits; and 3) nuts and bolts (line and fly) assistance writing proposal text, drafting budgets, and coordinating with institutional business offices to ensure that the proposed educational outreach effort is compelling and sufficiently funded. Where does the fishing lesson come in? We facilitators of scientist-educator partnerships empower scientists to launch enduring collaborations. Once comfortable working with top-notch educational organizations, scientists can tap these resources, project after project, often with little or no additional involvement on our part. Our initial investment in brokering the relationships is richly rewarded. By helping scientists get started, it's as if we are teaching them to fish, rather than merely giving them fish.

Spectral analysis of point-vortex dynamics: first application to vortex polygons in a circular domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Speetjens, M. F. M.; Meleshko, V. V.; van Heijst, G. J. F.

2014-06-01

The present study addresses the classical problem of the dynamics and stability of a cluster of N-point vortices of equal strength arranged in a polygonal configuration (‘N-vortex polygons’). In unbounded domains, such N-vortex polygons are unconditionally stable for N\\leqslant 7. Confinement in a circular domain tightens the stability conditions to N\\leqslant 6 and a maximum polygon size relative to the domain radius. This work expands on existing studies on stability and integrability by a first giving an exploratory spectral analysis of the dynamics of N vortex polygons in circular domains. Key to this is that the spectral signature of the time evolution of vortex positions reflects their qualitative behaviour. Expressing vortex motion by a generic evolution operator (the so-called Koopman operator) provides a rigorous framework for such spectral analyses. This paves the way to further differentiation and classification of point-vortex behaviour beyond stability and integrability. The concept of Koopman-based spectral analysis is demonstrated for N-vortex polygons. This reveals that conditional stability can be seen as a local form of integrability and confirms an important generic link between spectrum and dynamics: discrete spectra imply regular (quasi-periodic) motion; continuous (sub-)spectra imply chaotic motion. Moreover, this exposes rich nonlinear dynamics as intermittency between regular and chaotic motion and quasi-coherent structures formed by chaotic vortices. Dedicated to the memory of Slava Meleshko, a dear friend and inspiring colleague.

Local-Scale Exposure Assessment of Air Pollutants in Source-Impacted Neighborhoods in Detroit, MI (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vette, A. F.; Bereznicki, S.; Sobus, J.; Norris, G.; Williams, R.; Batterman, S.; Breen, M.; Isakov, V.; Perry, S.; Heist, D.; Community Action Against Asthma Steering Committee

2010-12-01

There has been growing interest in improving local-scale (< 1-km) exposure assessments to better understand the impact of local sources of air pollutants on adverse health outcomes. This paper describes two research studies aimed at understanding the impact of local sources contributing to spatial gradients at the neighborhood-scale in Detroit, MI. The first study, the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS), was designed to assess the variability in concentrations of air pollutants derived from local and regional sources on community, neighborhood and personal exposures to air pollutants. Homes were identified at random in six different neighborhoods throughout Wayne County, MI that varied proximally to local industrial and mobile sources. Data were collected in summer (July-August) and winter (January-March) at a total of 135 homes over a three-year period (2004-2007). For five consecutive days at each home in summer and winter concurrent samples were collected of personal exposures, residential indoor and outdoor concentrations, and at a community monitoring site. The samples were analyzed for PM2.5 (mass and composition), air toxics, O3 and NO2. The second study is on-going and focuses on characterizing the impacts of mobile sources on near-road air quality and exposures among a cohort of asthmatic children. The Near-road EXposures and effects from Urban air pollutants Study (NEXUS) is designed to examine the relationship between near-road exposures to traffic-related air pollutants (BC, CO, NOx and PM components) and respiratory health of asthmatic children who live close to major roadways. The study will investigate the effects of traffic-associated exposures on exaggerated airway responses, biomolecular responses of inflammatory and oxidative stress, and how these exposures affect the frequency and severity of adverse respiratory outcomes. The study will also examine different near-road exposure assessment metrics, including monitoring and modeling techniques. Concentrations of traffic-related air pollutants will be measured and modeled indoors and outdoors of the children’s homes. Measurements will be made in a subset of homes each during fall 2010 and early spring 2011. High-time resolution measurements will be made of the chemical composition of traffic-related pollutants in the gas and particle phases adjacent to selected roadways. These data will be used to quantify the impact of traffic on the observed air quality data. Air pollutant dispersion and exposure models will be used in combination with measured data to estimate indoor/outdoor concentrations and personal exposures. Near-road spatial concentration patterns will be estimated at the children’s residences and schools across the study domain using dispersion modeling. These data will be used as input for an individual-level exposure model to estimate personal exposures from meteorology and questionnaire data on indoor sources, residential characteristics and operation, and time-location-activity patterns.

Influence of Japanese Regulatory Action on Denosumab-Related Hypocalcemia Using Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report Database.

PubMed

Takeyama, Mayu; Sai, Kimie; Imatoh, Takuya; Segawa, Katsunori; Hirasawa, Noriyasu; Saito, Yoshiro

2017-01-01

The anti-receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) antibody, Denosumab (DEN), was approved in April 2012 in Japan, but a Dear Healthcare Professional Letter of Rapid Safety Communication was released in September, 2012 by the regulatory authority because of the severe hypocalcemia risks. Currently, the effectiveness of this regulatory action has not been evaluated and, therefore, this study aimed to assess its impact on DEN-induced hypocalcemia using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database (JADER). The case reports from April 2012 to September 2014 were collected from the JADER, which included 151642 adverse events for the primary suspected drugs. The reporting odds ratio (ROR) of hypocalcemia as a signal of the target adverse event was analyzed for DEN and zoledronic acid (ZOL, a reference drug). Changes in RORs were compared between the pre- (Pre, April 2012 to September 2012) and post- (Post 1, October 2012 to September 2013 and Post 2, October 2013 to September 2014) periods of the regulatory action. A decrease in the hypocalcemia ROR was observed for DEN in the post-periods, especially Post 2. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a significant decrease in hypocalcemia signal in Post 1 (p=0.0306 vs. Pre) and Post 2 (p=0.0054 vs. Pre). ZOL caused no significant changes in ROR of hypocalcemia, and none of the drugs caused ROR changes in jaw osteonecrosis (a reference adverse event). This study suggests that the regulatory action against hypocalcemia in DEN effectively decreased hypocalcemia signal. Further studies using medical information databases are needed to confirm this result.

Preface to "Insights into the Earth's Deep Lithosphere"

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

Pasyanos, M E

Dear Readers: I am pleased to present a special issue of Tectonophysics entitled 'Insights into the Earth's Deep Lithosphere.' This compilation sought to capture the flavor of the increasing number of studies that are emerging to investigate the complex lithospheric structure of the earth. This issue evolved out of a Fall 2007 AGU special session entitled 'Understanding the Earth's Deep Lithosphere' that I organized with Irina Artemieva from the University of Copenhagen. For that session, we solicited talks that discussed the increasing number of methods that have surfaced to study various aspects of the earth's deep lithosphere. These methods includemore » seismic, gravity, thermal, geochemical, and various combinations of these methods. The quality of the presentations (2 oral sessions with 16 talks and 23 associated poster presentations) was such that we felt that the emerging topic deserved a dedicated forum to address these questions in greater detail. The availability of new data sets has also improved the number and quality of lithospheric studies. With many new studies and methodologies, a better understanding of both continental and oceanic lithospheres is starting to emerge. Questions remain about the thickness and evolution of the lithosphere, the presence of lithospheric keels, the density and anisotropy of lithospheric roots, mechanisms of lithospheric thinning, and differences between mechanical, thermal and chemical boundary layers. While we did not get contributions on the full gamut of methods and regions, a lot of ground was covered in this issue's manuscripts. Like any collection of papers on the deep lithosphere, the topics are quite varied in methodology, geographic location, and what aspect of the lithosphere being studied. Still, the results highlight the rewarding aspects of earth structure, history, and evolution that can be gleaned. A brief synopsis of the papers contained in this issue is given.« less

Acute and Chronic Kidney Injury in a Non-Human Primate Model of Partial-Body Irradiation with Bone Marrow Sparing.

PubMed

Cohen, Eric P; Hankey, Kim G; Bennett, Alexander W; Farese, Ann M; Parker, George A; MacVittie, Thomas J

2017-12-01

The development of medical countermeasures against acute and delayed multi-organ injury requires animal models predictive of the human response to radiation and its treatment. Late chronic injury is a well-known feature of radiation nephropathy, but acute kidney injury has not been reported in an appropriate animal model. We have established a single-fraction partial-body irradiation model with minimal marrow sparing in non-human primates. Subject-based medical management was used including parenteral fluids according to prospective morbidity criteria. We show herein that 10 or 11 Gy exposures caused both acute and chronic kidney injury. Acute and chronic kidney injury appear to be dose-independent between 10 and 11 Gy. Acute kidney injury was identified during the first 50 days postirradiation and appeared to resolve before the occurrence of chronic kidney injury, which was progressively more severe up to 180 days postirradiation, which was the end of the study. These findings show that mitigation of the acute radiation syndrome by medical management will unmask delayed late effects that occur months after partial-body irradiation. They further emphasize that both acute and chronic changes in kidney function must be taken into account in the use and timing of mitigators and medical management for acute radiation syndrome and delayed effects of acute radiation exposure (DEARE).

Effects of hormones on lipids and lipoproteins

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

Krauss, R.M.

1991-12-01

Levels of plasma lipids and lipoproteins are strong predictors for the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women. In women, as in men, numerous factors contribute to variations in plasma lipoproteins that may affect cardiovascular disease risk. These include age, dietary components, adiposity, genetic traits, and hormonal changes. Each of these factors may operate to varying degrees in determining changes in plasma lipoprotein profiles accompanying menopause- Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have suggested increases in levels of cholesterol, low density lipoproteins (LDL) and triglyceride-rich lipoproteins associated with menopause. High density lipoproteins (HDL), which are higher in women than men andmore » are thought to contribute to relative protection of premenopausal women from cardiovascular disease, remain relatively constant in the years following menopause, although small, and perhaps transient reductions in the HDL{sub 2} subfraction have been reported in relation to reduced estradiol level following menopause. Despite these associations, it has been difficult to determine the role of endogenous hormones in influencing the plasma lipoproteins of postmenopausal women. In principle, the effects of hormone replacement should act to reverse any alterations in lipoprotein metabolism that are due to postmenopausal hormone changes. While there may be beneficial effects on lipoproteins, hormone treatment does not restore a premenopausal lipoprotein profile. Furthermore, it is not dear to what extent exogenous hormone-induced lipoprotein changes contribute to the reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease with hormone replacement therapy.« less

Bereavement in very old age: impact on health and relationships of the loss of a spouse, a child, a sibling, or a close friend.

PubMed

d'Epinay, Christian J Lalive; Cavalli, Stefano; Guillet, Luc A

This article deals with the following two questions: In very old age, which are the main sources of bereavement? And what are the consequences of such losses on health and on relationships? The findings are based on the complete set of data compiled in the course of the Swiss Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study on the Oldest Old (SWILSOO), which provided a 10-year follow-up of a first cohort (1994-2004) and a 5-year follow-up of a second (1999-2004). The data revealed that, in very old age, the great majority of the dear ones who died were either siblings or close friends. Taken as a whole, the bereaved suffered a marked and lasting increase in depressive symptoms, together with a short-term deterioration in their functional status; those bereft of a spouse or a child saw their functional status worsen and exhibited enduring depressive symptoms but they also benefited from support in the form of increased interaction; those bereft of siblings only suffered from a mild, short-term deterioration in functional status; those who had lost a close friend suffered a very significant increase in depressive symptoms. In the medium term, most of these effects disappeared, lending weight to the claim that the survivors manage to cope with the misfortunes of life.

Differences in the capacity of reovirus strains to induce apoptosis are determined by the viral attachment protein sigma 1.

PubMed Central

Tyler, K L; Squier, M K; Rodgers, S E; Schneider, B E; Oberhaus, S M; Grdina, T A; Cohen, J J; Dermody, T S

1995-01-01

Reoviruses are important models for studies of viral pathogenesis; however, the mechanisms by which these viruses produce cytopathic effects in infected cells have not been defined. In this report, we show that murine L929 (L) cells infected with prototype reovirus strains type 1 Lang (TIL) and type 3 Dearing (T3D) undergo apoptosis and that T3D induces apoptosis to a substantially greater extent than T1L. Using T1L x T3D reassortant viruses, we found that differences in the capacity of T1L and T3D to induce apoptosis are determined by the viral S1 gene segment, which encodes the viral attachment protein sigma 1 and the non-virion-associated protein sigma 1s. Apoptosis was induced by UV-inactivated, replication-incompetent reovirus virions, which do not contain sigma 1s and do not mediate its synthesis in infected cells. Additionally, T3D-induced apoptosis was inhibited by anti-reovirus monoclonal antibodies that inhibit T3D cell attachment and disassembly. These results indicate that sigma 1, rather than sigma 1s, is required for induction of apoptosis by the reovirus and suggest that interaction of virions with cell surface receptors is an essential step in this mechanism of cell killing. PMID:7474116

Summary of the Conference "The Physics of Evolved Stars"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Marco, O.

2015-12-01

Olivier Chesneau was an astronomer of many talents. His expertise was on optical and infrared interferometry. Olivier*s tool of choice, the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), allowed him to see solutions to open questions in stellar astrophysics. These visions led to collaborations with experts in each of the fields where VLTI observations could be useful. As a result Olivier was a man in the middle of a phenomenal network of astronomers, collaborators and friends. I am fortunate to have been one of them. In this contribution I summarise the conference "Physics of Evolved Stars", held in Nice in June 2015 in memory of Olivier. The conference neatly showcased the science that Olivier had been involved with during his life and laid out the advancements that were made thanks in great part to him and to the collaborations he started. Without doubt his bubbly, happy personality, child-like in a way, made him the perfect connector bringing the technique, the questions and the experts in diverse fields together. Dear to all who worked with him, he was truly the little prince of Astronomy. We shall miss him every day.

Benoit Mandelbrot: nor does lightning travel in a straight line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frame, Michael

2015-03-01

Benoit and I had one discussion about mortality (well, two, but the first, soon after we met, was humorous), though we never discussed religion. So why do I start my chapter with a Genesis quote? I want to try to sketch a picture of the brilliant, complex, and in an important way, very playful person who, for reasons I'll never understand, included me in his world, and who was for twenty years -- a long time, but not nearly long enough -- a dear friend. But about the Genesis quote I'll say this: the reference is to Rölvaag's novel Giants in the Earth, about pioneers in the Dakotas. I believe Benoit is better described as "pioneer" than as "explorer." Yes, he explored many new ideas, clearly saw vistas of whole worlds unnoticed by others. But he did not simply mark the territory and move on. In each new area he stayed a while, looked carefully all over the place. He built things, surveyed the land for hordes of others, including the contributors to this volume. So pioneer it is...

PREFACE: 22nd International Laser Physics Workshop (LPHYS'13)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steering, LPHYS'13; Advisory; Committees, Program

2014-03-01

Dear Readers, The 22nd annual International Laser Physics Workshop, LPHYS'13, took place in the City of Prague, the Czech Republic. The conference gathered 387 participants from 34 countries. It was hosted by the Institute of Physics at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and the Czech Technical University in Prague. At this occasion, the LPHYS'13 Steering and the Advisory & Program Committees of the conference would like extend its sincere gratitude to Professor Miroslav Jelínek, Co-Chair and Head of the Local Organizing Committee and his team for the outstanding job performed on organizing, arranging, managing and putting in order the conference that lead to its successful resulting conclusion. As a result of scientific seminars at the Workshop, we would like to present to you the following conference proceedings published in this volume of the IOP Journal of Physics: Conference Series. Please be advised that the 23rd annual International Laser Physics Workshop (LPHYS'14) will take place from 14-18 July, 2014 in Sofia, Bulgaria, hosted by Institute of Electronics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. LPHYS'13 Steering and Advisory & Program Committees

Bench-Scale Process for Low-Cost Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Capture Using a Phase-Changing Absorbent

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

Westendorf, Tiffany; Caraher, Joel; Chen, Wei

2015-03-31

The objective of this project is to design and build a bench-scale process for a novel phase-changing aminosilicone-based CO2-capture solvent. The project will establish scalability and technical and economic feasibility of using a phase-changing CO2-capture absorbent for post-combustion capture of CO2 from coal-fired power plants with 90% capture efficiency and 95% CO2 purity at a cost of $40/tonne of CO2 captured by 2025 and a cost of <$10/tonne of CO2 captured by 2035. In the first budget period of this project, the bench-scale phase-changing CO2 capture process was designed using data and operating experience generated under a previous project (ARPA-emore » project DE-AR0000084). Sizing and specification of all major unit operations was completed, including detailed process and instrumentation diagrams. The system was designed to operate over a wide range of operating conditions to allow for exploration of the effect of process variables on CO2 capture performance.« less

"Dear mother England": motherhood and nineteenth-century criticism of Shakespeare.

PubMed

Banks, Carol

2010-01-01

This article examines a selection of nineteenth-century appraisals of the mothers in Shakespeare's plays. Nineteenth-century interest in motherhood is hardly surprising, since society at this time regarded the family as the foundation stone of social order, with the mother figure at its ideological centre. The royal family itself set the standard with Queen Victoria, mother of nine, representing the ideal. The significance of motherhood at this time coincided with a rising wave of enthusiasm for Shakespeare's plays and the characters he created, characters that subsequently became role models for real women to emulate. Moreover, where the plays appeared to be wanting in respect of ideal mothers, nineteenth-century critics supplied the void with speculative adaptations and interpretations. In reality, however, notions of the ideal mother were fraught with difficulties and the evidence presented here suggests that whilst many nineteenth-century appraisals of Shakespearean mothers helped to perpetuate notions of the ideal and thereby uphold this significant part of the dominant ideology, others were clearly an attempt to negotiate a place between the real and the ideal.

Southwestern Power Administration Annual Report 2012

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

None

2013-09-01

Dear Secretary Moniz: I am pleased to present the financial statements and operating data for Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012. In FY 2012, Southwestern delivered over 4.1 billion kilowatt-hours of energy to its wholesale customers in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, generating $195 million in revenue. In fulfilling its mission to market and reliably deliver renewable Federal hydroelectric power, Southwestern maintains 1,380 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, substations, and communications sites, contributing to the reliability of the regional and National electric grid. Southwestern also actively partners with the Department of Energy, the U.S. Armymore » Corps of Engineers, Southwestern’s customers, and other Federal power stakeholders to most effectively balance their diverse interests with Southwestern’s mission while continuing to maximize Federal assets to repay the Federal investment in the 24 hydropower facilities within Southwestern’s marketing region. Southwestern is proud of its past successes, and we look forward to continuing to serve the Nation’s energy needs in the future. Sincerely, Christopher M. Turner Administrator« less

Southwestern Power Administration Annual Report 2011

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

None

2013-04-01

Dear Secretary Chu: I am pleased to present the financial statements and operating data for Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. In FY 2011, Southwestern delivered over 4.1 billion kilowatt-hours of energy to its wholesale customers in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, generating $167 million in revenue. In fulfilling its mission to market and reliably deliver renewable Federal hydroelectric power, Southwestern maintains 1,380 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, substations, and communications sites, contributing to the reliability of the regional and National electric grid. Southwestern also actively partners with the Department of Energy, the U.S. Armymore » Corps of Engineers, Southwestern’s customers, and other Federal power stakeholders to most effectively balance their diverse interests with Southwestern’s mission while continuing to maximize Federal assets to repay the Federal investment in the 24 hydropower facilities within Southwestern’s marketing region. Southwestern is proud of its past successes, and we look forward to continuing to serve the Nation’s energy needs in the future. Sincerely, Christopher M. Turner Administrator« less

Calcium Orthophosphates in Nature, Biology and Medicine

PubMed Central

Dorozhkin, Sergey V.

2009-01-01

The present overview is intended to point the readers’ attention to the important subject of calcium orthophosphates. These materials are of the special significance because they represent the inorganic part of major normal (bones, teeth and dear antlers) and pathological (i.e. those appearing due to various diseases) calcified tissues of mammals. Due to a great chemical similarity with the biological calcified tissues, many calcium orthophosphates possess remarkable biocompatibility and bioactivity. Materials scientists use this property extensively to construct artificial bone grafts that are either entirely made of or only surface-coated with the biologically relevant calcium ortho-phosphates. For example, self-setting hydraulic cements made of calcium orthophosphates are helpful in bone repair, while titanium substitutes covered by a surface layer of calcium orthophosphates are used for hip joint endoprostheses and as tooth substitutes. Porous scaffolds made of calcium orthophosphates are very promising tools for tissue engineering applications. In addition, technical grade calcium orthophosphates are very popular mineral fertilizers. Thus ere calcium orthophosphates are of great significance for humankind and, in this paper, an overview on the current knowledge on this subject is provided.

Editorial.

PubMed

Dudek, Dominika; Sobański, Jerzy A; Klasa, Katarzyna

2015-01-01

Dear Readers, In no time, we are almost halfway through 2015. Currently many issues concern psychiatrists, and does not fill them with optimism: an uncertain future implementation of the National Mental Health Protection Programme, or the recent amendment of criminal law, entering into force on 01.07.2015, on the significant enlargement of implementation of treatment and precautionary measures in psychiatric institutions. Prof. J.K. Gierowski [1] wrote in Psychiatria Polska about the misunderstanding and even conflict in this matter, between politicians, lawyers and psychiatric community, almost one and a half year ago. Several tragic, dramatic events (German Wings plane crash, the recent murder in Tworki) creates a bad social attitude towards the mentally ill. Our environment does not remain indifferent and is actively involved in the discussion - it is expressed by Letters to Editor, written by Elwira Marszałkowska-Krześ and Andrzej Brodziak, published in the current issue of the magazine. We are all aware of our responsibility - on the one hand for a safe environment for patients while ensuring adequate treatment to the ill, and on the other for creating the image of psychiatry and psychiatrists [2, 3]. (...).

PREFACE: APCTP-ASEAN Workshop on Advanced Materials Science and Nanotechnology (AMSN08)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Hieu, Nguyen

2009-09-01

Dear friends To contribute to the enhancement of the international scientific cooperation of the ASEAN countries and in reply to the proposal of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), the Asia-Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics (APCTP) and the Sub Committee on Materials Science and Technology (SCMST) of the ASEAN Committee of Science and Technology (ASEAN COST) agreed to organize this APCTP-ASEAN Workshop on Advanced Materials Science and Nanotechnology with the participation of the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam, the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Rencontres du Vietnam, the Vietnam Physical Society, the Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City and the Vietnam National University in Hanoi. As well as the participants from 9 of the 10 ASEAN countries and many other countries/regions of APCTP (Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Japan and Korea) we warmly welcome the guests from Europe, the United States, Canada and Israel. Without the financial support of the Asia-Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics APCTP, Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics ICTP, the Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development AOARD, the US Office of Naval Research Global-Asia ONRG, the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam MOST, the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology VAST, the Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City VNU HCMC and other Sponsors, we would have been unable to hold this Workshop. On behalf of the International and Local Organizing Committees I would like to express our deep gratitude to the Sponsors. We highly appreciate the support and advice of the members of the International Advisory Committee, the scientific contribution of the invited speakers and all participants. We acknowledge the warm reception of the Khanh Hoa province Administration and citizens, and the hard work of the VAST staff for the success of the Workshop. We cordially wish all participants lively scientific discussions and enjoyable meetings at the Workshop and a pleasant stay in beautiful Nha Trang. We do hope that all foreign participants will take away good impressions of Vietnamese hospitality. Nguyen Van Hieu VAST and APCTP Chairman of the Workshop

THE MARCH: Coming Together to Conquer Cancertrade mark.

PubMed

Stoval

1998-01-01

Hype or hope? We have heard these words characterize recent reports on this country's so-called "war against cancer." For the eight million people like me who have had cancer, and for the millions that are being diagnosed this year, nothing happens soon enough. But, I am concerned about the message this type of reporting sends to people and the phones that then ring off the hook at my office from people who are desperately looking for a "cure for cancer." How are we going to translate this science into applications for people? How are people going to get access to it? We don't have a healthcare system that wants to pay for clinical research, which is what we're talking about here. This is a serious problem. And this problem is not new to us. My name is Ellen Stovall and I am one of this country's more than eight million cancer survivors. On December 23, 1971, President Richard Nixon signed into law the National Cancer Act. That day also marked something very personal for me. That was the day I began treatment for Hodgkin's disease. I remember going home that night rocking to sleep my two-month-old baby boy, Jonathan. He's now 26. And I remember my dear father calling me to tell me that he had seen the President on television that night, and that the President had declared a war on cancer for me. Today, that seven-year promise goes unfulfilled. Nearly 27 years later, we are still waiting. We have grown tired of waiting. We have been silent too long. We must begin to say, "NO MORE." On September 26, 1998, cancer survivors, their families, friends, caregivers, and co-workers-everyone whose life has been touched by cancer-will rally on The Mall in Washington, D.C. and in communities across the country as part of a national grassroots campaign to make cancer our nation's #1 research and healthcare priority. I invite you to join us in this campaign, called THE MARCH.Coming Together To Conquer Cancertrade mark.

Catchment sediment flux: a lake sediment perspective on the onset of the Anthropocene?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiverrell, Richard

2014-05-01

Definitions of the Anthropocene are varied but from a geomorphological perspective broadly can be described as the interval of recent Earth history during which 'humans have had an 'overwhelming' effect on the Earth system' (Brown et al., 2013). Identifying the switch to a human-dominated geomorphic process regime is actually a challenging process, with in the 'Old World' ramping up of human populations and impacts on earth surface processes since the Neolithic/Mesolithic transition and the onset of agriculture. In the terrestrial realm lakes offer a unique window on changes in human forcing of earth surface processes from a sedimentary flux perspective, because unlike alluvial and hill-slope systems sedimentation is broadly continuous and uninterrupted. Dearing and Jones (2003) showed for a global dataset of lakes a 5-10 fold increase in sediment delivery comparing pre- and post-anthropogenic disturbance. Here sediment records from several lakes in lowland agricultural landscapes are presented to examine the changes in the flux and composition of materials delivered from their catchments. By definition the lakes record the switch to a human dominated system, but not necessary in accelerated sediment accumulation rates with changes in sediment composition equally important. Data from Crose, Hatch and Peckforton Meres, in lowland northwest England are interrogated producing quantitative land-cover reconstructions from pollen spectra calculated using the REVEALS model (Sugita, 2007), geochemical evidence for changes sediment provenance and flux, and 14C and stable Pb pollutant based chronological models detecting changes in sediment accumulation rate. The lake sediment geochemistry points to several phases of heightened human impact within these small agricultural catchments. Following small-in-scale forest cover reductions and limited impacts in terms of sediment flux during the Neolithic, the Bronze to Iron Age saw the first substantial reductions in forest cover and widespread expansions of agriculture. In some cases the catchment responses, for example here detected via dry mass Zr concentrations, were substantial and outstrip later impacts driven by more intensive agriculture e.g. early Medieval, Norman Conquest and 19th century AD. These themes are developed in relation to the concept of an Anthropocene and wider European lake sediment record. References Brown AG, Tooth S, Chiverrell RC, Rose J, Thomas DSG, Wainwright J, Bullard JE, Thorndycraft VR, Aalto R, Downs P. 2013. The Anthropocene: is there a geomorphological case? Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 38: 431-434. Dearing JA, Jones RT. 2003. Coupling temporal and spatial dimensions of global sediment flux through lake and marine sediment records. Global and Planetary Change 39: 147-168. Sugita S. 2007. Theory of quantitative reconstruction of vegetation I: pollen from large sites REVEALS regional vegetation composition. Holocene 17, 2: 229-241.

Hydrological AnthropoScenes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cudennec, Christophe

2016-04-01

The Anthropocene concept encapsulates the planetary-scale changes resulting from accelerating socio-ecological transformations, beyond the stratigraphic definition actually in debate. The emergence of multi-scale and proteiform complexity requires inter-discipline and system approaches. Yet, to reduce the cognitive challenge of tackling this complexity, the global Anthropocene syndrome must now be studied from various topical points of view, and grounded at regional and local levels. A system approach should allow to identify AnthropoScenes, i.e. settings where a socio-ecological transformation subsystem is clearly coherent within boundaries and displays explicit relationships with neighbouring/remote scenes and within a nesting architecture. Hydrology is a key topical point of view to be explored, as it is important in many aspects of the Anthropocene, either with water itself being a resource, hazard or transport force; or through the network, connectivity, interface, teleconnection, emergence and scaling issues it determines. We will schematically exemplify these aspects with three contrasted hydrological AnthropoScenes in Tunisia, France and Iceland; and reframe therein concepts of the hydrological change debate. Bai X., van der Leeuw S., O'Brien K., Berkhout F., Biermann F., Brondizio E., Cudennec C., Dearing J., Duraiappah A., Glaser M., Revkin A., Steffen W., Syvitski J., 2016. Plausible and desirable futures in the Anthropocene: A new research agenda. Global Environmental Change, in press, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2015.09.017 Brondizio E., O'Brien K., Bai X., Biermann F., Steffen W., Berkhout F., Cudennec C., Lemos M.C., Wolfe A., Palma-Oliveira J., Chen A. C-T. Re-conceptualizing the Anthropocene: A call for collaboration. Global Environmental Change, in review. Montanari A., Young G., Savenije H., Hughes D., Wagener T., Ren L., Koutsoyiannis D., Cudennec C., Grimaldi S., Blöschl G., Sivapalan M., Beven K., Gupta H., Arheimer B., Huang Y., Schumann A., Post D., Taniguchi M., Boegh E., Hubert P., Harman C., Thompson S., Rogger M., Hipsey M., Toth E., Viglione A., Di Baldassarre G., Schaefli B., McMillan H., Schymanski S., Characklis G., Yu B., Pang Z., Belyaev V., 2013. "Panta Rhei - Everything Flows": Change in hydrology and society - The IAHS Scientific Decade 2013-2022. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58, 6, 1256-1275, DOI: 10.1080/02626667.2013.809088

Dimensions of sustainability for a health communication intervention in African American churches: a multi-methods study.

PubMed

Scheirer, Mary Ann; Santos, Sherie Lou Z; Tagai, Erin K; Bowie, Janice; Slade, Jimmie; Carter, Roxanne; Holt, Cheryl L

2017-03-28

Sustainability of evidence-based health promotion interventions has received increased research attention in recent years. This paper reports sustainability data from Project HEAL (Health through Early Awareness and Learning) a cancer communication implementation trial about early detection, based in African American churches. In this paper, we used a framework by Scheirer and Dearing (Am J Publ Health 101:2059-2067, 2011) to evaluate multiple dimensions of sustainability from Project HEAL. We examined the following dimensions of sustainability: (a) continued benefits for intervention recipients, (b) continuation of intervention activities, c) maintaining community partnerships, (d) changes in organizational policies or structures, (e) sustained attention to the underlying issues, (f) diffusion to additional sites, or even (g) unplanned consequences of the intervention. Project HEAL provided a three-workshop cancer educational series delivered by trained lay peer community health advisors (CHAs) in their churches. Multiple sources of sustainability were collected at 12 and 24 months after the intervention that reflect several levels of analysis: participant surveys; interviews with CHAs; records from the project's management database; and open-ended comments from CHAs, staff, and community partners. Outcomes differ for each dimension of sustainability. For continued benefit, 39 and 37% of the initial 375 church members attended the 12- and 24-month follow-up workshops, respectively. Most participants reported sharing the information from Project HEAL with family or friends (92% at 12 months; 87% at 24 months). For continuation of intervention activities, some CHAs reported that the churches held at least one additional cancer educational workshop (33% at 12 months; 24% at 24 months), but many more CHAs reported subsequent health activities in their churches (71% at 12 months; 52% at 24 months). No church replicated the original series of three workshops. Additional data confirm the maintenance of community partnerships, some changes in church health policies, and continued attention to health issues by churches and CHAs. The multiple dimensions of sustainability require different data sources and levels of analysis and show varied sustainability outcomes in this project. The findings reinforce the dynamic nature of evidence-based health interventions in community contexts.

Empowerment in the field of health promotion: recognizing challenges in working toward equity.

PubMed

Berry, Nicole S; Murphy, Jill; Coser, Larissa

2014-12-01

Over the last 25 years, the language of empowerment has been woven into the guiding missions and descriptions of institutions, funding and projects globally. Although theoretical understandings of empowerment within the domain of health promotion remain contentious, we have little idea of how a shift toward an empowerment agenda has affected the daily work of those in the field of health promotion. A systematic examination of the implementation of the empowerment agenda is important as it can help us understand how redistributive agendas are received within the multiple institutional contexts in which health promotion work is carried out. The goal of this study, therefore, was to try to understand the empowerment agenda within the context of everyday health promotion. We conducted semi-structured interviews with health promoters from a variety of geographical regions, institutional backgrounds, and job capacities. Essentially we found that empowerment remains conceptually dear to health promoters' understanding of their work, yet at the same time, mainstreaming empowerment is at odds with central trends and initiatives that govern this work. We argue that many of the stumbling blocks that have hindered this specific agenda are actually central stumbling blocks for the wider field of health promotion. We examine some of the barriers to implementing transformational change. Overcoming the primary limitations uncovered in this exploration of empowerment is actually crucial to progressive work in health promotion in general, particularly work that would seek to lessen inequities. © The Author(s) 2014.

DEspR roles in tumor vasculo-angiogenesis, invasiveness, CSC-survival and anoikis resistance: a 'common receptor coordinator' paradigm.

PubMed

Herrera, Victoria L; Decano, Julius L; Tan, Glaiza A; Moran, Ann M; Pasion, Khristine A; Matsubara, Yuichi; Ruiz-Opazo, Nelson

2014-01-01

A priori, a common receptor induced in tumor microvessels, cancer cells and cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) that is involved in tumor angiogenesis, invasiveness, and CSC anoikis resistance and survival, could underlie contemporaneous coordination of these events rather than assume stochasticity. Here we show that functional analysis of the dual endothelin1/VEGFsignal peptide receptor, DEspR, (formerly named Dear, Chr.4q31.2) supports the putative common receptor paradigm in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and glioblastoma (GBM) selected for their invasiveness, CD133+CSCs, and polar angiogenic features. Unlike normal tissue, DEspR is detected in PDAC and GBM microvessels, tumor cells, and CSCs isolated from PDAC-Panc1 and GBM-U87 cells. DEspR-inhibition decreased angiogenesis, invasiveness, CSC-survival and anoikis resistance in vitro, and decreased Panc1-CSC and U87-CSC xenograft tumor growth, vasculo-angiogenesis and invasiveness in nude(nu/nu) rats, suggesting that DEspR activation would coordinate these tumor progression events. As an accessible, cell-surface 'common receptor coordinator', DEspR-inhibition defines a novel targeted-therapy paradigm for pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma.

DEspR Roles in Tumor Vasculo-Angiogenesis, Invasiveness, CSC-Survival and Anoikis Resistance: A ‘Common Receptor Coordinator’ Paradigm

PubMed Central

Herrera, Victoria L.; Decano, Julius L.; Tan, Glaiza A.; Moran, Ann M.; Pasion, Khristine A.; Matsubara, Yuichi; Ruiz-Opazo, Nelson

2014-01-01

A priori, a common receptor induced in tumor microvessels, cancer cells and cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) that is involved in tumor angiogenesis, invasiveness, and CSC anoikis resistance and survival, could underlie contemporaneous coordination of these events rather than assume stochasticity. Here we show that functional analysis of the dual endothelin1/VEGFsignal peptide receptor, DEspR, (formerly named Dear, Chr.4q31.2) supports the putative common receptor paradigm in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and glioblastoma (GBM) selected for their invasiveness, CD133+CSCs, and polar angiogenic features. Unlike normal tissue, DEspR is detected in PDAC and GBM microvessels, tumor cells, and CSCs isolated from PDAC-Panc1 and GBM-U87 cells. DEspR-inhibition decreased angiogenesis, invasiveness, CSC-survival and anoikis resistance in vitro, and decreased Panc1-CSC and U87-CSC xenograft tumor growth, vasculo-angiogenesis and invasiveness in nudenu/nu rats, suggesting that DEspR activation would coordinate these tumor progression events. As an accessible, cell-surface ‘common receptor coordinator’, DEspR-inhibition defines a novel targeted-therapy paradigm for pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma. PMID:24465725

The nasty neighbour in the striped mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) steals paternity and elicits aggression.

PubMed

Schradin, Carsten; Schneider, Carola; Lindholm, Anna K

2010-06-23

Territoriality functions to monopolize access to resources including mates, but is costly in terms of energy and time investment. Some species reduce these costs by being less aggressive towards their neighbours than towards unfamiliar strangers, the so called dear enemy phenomenon. However, in other species individuals are more, not less aggressive towards their neighbours. It has been hypothesised that this is due to the fact that neighbours can impose a greater threat than strangers, but this has not been tested previously. We tested aggression in wild group-living male striped mice in a neutral test arena and demonstrate that breeders are more aggressive than non-breeding philopatrics, and that more aggression occurs during the breeding than during the non-breeding season. Male breeders were significantly more aggressive towards their neighbours than towards strangers, leading to the prediction that neighbours are the most important competitors for paternity. Using a molecular parentage analysis we show that 28% of offspring are sired by neighbouring males and only 7% by strangers. We conclude that in male striped mice the main function of male aggression is defending paternity against their territorial neighbours.

The nasty neighbour in the striped mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) steals paternity and elicits aggression

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Territoriality functions to monopolize access to resources including mates, but is costly in terms of energy and time investment. Some species reduce these costs by being less aggressive towards their neighbours than towards unfamiliar strangers, the so called dear enemy phenomenon. However, in other species individuals are more, not less aggressive towards their neighbours. It has been hypothesised that this is due to the fact that neighbours can impose a greater threat than strangers, but this has not been tested previously. Results We tested aggression in wild group-living male striped mice in a neutral test arena and demonstrate that breeders are more aggressive than non-breeding philopatrics, and that more aggression occurs during the breeding than during the non-breeding season. Male breeders were significantly more aggressive towards their neighbours than towards strangers, leading to the prediction that neighbours are the most important competitors for paternity. Using a molecular parentage analysis we show that 28% of offspring are sired by neighbouring males and only 7% by strangers. Conclusions We conclude that in male striped mice the main function of male aggression is defending paternity against their territorial neighbours. PMID:20573184

Microwave plasma induced surface modification of diamond-like carbon films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao Polaki, Shyamala; Kumar, Niranjan; Gopala Krishna, Nanda; Madapu, Kishore; Kamruddin, Mohamed; Dash, Sitaram; Tyagi, Ashok Kumar

2017-12-01

Tailoring the surface of diamond-like carbon (DLC) film is technically relevant for altering the physical and chemical properties, desirable for useful applications. A physically smooth and sp3 dominated DLC film with tetrahedral coordination was prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. The surface of the DLC film was exposed to hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen plasma for physical and chemical modifications. The surface modification was based on the concept of adsorption-desorption of plasma species and surface entities of films. Energetic chemical species of microwave plasma are adsorbed, leading to desorbtion of the surface carbon atoms due to energy and momentum exchange. The interaction of such reactive species with DLC films enhanced the roughness, surface defects and dangling bonds of carbon atoms. Adsorbed hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen formed a covalent network while saturating the dangling carbon bonds around the tetrahedral sp3 valency. The modified surface chemical affinity depends upon the charge carriers and electron covalency of the adsorbed atoms. The contact angle of chemically reconstructed surface increases when a water droplet interacts either through hydrogen or van dear Waals bonding. These weak interactions influenced the wetting property of the DLC surface to a great extent.

Characterization and optimization of the HyperV PLX- α coaxial-gun plasma jet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Case, Andrew; Brockington, Sam; Cruz, Edward; Witherspoon, F. Douglas

2017-10-01

We present results from characterizing and optimizing performance of the contoured gap coaxial plasma guns under development for the ARPA-E Accelerating Low-Cost Plasma Heating And Assembly (ALPHA) program. Plasma jet diagnostics include fast photodiodes for velocimetry and interferometry for line integrated density. Additionally we present results from spectroscopy, both time resolved high resolution spectroscopy using a novel detector and time integrated survey spectroscopy, for measurements of velocity and temperature as well as impurities. Fast imaging gives plume geometry and time integrated imaging gives overall light emission. Results from a novel long record length camera developed by HyperV will also be presented. Experimental results are compared to the desired target parameters for the plasma jets. The target values for the plasmoid are velocity of 50 km/s, mass of 3.5 mg, and length of 10 cm. The best results so far from the exploration of parameter space for gun operation are: 4 mg at >50 km/s, with a length of 10 cm. Peak axial density 34 cm downstream from the muzzle is 2 ×1016 cm-3. This work supported by the ARPA-E ALPHA Program under contract DE-AR0000566.

Serotype-specific differences in inhibition of reovirus infectivity by human-milk glycans are determined by viral attachment protein σ1.

PubMed

Iskarpatyoti, Jason A; Morse, E Ashley; McClung, R Paul; Ikizler, Miné; Wetzel, J Denise; Contractor, Nikhat; Dermody, Terence S

2012-11-25

Human milk contains many bioactive components, including secretory IgA, oligosaccharides, and milk-associated proteins. We assessed the antiviral effects of several components of milk against mammalian reoviruses. We found that glucocerebroside (GCB) inhibited the infectivity of reovirus strain type 1 Lang (T1L), whereas gangliosides GD3 and GM3 and 3'-sialyllactose (3SL) inhibited the infectivity of reovirus strain type 3 Dearing (T3D). Agglutination of erythrocytes mediated by T1L and T3D was inhibited by GD3, GM3, and bovine lactoferrin. Additionally, α-sialic acid, 3SL, 6'-sialyllactose, sialic acid, human lactoferrin, osteopontin, and α-lactalbumin inhibited hemagglutination mediated by T3D. Using single-gene reassortant viruses, we found that serotype-specific differences segregate with the gene encoding the viral attachment protein. Furthermore, GD3, GM3, and 3SL inhibit T3D infectivity by blocking binding to host cells, whereas GCB inhibits T1L infectivity post-attachment. These results enhance an understanding of reovirus cell attachment and define a mechanism for the antimicrobial activity of human milk. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Designing Geoscience Educational Innovations That Propagate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lea, P.

2014-12-01

NSF and other funders have supported the development of undergraduate STEM educational innovations over the past decades, only to see many yield limited uptake and impact beyond the grantee institutions. Numerous factors contribute to this complex problem, but one cause is likely insufficient incorporation of the understanding of how innovations propagate into project design. Following J.W. Dearing and colleagues, "dissemination" can be characterized by "push" approaches, which mainly emphasize one-to-many information sharing. In TUES/CCLI proposals, dissemination strategies have commonly taken the form of the "3 Ps" (presenting, publishing and posting) , with overall modest impact. Since the seminal work of Everett Rogers, however, "diffusion" of innovations has been understood as an inherently social process among potential adopters, which interacts with community norms and existing practices. Keys to diffusion include close understanding of the needs and context of the potential-adopter community and the development of "pull" within it, as well as support for implementation of innovations. Potential approaches to facilitating diffusion of innovations include a) using "lean start-up" methodologies (e.g., NSF's I-Corps-L program), in which explicit business-model hypotheses are tested through customer-discovery interviews, commonly leading to pivots where initial hypotheses are not confirmed, b) providing a range of potential commitment levels for adopters tailored to levels of support ("reverse Kickstarter model"), c) supporting decentralized communities of practice in which adaptations and tacit knowledge can readily be shared, d) encouraging crowd-sourcing of innovations, with an "architecture of participation" informed by successful open-source projects, and e) integrating innovations with discipline-based educational research, e.g., big-data approaches which allow A/B testing and analysis of clickstream data that reveal behaviors along a novice-to-expert continuum. Such new directions will be facilitated by stronger partnerships with technologists and data scientists, as well as community development of learning objectives and assessment standards that are sufficiently flexible and transparent and allow rapid feedback.

Conception of Pharmacological Knowledge and Needs Amongst Nigerian Medical Students at Lagos State University College of Medicine: Implication for Future Biomedical Science in Africa.

PubMed

Agaga, Luther Agbonyegbeni; John, Theresa Adebola

2016-08-30

In Nigeria, medical students are trained in more didactic environments than their counterparts in researchintensive academic medical centers. Their conception of pharmacology was thus sought. Students who are taking/have takenthe medical pharmacology course completed an 18-question survey within 10min by marking one/more choices fromalternatives. Instructions were: "Dear Participant, Please treat as confidential, give your true view, avoid influences, avoidcrosstalk, return survey promptly." Out of 301 students, 188 (62.46%) participated. Simple statistics showed: 61.3%respondents associated pharmacology with medicine, 24.9% with science, 16.8 % with industry, and 11.1% with government;32.8% want to know clinical pharmacology, 7.1% basic pharmacology, 6.7% pharmacotherapy, and 34.2% want a blend ofall three; 57.8% want to know clinical uses of drugs, 44.8% mechanisms of action, 44.4% side effects, and 31.1% differentdrugs in a group; 45.8% prefer to study lecturers' notes, 26.7% textbooks, 9.8% the Internet, and 2.7% journals; 46.7% usestandard textbooks, 11.5% revision texts, 2.66% advanced texts, and 8.4% no textbook; 40.4% study pharmacology to beable to treat patients, 39.1% to complete the requirements for MBBS degree, 8.9% to know this interesting subject, and 3.1%to make money. Respondents preferring aspects of pharmacology were: 42.7, 16, 16, and 10 (%) respectively for mechanismsof action, pharmacokinetics, side effects, and drug lists. Medical students' conception and need for pharmacology werebased on MBBS degree requirements; they lacked knowledge/interest in pharmacology as a science and may not be thepotential trusts for Africa's future pharmacology.

Estimating the extent of reporting to FDA: a case study of statin-associated rhabdomyolysis.

PubMed

McAdams, Mara; Staffa, Judy; Dal Pan, Gerald

2008-03-01

To estimate the extent of reporting to FDA through statin-associated rhabdomyolysis data. Data included incidence rates (IRs) of hospitalized rhabdomyolysis among statin users from a population-based study, and comparable reported AERS cases and national estimates of statin use from an AERS analysis. Using IRs, national estimates of statin use and average days supply per prescription, we estimated the number of US statin-associated cases of hospitalized rhabdomyolysis. We compared this estimate to the observed number of cases reported to FDA to evaluate the extent of reporting. We repeated this method for atorvastatin, cerivastatin, pravastatin, and simvastatin and statin combinations. We performed sensitivity analyses to check for biases such as misclassification of statin use and cohort selection bias. We evaluated potential time-dependent cerivastatin reporting by a "Dear Health Care Provider (DHCP)" letter. The estimated extent of reporting to FDA varied by statin (atorvastatin, 5.0%; cerivastatin, 31.2%; simvastatin, 14.2%; all four combined, 17.7%; and non-cerivastatin statins combined, 9.9%). No pravastatin-associated cohort cases occurred. Across a reasonable value range, sensitivity analyses did not significantly alter the results; overall the cohort was similar to national statin-users. There was a large increase in AERS reports after the cerivastatin DHCP letter and the estimated extent of reporting increased from 14.8 to 35.0%. The extent of reporting of adverse events to FDA varied by statin and may be influenced by publicity. For statins-associated rhabdomyolysis, the estimated extent of reporting appears to range from 5 to 30% but in the absence of stimulated reporting appears to be 5-15%. Copyright 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Welcome to the 21st International Conference on Spectral Line Shapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2012-12-01

Dear Participants and Guests On behalf of the Rector's Office, welcome to St. Petersburg University, one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious universities in Russia. The 12 Colleges Building (named after the Collegia of Peter the Great's time, Ministries in the modern sense of the word) has been home to the University since 1804. St. Petersburg State University is the successor of the first Russian University founded by Peter the Great on 24 January 1724. It's distinguished faculty members include mathematicians Chebyshev and Smirnov, physicists Lenz and Fock, chemists Mendeleev and Butlerov, embryologist Kovalevsky, and physiologist Sechenov. Several of our alumni won Nobel Prizes - Pavlov, Semenov, Kantorovich, Landau and Prokhorov. The University is the alma mater of two presidents of Russia, Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev. St. Petersburg State University today consists of 19 faculties on two campuses: in the historic downtown, on Vasilyevsky Island, and in Peterhof. The Faculty of Physics carries out research projects through the efforts of 260 employees, of which 150 hold doctoral degrees, and 50 have been awarded Grand Doctorates. The work is done in a vast variety of areas, from the physics of elementary particles to the physics of the atmosphere. Optics and spectroscopy has been a particularly significant area of research. This field of inquiry goes back to the work of Academician D S Rozhdestvensky more than 70 years ago, when he first suggested his famous hook method. After him the work was headed by S Frisch, corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences and editor-in-chief of Optics and Spectroscopy Journal. Today research projects in optics involve over 50 staff members, graduate and post-graduate students. Work involves projects on spectroscopy of cold and hot plasma, atomic and molecular spectroscopy, non-linear spectroscopy and spectroscopic analysis. Our scholars support active international ties with their colleagues worldwide. The organizing committee of the conference has not forgotten about the cultural and tourism significance of the host city, with Hermitage and the Russian Museum, memorial museums of Pushkin and Dostoevsky, Mariinsky and Mikhailovsky Theaters being only a few of the many places to visit. Early June is the time of white nights, the best time to visit the environs of St. Petersburg with its many imperial palaces and parks, and attend multiple music and theater festivals. This is just the right time to take a break from physics overall and spectral line shapes in particular. On behalf of the Rector's Office let me wish the Conference every success, and do not forget to take some time out to enjoy your visit. Welcome! Professor N G Skvortsov Vice-Rector for Research St. Petersburg University

"Experience Keeps a Dear School": the Effects of Ethnicity and Caregiving Experience on Hiring a Healthcare Advocate.

PubMed

Van Liew, Charles; Santoro, Maya; Kothari, Dhwani; Wooldridge, Jennalee; Cronan, Terry A

2016-12-01

In the present study, ethnic differences in evaluating the severity and associated needs of medical complications experienced by an elderly man and the likelihood of seeking professional assistance (i.e., hire a healthcare advocate [HCA]) to care for him, and for one's own family or parent should they become ill, as a function of previous caregiving experience, were investigated. The 974 participants were White, Black, Hispanic, or Asian/Pacific Islander. They read a hypothetical vignette about a 75-year-old man, Daryl, who was experiencing health problems. Participants were instructed to imagine that they were James, Daryl's son, and asked to indicate how severe his condition(s) were, how much medical assistance he would require, and how likely they would be to hire an HCA to assist him. They were also asked to report whether they previously had assisted a parent with activities of daily living (Assistance) and whether they would be likely to hire an HCA in the future if 1) a family member or 2) a parent, specifically, became ill. Two, 2 (Assistance) × 4 (Ethnicity) multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA) were performed to assess differential responses among individuals of different ethnicities as a function of previous caregiver experience. A priori interaction contrasts were examined to determine whether Black, Hispanic, or Asian/Pacific Islander participants differed on the outcomes from White participants as a function of previous caregiver experience. There were no significant differences between Black or Asian/Pacific Islander and White participants, but Hispanic participants assigned significantly higher severity and need for medical assistance ratings and were significantly more likely to indicate that they would seek assistance from an HCA with respect to the vignette and for their own parents in the future if they had provided caregiving to a parent in the past, whereas White participants were less likely to seek assistance from an HCA if they had provided caregiving in the past to a parent. Although ethnic differences in evaluations of Daryl's condition and in the reported likelihoods of hiring an HCA in various contexts as a function of previous caregiving experience were limited, there are important inter-cultural differences to recognize. It may be important in future research to assess ethnic differences in the expectations and experiences of caregiving.

"Wish You Were Here": Examining Characteristics, Outcomes, and Statistical Solutions for Missing Cases in Web-Based Psychotherapeutic Trials.

PubMed

Karin, Eyal; Dear, Blake F; Heller, Gillian Z; Crane, Monique F; Titov, Nickolai

2018-04-19

Missing cases following treatment are common in Web-based psychotherapy trials. Without the ability to directly measure and evaluate the outcomes for missing cases, the ability to measure and evaluate the effects of treatment is challenging. Although common, little is known about the characteristics of Web-based psychotherapy participants who present as missing cases, their likely clinical outcomes, or the suitability of different statistical assumptions that can characterize missing cases. Using a large sample of individuals who underwent Web-based psychotherapy for depressive symptoms (n=820), the aim of this study was to explore the characteristics of cases who present as missing cases at posttreatment (n=138), their likely treatment outcomes, and compare between statistical methods for replacing their missing data. First, common participant and treatment features were tested through binary logistic regression models, evaluating the ability to predict missing cases. Second, the same variables were screened for their ability to increase or impede the rate symptom change that was observed following treatment. Third, using recontacted cases at 3-month follow-up to proximally represent missing cases outcomes following treatment, various simulated replacement scores were compared and evaluated against observed clinical follow-up scores. Missing cases were dominantly predicted by lower treatment adherence and increased symptoms at pretreatment. Statistical methods that ignored these characteristics can overlook an important clinical phenomenon and consequently produce inaccurate replacement outcomes, with symptoms estimates that can swing from -32% to 70% from the observed outcomes of recontacted cases. In contrast, longitudinal statistical methods that adjusted their estimates for missing cases outcomes by treatment adherence rates and baseline symptoms scores resulted in minimal measurement bias (<8%). Certain variables can characterize and predict missing cases likelihood and jointly predict lesser clinical improvement. Under such circumstances, individuals with potentially worst off treatment outcomes can become concealed, and failure to adjust for this can lead to substantial clinical measurement bias. Together, this preliminary research suggests that missing cases in Web-based psychotherapeutic interventions may not occur as random events and can be systematically predicted. Critically, at the same time, missing cases may experience outcomes that are distinct and important for a complete understanding of the treatment effect. ©Eyal Karin, Blake F Dear, Gillian Z Heller, Monique F Crane, Nickolai Titov. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (http://mental.jmir.org), 19.04.2018.

The Radio Jove Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thieman, J. R.

2010-01-01

The Radio love Project is a hands-on education and outreach project in which students, or any other interested individuals or groups build a radio telescope from a kit, operate the radio telescope, transmit the resulting signals through the internet if desired, analyze the results, and share the results with others through archives or general discussions among the observers. Radio love is intended to provide an introduction to radio astronomy for the observer. The equipment allows the user to observe radio signals from Jupiter, the Sun, the galaxy, and Earth-based radiation both natural and man-made. The project was started through a NASA Director's Discretionary Fund grant more than ten years ago. it has continued to be carried out through the dedicated efforts of a group of mainly volunteers. Dearly 1500 kits have been distributed throughout the world. Participation can also be done without building a kit. Pre-built kits are available. Users can also monitor remote radio telescopes through the internet using free downloadable software available through the radiosky.com website. There have been many stories of prize-winning projects, inspirational results, collaborative efforts, etc. We continue to build the community of observers and are always open to new thoughts about how to inspire the observers to still greater involvement in the science and technology associated with Radio Jove.

Accredited work-based learning: an approach for collaboration between higher education and practice.

PubMed

Chalmers, H; Swallow, V M; Miller, J

2001-11-01

This article discusses the experience of creating a programme of accredited work based learning (AWBL) for emergency nurse practitioners (ENPs) who work in an Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department in the North East of England. The initiative highlighted the challenges of collaboration with purchasers of education and with professional colleagues, other than nurses. Accredited work-based learning was seen to be an appropriate means of supporting ENP role development. Some of the drivers of the development were: the need for a rapid response to wide ranging changes in the health service; the need to ensure rigour in the quality of both education and health care; to enable participants to engage in role development with appropriate skills, confidence and competence; and to ensure that the learning programme had parity in its design with conventional university based learning. The aim was to collaborate in the creation of learning which was relevant to the Trust's drive to improve patient care which accommodated the nurses' common and individual learning needs and offered academically recognized learning opportunities in tune with the post-Dearing ethos in higher education. This aim was reached and included a great deal of learning on the part of the collaborating partners. Copyright 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.

NON-INVASIVE DETERMINATION OF THE LOCATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FREE-PHASE DENSE NONAQUEOUS PHASE LIQUIDS (DNAPL) BY SEISMIC REFLECTION TECHNIQUES

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

Michael G. Waddell; William J. Domoracki; Tom J. Temples

2001-05-01

This semi-annual technical progress report is for part of Task 4 (site evaluation), on DOE contact number DE-AR26-98FT40369. The project had planned one additional deployment to another site other than Savannah River Site (SRS) or DOE Hanford. After the SUBCON midyear review in Albuquerque, NM, it was decided that two additional deployments would be performed. The first deployment is to test the feasibility of using non-invasive seismic reflection and AVO analysis as monitoring to assist in determining the effectiveness of Dynamic Underground Stripping (DUS) in removal of DNAPL. The Second deployment site is the Department of Defense (DOD) Charleston Navymore » Weapons Station, Solid Waste Management Unit 12 (SWMU-12) Charleston, SC was selected in consultation with National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and DOD Navy Facilities Engineering Command Southern Division (NAVFAC) personnel. Base upon the review of existing data and due to the shallow target depth the project team has collected three Vertical Seismic Profiles (VSP) and experimental reflection line. At the time of preparing this report VSP data and experimental reflection line data has been collected and has have preliminary processing on the data sets.« less

Extra-Pair Mating and Evolution of Cooperative Neighbourhoods

PubMed Central

Eliassen, Sigrunn; Jørgensen, Christian

2014-01-01

A striking but unexplained pattern in biology is the promiscuous mating behaviour in socially monogamous species. Although females commonly solicit extra-pair copulations, the adaptive reason has remained elusive. We use evolutionary modelling of breeding ecology to show that females benefit because extra-pair paternity incentivizes males to shift focus from a single brood towards the entire neighbourhood, as they are likely to have offspring there. Male-male cooperation towards public goods and dear enemy effects of reduced territorial aggression evolve from selfish interests, and lead to safer and more productive neighbourhoods. The mechanism provides adaptive explanations for the common empirical observations that females engage in extra-pair copulations, that neighbours dominate as extra-pair sires, and that extra-pair mating correlates with predation mortality and breeding density. The models predict cooperative behaviours at breeding sites where males cooperate more towards public goods than females. Where maternity certainty makes females care for offspring at home, paternity uncertainty and a potential for offspring in several broods make males invest in communal benefits and public goods. The models further predict that benefits of extra-pair mating affect whole nests or neighbourhoods, and that cuckolding males are often cuckolded themselves. Derived from ecological mechanisms, these new perspectives point towards the evolution of sociality in birds, with relevance also for mammals and primates including humans. PMID:24987839

Contracts and management services site support program plan WBS 6.10.14

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

Knoll, J.M. Jr.

1994-09-01

Contracts and Management Services is recognized as the central focal point for programs having company or sitewide application in pursuit of the Hanford Missions`s financial and operational objectives. Contracts and Management Services actively pursues cost savings and operational efficiencies through: Management Standards by ensuring all employees have an accessible, integrated system of clear, complete, accurate, timely, and useful management control policies and procedures; Contract Reform by restructuring the contract, organization, and cost accounting systems to refocus Hanford contract activities on output products; Systems and Operations Evaluation by directing the Cost Reduction program, Great Ideas, and Span of Management activities; Programmore » Administration by enforcing conditions of Accountability (whether DEAR-based or FAR-based) for WHC, BCSR, ICF KH, and BHI; Contract Performance activities; chairing the WHC Cost Reduction Review Board; and analyzing companywide Performance Measures; Data Standards and Administration by establishing and directing the company data management program; giving direction to the major RL programs and mission areas for implementation of cost-effective and efficient data management practices; directing all operations, application, and interfaces contained within the Hanford PeopleCore System; directing accomplishment and delivery of TPA data management milestones; and directing the sitewide data management processes for Data Standards and the Data Directory.« less

Tokos and atokion: an examination of natural law reasoning against usury and against contraception.

PubMed

Noonan Jt

1965-01-01

"Natural law," which has been appealed to by catholic theologians in their arguments against both usury and contraception, is examined in this essay. Usury was "tokos" to the Greeks, while what caused contraception was "atokion." Beyond this verbal link, usury and contraception share the bond of having both been condemned as contrary to the natural level of generation. An act of lending is naturally sterile; an act of intercourse naturally fertile. These 2 propositions appeared to be the chief rational support of the absolute prohibition by Catholic theologians of any profit on a loan or of any act preventing intercourse from being fertile. The question arises as to why the argument based on nature seemed so superior; psychological and rhetorical satisfactions would seem to account for the choice. The sacral character of coitus to which the argument finally appeals seems no stronge than the usury argument's appeal to the sacred character of time. The claim that coitus was naturally fertile continued long after acceptance of the marriage of sterile individuals, intercourse during pregnancy, and use of the rhythm method. The argument asserted that contraception was an evil which man could grasp. Values dear to all people were endangered by the practice of contraception, and the argument base on nature stood for this proposition.

Regulatory review time and post-market safety events for novel medicines approved by the EMA between 2001 and 2010: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

Zeitoun, Jean-David; Lefèvre, Jérémie H; Downing, Nicholas S; Bergeron, Henri; Ross, Joseph S

2015-01-01

Aims Regulatory review time has been associated with post-market medication safety issues in the United States. Our objective was to evaluate whether regulatory review time and near deadline approval are associated with post-market safety events (PMSEs) for novel medicines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis of all novel medicines approved by the EMA through the centralized authorization procedure between 2001 and 2010. PMSEs were defined as withdrawals and communications identified through Dear Healthcare Professional Communications (DHPCs). Regulatory review time was defined as the time that elapsed between the start of the assessment procedure and approval. Near regulatory deadline approval was defined as approval within the 30 days before the EMA’s 210 day regulatory deadline. Results Among 161 eligible medicines, PMSEs were identified for 49 (30.4%), 44 of which were DHPCs, five of which were withdrawals. Median regulatory review time was 337 days (IQR 276–406) and was not associated with PMSEs (P = 0.57). However, when categorized by regulatory review speed tertile, there were differences in risk of PMSEs, with higher rates among medicines in the middle tertile (25 of 55, 45.4%; P = 0.01). Finally, 26 medicines were approved near the 210 day regulatory deadline, but were not more likely to have PMSEs (38.5% vs. 28.7%; P = 0.32). Conclusions Neither faster EMA regulatory review speed nor approval near regulatory deadlines was associated with greater likelihood of PMSEs among recently approved novel medicines. PMID:25808713

Predictive Factors for Beneficial Response to Interferon-alfa Therapy in Chronic Hepatitis C

PubMed Central

Yoon, Seung-Kew; Kim, Sung Soo; Park, Young Min; Shim, Kyu Sik; Lee, Chang Don; Sun, Hee Sik; Park, Doo Ho; Kim, Boo Sung; Ryu, Wang Shick; Cho, Joong Myung

1995-01-01

Objectives: Interferon is the only established teatment for chronic hepatitis C but the host-dependent or virus-related factors affecting the response rate to interferon therapy are not yet dear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors predictive of response to interferon-alfa therapy in chronic hepatitis C. Methods: Twenty-five consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C were randomized to three regimens of interferon-alfa: group A (n=7, 3MU every day for 3 months), group B (n=8, 3MU every other day for 3 months) and group C (n=10, 3MU every other day for 6 months), We quantified serum HC RNA levels by competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)and performed HCV genotyping using type-specific primers deduced from the NS5 region of the HCV genome. We also attempted to identify which demographic, biochemical and histologic factors in addition to virus-related factors would significantly predict beneficial response to interferon by multivariate analysis. Results: Sustained responders were 8 (36.4%), nonsustained responders were 2 (9.1%) and nonresponders were 12 (54.5%) of 22 patients who had received complete therapy. The initial HCV RNA level (logarithmic transformed copy numbers per ml of serum)in sustained responders (5.75±0.39) was significantly lower than that of nonsustained responders (6.80±0.71)and nonresponders (6.70±0.52) (p<0.05). In multivariate multiple logistic regression analysis, the serum HCV RNA level before therapy was only the independent predictor of a sustained response to interferon-alfa therapy (p=0.001). Conclusions: Serum HCV RNA level before therapy was the most useful predictor of a sustained response to interferon-alfa therapy for chronic hepatitis C. PMID:7495780

Swedish attitudes towards persons with mental illness.

PubMed

Högberg, Torbjörn; Magnusson, Annabella; Lützén, Kim; Ewalds-Kvist, Béatrice

2012-04-01

Negative and stigmatizing attitudes towards persons with mental illness must be dealt with to facilitate the sufferers' social acceptance. The present study aimed at survey Swedish attitudes towards persons with mental illness related to factors impacting these attitudes. New CAMI-S based on the questionnaire "Community Attitudes to Mental Illness in Sweden" ([CAMI] Taylor & Dear, 1981) was developed with nine behavioral-intention items and thus comprised a total of 29 items. Of 5000 Swedish people, 2391 agreed to complete the questionnaire. Principal component analysis rendered four factors reflecting attitudes towards the mentally ill: Intention to Interact, Fearful and Avoidant, Open-minded and Pro-Integration, as well as Community Mental Health Ideology. The factors were analyzed for trends in attitudes. By MANOVA, the experience of mental illness effects on mind-set towards the sufferers was assessed. By means of logistic regression, demographic factors contributing to positive attitudes towards persons with mental illness residing in the neighborhood were assessed. By New CAMI-S, the Swedish attitudes towards the mentally ill were surveyed and trends in agreement with living next to a person with mental illness were revealed in three out of four factors derived by principal component analysis. Aspects impacting the Swedish attitudes towards persons with mental illness and willingness to have him/her residing in the neighborhood comprised experience of mental illness, female gender, age (31-50 years), born in Scandinavia or outside Europe, only 9 years of compulsory school and accommodation in flat. The New CAMI-S came out as a useful tool to screen Swedish attitudes towards persons with mental illness. Most Swedes were prepared to live next to the mentally ill.

Regulatory review time and post-market safety events for novel medicines approved by the EMA between 2001 and 2010: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Zeitoun, Jean-David; Lefèvre, Jérémie H; Downing, Nicholas S; Bergeron, Henri; Ross, Joseph S

2015-10-01

Regulatory review time has been associated with post-market medication safety issues in the United States. Our objective was to evaluate whether regulatory review time and near deadline approval are associated with post-market safety events (PMSEs) for novel medicines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). We performed a cross-sectional analysis of all novel medicines approved by the EMA through the centralized authorization procedure between 2001 and 2010. PMSEs were defined as withdrawals and communications identified through Dear Healthcare Professional Communications (DHPCs). Regulatory review time was defined as the time that elapsed between the start of the assessment procedure and approval. Near regulatory deadline approval was defined as approval within the 30 days before the EMA's 210 day regulatory deadline. Among 161 eligible medicines, PMSEs were identified for 49 (30.4%), 44 of which were DHPCs, five of which were withdrawals. Median regulatory review time was 337 days (IQR 276-406) and was not associated with PMSEs (P = 0.57). However, when categorized by regulatory review speed tertile, there were differences in risk of PMSEs, with higher rates among medicines in the middle tertile (25 of 55, 45.4%; P = 0.01). Finally, 26 medicines were approved near the 210 day regulatory deadline, but were not more likely to have PMSEs (38.5% vs. 28.7%; P = 0.32). Neither faster EMA regulatory review speed nor approval near regulatory deadlines was associated with greater likelihood of PMSEs among recently approved novel medicines. © 2015 The British Pharmacological Society.

Song trait similarity in great tits varies with social structure.

PubMed

Snijders, Lysanne; van der Eijk, Jerine; van Rooij, Erica P; de Goede, Piet; van Oers, Kees; Naguib, Marc

2015-01-01

For many animals, long-range signalling is essential to maintain contact with conspecifics. In territorial species, individuals often have to balance signalling towards unfamiliar potential competitors (to solely broadcast territory ownership) with signalling towards familiar immediate neighbours (to also maintain so-called "dear enemy" relations). Hence, to understand how signals evolve due to these multilevel relationships, it is important to understand how general signal traits vary in relation to the overall social environment. For many territorial songbirds dawn is a key signalling period, with several neighbouring individuals singing simultaneously without immediate conflict. In this study we tested whether sharing a territory boundary, rather than spatial proximity, is related to similarity in dawn song traits between territorial great tits (Parus major) in a wild personality-typed population. We collected a large dataset of automatized dawn song recordings from 72 unique male great tits, during the fertile period of their mate, and compared specific song traits between neighbours and non-neighbours. We show here that both song rate and start time of dawn song were repeatable song traits. Moreover, neighbours were significantly more dissimilar in song rate compared to non-neighbours, while there was no effect of proximity on song rate similarity. Additionally, similarity in start time of dawn song was unrelated to sharing a territory boundary, but birds were significantly more similar in start time of dawn song when they were breeding in close proximity of each other. We suggest that the dissimilarity in dawn song rate between neighbours is either the result of neighbouring great tits actively avoiding similar song rates to possibly prevent interference, or a passive consequence of territory settlement preferences relative to the types of neighbours. Neighbourhood structuring is therefore likely to be a relevant selection pressure shaping variation in territorial birdsong.

PREFACE: 1st International School and Conference "Saint Petersburg OPEN 2014" on Optoelectronics, Photonics, Engineering and Nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2014-09-01

Dear Colleagues, 1st International School and Conference "Saint Petersburg OPEN 2014" on Optoelectronics, Photonics, Engineering and Nanostructures was held on March 25 - 27, 2014 at St. Petersburg Academic University - Nanotechnology Research and Education Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The School and Conference included a series of invited talks given by leading professors with the aim to introduce young scientists with actual problems and major advances in physics and technology. The keynote speakers were: Mikhail Glazov (Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute RAS, Russia) Vladimir Dubrovskii (Saint Petersburg Academic University RAS, Russia) Alexey Kavokin (University of Southampton, United Kingdom and St. Petersburg State University, Russia) Vladimir Korenev (Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute RAS, Russia) Sergey Kukushkin (Institute of Problems of Mechanical Engineering RAS, Russia) Nikita Pikhtin (Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute RAS, Russia and "Elfolum" Ltd., Russia) Dmitry Firsov (Saint Petersburg State Polytechnical University, Russia) During the poster session all undergraduate and graduate students attending the conference presented their works. Sufficiently large number of participants with more than 160 student attendees from all over the world allowed the Conference to provide a fertile ground for the fruitful discussions between the young scientists as well as to become a perfect platform for the valuable discussions between student authors and highly experienced scientists. The best student papers, which were selected by the Program Committee and by the invited speakers basing on the theses and their poster presentation, were awarded with diplomas of the conference - see the photos. This year's School and Conference is supported by SPIE (The International Society for Optics and Photonics), OSA (The Optical Society), St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University and by Skolkovo Foundation. It is a continuation of the annual schools and seminars for youth on topical problems of physics and technology that is organized by the Academic University since 2009. We invite all the students and young scientists to attend "Saint Petersburg OPEN" in 2015! Please, find details at http://spbopen2015.spbau.com/ With best wishes, Editorial Board, Program and Organizing Committees

Long-term effects of vertebroplasty: adjacent vertebral fractures.

PubMed

Baroud, Gamal; Vant, Christianne; Wilcox, Ruth

2006-01-01

In today's aging population, osteoporosis-related fractures are an ever-growing concern. Vertebroplasty, a promising yet cost-effective treatment for vertebral compression fractures, has an increasing role. The first vertebroplasty procedures were reported by Deramond and Galibert in France in 1987, and international interest grew with continued development of clinical techniques and augmentation materials in Europe and the United States. Initial publications and presentations at peer review meetings demonstrated 60-90% success rates in providing immediate and significant pain relief. The objective of this review is to assemble experimental and computational biomechanical research whose goal is determining and preventing the negative long-term effects ofvertebroplasty, with a specific focus on adjacent vertebral fractures. Biomechanical studies using isolated cancellous bone cylinders have shown that osteoporotic cancellous bone samples augmented by the rigid bone cement were at least 12 times stiffer and 35 times stronger than the untreated osteoporotic cancellous bone samples. The biomechanical efficacy of the procedure to repair the fractured vertebrae and prevent further collapse is determined using single-vertebra models. The strength or load-bearing capacity of a single vertebra is significantly increased following augmentation when compared to the intact strength. However, there is no dear result regarding the overall stiffness of the single vertebra, with studies reporting contradictorily that the stiffness increases, decreases, or does not significantly alter following augmentation. The effects of vertebroplasty on adjacent structures are studied via multisegment models, whose results plainly oppose the findings of the single-vertebra and intravertebral models. Here, augmentation was shown to decrease the overall segment strength by 19% when compared to the matched controls. As well, there is a significant increase in disc pressure compared to the pre-augmentation measurements. This translates to a high hydrostatic pressure adjacent to the augmented vertebra, representing the first evidence of increased loading. Computational finite element (FE) models have found that the rigid cement augmentation results in an increase in loading in the structures adjacent to the augmented vertebra. The mechanism of the increase of the loading is predicted to be the pillar effect of the rigid cement. The cement inhibits the normal endplate bulge into the augmented vertebra and thus pressurizes the adjacent disc, which subsequently increases the loading of the untreated vertebra. The mechanism for adjacent vertebral fractures is still unclear, but from experimental and computational studies, it appears that the change in mechanical loading following augmentation is responsible. The pillar effect of injected cement is hypothesized to decrease the endplate bulge in the augmented vertebra causing an increase in adjacent disc pressure that is communicated to the adjacent vertebra. To confirm the viability of the pillar effect as the responsible mechanism, endplate bulge and disc pressure should be directly measured before and after augmentation. Future studies should be concerned with quantifying the current and ideal mechanical response of the spine and subsequently developing cements that can achieve this optimum response.

La formation de l'inkisi (Supergroupe ouest-congolien) en Afrique centrale (Congo et Bas-Zaïre): un delta d'âge Paléozoïque comblant un bassin en extension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez, Philippe; Maurin, Jean-Christophe; Vicat, Jean-Paul

1995-02-01

The Inkisi Formation (West Congolian Supergroup) corresponds to a large deltaic body, which extends through Congo, Lower Zaire and Angola. In the Congo and Lower Zaire areas, the lower part of this formation is characterized by a fluvial conglomerate with elliptic pebbles. The red arkosic, channelized series from the Brazzaville-Kinshasa area involves delta plain distributary channels and delta front sequences. The transport direction of continental material is from north to south and the source area is the Chaillu basement. Glacial quartzitic pebbles are probably reworked from the fluvio-lacustrine Upper Diamictite Formation. The classical subdivisions of the Inkisi Formation - basal conglomerate (I 0), Lower part (I 1) and Upper part (I 2) - are not used. These subdivisions correspond to a fluvial conglomerate and to delta front and delta plain facies. The coastal onlap progressively covered the conglomerate and the distributary channels in the delta plain was prograding onto the delta front. The prodelta sequence could correspond to the Upper level of the Mpioka molassic Formation. The Inkisi delta was on the northern edge of an extensional basin controlled by NE-SW normal faults. The extension phase is dearly post Pan-African and occurred during the Palaeozoic, probably in relation to the Permian Karoo phase, and is also known in Angola.

Water Stress on U.S. Power Production at Decadal Time Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganguli, P.; Kumar, D.; Yun, J.; Short, G.; Klausner, J.; Ganguly, A. R.

2014-12-01

Thermoelectric power production at risk, owing to current and projected water scarcity and rising stream temperatures, is assessed for the continental United States (US) at decadal scales. Regional water scarcity is driven by climate variability and change, as well as by multi-sector water demand. While a planning horizon of zero to about thirty years is occasionally prescribed by stakeholders, the challenges to risk assessment at these scales include the difficulty in delineating decadal climate trends from intrinsic natural or multiple model variability. Current generation global climate or earth system models are not credible at the spatial resolutions of power plants, especially for surface water quantity and stream temperatures, which further exacerbates the assessment challenge. Population changes, which are anyway difficult to project, cannot serve as adequate proxies for changes in the water demand across sectors. The hypothesis that robust assessments of power production at risks are possible, despite the uncertainties, has been examined as a proof of concept. An approach is presented for delineating water scarcity and temperature from climate models, observations and population storylines, as well as for assessing power production at risk by examining geospatial correlations of power plant locations within regions where the usable water supply for energy production happens to be scarcer and warmer. Acknowledgment: Funding provided by US DOE's ARPA-E through Award DE-AR0000374.

EDITORIAL: 23rd International Laser Physics Workshop (LPHYS'14)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2015-03-01

Dear Readers, The 23rd annual International Laser Physics Workshop, LPHYS'14, took place in the City of Sofia, Bulgaria. 361 participants from 35 countries attended the conference. It was hosted by the Institute of Electronics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. This year's Workshop was dedicated to paying tribute to two major events: • 50th anniversary of 1964 Nobel Prize in physics, • 145th anniversary of the establishment of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. LPHYS'14 has been taken under the High Patronage of Rosen Plevneliev, President of the Republic of Bulgaria. The LPHYS'14 Steering Committee and the Advisory & Program Committee would like to extend their sincere gratitude to Professor Sanka Gateva (Co-Chair) and Professor Ekaterina Borisova (Head of the Local Organizing Committee) and to their team for the outstanding job performed in organizing, arranging, managing and putting in order the conference. Their combined efforts lead to a successful result. In this volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series you will find selected proceedings of the Workshop in Sofia. Please make a note that the 24th annual International Laser Physics Workshop (LPHYS'15) will take place from August 21 to August 25, 2015 in the city of Shanghai, China hosted by Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. With kind regards, Steering and Advisory & Program committees LPHYS'14

A strategy for genetic modification of the spike-encoding segment of human reovirus T3D for reovirus targeting.

PubMed

van den Wollenberg, D J M; van den Hengel, S K; Dautzenberg, I J C; Cramer, S J; Kranenburg, O; Hoeben, R C

2008-12-01

Human Orthoreovirus Type 3 Dearing is not pathogenic to humans and has been evaluated clinically as an oncolytic agent. Its transduction efficiency and the tumor cell selectivity may be enhanced by incorporating ligands for alternative receptors. However, the genetic modification of reoviruses has been difficult, and genetic targeting of reoviruses has not been reported so far. Here we describe a technique for generating genetically targeted reoviruses. The propagation of wild-type reoviruses on cells expressing a modified sigma 1-encoding segment embedded in a conventional RNA polymerase II transcript leads to substitution of the wild-type genome segment by the modified version. This technique was used for generating reoviruses that are genetically targeted to an artificial receptor expressed on U118MG cells. These cells lack the junction adhesion molecule-1 and therefore resist infection by wild-type reoviruses. The targeted reoviruses were engineered to carry the ligand for this receptor at the C terminus of the sigma 1 spike protein. This demonstrates that the C terminus of the sigma 1 protein is a suitable locale for the insertion of oligopeptide ligands and that targeting of reoviruses is feasible. The genetically targeted viruses can be propagated using the modified U118MG cells as helper cells. This technique may be applicable for the improvement of human reoviruses as oncolytic agents.

[Collaboration between public health nurses and the private sector].

PubMed

Marutani, Miki; Okada, Yumiko; Hasegawa, Takashi

2016-01-01

We clarified collaborations between public health nurses (PHNs) and the private sector, such as nonprofit organizations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 private sector organizations and 13 PHNs who collaborate with them between December 2012 to October 2013. Interview guides were: overall suicide preventive measurements, details of collaboration between private sector organizations and PHNs, and suicide prevention outcomes/issues. Data from private sector organizations and PHNs were separately analyzed and categories created using qualitative and inductive design. Private sector organizations' and PHNs' categories were compared and separated into core categories by similarities. Six categories were created: 1. establishing a base of mutual understanding; 2. raising public awareness of each aim/characteristic; 3. competently helping high suicidal risk persons detected during each activity; 4. guarding lives and rehabilitating livelihoods after intervention; 5. restoring suicide attempters/bereaved met in each activity; and 6. continuing/expanding activities with reciprocal cohesion/evaluation. PHNs are required to have the following suicide prevention tasks when collaborating with private sector organizations: understanding the private sector civilization, sharing PHN experiences, improving social determinants of health, meeting basic needs, supporting foundation/difficulties each other (Dear editor. Thank you for kind comments. I was going to explain that PHNs and NPOs support each other their foundation of activity and difficulties in their activities. The foundations include knowledge, information, budgets, manpower etc. The difficulties mean like suffering faced with suicide during activities.), and enhancing local governments' flexibilities/ promptness.

[Health and social inequality in Europe: changes of the basic conditions for municipal health services].

PubMed

Huster, E U

1998-11-01

Good health is not distributed equally, neither in life conditions--including the individual ability to act--nor according to the supply grid. These interrelations, shown in several empirical investigations, assume more importance in view of the groving tendency to social polarisation in the countries of Europe, different in fact in the single countries, but clear in respect of tendency: social exclusion does not only mean to have less financial resources but also social disadvantages in other realms of living, especially in health. Migration, not only from East to West, but also inside and between the countries of the European Union and inside of Eastern Europe too, is only an especially dear expression that social problems have their origin in international problems and casualities, but become visible in local and regional structures and thus in the responsibility of the municipalities. Globalisation, Europe etc., terms mostly connected with positive connotations, have not only a positive side, but also another one, namely, the re-regionalisation of social problems especially in the municipalities. Normally the municipalities have to counterbalance and to regulate the negative consequences of these European--and moreover international--changes of the structures, although their financial means are declining. The municipal health service is integrated in this contradictory constellation. To prevent irrational social and/or political developments, the reasons and possible strategies of reform policy will have to be discussed carefully.

Biosynthesis of reovirus-specified polypeptides: the reovirus s1 mRNA encodes two primary translation products

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

Jacobs, B.L.; Samuel, C.E.

1985-05-01

Reovirus serotypes 1 (Lang strain) and 3 (Dearing strain) code for a hitherto unrecognized low-molecular-weight polypeptide of Mr approximately 12,000. This polypeptide (p12) was synthesized in vitro in L-cell-free protein synthesizing systems programmed with either reovirus serotype 1 mRNA, reovirus serotype 3 mRNA, or with denatured reovirus genome double-stranded RNA, and in vivo in L-cell cultures infected with either reovirus serotype. Pulse-chase experiments in vivo, and the relative kinetics of synthesis of p12 in vitro, indicate that it is a primary translation product. Fractionation of reovirus mRNAs by velocity sedimentation and translation of separated mRNAs in vitro suggests that p12more » is coded for by the s1 mRNA, which also codes for the previously recognized sigma 1 polypeptide. Synthesis of both p12 and sigma 1 in vitro in L-cell-free protein synthesizing systems programmed with denatured reovirus genome double-stranded RNA also suggests that these two polypeptides can be coded by the same mRNA species. It is proposed that the Mr approximately 12,000 polypeptide encoded by the S1 genome segment be designated sigma 1bNS, and that the polypeptide previously designated sigma 1 be renamed sigma 1a.« less

Psychology of the Embrace: How Body Rhythms Communicate the Need to Indulge or Separate.

PubMed

Koch, Sabine C; Rautner, Helena

2017-11-29

In the context of embodiment research, there has been a growing interest in phenomena of interpersonal resonance. Given that haptic communication is particularly under-researched, we focused on the phenomenon of embracing. When we embrace a dear friend to say good-bye at the end of a great evening, we typically first employ smooth and yielding movements with round transitions between muscular tensing and relaxing ( smooth , indulging rhythms ), and when the embrace is getting too long, we start to use slight patting ( sharp , fighting rhythms with sharp transitions) on the back or the shoulders of the partner in order to indicate that we now want to end the embrace. On the ground of interpersonal resonance, most persons (per-sonare, latin = to sound through) understand these implicit nonverbal signals, expressed in haptic tension-flow changes, and will react accordingly. To experimentally test the hypothesis that smooth, indulgent rhythms signal the wish to continue, and sharp, fighting rhythms signal the wish to separate from an embrace, we randomly assigned 64 participants, all students at the University of Heidelberg, to two differently sequenced embrace conditions: (a) with the fighting rhythm at the end of the sequence of two indulgent rhythms (Sequence A: smooth-smooth-sharp); and (b) with the fighting rhythm between two indulgent rhythms (Sequence B: smooth-sharp-smooth). Participants were embraced for 30 s by a female confe-derate with their eyes blindfolded to focus on haptic and kinesthetic cues without being distracted by visual cues. They were instructed to let go of a handkerchief that they held between the fingers of their dominant hand during the embrace, when they felt that the embracer signaled the wish to finish the embrace. Participants significantly more often dropped the handkerchief in the phase of the fighting rhythm, no matter in which location it occurred in the embrace sequence. We assume that we learn such rhythmic behaviors and their meaning from the beginning of life in the communication with caregivers and meaningful others. Some are universal and some are quite idiosyncratic. Infants seem to be highly sensitive to the dynamic nuances presented to them, demonstrating a high capacity for embodied resonance and a high behavioral plasticity. Such adaptive mechanisms are assumed to lay the foundations of family culture (including the degree to which nonverbal cues are attended to, the communication of taboos, etc.) and larger culture, and may also play an important role in interpersonal attraction and aesthetic experience.

Psychology of the Embrace: How Body Rhythms Communicate the Need to Indulge or Separate

PubMed Central

Rautner, Helena

2017-01-01

In the context of embodiment research, there has been a growing interest in phenomena of interpersonal resonance. Given that haptic communication is particularly under-researched, we focused on the phenomenon of embracing. When we embrace a dear friend to say good-bye at the end of a great evening, we typically first employ smooth and yielding movements with round transitions between muscular tensing and relaxing (smooth, indulging rhythms), and when the embrace is getting too long, we start to use slight patting (sharp, fighting rhythms with sharp transitions) on the back or the shoulders of the partner in order to indicate that we now want to end the embrace. On the ground of interpersonal resonance, most persons (per-sonare, latin = to sound through) understand these implicit nonverbal signals, expressed in haptic tension-flow changes, and will react accordingly. To experimentally test the hypothesis that smooth, indulgent rhythms signal the wish to continue, and sharp, fighting rhythms signal the wish to separate from an embrace, we randomly assigned 64 participants, all students at the University of Heidelberg, to two differently sequenced embrace conditions: (a) with the fighting rhythm at the end of the sequence of two indulgent rhythms (Sequence A: smooth-smooth-sharp); and (b) with the fighting rhythm between two indulgent rhythms (Sequence B: smooth-sharp-smooth). Participants were embraced for 30 s by a female confe­derate with their eyes blindfolded to focus on haptic and kinesthetic cues without being distracted by visual cues. They were instructed to let go of a handkerchief that they held between the fingers of their dominant hand during the embrace, when they felt that the embracer signaled the wish to finish the embrace. Participants significantly more often dropped the handkerchief in the phase of the fighting rhythm, no matter in which location it occurred in the embrace sequence. We assume that we learn such rhythmic behaviors and their meaning from the beginning of life in the communication with caregivers and meaningful others. Some are universal and some are quite idiosyncratic. Infants seem to be highly sensitive to the dynamic nuances presented to them, demonstrating a high capacity for embodied resonance and a high behavioral plasticity. Such adaptive mechanisms are assumed to lay the foundations of family culture (including the degree to which nonverbal cues are attended to, the communication of taboos, etc.) and larger culture, and may also play an important role in interpersonal attraction and aesthetic experience. PMID:29186070

EDITORIAL: Letter from the Editor Letter from the Editor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hauptmann, Peter

2011-01-01

Dear authors and reviewers of articles for Measurement Science and Technology, I would like to thank all those who have published papers with us in 2010, and special thanks go to those of you who have kindly reviewed articles for the journal. I would also like to take this opportunity to update you on some of the developments on the journal and look ahead to 2011. As many of you are no doubt aware, our impact factor (a measure of the average number of times recent papers are referred to by others) is currently 1.317. This is often taken as an indication of the quality and relevance of recently published research, and although as readers we develop our own instinct for journals of high quality, it is gratifying as an Editor to see the data from an independent organization (Thomson ISI) agreeing with my own assessment. Measurement Science and Technology is a journal with a broad scope covering new measurement techniques in all fields of science and engineering. I therefore find it particularly enjoyable to read summaries of recent research in our strong topical review programme as these cover many varied topics of interest. In 2010 several interesting articles by international leaders in their field were published, for example: Single-photon generation and detection, by G S Buller and R J Collins of Heriot-Watt University [1]. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy in life sciences, by Jan Willem Borst and Antonie J W G Visser, from the Microspectroscopy Centre of Wageningen University [2]. Biological and chemical sensors for cancer diagnosis, by Elfriede Simon of Siemens AG [3]. I hope that these articles, and the others published in 2010 and now in 2011, will provide a useful overview for our readers, and be helpful to new researchers. When speaking to young researchers I am particularly aware that having their articles published in a timely fashion is important, and I am pleased that our publication times are highly competitive, with most authors receiving a publication decision within 7 weeks and most articles being published a month after acceptance. Looking forward to 2011, we will continue to rely on you, our esteemed reviewers, for your help in determining which articles make a significant contribution to the field of measurements. Your work is highly valued, not only by those of us who work directly on the journal, but also by the readers who can continue to refer to MST knowing that only work of a high standard is published here. There simply remains for me to say thank you again for your contribution to Measurement Science and Technology in 2010, and I wish you all the best for a successful 2011! References [1] Buller G S and Collins R J 2010 Single-photon generation and detection Meas. Sci. Technol. 21 012002 [2] Borst J W and Visser A J W G 2010 Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy in life sciences Meas. Sci. Technol. 21 102002 [3] Simon E 2010 Biological and chemical sensors for cancer diagnosis Meas. Sci. Technol. 21 112002

Vice Presidents' Foreword

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dear Reader, In the early sixties, the eminent American hydrologist, Walter Langbein, founded Water Resources Research on behalf of the Section of Hydrology of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). Today, Water Resources Research is undisputed as the leading international journal in its field, and the key factors in its success are: * sustained emphasis on high quality papers; * the reviewing, editing, and management processes are all controlled by the scientists; * the allegiance of the AGU community to WRR; * a verv reasonable cost both to institutions and members; * financial benefits from the sales of the journal are fed back to the AGU, to the benefit of the members. In Europe, we now have a well established community of hydrologists in EGS, and the need for a high quality journal was addressed initially by adopting the already well established Elsevier journal of Hydrology as the official journal of the Hydrological Sciences Section. However, it became apparent that several of the factors associated with WRR's success were not working in the Society's favour, and so it has been decided to establish a new journal which, we hope, can emulate the success of WRR in the fullness of time. Much has been written over the past decade about the need to establish a strong identity for hydrology as a distinct geoscience alongside the atmospheric, ocean and solid earth sciences. The aims and scope of Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS) have been designed to give full expression to this goal, and have been strongly influenced by 'Opportunities in the Hydrologic Sciences' (National Academy Press,1991). The functioning of the hydrological cycle within an earth system undergoing global change is currently the focus of research by many leading scientists and it is hoped that HESS will become a major forum for the publication and discussion of such research, as well as all new findings which enhance the position of hydrology as a geoscience. The success of a new journal is dependent not only on attracting high quality papers, but on the preservation of high standards in the overall editorial process. This requires, inter alia, a sympathetic managing editor to assist non-native English speakers in Europe and beyond to communicate their research findings with good clarity. We are highly fortunate that Dr j S G (Jim) McCulloch, who has had such a major impact on the success of the Journal of Hydrology, has agreed to take on the onerous task of launching and managing HESS. He will be supported by a panel of Scientific Editors and by an Editorial Board, who will advise him. We are indebted to Dr McCulloch and his editorial office team for their dedicated efforts in bringing this first issue to fruition. We also thank the authors, who have entrusted their papers to HESS, the reviewers who have responded so promptly and Arne Richter, the Secretary-General of EGS, for his continual support and enthusiasm for this venture. Finally, and most important of all, we appeal to you, and all members of the scientific community, to support HESS by * taking out a personal subscription; * arranging for an institutional subscription; * contributing your best papers; * helping with the peer review process. By rallying around HESS and giving it the priority which will ensure that high quality is achieved from the outset, we can, as a community, eventually match the achievements of WRR. You and future generations of European hydrologists will be the beneficiaries. Philip O'Kane Enda O'Connell EGS Vice-President Past-EGS Vice-President (Hydrological Sciences) (Hydrological Sciences)

Making the transition to the third era of natural resources management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stephenson, Nathan L.

2015-01-01

We are entering the third era of National Park Service (NPS) natural resources management— an era defined by rapid and unprecedented global changes. This third era promises to overturn not only some of our most fundamental assumptions about parks and protected areas, but also many of the ideals we currently hold dear. A common initial reaction to the diverse challenges of this transition is to feel overwhelmed and adrift; I have certainly had such feelings myself. But these feelings carry the risk of reducing our effectiveness as resource stewards right when we can least afford to be less effective: during a transition that is demanding us to be particularly clear-headed and far-seeing. Here I briefly examine some of the challenges of this new era, focusing on those that can most often elicit feelings of discouragement. When we examine the challenges individually, they begin to lose some of their ability to cast gloom—especially when we consider them in the light of lessons from an earlier fundamental transition in NPS natural resources management, beginning a half-century ago. My perspective is shaped by my 35 years as a place-based scientist stationed in a large national park (Sequoia and Kings Canyon), and by my passion for national parks in general. While the discussion that follows is most relevant to large national parks set aside primarily for their natural features, several of the ideas are also relevant to other park units.

Readability of "Dear Patient" device advisory notification letters created by a device manufacturer.

PubMed

Mueller, Luke A; Sharma, Arjun; Ottenberg, Abigale L; Mueller, Paul S

2013-04-01

In 2006, the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) recommended that cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) manufacturers use advisory notification letters to communicate with affected patients. To evaluate the readability of the HRS sample "patient device advisory notification" letter and those created by 1 CIED manufacturer. The HRS sample letter and 25 Boston Scientific Corporation letters dated from 2005 through 2011 were evaluated by using 6 readability tests. Readability (Flesch-Kincaid score) of the HRS sample letter was grade level 12.5, and median readability of the device manufacturer letters was grade level 12.8 (range 10.8-18.9). Similar results were obtained by using other readability scales. No letters had readability scores at the National Work Group on Literacy and Health's recommended reading level-fifth grade; the letters' readability exceeded this recommended level by an average of 7.7 grades (95% confidence interval 6.9-8.5; P<.001). Likewise, no letters had readability scores at the average reading level of US adults-eighth grade; the letters' readability exceeded this level by an average of 4.7 grades (95% confidence interval 3.9-5.5; P< .001). The readability of the HRS sample letter and those created by a CIED manufacturer significantly exceeded the recommended and average US adults' reading skill levels. Such letters are unlikely to be informative to many patients. CIED manufacturers should ensure that advisory letters are comprehensible to most affected patients. Copyright © 2013 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The (in)complete organelle genome: exploring the use and nonuse of available technologies for characterizing mitochondrial and plastid chromosomes.

PubMed

Sanitá Lima, Matheus; Woods, Laura C; Cartwright, Matthew W; Smith, David Roy

2016-11-01

Not long ago, scientists paid dearly in time, money and skill for every nucleotide that they sequenced. Today, DNA sequencing technologies epitomize the slogan 'faster, easier, cheaper and more', and in many ways, sequencing an entire genome has become routine, even for the smallest laboratory groups. This is especially true for mitochondrial and plastid genomes. Given their relatively small sizes and high copy numbers per cell, organelle DNAs are currently among the most highly sequenced kind of chromosome. But accurately characterizing an organelle genome and the information it encodes can require much more than DNA sequencing and bioinformatics analyses. Organelle genomes can be surprisingly complex and can exhibit convoluted and unconventional modes of gene expression. Unravelling this complexity can demand a wide assortment of experiments, from pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to Southern and Northern blots to RNA analyses. Here, we show that it is exactly these types of 'complementary' analyses that are often lacking from contemporary organelle genome papers, particularly short 'genome announcement' articles. Consequently, crucial and interesting features of organelle chromosomes are going undescribed, which could ultimately lead to a poor understanding and even a misrepresentation of these genomes and the genes they express. High-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics have made it easy to sequence and assemble entire chromosomes, but they should not be used as a substitute for or at the expense of other types of genomic characterization methods. © 2016 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Resources Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Moral philosophy in bioethics. Etsi ethos non daretur?

PubMed

Pessina, Adriano

2013-01-01

In this paper I intend to put forward some criticism of the purely procedural model of bioethics, which, in fact, leads to delegating to biopolitics and biolaw the finding of a purely pragmatic solution to the issues for which bioethics was "invented" over forty years ago. This delegating takes place after the transition from the thesis, dear to modernity, whereby in ethics reasoning should avoid any discussion regarding its foundation or ultimate justification (Etsi Deus non daretur) to the contemporary affirmation of a substantial ethical agnosticism, which, in the name of the incommensurability of morals, should construct procedures as if no sole substantial moral were possible (Etsi ethos non daretur) and act as a guarantor of ethical pluralism. These theses will be discussed and an attempt will be made to demonstrate why it is necessary to establish a link between true and good, and how this is possible only by referring to ontology. The conclusion points to the need to propose bioethics explicitly in terms of content that satisfies the presumed axiological neutrality of procedural bioethics, which however, turns out to be theoretically weak and practically unable to protect the ethical pluralism for which it would like to be the guarantor. The conclusion is that only by referring to ontology can bioethics, which is a fully fledged form of moral philosophy, act as a guarantor of pluralism within the truth and oppose the authoritarian tendencies concealed under the liberal guise of ethical agnosticism.

Liver enzyme monitoring in patients treated with troglitazone.

PubMed

Graham, D J; Drinkard, C R; Shatin, D; Tsong, Y; Burgess, M J

2001-08-15

Soon after initial marketing in March 1997, troglitazone, the first thiazolidinedione antidiabetic agent, was found to cause life-threatening acute liver failure. The drug was removed from the market in March 2000. To evaluate the effect of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) risk management efforts, including repeated labeling changes and "Dear Healthcare Professional" letters, on periodic liver enzyme monitoring of patients taking troglitazone. Claims data from a large, multistate managed care organization were used to establish 4 cohorts of patients (N = 7603) with at least 90 days of health plan enrollment before first troglitazone prescription during 4 consecutive periods spanning April 1997 to September 1999 and representing 4 progressively stringent liver monitoring recommendations. Percentage of eligible troglitazone users in each cohort with baseline, monthly (for up to 6 months of continuous use), and complete (baseline and monthly) enzyme monitoring, based on computerized records of laboratory claims. Baseline testing increased from 15% before any FDA monitoring recommendations (cohort 1) to 44.6% following 4 separate FDA interventions (cohort 4; P<.001). In cohort 4, 33.4% of users had follow-up testing after 1 month of therapy, falling to 13% after 5 months of continuous use. In all cohorts, less than 5% received all recommended liver enzyme tests by the third month of continuous use. The FDA risk management efforts did not achieve meaningful or sustained improvement in liver enzyme testing. Evaluation of the impact of regulatory actions is needed before such actions can be regarded as effective or sufficient.

How clinical communication has become a core part of medical education in the UK.

PubMed

Brown, Jo

2008-03-01

This paper sets out to analyse and interpret the complex events of the last 20 years in order to understand how the teaching and learning of clinical communication has emerged as a core part of the modern undergraduate medical curriculum in most medical schools in the UK. The paper analyses the effects of key political, sociological, historical and policy influences on clinical communication development. Political influences include: the effects of neo-liberalism on society and on the professions in general; the challenging of traditional notions of professionalism in medicine; the creation of an internal market within the National Health Service, and the disempowerment of the medical lobby. Sociological influences include: the effects of a 'marketised' society on medicine and subtle shifts in the doctor-patient relationship because of this; the emergence of globalised information through the Internet, and the influence of increased litigation against doctors. Historical influences include: the effects of a change in emphasis for medical education away from an inflated factual curriculum towards a curriculum that recognises the importance of student attitudes and the teaching and learning of clinical communication skills. Policy influences include the important effects of Tomorrow's Doctors and the Dearing Report on the modern medical curriculum. The paper concludes with a developmental map that charts the complex influences on clinical communication teaching and learning and a brief commentary on the growing body of teachers who deliver and develop the subject today.

Disasters and development: Part 2: understanding and exploiting disaster-development linkages.

PubMed

Stephenson, Rob S; DuFrane, Charles

2002-01-01

Disasters can impede the effectiveness of development resource allocation. The damage sustained from an event can be classified into four categories: (1) Loss of resources; (2) Interruption of programs and switching of crucial resources to other, shorter-term needs; (3) Negative impacts upon investment climates; and/or (4) Disruption of the non-formal sector (local businesses). Disasters have a particularly destructive economic impact in areas in which there are few alternatives for assets that are destroyed or in areas in which the resources already are at critical levels. Development processes can both increase and/or decrease the vulnerability of a society to hazards. There are dearly established linkages between poverty, marginalization, over-population, and vulnerability. To a large extent, vulnerability derives from poverty. The poor are more likely to live in vulnerable areas (slopes prone to landslides, flood plains, marginal agricultural land), have difficulty accessing education and information, have fewer assets to invest in resources to reduce vulnerability, and are more prone to become malnourished and have chronic illnesses that predispose them to injury and death. Development may be associated with the production of new hazards accepted by a society because the perceived benefits of the development project far exceed the relative risk associated with the project. Therefore, risk assessments must be part of any program planning and evaluation. Training and education are of critical importance in preventing increased vulnerability as a result of development strategies. Development also can progress in a manner that will result in mitigation of the impacts of an event on a given society (increase absorbing capacity and/or buffering capacity, elimination of hazards or the risk of them producing a disaster). Such mitigation measures can be either structural or nonstructural. There exists a wide range of options for incorporating mitigation measures in development projects. Two case studies provide exercises that incorporate the concepts provided in this discussion: (1) The 1985 earthquake in Mexico City; and (2) Agricultural development in northern Sudan.

Socioeconomic differentials and availability of domestic water in South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dungumaro, Esther W.

The past few decades has seen massive efforts to increasing provision of domestic water. However, water is still unavailable to many people most of them located in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and East Asia. Furthermore, availability of water varies greatly both spatially and temporary. While other people pay so dearly for domestic water others have an easy access to adequate clean water and sanitation. Accessibility and affordability of domestic water and sanitation is determined by a great variety of factors including socioeconomic status of households. The main objective of the paper is to inform on factors which need to be taken into account when coming up with projects to provide domestic water. It is more critical when the issue of water pricing comes into the equation. Water pricing has many facets, including equity, willingness to pay and affordability. In this premise, it is deemed important to understand the socioeconomic characteristics of the people before deciding on the amount of money they will have to pay for water consumption. It is argued that understanding people’s socioeconomic situation will greatly help to ensure that principles of sustainability and equity in water allocation and pricing are achieved. To do so, the paper utilized 2002 South Africa General Household Survey (GHS), to analyze socioeconomic variables and availability of domestic water. Analysis was mainly descriptive. However, logistic regression analysis was also utilized to determine the likelihood of living in a household that obtain water from a safe source. The study found that there is a strong relationship between availability of domestic water and socioeconomic conditions. Economic status, household size and to a lesser extent gender of head of household were found to be strong predictors of living in a household which obtained water from a safe source. The paper recommends that needs and priorities for interventions in water provision should take into account socioeconomic status of households.

The importance of being resilient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mysiak, J.

2012-04-01

Despite many efforts to pin down resilience in terms of measurable indicators and indices, there is little agreement about what is the most appropriate scale, level of (dis)integration, functional relationship and trade-off between the various constituents of resilience. More than anything else, resilience is knowledge. Knowing how to prepare, respond and recover from hazard strikes. More than that, resilience is a capacity to deploy that knowledge. To help oneself to get back on feet after having sustained a blow. To learn how to. Resilience has many forms and manifestations. People convalescing after having lost what was dear to them. Communities recovering from shattering blows. Economies getting back on track after having sustained major shocks and losses. However, resilience has also negative connotation: the persistent overlooking of the threat and perceived powerlessness of individuals, in front of unacquainted community or nonsensical institutions, to make any difference. During the flood emergency situations, the community resilience is determined at individual level by the willpower and readiness of community members to help others in need ('we don't step away') and themselves, and the degree to which they know how to. In this sense, the preparedness comprises capability and experience that can be acquired or trained, and commitment which is transmitted by moral obligation and community membership. In the most cases it is not the professional staff trained for emergency situation which arrives as first at the place of disaster, however well the emergency response is organised. Before the professional rescue teams, the ordinary people intervene, or can do so, with positive or negative outcomes. The articles revisits recent flood events and identify factors and measures that boost community resilience to flood (REF). In Italy, the analysed events included 2000 Soverato, 2006 Vibo Valentia floods, both places situated in Calabria on Ionian and Tyrrhenian cost respectively, and 2000 flood event in Piedmont, in the North. Although different in nature and consequences, all there events have considerably influenced the flood risk governance in Italy. The research activities include analysis of the risk perception and communication; performance of the early warning systems, evaluation of the predictability and return period of the analysed extreme events; and the normative and judicial review of the flood risk institutions at the national and regional scale.

Identification of Carbohydrate-Binding Domains in the Attachment Proteins of Type 1 and Type 3 Reoviruses

PubMed Central

Chappell, James D.; Duong, Joy L.; Wright, Benjamin W.; Dermody, Terence S.

2000-01-01

The reovirus attachment protein, ς1, is responsible for strain-specific patterns of viral tropism in the murine central nervous system and receptor binding on cultured cells. The ς1 protein consists of a fibrous tail domain proximal to the virion surface and a virion-distal globular head domain. To better understand mechanisms of reovirus attachment to cells, we conducted studies to identify the region of ς1 that binds cell surface carbohydrate. Chimeric and truncated ς1 proteins derived from prototype reovirus strains type 1 Lang (T1L) and type 3 Dearing (T3D) were expressed in insect cells by using a baculovirus vector. Assessment of expressed protein susceptibility to proteolytic cleavage, binding to anti-ς1 antibodies, and oligomerization indicates that the chimeric and truncated ς1 proteins are properly folded. To assess carbohydrate binding, recombinant ς1 proteins were tested for the capacity to agglutinate mammalian erythrocytes and to bind sialic acid presented on glycophorin, the cell surface molecule bound by type 3 reovirus on human erythrocytes. Using a panel of two wild-type and ten chimeric and truncated ς1 proteins, the sialic acid-binding domain of type 3 ς1 was mapped to a region of sequence proposed to form the more amino terminal of two predicted β-sheet structures in the tail. This unit corresponds to morphologic region T(iii) observed in computer-processed electron micrographs of ς1 protein purified from virions. In contrast, the homologous region of T1L ς1 sequence was not implicated in carbohydrate binding; rather, sequences in the distal portion of the tail known as the neck were required. Results of these studies demonstrate that a functional receptor-binding domain, which uses sialic acid as its ligand, is contained within morphologic region T(iii) of the type 3 ς1 tail. Furthermore, our findings indicate that T1L and T3D ς1 proteins contain different arrangements of receptor-binding domains. PMID:10954547

Identification of carbohydrate-binding domains in the attachment proteins of type 1 and type 3 reoviruses.

PubMed

Chappell, J D; Duong, J L; Wright, B W; Dermody, T S

2000-09-01

The reovirus attachment protein, sigma1, is responsible for strain-specific patterns of viral tropism in the murine central nervous system and receptor binding on cultured cells. The sigma1 protein consists of a fibrous tail domain proximal to the virion surface and a virion-distal globular head domain. To better understand mechanisms of reovirus attachment to cells, we conducted studies to identify the region of sigma1 that binds cell surface carbohydrate. Chimeric and truncated sigma1 proteins derived from prototype reovirus strains type 1 Lang (T1L) and type 3 Dearing (T3D) were expressed in insect cells by using a baculovirus vector. Assessment of expressed protein susceptibility to proteolytic cleavage, binding to anti-sigma1 antibodies, and oligomerization indicates that the chimeric and truncated sigma1 proteins are properly folded. To assess carbohydrate binding, recombinant sigma1 proteins were tested for the capacity to agglutinate mammalian erythrocytes and to bind sialic acid presented on glycophorin, the cell surface molecule bound by type 3 reovirus on human erythrocytes. Using a panel of two wild-type and ten chimeric and truncated sigma1 proteins, the sialic acid-binding domain of type 3 sigma1 was mapped to a region of sequence proposed to form the more amino terminal of two predicted beta-sheet structures in the tail. This unit corresponds to morphologic region T(iii) observed in computer-processed electron micrographs of sigma1 protein purified from virions. In contrast, the homologous region of T1L sigma1 sequence was not implicated in carbohydrate binding; rather, sequences in the distal portion of the tail known as the neck were required. Results of these studies demonstrate that a functional receptor-binding domain, which uses sialic acid as its ligand, is contained within morphologic region T(iii) of the type 3 sigma1 tail. Furthermore, our findings indicate that T1L and T3D sigma1 proteins contain different arrangements of receptor-binding domains.

Outcomes from massive paracetamol overdose: a retrospective observational study

PubMed Central

Marks, Daniel J. B.; Dargan, Paul I.; Archer, John R. H.; Davies, Charlotte L.; Dines, Alison M.; Wood, David M.

2017-01-01

LINKED ARTICLE This article is commented on by Bateman DN and Dear JW. Should we treat very large paracetamol overdose differently? Br J Clin Pharmacol 2017; 83: 1163–5. https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.13279 Aims Treatment of paracetamol (acetaminophen) overdose with acetylcysteine is standardized, with dose determined only by patient weight. The validity of this approach for massive overdoses has been questioned. We systematically compared outcomes in massive and non‐massive overdoses, to guide whether alternative treatment strategies should be considered, and whether the ratio between measured timed paracetamol concentrations (APAPpl) and treatment nomogram thresholds at those time points (APAPt) provides a useful assessment tool. Methods This is a retrospective observational study of all patients (n = 545) between 2005 and 2013 admitted to a tertiary care toxicology service with acute non‐staggered paracetamol overdose. Massive overdoses were defined as extrapolated 4‐h plasma paracetamol concentrations >250 mg l−1, or reported ingestions ≥30 g. Outcomes (liver injury, coagulopathy and kidney injury) were assessed in relation to reported dose and APAPpl:APAPt ratio (based on a treatment line through 100 mg l−1 at 4 h), and time to acetylcysteine. Results Ingestions of ≥30 g paracetamol correlated with higher peak serum aminotransferase (r = 0.212, P < 0.0001) and creatinine (r = 0.138, P = 0.002) concentrations. Acute liver injury, hepatotoxicity and coagulopathy were more frequent with APAPpl:APAPt ≥ 3 with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of 9.19 (5.04–16.68), 35.95 (8.80–158.1) and 8.34 (4.43–15.84), respectively (P < 0.0001). Heightened risk persisted in patients receiving acetylcysteine within 8 h of overdose. Conclusion Patients presenting following massive paracetamol overdose are at higher risk of organ injury, even when acetylcysteine is administered early. Enhanced therapeutic strategies should be considered in those who have an APAPpl:APAPt ≥ 3. Novel biomarkers of incipient liver injury and abbreviated acetylcysteine regimens require validation in this patient cohort. PMID:28002875

Outcomes from massive paracetamol overdose: a retrospective observational study.

PubMed

Marks, Daniel J B; Dargan, Paul I; Archer, John R H; Davies, Charlotte L; Dines, Alison M; Wood, David M; Greene, Shaun L

2017-06-01

This article is commented on by Bateman DN and Dear JW. Should we treat very large paracetamol overdose differently? Br J Clin Pharmacol 2017; 83: 1163-5. https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.13279 AIMS: Treatment of paracetamol (acetaminophen) overdose with acetylcysteine is standardized, with dose determined only by patient weight. The validity of this approach for massive overdoses has been questioned. We systematically compared outcomes in massive and non-massive overdoses, to guide whether alternative treatment strategies should be considered, and whether the ratio between measured timed paracetamol concentrations (APAP pl ) and treatment nomogram thresholds at those time points (APAP t ) provides a useful assessment tool. This is a retrospective observational study of all patients (n = 545) between 2005 and 2013 admitted to a tertiary care toxicology service with acute non-staggered paracetamol overdose. Massive overdoses were defined as extrapolated 4-h plasma paracetamol concentrations >250 mg l -1 , or reported ingestions ≥30 g. Outcomes (liver injury, coagulopathy and kidney injury) were assessed in relation to reported dose and APAP pl :APAP t ratio (based on a treatment line through 100 mg l -1 at 4 h), and time to acetylcysteine. Ingestions of ≥30 g paracetamol correlated with higher peak serum aminotransferase (r = 0.212, P < 0.0001) and creatinine (r = 0.138, P = 0.002) concentrations. Acute liver injury, hepatotoxicity and coagulopathy were more frequent with APAP pl :APAP t  ≥ 3 with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of 9.19 (5.04-16.68), 35.95 (8.80-158.1) and 8.34 (4.43-15.84), respectively (P < 0.0001). Heightened risk persisted in patients receiving acetylcysteine within 8 h of overdose. Patients presenting following massive paracetamol overdose are at higher risk of organ injury, even when acetylcysteine is administered early. Enhanced therapeutic strategies should be considered in those who have an APAP pl :APAP t  ≥ 3. Novel biomarkers of incipient liver injury and abbreviated acetylcysteine regimens require validation in this patient cohort. © 2016 The British Pharmacological Society.

Junctional Adhesion Molecule A Serves as a Receptor for Prototype and Field-Isolate Strains of Mammalian Reovirus

PubMed Central

Campbell, Jacquelyn A.; Schelling, Pierre; Wetzel, J. Denise; Johnson, Elizabeth M.; Forrest, J. Craig; Wilson, Greame A. R.; Aurrand-Lions, Michel; Imhof, Beat A.; Stehle, Thilo; Dermody, Terence S.

2005-01-01

Reovirus infections are initiated by the binding of viral attachment protein σ1 to receptors on the surface of host cells. The σ1 protein is an elongated fiber comprised of an N-terminal tail that inserts into the virion and a C-terminal head that extends from the virion surface. The prototype reovirus strains type 1 Lang/53 (T1L/53) and type 3 Dearing/55 (T3D/55) use junctional adhesion molecule A (JAM-A) as a receptor. The C-terminal half of the T3D/55 σ1 protein interacts directly with JAM-A, but the determinants of receptor-binding specificity have not been identified. In this study, we investigated whether JAM-A also mediates the attachment of the prototype reovirus strain type 2 Jones/55 (T2J/55) and a panel of field-isolate strains representing each of the three serotypes. Antibodies specific for JAM-A were capable of inhibiting infections of HeLa cells by T1L/53, T2J/55, and T3D/55, demonstrating that strains of all three serotypes use JAM-A as a receptor. To corroborate these findings, we introduced JAM-A or the structurally related JAM family members JAM-B and JAM-C into Chinese hamster ovary cells, which are poorly permissive for reovirus infection. Both prototype and field-isolate reovirus strains were capable of infecting cells transfected with JAM-A but not those transfected with JAM-B or JAM-C. A sequence analysis of the σ1-encoding S1 gene segment of the strains chosen for study revealed little conservation in the deduced σ1 amino acid sequences among the three serotypes. This contrasts markedly with the observed sequence variability within each serotype, which is confined to a small number of amino acids. Mapping of these residues onto the crystal structure of σ1 identified regions of conservation and variability, suggesting a likely mode of JAM-A binding via a conserved surface at the base of the σ1 head domain. PMID:15956543

EDITORIAL: You can not be Sirius!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobson Honorary Editor, Ken

1996-07-01

Footnote. Is this how you, dear reader, present physics to your students? Or should you spend more time watching comedians on TV? Maybe INSET funds could be provided for courses run by experts in the field. Or do you start a topic with the definitions? Or do your students start an investigation by writing down the only possible prediction, based on carefully taught prior knowledge as required by the national education system, so that the outcome is only a surprise as a result of Cooperian ham-fistedness? Certainly it is rare for scientific papers to deviate from the conclusion-first-argument-later mode, and examination questions tend to be even more traditional. Most still have the structure definition, experiment to prove...or measure..., well-rehearsed computation. But examinations aren't supposed to be funny. Now here's a thought. Suppose we got them all into the examination hall and told a joke, whose punch line only made sense if they knew the physics? Only those who laughed would be credited with the mark. Cheaters would of course be detected by occasionally inserting jokes that were only funny if the physics was wrong. There is doubtless a ready supply of constructivist theorists of learning who could supply the material. The whole thing could be done using television, with the funniest available physicist as presenter. The vast sums of money now expended on GCSE could be saved and used to buy textbooks or even pay teachers more. ...untiedEx Latin dis - nodare (via old French), 'nodare' meaning 'to tie a knot'.

Improving the effect of FDA-mandated drug safety alerts with Internet-based continuing medical education.

PubMed

Kraus, Carl N; Baldwin, Alan T; McAllister, R G

2013-02-01

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires risk communication as an element of Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) to alert and educate healthcare providers about severe toxicities associated with approved drugs. The educational effectiveness of this approach has not been evaluated. To support the communication plan element of the ipilimumab REMS, a Medscape Safe Use Alert (SUA) letter was distributed by Medscape via email and mobile device distribution to clinicians specified in the REMS. This alert contained the FDA-approved Dear Healthcare Provider (DHCP) letter mandated for distribution. A continuing medical education (CME) activity describing ipilimumab toxicities and the appropriate management was simultaneously posted on the website and distributed to Medscape members. Data were collected over a 6-month period regarding the handling of the letter and the responses to pre- and post-test questions for those who participated in the CME activity. Analysis of the answers to the pre- and posttest questions showed that participation in the CME activity resulted in an improvement in correct answer responses of 47%. Our experience shows that there are likely distinct information sources that are utilized by different HCP groups. The ready availability of a brief CME activity was utilized by 24,063 individuals, the majority of whom showed enhanced understanding of ipilimumab toxicity by improvement in post-test scores, educational data that are not available via implementation of standard safety alert communications. These results demonstrate that improvement in understanding of specific drug toxicities is enhanced by a CME intervention.

Risk Communication and the Pharmaceutical Industry: what is the reality?

PubMed

Edwards, Brian; Chakraborty, Sweta

2012-11-01

Risk communication is central to the risk management strategy of a pharmaceutical company. Pharmaceutical companies primarily communicate risk through labelling tools such as the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC), package insert, patient information leaflet (PIL) and the carton, which are currently regulated based on templates such as those of the EU. Recent research raises concern about how effective the SmPC is alone in communicating risk. There is some evidence that carton design can influence risk comprehension. Processes to check new trade names cannot be confused with existing names is a simple measure to mitigate one form of risk. Given the central role and the vast amount of resource that is consumed, it is surprising there has not been extensive original research to see whether product information such as the SmPC is a good tool for communicating risk. Recently, EU agencies have assessed the communication value of the PIL and revised the template and guidelines. However, no evaluation of user testing has been conducted at European level since the introduction of these new requirements. As regards 'Dear Healthcare Professional Communications', there is inconsistent evidence about their ability to change patient and physician behaviour. There is a dearth of evidence about what sort of communications materials are the most effective under which circumstances. The use of templates restricts the flexibility of companies to adapt their risk messages to their targets. Effective communication requires understanding how different audiences perceive the message and what the fundamental drivers are for altering patient and prescriber behaviour to be safer. This requires careful consideration of the relationship between risk communication, perception and management. However, the focus of a company's risk communication plan is normally on the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) regions and their regulations. Although the same regulatory tools are used globally, we are not aware of any research into their effectiveness outside the ICH regions. What listed companies can communicate about benefits and risks is strongly influenced by the obligations of companies to the market and investors. There needs to be internal coordination for simultaneous release. Internal communications about significant issues should be restricted to those who know how to manage the risk of insider dealing from internal communications that may later be made public. Unfortunately, there is evidence that some companies do not have a cohesive strategy for communicating risk which should take into account all forms of promotional material and company-sponsored information sources on the Internet. A pharmaceutical company is not the only stakeholder responsible for communicating risks on their products. However, the relative roles and responsibilities of all relevant stakeholders are not defined and are often unclear. This means it is difficult to evaluate whether a company's actions might be duplicative or inefficient. We recommend that companies have a dedicated communications group whose role is to coordinate the company's communications strategy mapped to objectives that have been agreed with key stakeholders apart from just regulatory agencies. This same group can assess effectiveness of the communications, monitor audience reaction and adjust the communication strategy accordingly.

Clinical Trials: A Congressional Focus of Need.

PubMed

Coltman

1997-01-01

Senator Specter, Honorable Members of the Committee, it is my high privilege to speak on behalf of a subject near and dear to my heart. I have been involved in the care of patients with cancer and in cancer clinical trials for the past 34 years. I chair the Southwest Oncology Group, the largest National Cancer Institute-supported cancer clinical research organization. In 1996, this Group enrolled 6,359 patients to therapeutic cancer clinical trials from all 50 states (Fig. 1), and completed the randomization of 18,867 normal, healthy men into the intergroup Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial. Cancer clinical trials are always designed to improve the outcomes of cancer patients. However, only 2%-3% of all eligible cancer patients in this country are treated on these cutting-edge trials. It is clear that this number must increase dramatically in order for us to be able to translate the monumental advances emanating from the basic cancer research laboratories into effective diagnosis, prevention and treatment strategies for patients with and at high risk for cancer. This low accrual is related to multiple factors: First, managed care has had a negative impact related to its refusal to reimburse for the clinical care aspects of patients on cancer clinical trials. During my presentation to the President's Cancer Panel in San Antonio in September, I shared three thoughts as to what the Panel should be asking as they pursue the question of "Managed Care's Role in the War on Cancer": &bul; "Should managed care bear a portion of the costs of clinical research as a form of R & D?" &bul; "What State or Federal legislation is needed to assure that managed care patients have access to cancer clinical research?" &bul; "Will there be any future for cancer clinical research when the managed care tidal wave finally reaches Chicago and New York?" The NCI-Department of Defense and the NCI-Department of Veterans Affairs Interagency Agreements are superb models of what needs to be done for the rest of managed care. Secondly, the Southwest Oncology Group is outstripping its financial support at its current rate of accrual. Even if the managed care problem was resolved, there must be more money to support clinical research to translate this plethora of science to patients with cancer. I am also Director of the San Antonio Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. A recent astonishingly productive Breast Cancer Program Project Grant received a priority score one point below the pay line. While this grant will undoubtedly be funded by exception, it is representative of a nationwide problem of insufficient funds to support truly outstanding research. The following quote is from another Cancer Center Director, who is also a Cooperative Group Chair: "We never know where the next breakthrough will come from. Every time we discover a new gene, we also have a new marker for early diagnosis, a new predictor of response to therapy, a new target for chemoprevention, as well as for cancer treatment. Every discovery in a Cancer Center provides fuel for the Cooperative Group program, and requires affirmation in large clinical trials. Thus, the universe of cancer research is a continuum, (where) improved funding for any of it, impacts all of it, and improved funding for all of it will hasten the pace of discovery throughout." (Richard L. Schilsky, M.D.) Finally, I would like to paraphrase a futurist that I recently heard: &bul; "The present is obsolete." &bul; "The future has already been discovered" in the laboratories of molecular biologists throughout this country! We must search among those discoveries for the keys to cancer cures. &bul; "We are confronted with insurmountable opportunities!" &bul; "These new tools will change the rules of the game!" &bul; "We should not manage change, we should love change and make change our best friend," as all those involved in cancer research and the Congress must do every day. (Don Burrus) Thank you for your attention.

EDITORIAL: Dearing strikes again!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobson Honorary Editor, Ken

1996-05-01

Extra-territorial readers of this journal must surely hover between amazement and boredom at the periodic references to the time and energy spent in England in reviewing, changing, re-reviewing and re-changing its educational programmes from ages 5-18. (Scotland has its own educational system and seems to be doing quite well, thank you.) Recently, Sir Ron Dearing, the Government's educational trouble-shooter, who in a few short months managed to sort out the 5-16 curriculum to the satisfaction (more or less) of both Establishment and politicians, was given the task of redefining the principles underlying the education of 16-19 year-olds. In March 1996 he produced a report that has been greeted, initially at least, with the universal approval of the press and politicians of all parties. The main and century-old problem with the English educational system is the deep divide between academic (pre-university) and vocational education. This may reflect the broad division between `gentlemen' and players (artisans) that seems to be a feature of English society, and which may be too wide for a mere education system to bridge. A second problem has been the perceived narrowness, due to overspecialization into just three subjects, of pre-university courses, which has tended to produce yet another divide - between arts graduates (interesting, lively, well-read, cultured) and science graduates (boring, uncouth, illiterate). However, the rather boringly titled Review of Qualifications for 16-19 Year Olds, Summary ReportFootnote is at least clear in its intentions of bridging both gaps. It reviews the continuing decline in the popularity of mathematics and science subjects as pre-university (A-level) courses, and records that the parallel vocational courses (GNVQ) in science do not yet match their status and their acceptance by employers, and people in general. It accepts the failure of Advanced Supplementary courses to provide a broadening of the 16-19 curriculum. It makes many recommendations which will need very careful and intelligent management if they are to be both workable and beneficial; unfortunately recent history tells us that the Government's agencies responsible for educational management are insensitive to the advice of practitioners and work to hidden political agendas based on prejudgement if not downright prejudice. The Report's recommendations certainly provide a challenge for post-16 physics, especially for A-level. It is to be hoped that the new structures and initiatives of the Institute of Physics will be able to play a full part in ensuring that changes are beneficial and workable. Firstly, Sir Ron wants A-levels to provide opportunities and contexts for the development of some general skills, identified as communication (both written and oral), numeracy and in information technology, with a less clear reference to an ability to work as part of a team. Challenge 1: find good contexts in physics for these - and a valid assessment system. Secondly, the curriculum should be broadened by a kind of two-phase approach to post-16 studies. Potential A-level students would spend a year studying as many as six Advanced Subsidiary level subjects, chosen from four main areas: science, maths and technology; modern languages; arts and humanities; `the way the community works' (business, economics, law, psychology etc). Each new-style AS would be the first half of an A-level course. The second phase would allow specialization into, say, three A-levels as at present, or to a combination of A and AS courses. Challenge 2: design a half course that makes sense, and is as useful to potential lawyers as to potential physicists. Thirdly, there should be an increase in the size of the A-level subject cores. Challenge 3: design such an extended core that is less boringly old-fashioned than the current one (not too difficult, that) and is capable of useful fission (see Challenge 2). This is a good opportunity to consider the nature of a `core' in physics for such a wide variety of intended learners. A sheer increase in content would be a primitive and profoundly unsmart response. A fourth recommendation is that the number of physics syllabuses should be reduced. Challenge 4: design criteria for the selection of syllabuses thought worthy to survive. There are in fact quite a few other interesting recommendations, in particular dealing with mathematics and mathematics for physics, and a whole set of recommendations for a new national award system, recognizing achievement at all levels from sub-GCSE to A-level/GNVQ/NVQ Level 3. It's all very interesting and might indeed be very good. But can the bureaucrats manage it? ...Report ISBN 1 85838 1029, SCAA Publications, PO Box 235, Hayes, Middlesex UB3 1HF.

Obituary: Jason G. Porter, 1954-2005

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hathaway, David H.

2005-12-01

Jason Porter, a solar astronomer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), died on 23 July 2005 from complications associated with his 18-year battle with a form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was born on 28 June 1954. Jason was Texas born and bred. He received his Bachelor's degree from Texas A&M in 1976 and then went to the University of Colorado for his graduate work. He received his PhD from the Department of Astrophysical, Planetary, and Atmospheric Sciences in 1984. His thesis, "Ultraviolet Spectral Diagnostics of Solar Flares and Heating Events," was written under the guidance of Katharine Gebbie and Juri Toomre. The ideas behind his thesis and much of his later work were formulated while he was a Graduate Research Assistant at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) working on analysis of data from the Ultraviolet Spectrometer and Polarimeter, a major instrument on the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM). While at Goddard, he met his wife-to-be, Linda Zimmerman, who was working as a computer system administrator at the SMM Operations Center. They married and moved to Huntsville, Alabama in 1984 where Jason had an appointment as an NAS/NRC Resident Research Associate in the Solar Physics Branch of MSFC and Linda was a system administrator for the Space Science Laboratory. After a short stint at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Jason joined NASA as a Senior Scientist in the Space Science Laboratory in 1987, a position he still held at the time of his death. Jason's early work brought forth the idea that "microflares" make a significant contribution to the heating of the solar corona, an idea which he continued to champion throughout his career. He also searched for coronal emission from white dwarf stars using the ROSAT and Chandra Space Observatories, and served as the NASA Project Scientist for a lunar based ultraviolet telescope. More recently he was leading a team of engineers and scientists, from MSFC, GSFC, and the National Solar Observatory on the development of a solar ultraviolet magnetograph instrument (SUMI) capable of measuring vector magnetic fields in the upper chromosphere and transition region where the magnetic reconnection that powers solar flares and CMEs is believed to occur. He continued to provide inspiring leadership to the development of SUMI up until the last month of his life. Jason was admired by his colleagues on both a professional and personal level. He also had a rich life outside of his professional work. He loved the outdoors - hiking, camping, and fishing in particular. He loved music. Bluegrass was one of his favorites. He played the steel guitar, the Dobro, and the trombone, and spent many evenings playing in a local bluegrass band. He also loved finely crafted lagers and ales and would occasionally bring some strange brew to liven up an evening of poker. Jason and Linda have two sons, Graham (13) and Allen (11). All who knew him well will miss him dearly.

Pulsed laser vaporization synthesis of boron loaded few layered graphene (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tennyson, Wesley D.; Tian, Mengkun; More, Karren L.; Geohegan, David B.; Puretzky, Alexander A.; Papandrew, Alexander B.; Rouleau, Christopher M.; Yoon, Mina

2017-02-01

The bulk production of loose graphene flakes and its doped variants are important for energy applications including batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors as well as optoelectronic and thermal applications. While laser-based methods have been reported for large-scale synthesis of single-wall carbon nanohorns (SWNHs), similar large-scale production of graphene has not been reported. Here we explored the synthesis of doped few layered graphene by pulsed laser vaporization (PLV) with the goal of producing an oxidation resistant electrode support for solid acid fuel cells. PLV of graphite with various amounts of boron was carried out in mixtures in either Ar or Ar/H2 at 0.1 MPa at elevated temperatures under conditions typically used for synthesis of SWNHs. Both the addition of hydrogen to the background argon, or the addition of boron to the carbon target, was found to shift the formation of carbon nanohorns to two-dimensional flakes of a new form of few-layer graphene material, with sizes up to microns in dimension as confirmed by XRD and TEM. However, the materials made with boron exhibited superior resistance to carbon corrosion in the solid acid fuel cell and thermal oxidation resistance in air compared to similar product made without boron. Mechanisms for the synthesis and oxidation resistance of these materials will be discussed based upon detailed characterization and modeling. •Synthesis science was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Materials Sciences and Engineering Division. Material processing and characterization science supported by ARPA-E under Cooperative Agreement Number DE-AR0000499 and as a user project at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility.

Report on audit of Department of Energy`s contractor salary increase fund

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

NONE

1997-04-04

The Department of Energy (Department) uses contractors to operate its facilities and compensates contractor employees based on their skills, complexity of jobs, and work performance. Thirty-one of the Department`s major contractors reported a total payroll of $4.3 billion and $4.4 billion during 1994 and 1995, respectively. The 31 contractors also reported awarding salary increases of $18 million for 1994 and $200 million for 1995. The purpose of the audit was to review the process used to determine and approve the amount of salary increases for contractor employees. The specific audit objective was to determine whether salary increases received by contractormore » employees were in accordance with Departmental policies and procedures. The Department of Energy Acquisition Regulation (DEAR) requires that contractor salary actions be within specific limitations, supportable, and approved prior to incurrence of costs. In addition, the Secretary of Energy imposed a 1 year salary freeze on the merit portion of management and operating contractor employee salaries for each contractor`s Fiscal Year 1994 compensation year. However, a fund for promotions and adjustments was approved but limited to 0.5 percent of payroll for the year. A review of eight major contractors showed that six complied with the Department`s policies on salary increases. The other two gave salary increases that were not always in accordance with Departmental policies. This resulted in both contractors not fully complying with the pay freeze in 1994 and exceeding their salary increase fund budgets in 1995. If these two contractors had implemented Department and contract requirements and contracting officers had properly performed their contract administrative responsibilities concerning salary increase funds, both contractors would have frozen salary increases and would not have exceeded their annual budgets.« less

LiNbO3 Cylinder Fiber

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

We have successfully fabricate optical fiber with a thin layer of LiNbO3 at the boundary of the glass core and dear glass cladding. The construction of this fiber is based on our successful Semiconductor Cylinder Fibers (SCF). A schematic representation of a LiNbO3 Cylinder Fiber is shown. These fibers can be used as light modulators, sonar detectors and in other applications. The core diameter of the fiber is sufficiently small compared to the light wavelength and the indices of refraction of the core and cladding glasses are sufficiently close in value so that there is sufficient light at the core cladding boundary to interact with the LiNbO3 layer. This fiber functions best when just a single light mode propagates through the fiber. The idea for a LiNbO3 Cylinder Fiber came from Dr. Tracee Jamison of NASA. The optical properties of LiNbO3 can be changed with strain or the application of an electric field. Thus these fibers can be used as acoustic sensors as for example in a sonar. They can also be used as electric field operated light modulators. However, for this application the fibers would be made with a cross section in the form of a 'D'. The core with its surrounding LiNbO, layer would be close to the flat portion of the 'D' shaped fiber. Two metal contacts would be deposited on the flat portion of the fiber on either side of the core. A voltage applied across these contacts will result in an electric field in the core region that can be used for modulating the optical properties of the LiNbO, layer. To our knowledge this is the first ever LiNbO, Cylinder Fiber made.

Linking runoff response to burn severity after a wildfire

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moody, J.A.; Martin, D.A.; Haire, S.L.; Kinner, D.A.

2008-01-01

Extreme floods often follow wildfire in mountainous watersheds. However, a quantitative relation between the runoff response and burn severity at the watershed scale has not been established. Runoff response was measured as the runoff coefficient C, which is equal to the peak discharge per unit drainage area divided by the average maximum 30 min rainfall intensity during each rain storm. The magnitude of the bum severity was expressed as the change in the normalized burn ratio. A new burn severity variable, hydraulic functional connectivity ?? was developed and incorporates both the magnitude of the burn severity and the spatial sequence of the bum severity along hillslope flow paths. The runoff response and the burn severity were measured in seven subwatersheds (0.24 to 0.85 km2) in the upper part of Rendija Canyon burned by the 2000 Cerro Grande Fire Dear Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA. A rainfall-discharge relation was determined for four of the subwatersheds with nearly the same bum severity. The peak discharge per unit drainage area Qupeak was a linear function of the maximum 30 min rainfall intensity I30. This function predicted a rainfall intensity threshold of 8.5 mm h-1 below which no runoff was generated. The runoff coefficient C = Qupeak/I30 was a linear function of the mean hydraulic functional connectivity of the subwatersheds. Moreover, the variability of the mean hydraulic functional connectivity was related to the variability of the mean runoff coefficient, and this relation provides physical insight into why the runoff response from the same subwatershed can vary for different rainstorms with the same rainfall intensity. Published in 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The five messages leaders must manage.

PubMed

Hamm, John

2006-05-01

If you want to know why so many organizations sink into chaos, look no further than their leaders' mouths. Over and over, leaders present grand, overarching-yet fuzzy-notions of where they think the company is going. They assume everyone shares their definitions of"vision;" "accountability," and "results". The result is often sloppy behavior and misalignment that can cost a company dearly. Effective communication is a leader's most critical tool for doing the essential job of leadership: inspiring the organization to take responsibility for creating a better future. Five topics wield extraordinary influence within a company: organizational structure and hierarchy, financial results, the leader's sense of his or her job, time management, and corporate culture. Properly defined, disseminated, and controlled, these topics give the leader opportunities for increased accountability and substantially better performance. For example, one CEO always keeps communications about hierarchy admirably brief and to the point. When he realized he needed to realign internal resources, he told the staff: "I'm changing the structure of resources so that we can execute more effectively." After unveiling a new organization chart, he said, "It's 10:45. You have until noon to be annoyed, should that be your reaction. At noon, pizza will be served. At one o'clock, we go to work in our new positions." The most effective leaders ask themselves, "What needs to happen today to get where we want to go? What vague belief or notion can I clarify or debunk?" A CEO who communicates precisely to ten direct reports, each of whom communicates with equal precision to 40 other employees, aligns the organization's commitment and energy with a well-understood vision of the firm's real goals and opportunities.

Southwestern Power Administration Annual Report 2008

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

None

2010-12-01

Dear Secretary Chu, I am pleased to present the financial statements and operating data for Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. In FY 2008, Southwestern delivered over 7.3 billion kilowatt-hours of energy to its wholesale customers – nearly 31% more than average due to numerous record rainfall amounts in the southwest region. These record amounts produced revenues which exceeded the average annual revenue requirement by nearly $20 million and resulted in over $200 million in economic benefits to the region. Yet even as Southwestern exceeded its goals of marketing and delivering Federal hydroelectric power to our customers,more » we stayed focused on safety, security, and reliability. For example, we maintained our nearly 1,400 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, substations, and communications sites while achieving a Recordable Accident Frequency Rate of 0.0, a record that reflects Southwestern’s safety achievement of no recordable injuries for every 200,000 hours worked. We kept our rights-of-way secure from vegetation and other obstacles, work that not only supports our mission but also promotes reliability of the regional and National grid. We exceeded all North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Control Performance Standards (CPS- 1 and CPS-2), and maintained regulation and reserve obligations and reactive reserve margins to ensure the reliability of the bulk electric system, even during extended periods of restricted hydro operations due to unusually high project inflows. Finally, we continued our partnerships with the Department of Energy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, our customers, and other Federal power stakeholders, partnerships that are vital to our continued success in marketing and delivering carbon-free, renewable, and domestically produced energy to our customers and to the Nation. Sincerely, Jon Worthington Administrator« less

Renewables cannot be stored economically on a well-run power system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swift-Hook, Donald

2017-11-01

Economic storage on a power system must rely on arbitrage, buying electrical power when it is cheap and selling when it is dear. In practice, this means a store must buy power at night and sell it during the day. There is no solar power at night [by definition], so solar power cannot be stored economically on a well-run power system. Also renewables [and nuclear] are installed commercially to save fuel but fuel costs the same at night as it does during the day, so there is no arbitrage on fuel-saving to justify storage. Pumped water storage has always been widely used on power systems and is still the only method that is economic today, although many others have been tried, including fuels cells, compressed air and batteries. Devices for power correction and balancing [e.g. capacitor banks and batteries] may physically involve the storage of energy [just as a mobile phone does] but it is misleading to describe them as methods of power system storage, [just as it would be misleading to call a School bus a fuel transportation system, even though it does transport fuel]. When a power system has different sorts of plant generating - coal, gas, nuclear, wind etc - any power being put into storage is from the plant that would need to be switched off [because less power was needed] if storage ceased [e.g. because the store became full or failed]. On a well-run power system, that always has the highest fuel/running cost, but the wind blows free and has zero fuel/running cost, so wind is never [normally] stored unless there is no other plant on line i.e. wind power is the last to be stored.

The TRANSPLANTA collection of Arabidopsis lines: a resource for functional analysis of transcription factors based on their conditional overexpression.

PubMed

Coego, Alberto; Brizuela, Esther; Castillejo, Pablo; Ruíz, Sandra; Koncz, Csaba; del Pozo, Juan C; Piñeiro, Manuel; Jarillo, José A; Paz-Ares, Javier; León, José

2014-03-01

Transcription factors (TFs) are key regulators of gene expression in all organisms. In eukaryotes, TFs are often represented by functionally redundant members of large gene families. Overexpression might prove a means to unveil the biological functions of redundant TFs; however, constitutive overexpression of TFs frequently causes severe developmental defects, preventing their functional characterization. Conditional overexpression strategies help to overcome this problem. Here, we report on the TRANSPLANTA collection of Arabidopsis lines, each expressing one of 949 TFs under the control of a β-estradiol-inducible promoter. Thus far, 1636 independent homozygous lines, representing an average of 2.6 lines for every TF, have been produced for the inducible expression of 634 TFs. Along with a GUS-GFP reporter, randomly selected TRANSPLANTA lines were tested and confirmed for conditional transgene expression upon β-estradiol treatment. As a proof of concept for the exploitation of this resource, β-estradiol-induced proliferation of root hairs, dark-induced senescence, anthocyanin accumulation and dwarfism were observed in lines conditionally expressing full-length cDNAs encoding RHD6, WRKY22, MYB123/TT2 and MYB26, respectively, in agreement with previously reported phenotypes conferred by these TFs. Further screening performed with other TRANSPLANTA lines allowed the identification of TFs involved in different plant biological processes, illustrating that the collection is a powerful resource for the functional characterization of TFs. For instance, ANAC058 and a TINY/AP2 TF were identified as modulators of ABA-mediated germination potential, and RAP2.10/DEAR4 was identified as a regulator of cell death in the hypocotyl-root transition zone. Seeds of TRANSPLANTA lines have been deposited at the Nottingham Arabidopsis Stock Centre for further distribution. © 2014 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[From the editor].

PubMed

Dudek, Dominika; Sobański, Jerzy A; Klasa, Katarzyna

2015-01-01

Dear Readers We are happy and proud to announce that we managed to achieve intention announced in the last issue: for the first time in PubMed there is a possibility of direct and free access to the full texts published in Polish Psychiatry (Polish and English language versions are available)!!! For the issue 6/2014 they have been downloaded by Medline users already 500 times. Owing to this, papers by Polish scientists-psychiatrists are more readily available to colleagues from around the world interested in them, and Polish Psychiatry actually becomes journal of international scope. We hope that it will result in a marked improvement in the bibliometric indicators (which, however, is unrealistic to expect in the current or next year) in the following years. Spring issue of Polish Psychiatry touches several important problems. We pay attention to the texts on addiction - behavioural (Internet addiction) and alcohol. Two papers by prof. M. Wojnar's team summarize the issues related to the coexistence of alcohol dependence with other psychiatric disorders. The issue of dual diagnosis has already appeared in our magazine (for example [1]). This is an extremely difficult problem, and patients are a real challenge, both therapeutic and diagnostic. They often require a comprehensive approach: pharmacotherapy of comorbid mental illness, psychoeducation, addiction treatment programmes. For these patients the maintenance of abstinence is particularly difficult, especially in a situation of exacerbation of psychopathological symptoms. An important direction is searching for additional pharmacotherapeutic methods which help to reduce the degree of alcohol abuse and the resulting damage. These include: acamprosate, drugs which are opioid receptor antagonists [2], and in the current issue the authors from the University of Cagliari focused on baclofen. (...).

A rapid, automated approach for quantitation of rotavirus and reovirus infectivity.

PubMed

Iskarpatyoti, Jason A; Willis, Janet Z; Guan, John; Morse, E Ashley; Ikizler, Miné; Wetzel, J Denise; Dermody, Terence S; Contractor, Nikhat

2012-09-01

Current microscopy-based approaches for immunofluorescence detection of viral infectivity are time consuming and labor intensive and can yield variable results subject to observer bias. To circumvent these problems, we developed a rapid and automated infrared immunofluorescence imager-based infectivity assay for both rotavirus and reovirus that can be used to quantify viral infectivity and infectivity inhibition. For rotavirus, monolayers of MA104 cells were infected with simian strain SA-11 or SA-11 preincubated with rotavirus-specific human IgA. For reovirus, monolayers of either HeLa S3 cells or L929 cells were infected with strains type 1 Lang (T1L), type 3 Dearing (T3D), or either virus preincubated with a serotype-specific neutralizing monoclonal antibody (mAb). Infected cells were fixed and incubated with virus-specific polyclonal antiserum, followed by an infrared fluorescence-conjugated secondary antibody. Well-to-well variation in cell number was normalized using fluorescent reagents that stain fixed cells. Virus-infected cells were detected by scanning plates using an infrared imager, and results were obtained as a percent response of fluorescence intensity relative to a virus-specific standard. An expected dose-dependent inhibition of both SA-11 infectivity with rotavirus-specific human IgA and reovirus infectivity with T1L-specific mAb 5C6 and T3D-specific mAb 9BG5 was observed, confirming the utility of this assay for quantification of viral infectivity and infectivity blockade. The imager-based viral infectivity assay fully automates data collection and provides an important advance in technology for applications such as screening for novel modulators of viral infectivity. This basic platform can be adapted for use with multiple viruses and cell types. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Southeastern Power Administration 2007 Annual Report

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

None

2007-12-28

Dear Secretary Chu: I am proud to submit Southeastern Power Administration’s (Southeastern’s) fiscal year (FY) 2007 Annual Report for your review. The information included in this report reflects Southeastern’s programs, accomplishments, and financial activities for the 12-month period beginning October 1, 2006 and ending September 30, 2007. Southeastern marketed more than 5 billion kilowatt-hours of energy to 492 wholesale Federal power customers in an 11-state marketing area in FY 2007. Revenues from the sale of this power totaled approximately $219 million. Drought conditions continued to plague the southeast region of the United States during 2007 placing strains on our naturalmore » and financial resources. Southeastern purchased more than $40 million in replacement power to meet customer contract requirements to ensure the continued reliability of our nation’s power grid. With the financial assistance and support of our Federal power customers, continued funding for capitalized equipment replacements at various Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) hydroelectric projects provided much needed repairs and maintenance for aging facilities. Southeastern’s cyber and physical security program continued to be reviewed and updated to meet Department of Energy (DOE), Homeland Security, and North American Electric Reliability Corporation standards and requirements. Plans for the upcoming year include communication and cooperation with DOE, Federal power customers, and the Corps to maximize the benefits of our nation’s water resources. Competition for the use of water and the prolonged drought conditions will present another challenging year for our agency. The employees at Southeastern will be proactive in meeting these challenges and providing reliable hydroelectric power to the people in the southeast. Sincerely, Kenneth E. Legg Administrator« less

ICOM2012: 3rd International Conference on the Physics of Optical Materials and Devices (Belgrade, Serbia, 2-6 September 2012)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dramićanin, Miroslav D.; Antić, Željka; Viana, Bruno

2013-11-01

The 3rd International Conference on the Physics of Optical Materials and Devices (ICOM2012) was held in Belgrade (Serbia) from 2 to 6 September 2012 (figure 1). The conference was organized by the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, University of Belgrade (Serbia) and the Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris (France), and supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia and Optical Society of America. ICOM2012 was a follow-up to the two previous, successful ICOM conferences held in Herceg Novi in 2006 and 2009. The conference aimed at providing a forum for scientists in optical materials to debate on: • Luminescent materials and nanomaterials • Hybrid optical materials (organic/inorganic) • Characterization techniques of optical materials • Luminescence mechanisms and energy transfers • Theory and modeling of optical processes • Ultrafast-laser processing of materials • Optical sensors • Medical imaging • Advanced optical materials in photovoltaics and biophotonics • Photothermal and photoacoustic spectroscopy and phenomena The conference stressed the value of a fundamental scientific understanding of optical materials. A particular accent was put on wide band-gap materials in crystalline, glass and nanocrystalline forms. The applications mainly involved lasers, scintillators and phosphors. Rare earth and transition metal ions introduced as dopants in various hosts were considered, and their impact on the optical properties were detailed in several presentations. This volume contains selected contributions of speakers and participants of the ICOM2012 conference. The conference provided a unique opportunity for about 200 scientists from 32 countries to discuss recent progress in the field of optical materials. During the three and half days, 21 invited talks and 52 contributed lectures were given, with a special event in memory of our dear colleague Professor Dr Tsoltan Basiev (Russia). In addition, 183 posters were presented and the two Young Scientist Awards were announced at the closing ceremony. Acknowledgments We thank all the authors for their valuable research contribution presented in this volume. We express our acknowledgements to all reviewers with a special thanks to Dr G Watt, then Publisher of the journal, for accepting the publication of these papers in a special issue of Physica Scripta . We wish to express our gratitude to the members of the ICOM scientific advisory committee and organizing committee for their excellent work and commitment for the success of ICOM2012.

The Additional Value of an E-Mail to Inform Healthcare Professionals of a Drug Safety Issue: A Randomized Controlled Trial in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Piening, Sigrid; de Graeff, Pieter A; Straus, Sabine M J M; Haaijer-Ruskamp, Flora M; Mol, Peter G M

2013-09-01

The usefulness and the impact of Direct Healthcare Professional Communications (DHPCs, or 'Dear Doctor letters') in changing the clinical behaviour of physicians have been debated. Changes in the current risk communication methods should preferably be based on the preferences of the healthcare professionals, to optimize the uptake of the message. The aim of this study was to assess whether safety issues are communicated more effectively with an additional e-mail sent by the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board (MEB) than with the DHPC only. A randomized controlled trial was conducted amongst ophthalmologists and hospital pharmacists in the Netherlands, who were the target group of a DHPC that was issued for pegaptanib, a drug that is administered intra-ocularly in patients with macular degeneration. The intervention group (N = 110) received the pegaptanib DHPC, as well as the MEB e-mail. The control group (N = 105) received the traditional paper-based DHPC only. Two weeks later, the study population received an invitation to fill out an online questionnaire. Questions were asked about the respondents' knowledge and attitude regarding the pegaptanib issue, and any action they had consequently taken. Additional questions were asked about their satisfaction with the DHPC and the e-mail, and their preferred source of such information. Forty respondents (18.6%) completed the questionnaire. Eighty-one percent of the respondents in the intervention group (N = 21) and 47% of the control group (N = 19) correctly indicated that a serious increase in intra-ocular pressure could be caused by pegaptanib injections (Fishers' exact test, p = 0.046). Nine respondents in the intervention group versus none of the control group respondents indicated that they had taken action in response to the pegaptanib safety issue (Fishers' exact test, p = 0.01). The majority of both the intervention group and the control group confirmed that they would like to receive an MEB e-mail with safety information about drugs in the future (90 and 95 %, respectively). The results of this study indicate that an additional e-mail might strengthen the uptake of the safety information provided to healthcare professionals, who prefer to receive an e-mail from the MEB as a source of such information, as well as the DHPC. This study may serve as a starting point for new strategies to improve risk communication regarding safety issues associated with drugs and its impact on prescribing.

FOREWORD: Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP 2009)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coccia, Eugenio; Pandola, Luciano; Fornengo, Nicolao; Aloisio, Roberto

2010-01-01

The eleventh meeting of the TAUP Workshop series, TAUP 2009, was held in Rome on 1-5 July 2009, organized by the INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS). The workshop venue was originally L'Aquila. The earthquake of 6 April changed our plans. The earthquake killed about 300 people, wounded about 15,000, made homeless about 60,000 and destroyed a large part of the built environment, as well as essential infrastructures. The LNGS buildings were not seriously affected by the event, and the underground site not at all. But after the event most of the LNGS staff were homeless and the local hotels were damaged. So we were forced to move the Workshop to Rome, and found a good venue in the Angelicum, the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, in the very center of Rome. This University, founded in 1580, has its historical roots in the medieval House of Studies of the Dominican Order in Rome, and we think that all the TAUP participants enjoyed the spiritual atmosphere which emanated from the ancient walls of the building and the cloister. All the various aspects of our interdisciplinary field of research at the intersection of Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology, named Astroparticle Physics, have been covered: Dark Components of the Universe, Gravitational Waves, Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics, High Energy Astrophysics, Cosmic Rays and Gamma-Rays Astronomy. Exciting scientific results were presented and the main issues of the field debated in the plenary and parallel sessions. The program also included a Session on Outreach and Education, with contributions from major Laboratories, Experimental Collaborations and International Organizations. Unhappily, the sad news from Zaragoza of the passing of our dear colleague and friend Julio Morales, to whom these Proceedings are dedicated, marked the last day of the Workshop. On behalf of the Organizing Committee of TAUP 2009, we thank all the Speakers and Conveners, who made possible a detailed vision of the field, and the members of the International Advisory Committee and of the TAUP Steering Committee for assistance and advice on the scientific program. The support received by IUPAP and by the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) is gratefully acknowledged. Eugenio Coccia Luciano Pandola Nicolao Fornengo Roberto Aloisio A personal special thank you to my fellow organizers, to the Secretariat and to the LNGS staff. They worked successfully for TAUP 2009 in a difficult moment for our Laboratory, and even more, for several of them, in a difficult moment of their lives. Eugenio Coccia Chairman of the TAUP 2009 Organizing Committee TAUP 2009 has been conducted in accordance with IUPAP principles as stated in the ICSU-Document 'Universality of Science' (sixth edition, 1989) regarding the free circulation of scientists for international purposes. In particular, no bona fide scientist have been excluded from participation on the grounds of national origin, nationality, or political considerations unrelated to science.

PREFACE: 19th International Conference on Electron Dynamics in Semiconductors, Optoelectronics and Nanostructures (EDISON'19)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González, T.; Martín-Martínez, M. J.; Mateos, J.

2015-10-01

The 19th International Conference on Electron Dynamics in Semiconductors, Optoelectronics and Nanostructures (EDISON'19) was held at the Hospedería Fonseca (Universidad de Salamanca, Spain), on 29 June - 2 July, 2015, and was organized by the Electronics Area from the University of Salamanca. The Conference is held biannually and covers the recent progress in the field of electron dynamics in solid-state materials and devices. This was the 19th meeting of the international conference series formerly named Hot Carriers in Semiconductors (HCIS), first held in Modena in 1973. In the edition of 1997 in Berlin the name of the conference changed to International Conference on Nonequilibrium Carrier Dynamics in Semiconductors, keeping the same acronym, HCIS; and finally in the edition of Montpellier in 2009 the name was again changed to the current one, International Conference on Electron Dynamics in Semiconductors, Optoelectronics and Nanostructures (EDISON). The latest editions took place in Santa Barbara, USA, in 2011 and Matsue, Japan, in 2013. Research work on electron dynamics involves quite different disciplines, and requires both fundamental and technological scientific efforts. Attendees to the conference come mostly from academic institutions, belonging to both theoretical and experimental groups working in a variety of fields, such as solid-state physics, electronics, optics, electrical engineering, material science, laser physics, etc. In this framework, events like the EDISON conference become a basic channel for the progress in the field. Here, researchers working in different areas can meet, present their latest advances and exchange their ideas. The program of EDISON'19 included 13 invited papers, 61 oral contributions and 73 posters. These contributions originated from scientists in more than 30 different countries. The Conference gathered 140 participants, coming from 24 different countries, most from Europe, but also with a significant participation from Japan and USA. The two topics receiving more abstracts correspond to fields attracting a lot of attention and research activity in the last years: electron dynamics in graphene and related materials and devices, and THz phenomena in nanostructures. Other topics like coherent dynamics in ultrafast optical phenomena or quantum processing, and semiconductor-based spintronics, had also an important presence in the program. Thanks are given to the members of the International and Scientific Program Committees for their valuable and qualified assistance in the selection of invited speakers and the review of the submitted contributions; and also to those attendees who assisted us in the review process of the papers included in this volume. We would like also to thank the institutions and sponsors that contributed to support the conference. Firstly the University of Salamanca, one of the oldest in the world, commemorating within three years, in 2018, the 8th century of its foundation in 1218. EDISON'19 can be considered as one more of the events taking place to celebrate such centennial. The Salamanca City Council also contributed in the organization of the conference. We acknowledge as well the support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and from our sponsors and exhibitors, Oxford Instruments and Rohde&Schwarz. Finally, we would like to thank all participants and authors of the proceedings for their support and contributions to the conference. We devote this volume to the memory of Prof. Daniel Pardo, our dear boss in Salamanca for many years, who passed away in 2013. He was the pioneer of our activity in the field of the conference and would have enjoyed a lot the celebration of EDISON in Salamanca.

From Abrupt Change to the Future (Hans Oeschger Medal Lecture)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stocker, T.

2009-04-01

The award of the Oeschger Medal 2009 is a particular honor and pleasure for me as I was given the chance to take over from Hans Oeschger the lead of a wonderful Institute at the University of Bern in 1993. Very apprehensive first, in front of the huge expectations and challenges, I quickly found dear colleagues, close collaborators and extremely supportive staff who all dedicated their time and creativity to work for the common goal of better understanding the Earth System, its variations in the past and its sensitivity to perturbations that man is inflicting on it today. Although met with innate skepticism first by the experimental physicists, our efforts in modelling, particularly the approach of using climate models of reduced complexity, quickly paid off and provided added value to the hard won data and measurements from polar ice cores. It is clear that modelling in such a diverse environment is so much more stimulating and enriching than working on a sophisticated parameterisation in a big modelling centre. Simple models have suggested that the Earth System may have limited stability and that rather fundamental changes could be triggered by the increase of greenhouse gases. However, it is the unique results from polar ice cores, particularly from Greenland that showed that, indeed, the Earth System has limited stability and can react in extremely abrupt ways to changes in forcing. Likewise, the Antarctic ice cores have provided one of the corner stones of our knowledge about climate change: Concentrations of CO2 are today 29% higher than ever during the last 800,000 years. These two fundamental insights from the paleoclimatic archive call for accelerated research into the sensitivity of the climate system and its components to perturbations, as well as the investigation of feedback mechanisms in the biogeochemical cycles that are disturbed by the input of CO2 into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels and land use change. Our research has only scratched the surface and many questions are still unresolved. A consistent simulation of ice age cycles including the remarkable transition from the 40 kyr to 100 kyr world is still missing. Evidence for interhemispheric connection, a persistent feature of the last ice age, remains circumstantial during earlier ice ages. Recent ice core analyses suggest extremely rapid climate change in the high latitude which is faster than any model has suggested. Sea ice changes must play an important role in that they may operate as an efficient accelerator. Modelling results are reviewed which suggest that instabilities in sea ice coverage can occur in response to relatively slow changes of the background climate. Such behaviour has been demonstrated in simulations of future climate, but it may well apply to past abrupt climate change. The paleoclimate record may therefore hold much more and more detailed information about instabilities and surprises if marine and atmospheric proxies are combined. However, only through the combination of highest-resolution paleoclimatic data and a clever hierarchy of models are we able to address and resolve these questions.

Inconsistencies among European Union Pharmaceutical Regulator Safety Communications: A Cross-Country Comparison

PubMed Central

Zeitoun, Jean-David; Lefèvre, Jérémie H.; Downing, Nicholas; Bergeron, Henri; Ross, Joseph S.

2014-01-01

Background The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and national regulators share the responsibility to communicate to healthcare providers postmarketing safety events but little is known about the consistency of this process. We aimed to compare public availability of safety-related communications and drug withdrawals from the EMA and European Union member countries for novel medicines. Methods and Findings We performed a cross-sectional analysis using public Dear Healthcare Professional Communications (DHPCs) for all novel medicines authorized between 2001 and 2010 by the EMA and available for use in France, Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Between 2001 and 2010, the EMA approved 185 novel medicines. DHPCs could not be ascertained for the EMA. Among the 4 national regulators, as of April 30, 2013, at least one safety DHPC or withdrawal occurred for 53 (28.6%) medicines, totaling 90 DHPCs and 5 withdrawals. Among these 53 medicines, all 4 national agencies issued at least one communication for 17 (32.1%), three of the four for 25 (47.2%), two of the four for 6 (11.3%), and one of the four for 5 (9.4%). Five drugs were reported to be withdrawn, three by all four countries, one by three and one by two. Among the 95 DHPCs and withdrawals, 20 (21.1%) were issued by all 4 national regulators, 37 (38.9%) by 3 of the 4, 22 (23.2%) by 2 of the 4, and 16 (16.8%) by one. Consistency of making publicly available all identified safety DHPC or withdrawal across regulator pairs varied from 33% to 73% agreement. Conclusions Safety communications were not made publicly available by the EMA. Among the 4 European member countries with national regulators that make DHPCs publicly available since at least 2001, there were substantial inconsistencies in safety communications for novel medicines. The impact of those inconsistencies in terms of public health remains to be determined. PMID:25333986

HR Public meeting

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

Heuer, Rolf; Catherin, Anne-Sylvie; Vuillemin, Vin

2010-06-25

Cher(e)s collègues, En collaboration avec le Département HR, le Directeur général a le plaisir de vous convier à une réunion publique qui se tiendra le vendredi 25 juin 2010 à 9h30 dans l’Amphithéâtre principal (Bâtiment 500)*. Un café d’accueil y sera servi à partir de 9h. Cette réunion abordera les thèmes suivants : • Valeurs de l’Organisation (Directeur général) • Code de Conduite (Directeur général / Anne-Sylvie Catherin) • Création du nouveau rôle d’Ombudsperson (Vincent Vuillemin); Ces présentations seront suivies d’une séance de questions-réponses. Nous espérons vous retrouver nombreux le 25 juin ! Meilleures salutations, Anne-Sylvie Catherin Chef du Départementmore » des Ressources humaines *Cette réunion sera retransmise simultanément dans l’Amphithéâtre BE de Prévessin (Bâtiment 864) et également disponible à l’adresse suivante : http://webcast.cern.ch. Dear colleagues, In collaboration with HR Department, the Director-General would like to invite you to an information meeting which will be held on Friday 25 June 2010 at 9:30 am in the Main Auditorium (Building 500)*. A welcome coffee will be available from 9:00 am. During this meeting, information will be given about: • Organization’s values (Director-General) • Code of Conduct (Director-General / Anne-Sylvie Catherin) • New Ombudsperson role (Vincent Vuillemin) These presentations will be followed by a questions & answers session. We look forward to seeing you all on 25 June! Best regards, Anne-Sylvie Catherin Head, Human Resources Department. This meeting will be simultaneously retransmitted in BE Auditorium (Building 864) and available at the following address: http://webcast.cern.ch.« less

HR Public meeting

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

None

2010-10-12

Cher(e)s collègues, En collaboration avec le Département HR, le Directeur général a le plaisir de vous convier à une réunion publique qui se tiendra le vendredi 25 juin 2010 à 9h30 dans l’Amphithéâtre principal (Bâtiment 500)*. Un café d’accueil y sera servi à partir de 9h. Cette réunion abordera les thèmes suivants : Valeurs de l’Organisation (Directeur général); Code de Conduite (Directeur général / Anne-Sylvie Catherin); Création du nouveau rôle d’Ombudsperson (Vincent Vuillemin) Ces présentations seront suivies d’une séance de questions-réponses. Nous espérons vous retrouver nombreux le 25 juin ! Meilleures salutations, Anne-Sylvie Catherin Chef du Département des Ressources humainesmore » *Cette réunion sera retransmise simultanément dans l’Amphithéâtre BE de Prévessin (Bâtiment 864) et également disponible à l’adresse suivante : http://webcast.cern.ch [Dear colleagues, In collaboration with HR Department, the Director-General would like to invite you to an information meeting which will be held on Friday 25 June 2010 at 9:30 am in the Main Auditorium (Building 500)*. A welcome coffee will be available from 9:00 am. During this meeting, information will be given about: Organization’s values (Director-General); Code of Conduct (Director-General / Anne-Sylvie Catherin); New Ombudsperson role (Vincent Vuillemin); These presentations will be followed by a questions & answers session. We look forward to seeing you all on 25 June! Best regards, Anne-Sylvie Catherin Head, Human Resources Department *This meeting will be simultaneously retransmitted in BE Auditorium (Building 864) and available at the following address: http://webcast.cern.ch.« less

Stability of large DC power systems using switching converters, with application to the international space station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manners, B.; Gholdston, E. W.; Karimi, K.; Lee, F. C.; Rajagopalan, J.; Panov, Y.

1996-01-01

As space direct current (dc) power systems continue to grow in size, switching power converters are playing an ever larger role in power conditioning and control. When designing a large dc system using power converters of this type, special attention must be placed on the electrical stability of the system and of the individual loads on the system. In the design of the electric power system (EPS) of the International Space Station (ISS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its contractor team led by Boeing Defense & Space Group has placed a great deal of emphasis on designing for system and load stability. To achieve this goal, the team has expended considerable effort deriving a dear concept on defining system stability in both a general sense and specifically with respect to the space station. The ISS power system presents numerous challenges with respect to system stability, such as high power, complex sources and undefined loads. To complicate these issues, source and load components have been designed in parallel by three major subcontractors (Boeing, Rocketdyne, and McDonnell Douglas) with interfaces to both sources and loads being designed in different countries (Russia, Japan, Canada, Europe, etc.). These issues, coupled with the program goal of limiting costs, have proven a significant challenge to the program. As a result, the program has derived an impedance specification approach for system stability. This approach is based on the significant relationship between source and load impedances and the effect of this relationship on system stability. This approach is limited in its applicability by the theoretical and practical limits on component designs as presented by each system segment. As a result, the overall approach to system stability implemented by the ISS program consists of specific hardware requirements coupled with extensive system analysis and hardware testing. Following this approach, the ISS program plans to begin construction of the world's largest orbiting power system in 1997.

Thou shalt not take sides: Cognition, Logic and the need for changing how we believe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martins, Andre

2016-03-01

We believe in many different ways. One very common one is by supporting ideas we like. We label them correct and we act to dismiss doubts about them. We take sides about ideas and theories as if that was the right thing to do. And yet, from a rational point of view, this type of support and belief is not justifiable. The best we can hope when describing the real world, as far as we know today, is to have probabilistic knowledge. In practice, estimating a real probability can be too hard to achieve but that just means we have more uncertainty, not less. There are ideas we defend that define, in our minds, our own identity. And recent experiments have been showing that we stop being able to analyze competently those propositions we hold so dearly. In this paper, I gather the evidence we have about taking sides and present the obvious but unseen conclusion that these facts combined mean that we should actually never believe in anything about the real world, except in a probabilistic way. We must actually never take sides since taking sides compromise our abilities to seek for the most correct description of the world. That means we need to start reformulating the way we debate ideas, from our teaching to our political debates. Here, I will show the logical and experimental basis of this conclusion. I will also show, by presenting new models for the evolution of opinions, that our desire to have something to believe is probably behind the emergence of extremism in debates. And we will see how this problem can even have an impact in the reliability of whole scientific fields. The crisis around p-values is discussed and much better understood under the light of this paper results. Finally, I will debate possible consequences and ideas on how to deal with this problem.

From the Editors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pashinin, Pavel P.; Yermachenko, Valery M.; Yevseyev, Igor V.

2011-01-01

Dear readers and authors, First of all, we would like to inform you on our main achievement over the past year: The impact factor of Laser Physics Letters reached 5.502 in 2009. This has promoted the journal to one of the leading journals in the world in the field of laser physics. We are very grateful to all friends of the journal who have sent us their congratulations with this success. Of course, we understand that this success is caused by several reasons. One of them is a high quality of papers submitted by our authors. Thanks are due to all of the authors for their contributions to this success of the journal. The second reason is the hard work of our referees who have the highest qualification, and, moreover, who are capable of providing their reports within just a few days. We acknowledge the important role of the annual International Laser Physics Workshop (LPHYS) attracting the authors for writing articles for LPL. The last, though not the least, we are very grateful to our distinguished publisher Wiley for its valuable contribution and endless efforts to make things better and, especially, to Wiley's V-P Steven Miron for his useful counsels. The location of the annual Workshop LPHYS varies each year, which makes it possible to attract scientists from different countries. In 2010, the annual international Laser Physics Workshop (LPHYS'10) was held in Brazil. Using the occasion, we stress the great work done by Prof. Bagnato for organizing this conference. In 2011, the conference LPHYS'11 will be held from July 11 to July 15 in the city of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Congress Center of the Hotel Hollywood. We plan the participation of about 600 scientists from more than 30 countries. Concluding, we hope that Laser Physics Letters, with the help of our authors, will support and further strengthen the status of a leading journal in the field of laser physics. Sincerely Yours,

Southeastern Power Administration 2012 Annual Report

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

None

2012-01-01

Dear Secretary Moniz: I am pleased to submit Southeastern Power Administration’s (Southeastern) fiscal year (FY) 2012 Annual Report for your review. This report reflects our agency’s programs, accomplishments, operational, and financial activities for the 12-month period beginning October 1, 2011, and ending September 30, 2012. This past year, Southeastern marketed approximately 5.4 billion kilowatt-hours of energy to 487 wholesale customers in 10 southeastern states. Revenues from the sale of this power totaled about $263 million. With the financial assistance and support of Southeastern’s customers, funding for capitalized equipment purchases and replacements at hydroelectric facilities operated by the U.S. Army Corpsmore » of Engineers (Corps) continued in FY 2012. Currently, there are more than 214 customers participating in funding infrastructure renewal efforts of powerplants feeding the Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina, Kerr-Philpott, and Cumberland Systems. This funding, which totaled more than $71 million, provided much needed repairs and maintenance for aging projects in Southeastern’s marketing area. Drought conditions continued in the southeastern region of the United States this past year, particularly in the Savannah River Basin. Lack of rainfall strained our natural and financial resources. Power purchases for FY 2012 in the Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina System totaled approximately $29 million. About $8 million of this amount was for replacement power, which is purchased only during adverse water conditions in order to meet Southeastern’s customer contract requirements. Southeastern’s goal is to maximize the benefits of our region’s water resources. Competing uses of these resources will present another challenging year for Southeastern’s employees. With the cooperation and communication among the Department of Energy (DOE), preference customers, and Corps, I am certain Southeastern is positioned to meet these challenges in the future. We are committed to providing reliable hydroelectric power to preference customers, which ultimately serve more than 12 million consumers in the southeast. Sincerely, Kenneth E. Legg Administrator« less

Confirmation of translatability and functionality certifies the dual endothelin1/VEGFsp receptor (DEspR) protein.

PubMed

Herrera, Victoria L M; Steffen, Martin; Moran, Ann Marie; Tan, Glaiza A; Pasion, Khristine A; Rivera, Keith; Pappin, Darryl J; Ruiz-Opazo, Nelson

2016-06-14

In contrast to rat and mouse databases, the NCBI gene database lists the human dual-endothelin1/VEGFsp receptor (DEspR, formerly Dear) as a unitary transcribed pseudogene due to a stop [TGA]-codon at codon#14 in automated DNA and RNA sequences. However, re-analysis is needed given prior single gene studies detected a tryptophan [TGG]-codon#14 by manual Sanger sequencing, demonstrated DEspR translatability and functionality, and since the demonstration of actual non-translatability through expression studies, the standard-of-excellence for pseudogene designation, has not been performed. Re-analysis must meet UNIPROT criteria for demonstration of a protein's existence at the highest (protein) level, which a priori, would override DNA- or RNA-based deductions. To dissect the nucleotide sequence discrepancy, we performed Maxam-Gilbert sequencing and reviewed 727 RNA-seq entries. To comply with the highest level multiple UNIPROT criteria for determining DEspR's existence, we performed various experiments using multiple anti-DEspR monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting distinct DEspR epitopes with one spanning the contested tryptophan [TGG]-codon#14, assessing: (a) DEspR protein expression, (b) predicted full-length protein size, (c) sequence-predicted protein-specific properties beyond codon#14: receptor glycosylation and internalization, (d) protein-partner interactions, and (e) DEspR functionality via DEspR-inhibition effects. Maxam-Gilbert sequencing and some RNA-seq entries demonstrate two guanines, hence a tryptophan [TGG]-codon#14 within a compression site spanning an error-prone compression sequence motif. Western blot analysis using anti-DEspR mAbs targeting distinct DEspR epitopes detect the identical glycosylated 17.5 kDa pull-down protein. Decrease in DEspR-protein size after PNGase-F digest demonstrates post-translational glycosylation, concordant with the consensus-glycosylation site beyond codon#14. Like other small single-transmembrane proteins, mass spectrometry analysis of anti-DEspR mAb pull-down proteins do not detect DEspR, but detect DEspR-protein interactions with proteins implicated in intracellular trafficking and cancer. FACS analyses also detect DEspR-protein in different human cancer stem-like cells (CSCs). DEspR-inhibition studies identify DEspR-roles in CSC survival and growth. Live cell imaging detects fluorescently-labeled anti-DEspR mAb targeted-receptor internalization, concordant with the single internalization-recognition sequence also located beyond codon#14. Data confirm translatability of DEspR, the full-length DEspR protein beyond codon#14, and elucidate DEspR-specific functionality. Along with detection of the tryptophan [TGG]-codon#14 within an error-prone compression site, cumulative data demonstrating DEspR protein existence fulfill multiple UNIPROT criteria, thus refuting its pseudogene designation.

EDITORIAL: Letter from the Editor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hauptmann, Peter

2009-01-01

Dear authors and reviewers of articles for Measurement Science and Technology, I would like to thank all those who have published papers with us in 2008, and special thanks go to those of you who have kindly reviewed articles for the journal this year. I would also like to take this opportunity to update you on some of the developments on the journal. This year we see the introduction of a new subject section 'Measurement techniques for bio-medical and life science applications' to facilitate browsing by readers from this community who may be less familiar with Measurement Science and Technology. We anticipate that articles falling within this section will broaden the strengths of the journal to the biological and medical arena by comprising imaging techniques for biology and medicine including tomography, microscopy, ultrasonic imaging and MRI; spectroscopic techniques in biological and medical physics; sensors for measuring biological, biochemical and medical processes and quantities; new instrumentation for measurement in biology and medicine. To highlight this section in the journal we have commissioned a review article from Professor Gerald Urban of Albert Ludwigs Universität Freiburg, on micro- and nanobiosensors which appears as the first article in this issue. This topical review covers the state of the art of microsensors for physical and chemical parameters in medical science, as well as biosensors and microtransducers. I believe it is a valuable addition to the literature and a very useful starting point for researchers. As regular readers will know, Measurement Science and Technology has a long tradition of publishing topical review articles, and this year will be no exception. As well as the article from Professor Urban, in the same issue we have an article from Professor Roy Olsson III of Sandia National Laboratories on microfabricated phononic crystal devices and applications. In future issues readers can look forward to topical reviews from Dr Marella de Angelis and her colleagues on precision gravimetry using atomic sensors and from Dr Peter Becker on determination of the Avogadro constant via enriched silicon-28. I recommend setting up a free e-mail alert so that you can read them as soon as they are published! As many of you are already aware, our impact factor (a measure of the average number of times recent papers are referred to by others) has risen again to 1.297. This is often taken as an indication of the quality and relevance of recently published research, and although as readers we develop our own instinct for journals of high quality, it is gratifying as an Editor to see the data from an independent organization (Thomson ISI) agreeing with my own assessment. Of course the publication of high quality articles in the journal is dependent both on you the authors who trust us with the publication of your best work and on our referees and Editorial Board Members who we depend on to maintain the high standards you have grown to expect. I must also thank our referees for their rapid response when asked to review papers for Measurement Science and Technology. On average, authors receive a decision on their article in 45 days. Therefore I would like to end this message by saying thank you again to all those who have contributed to our success in the past year, and wish you all the best for a successful 2009!

EDITORIAL: Letter from the Editor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hauptmann, Peter

2008-01-01

Dear authors and reviewers of articles for Measurement Science and Technology, I would like to thank all those who have published papers with us in 2007, and special thanks go to those of you who have kindly reviewed articles for the journal this year. I would also like to take this opportunity to update you on some of the developments on the journal. As many of you are no doubt aware, our latest impact factor (a measure of the average number of times recent papers are referred to by others) has risen to 1.228. This is often taken as an indication of the quality and relevance of recently published research, and although as readers we develop our own instinct for journals of high quality, it is gratifying as an Editor to see the data from an independent organization agreeing with my own assessment. The popularity of the journal amongst authors and readers has prompted us to introduce a new subject classification for articles, to make it easier for readers to find articles of interest. The eight subject categories are: Measurement theory and practical developments (e.g. precision measurements, metrology, new measurement principles, signal processing techniques, theory of measurement, calibration); Sensors and sensing systems (based on physical, chemical or biological principles; micro- and nano-scale systems; sensors for physical, chemical and biological quantities); Optical and laser based techniques (e.g. fibre optics, interferometry, etc); Fluid mechanics measurements (e.g. fluid flow, velocimetry, particle sizing, etc); Imaging techniques (e.g. tomography, microscopy, holography, THz, etc); Spectroscopy (e.g. optical, acoustic, dielectric, MS, NMR, ESR, IR, UV-VIS, fluorescence, PCS, x-ray, etc); New and improved techniques for materials evaluation (e.g. non-destructive testing and evaluation, structural measurements); Novel instrumentation. We kindly ask you to assign your paper to a category when you send it to the journal. In order to maintain our rapid publication times (currently authors can expect a decision 53 days after submitting their article, and once accepted, articles are published in an average of 40 days), we are adopting an article numbering scheme. This will enable us to continue to publish articles as soon as they are ready, and to classify them according to subject and type. Details can be found on our website at www.iop.org/journals/mst. Another change will be to the names of some of our articles. Design Notes will now be called Technical Design Notes to clarify that these are short descriptive articles giving readers a practical and useful 'how to' guide to a new piece of equipment or a technique. Review Articles will change their name to Topical Reviews to reflect the fact that these provide a review of a topic of current interest. As part of our ongoing initiative to give our authors' work the highest visibility, all articles are freely available online for 30 days from the date of publication, allowing all researchers to read and view the latest research as soon as it is published, and this year there have been many interesting articles to read! As regular readers are aware, Measurement Science and Technology publishes special issues and features, which highlight an area of current interest. Last year's topics included inverse problems in engineering, nanoscale metrology, microwave moisture measurements, metrology for high energy physics experiments and accelerometers, and optical fibre sensors among others. Remember to set up a free e-mail alert so you can be e-mailed as soon as articles in your field are published! There simply remains for me to say thank you again for your contribution to Measurement Science and Technology, and I wish you all the best for a successful 2008!

FOREWORD: The 9th International Colloquium on Atomic Spectra and Oscillator Strengths for Astrophysical and Laboratory Plasmas (ASOS 9)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahlgren, Glenn M.; Wiese, Wolfgang L.; Beiersdorfer, Peter

2008-07-01

For the first time since its inaugural meeting in Lund in 1983, the triennial international conference on Atomic Spectroscopy and Oscillator Strengths for Astrophysical and Laboratory Plasmas (ASOS) returned to Lund, Sweden. Lund has been a home to atomic spectroscopy since the time of Janne Rydberg, and included the pioneering work in laboratory and solar spectroscopy of Bengt Edlén, who presented the initial ASOS talk in 1983. The ninth ASOS was hosted by the Lund Observatory and the Physics Department of Lund University during from 8 to 10 August 2007 and was attended by nearly 100 registrants. An encouraging sign for the field was the number of young researchers in attendance. This volume contains the submitted contributions from the poster presentations of the conference, and represents approximately forty percent of the presented posters. A complementary volume of Physica Scripta provides the written transactions of the ASOS9 invited presentations. With these two volumes the character of ASOS9 is more fully evident, and they serve as a review of the state of atomic spectroscopy for spectrum analysis and the determination of oscillator strengths and their applications. The goal of ASOS is to be a forum for atomic spectroscopy where both the providers and users of atomic data, which includes wavelengths, energy levels, lifetimes, oscillator strengths, and line shape parameters, can meet to discuss recent advances in experimental and theoretical techniques and their application to understanding the physical processes that are responsible for producing observed spectra. The applications mainly originate from the fields of astrophysics and plasma physics, the latter including fusion energy and lighting research. As a part of ASOS9 we were honored to celebrate the retirement of Professor Sveneric Johansson. At a special session on the spectroscopy of iron, which was conducted in his honor, he presented his insights into the Fe II term system and his most recent work with astrophysical applications. Professor Johansson was also honored with heart-felt acknowledgements at the conference dinner on an unusually warm Lund summer evening. Prior to the publication of these proceedings, we were extremely saddened to learn of Sveneric's passing on 10 October 2008. Sveneric Johansson, a founding father of the ASOS conference series, was widely known for his pioneering work on the atomic structure of heavy elements as a well as for his leadership of the international FERRUM Project, which successfully determined a definitive set of spectroscopic data for Fe II. His knowledge of spectroscopy, leadership qualities, and friendship will be dearly missed. Acknowledgements: The spirit of ASOS has been maintained by the dedication of the organizing committees who have kept a tight focus on the nature of the conference, yet allowed for the incorporation of new areas of research in the field. The International Program Committee for ASOS9 is to be commended for their efforts in providing an interesting program. They have also served as the primary source of referees, which along with other referees have performed a valuable service. Many thanks must be given to the local organizing committee, who made the return of ASOS to Lund a memorable experience through both the many opportunities for social gatherings during the conference and a post-conference outing through Skåne. We would also like to express our appreciation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, and the Lund Laser Centre and Department of Physics for their generous support in making ASOS9 possible. Glenn M Wahlgren Wolfgang L Wiese Peter Beiersdorfer Editors

Recent hydrological variability and extreme precipitation events in Moroccan Middle-Atlas mountains: micro-scale analyses of lacustrine sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jouve, Guillaume; Vidal, Laurence; Adallal, Rachid; Bard, Edouard; Benkaddour, Abdel; Chapron, Emmanuel; Courp, Thierry; Dezileau, Laurent; Hébert, Bertil; Rhoujjati, Ali; Simonneau, Anaelle; Sonzogni, Corinne; Sylvestre, Florence; Tachikawa, Kazuyo; Viry, Elisabeth

2016-04-01

Since the 1990s, the Mediterranean basin undergoes an increase in precipitation events and extreme droughts likely to intensify in the XXI century, and whose origin is attributable to human activities since 1850 (IPCC, 2013). Regional climate models indicate a strengthening of flood episodes at the end of the XXI century in Morocco (Tramblay et al, 2012). To understand recent hydrological and paleohydrological variability in North Africa, our study focuses on the macro- and micro-scale analysis of sedimentary sequences from Lake Azigza (Moroccan Middle Atlas Mountains) covering the last few centuries. This lake is relevant since local site monitoring revealed that lake water table levels were correlated with precipitation regime (Adallal R., PhD Thesis in progress). The aim of our study is to distinguish sedimentary facies characteristic of low and high lake levels, in order to reconstruct past dry and wet periods during the last two hundred years. Here, we present results from sedimentological (lithology, grain size, microstructures under thin sections), geochemical (XRF) and physical (radiography) analyses on short sedimentary cores (64 cm long) taken into the deep basin of Lake Azigza (30 meters water depth). Cores have been dated (radionuclides 210Pb, 137Cs, and 14C dating). Two main facies were distinguished: one organic-rich facies composed of wood fragments, several reworked layers and characterized by Mn peaks; and a second facies composed of terrigenous clastic sediments, without wood nor reworked layers, and characterized by Fe, Ti, Si and K peaks. The first facies is interpreted as a high lake level stand. Indeed, the highest paleoshoreline is close to the vegetation, and steeper banks can increase the current velocity, allowing the transport of wood fragments in case of extreme precipitation events. Mn peaks are interpreted as Mn oxides precipitations under well-oxygenated deep waters after runoff events. The second facies is linked to periods of increased detrital input by incising sediments during low lake levels. This interpretation is supported by chronological jumps in this facies (incoherent old 14C ages). Finally, the presence of numerous anhydrous calcium sulfates in the recent low lake level facies supports the observation of a decreasing lake level for the last decades (Flower et al., 1989; Adallal R., PhD Thesis in progress). Our study demonstrates that several lake level changes occurred during the past two hundred years, and highlights the unprecedented lake level drop since the 1980s. Bibliography Flower, R.J., Stevenson, A.C., Dearing, J.A., Foster, I.D., Airey, A., Rippey, B.,Wilson, J.P.F. & Appleby, P.G. (1989). Catchment disturbance inferred from paleolimnological studies of three contrasted sub-humid environments in Morocco. J Paleolimnol 1: 293-322. IPCC, AR 5. Climate Change (2013). The physical Science Report. Tramblay, Y., Badi, W., Driouech, F., El Adlouni, S., Neppel, L. and Servat, E. 2012. Climate change impacts on extreme precipitation in Morocco. Global and Planetary Change 82-83: 104-114.

Topographic changes detection through Structure-from-Motion in agricultural lands affected by erosion processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prosdocimi, Massimo; Pradetto Sordo, Nicoletta; Burguet, Maria; Di Prima, Simone; Terol Esparza, Enric; Tarolli, Paolo; Cerdà, Artemi

2016-04-01

Throughout the world, soil erosion by water is a serious problem, especially in semi-arid and semi-humid areas (Cerdà et al., 2009; Cerdan et al., 2010; García-Ruiz, 2010). Although soil erosion by water consists of physical processes that vary significantly in severity and frequency according to when and where they occur, they are also strongly influenced by anthropic factors such as land-use changes on large scales and unsustainable farming practices (Boardman et al., 1990; Cerdà 1994; Montgomery, 2007). Tillage operations, combined with weather conditions, are recognized to primarily influence soil erosion rates. If, on one hand, tillage operations cause uniform changes based on the tool used, on the other, weather conditions, such as rainfalls, produce more random changes, less easily traceable (Snapir et al., 2014). Within this context, remote-sensing technologies can facilitate the detection and quantification of these topographic changes. In particular, a real opportunity and challenge is offered by the low-cost and flexible photogrammetric technique, called 'Structure-from-Motion' (SfM), combined with the use of smartphones (Micheletti et al., 2014; Prosdocimi et al., 2015). This represents a significant advance compared with more expensive technologies and applications (e.g. Terrestrial Laser Scanner - TLS) (Tarolli, 2014). This work wants to test the Structure from Motion to obtain high-resolution topography for the detection of topographic changes in agricultural lands affected by erosion processes. Two case studies were selected: i) a tilled plot characterized by bare soil and affected by rill erosion located in the hilly countryside of Marche region (central Italy), and ii) a Mediterranean vineyard located within the province of Valencia (south eastern Spain) where rainfall simulation experiments were carried out. Extensive photosets were obtained by using one standalone reflex digital camera and one smartphone built-in digital camera. Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) derived from the smartphone reveled to be comparable to DTMs derived from the reflex camera. The results underlined the effectiveness of SfM for detecting topographic changes in agricultural lands affected by erosion processes, even when pictures are taken from a smartphone. This methodology could be very useful for farmers and/or technician for post-event analyses of erosion processes to implement technical measures to mitigate the problem of soil erosion by water. Acknowledgements The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 603498 (RECARE project) References Boardman, J., Foster, I.D.L., Dearing, J.A., 1990. Soil Erosion on Agricultural Land. John Wiley and Sons Ltd., Chichester. Cerdà, A., 1994. The response of abandoned terraces to simulated rain, in: Rickson, R.J., (Ed.), Conserving Soil Resources: European Perspective, CAB International, Wallingford, pp. 44-55. Cerdà, A., Flanagan, D.C., Le Bissonnais, Y., Boardman, J., 2009. Soil erosion and agriculture. Soil & Tillage Research 106, 107-108. Cerdan, O., Govers, G., Le Bissonnais, Y., Van Oost, K., Poesen, J., Saby, N., Gobin, A., Vacca, A., Quinton, J., Auerwald, K., Klik, A., Kwaad, F.J.P.M., Raclot, D., Ionita, I., Rejman, J., Rousseva, S., Muxart, T., Roxo, M.J., Dostal, T., 2010. Rates and spatial variations of soil erosion in Europe: A study based on erosion plot data. Geomorphology 122, 167-177. Garcìa-Ruiz, J.M., 2010. The effects of land uses on soil erosion in Spain: A review. Catena 81, 1-11. Micheletti, N., Chandler, J.H., Lane, S.N., 2014. Investigating the geomorphological potential of freely available and accessible Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry using a smartphone. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 40(4), 473-486. DOI: 10.1002/esp.3648 Montgomery, D.R., 2007. Soil erosion and agricultural sustainability. PNAS 104, 13268-13272. Prosdocimi, M., Calligaro, S., Sofia, G., Dalla Fontana, G., Tarolli, P., 2015. Bank rosion in agricultural drainage networks: new challenges from structure-from-motion photogrammetry for post-event analysis. Earth Surface Prosses and Landform 40(14), 1891-1906. DOI: 10.1002/esp.3767. Snapir, B., Hobbs, S., Waine, T.W., 2014. Roughness measurements over an agricultural soil surface with Structure from Motion. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 96, 210-223. Tarolli, P., 2014. High-resolution topography for understanding Earth surface processes: opportunities and challenges. Geomorphology 216, 295-312.

Bench Scale Process for Low Cost CO 2 Capture Using a Phase-Changing Absorbent: Final Scientific/Technical Report

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

Westendorf, Tiffany; Buddle, Stanlee; Caraher, Joel

The objective of this project is to design and build a bench-scale process for a novel phase-changing aminosilicone-based CO 2-capture solvent. The project will establish scalability and technical and economic feasibility of using a phase-changing CO 2-capture absorbent for post-combustion capture of CO 2 from coal-fired power plants. The U.S. Department of Energy’s goal for Transformational Carbon Capture Technologies is the development of technologies available for demonstration by 2025 that can capture 90% of emitted CO 2 with at least 95% CO 2 purity for less than $40/tonne of CO 2 captured. In the first budget period of the project,more » the bench-scale phase-changing CO2 capture process was designed using data and operating experience generated under a previous project (ARPA-e project DE-AR0000084). Sizing and specification of all major unit operations was completed, including detailed process and instrumentation diagrams. The system was designed to operate over a wide range of operating conditions to allow for exploration of the effect of process variables on CO 2 capture performance. In the second budget period of the project, individual bench-scale unit operations were tested to determine the performance of each of each unit. Solids production was demonstrated in dry simulated flue gas across a wide range of absorber operating conditions, with single stage CO 2 conversion rates up to 75mol%. Desorber operation was demonstrated in batch mode, resulting in desorption performance consistent with the equilibrium isotherms for GAP-0/CO 2 reaction. Important risks associated with gas humidity impact on solids consistency and desorber temperature impact on thermal degradation were explored, and adjustments to the bench-scale process were made to address those effects. Corrosion experiments were conducted to support selection of suitable materials of construction for the major unit operations in the process. The bench scale unit operations were assembled into a continuous system to support steady state system testing. In the third budget period of the project, continuous system testing was conducted, including closed-loop operation of the absorber and desober systems. Slurries of GAP-0/GAP-0 carbamate/water mixtures produced in the absorber were pumped successfully to the desorber unit, and regenerated solvent was returned to the absorber. A techno-economic analysis, EH&S risk assessment, and solvent manufacturability study were completed.« less

HR Public meeting

ScienceCinema

None

2018-05-24

Cher(e)s collègues, En collaboration avec le Département HR, le Directeur général a le plaisir de vous convier à une réunion publique qui se tiendra le vendredi 25 juin 2010 à 9h30 dans l’Amphithéâtre principal (Bâtiment 500)*. Un café d’accueil y sera servi à partir de 9h. Cette réunion abordera les thèmes suivants : Valeurs de l’Organisation (Directeur général); Code de Conduite (Directeur général / Anne-Sylvie Catherin); Création du nouveau rôle d’Ombudsperson (Vincent Vuillemin) Ces présentations seront suivies d’une séance de questions-réponses. Nous espérons vous retrouver nombreux le 25 juin ! Meilleures salutations, Anne-Sylvie Catherin Chef du Département des Ressources humaines *Cette réunion sera retransmise simultanément dans l’Amphithéâtre BE de Prévessin (Bâtiment 864) et également disponible à l’adresse suivante : http://webcast.cern.ch [Dear colleagues, In collaboration with HR Department, the Director-General would like to invite you to an information meeting which will be held on Friday 25 June 2010 at 9:30 am in the Main Auditorium (Building 500)*. A welcome coffee will be available from 9:00 am. During this meeting, information will be given about: Organization’s values (Director-General); Code of Conduct (Director-General / Anne-Sylvie Catherin); New Ombudsperson role (Vincent Vuillemin); These presentations will be followed by a questions & answers session. We look forward to seeing you all on 25 June! Best regards, Anne-Sylvie Catherin Head, Human Resources Department *This meeting will be simultaneously retransmitted in BE Auditorium (Building 864) and available at the following address: http://webcast.cern.ch.

Comparative Assessment of the Effects of Climate Change on Heat- and Cold-Related Mortality in the United Kingdom and Australia

PubMed Central

Dear, Keith; Hajat, Shakoor; Heaviside, Clare; Eggen, Bernd; McMichael, Anthony J.

2014-01-01

Background: High and low ambient temperatures are associated with increased mortality in temperate and subtropical climates. Temperature-related mortality patterns are expected to change throughout this century because of climate change. Objectives: We compared mortality associated with heat and cold in UK regions and Australian cities for current and projected climates and populations. Methods: Time-series regression analyses were carried out on daily mortality in relation to ambient temperatures for UK regions and Australian cities to estimate relative risk functions for heat and cold and variations in risk parameters by age. Excess deaths due to heat and cold were estimated for future climates. Results: In UK regions, cold-related mortality currently accounts for more than one order of magnitude more deaths than heat-related mortality (around 61 and 3 deaths per 100,000 population per year, respectively). In Australian cities, approximately 33 and 2 deaths per 100,000 population are associated every year with cold and heat, respectively. Although cold-related mortality is projected to decrease due to climate change to approximately 42 and 19 deaths per 100,000 population per year in UK regions and Australian cities, heat-related mortality is projected to increase to around 9 and 8 deaths per 100,000 population per year, respectively, by the 2080s, assuming no changes in susceptibility and structure of the population. Conclusions: Projected changes in climate are likely to lead to an increase in heat-related mortality in the United Kingdom and Australia over this century, but also to a decrease in cold-related deaths. Future temperature-related mortality will be amplified by aging populations. Health protection from hot weather will become increasingly necessary in both countries, while protection from cold weather will be still needed. Citation: Vardoulakis S, Dear K, Hajat S, Heaviside C, Eggen B, McMichael AJ. 2014. Comparative assessment of the effects of climate change on heat- and cold-related mortality in the United Kingdom and Australia. Environ Health Perspect 122:1285–1292; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1307524 PMID:25222967

Picturing Data With Uncertainty

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kao, David; Love, Alison; Dungan, Jennifer L.; Pang, Alex

2004-01-01

NASA is in the business of creating maps for scientific purposes to represent important biophysical or geophysical quantities over space and time. For example, maps of surface temperature over the globe tell scientists where and when the Earth is heating up; regional maps of the greenness of vegetation tell scientists where and when plants are photosynthesizing. There is always uncertainty associated with each value in any such map due to various factors. When uncertainty is fully modeled, instead of a single value at each map location, there is a distribution expressing a set of possible outcomes at each location. We consider such distribution data as multi-valued data since it consists of a collection of values about a single variable. Thus, a multi-valued data represents both the map and its uncertainty. We have been working on ways to visualize spatial multi-valued data sets effectively for fields with regularly spaced units or grid cells such as those in NASA's Earth science applications. A new way to display distributions at multiple grid locations is to project the distributions from an individual row, column or other user-selectable straight transect from the 2D domain. First at each grid cell in a given slice (row, column or transect), we compute a smooth density estimate from the underlying data. Such a density estimate for the probability density function (PDF) is generally more useful than a histogram, which is a classic density estimate. Then, the collection of PDFs along a given slice are presented vertically above the slice and form a wall. To minimize occlusion of intersecting slices, the corresponding walls are positioned at the far edges of the boundary. The PDF wall depicts the shapes of the distributions very dearly since peaks represent the modes (or bumps) in the PDFs. We've defined roughness as the number of peaks in the distribution. Roughness is another useful summary information for multimodal distributions. The uncertainty of the multi-valued data can also be interpreted by the number of peaks and the widths of the peaks as shown by the PDF walls.

Réunion publique HR

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

None

2010-04-30

Chers Collègues,Je me permets de vous rappeler qu'une réunion publique organisée par le Département HR se tiendra aujourd'hui:Vendredi 30 avril 2010 à 9h30 dans l'Amphithéâtre principal (café offert dès 9h00).Durant cette réunion, des informations générales seront données sur:le CERN Admin e-guide, qui est un nouveau guide des procédures administratives du CERN ayant pour but de faciliter la recherche d'informations pratiques et d'offrir un format de lecture convivial;le régime d'Assurance Maladie de l'Organisation (présentation effectuée par Philippe Charpentier, Président du CHIS Board) et;la Caisse de Pensions (présentation effectuée par Théodore Economou, Administrateur de la Caisse de Pensions du CERN).Une transmission simultanéemore » de cette réunion sera assurée dans l'Amphithéâtre BE de Prévessin et également disponible à l'adresse suivante: http://webcast.cern.chJe me réjouis de votre participation!Meilleures salutations,Anne-Sylvie CatherinChef du Département des Ressources humaines__________________________________________________________________________________Dear Colleagues,I should like to remind you that a plublic meeting organised by HR Department will be held today:Friday 30 April 2010 at 9:30 am in the Main Auditorium (coffee from 9:00 am).During this meeting, general information will be given about:the CERN Admin e-guide which is a new guide to the Organization's administrative procedures, drawn up to facilitate the retrieval of practical information and to offer a user-friendly format;the CERN Health Insurance System (presentation by Philippe Charpentier, President of the CHIS Board) and;the Pension Fund (presentation by Theodore Economou, Administrator of the CERN Pension Fund).A simultaneous transmission of this meeting will be broadcast in the BE Auditorium at Prévessin and will also be available at the following address. http://webcast.cern.chI look forward to your participation!Best regards,Anne-Sylvie CatherinHead, Human Resources Department« less

Réunion publique HR

ScienceCinema

None

2017-12-09

Chers Collègues,Je me permets de vous rappeler qu'une réunion publique organisée par le Département HR se tiendra aujourd'hui:Vendredi 30 avril 2010 à 9h30 dans l'Amphithéâtre principal (café offert dès 9h00).Durant cette réunion, des informations générales seront données sur:le CERN Admin e-guide, qui est un nouveau guide des procédures administratives du CERN ayant pour but de faciliter la recherche d'informations pratiques et d'offrir un format de lecture convivial;le régime d'Assurance Maladie de l'Organisation (présentation effectuée par Philippe Charpentier, Président du CHIS Board) et;la Caisse de Pensions (présentation effectuée par Théodore Economou, Administrateur de la Caisse de Pensions du CERN).Une transmission simultanée de cette réunion sera assurée dans l'Amphithéâtre BE de Prévessin et également disponible à l'adresse suivante: http://webcast.cern.chJe me réjouis de votre participation!Meilleures salutations,Anne-Sylvie CatherinChef du Département des Ressources humaines__________________________________________________________________________________Dear Colleagues,I should like to remind you that a plublic meeting organised by HR Department will be held today:Friday 30 April 2010 at 9:30 am in the Main Auditorium (coffee from 9:00 am).During this meeting, general information will be given about:the CERN Admin e-guide which is a new guide to the Organization's administrative procedures, drawn up to facilitate the retrieval of practical information and to offer a user-friendly format;the CERN Health Insurance System (presentation by Philippe Charpentier, President of the CHIS Board) and;the Pension Fund (presentation by Theodore Economou, Administrator of the CERN Pension Fund).A simultaneous transmission of this meeting will be broadcast in the BE Auditorium at Prévessin and will also be available at the following address. http://webcast.cern.chI look forward to your participation!Best regards,Anne-Sylvie CatherinHead, Human Resources Department

A special year, thanks and a look ahead

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birch, David J. S.

2014-01-01

Dear authors, reviewers and readers of Measurement Science and Technology , I would like to thank all those who have published papers with us in 2013, and offer a special thanks to those of you who have given up much of your precious time and kindly reviewed articles for the journal. 2013 was of course a very special year for the journal, marking the 90th anniversary of the journal's foundation, as Journal of Scientific Instruments. In order to mark the anniversary we started the year with a historical perspective of the journal [1], and a historical review of 90 years of dielectric properties measurement of materials [2]. The celebrations continued with a stimulating meeting at the Institute of Physics in London in March, entitled 'Frontiers of Measurement'. In keeping with the multidisciplinary ethos of the journal, the speakers covered a diverse range of topics, all linked by the common language of measurement science. Patrick Gill of NPL talked about atomic clocks, Bruce Tromberg of the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic covered biophotonics, Roger Bisby of the University of Salford lectured on developments in biochemical techniques, Ivan Marusic of the University of Melbourne spoke on fluids and Mervyn Miles of the University of Bristol described recent developments in atomic force microscopy. Nicola Gulley, Editorial Director of IOP Publishing (IOPP), briefed the meeting on some of the latest developments in the world of scientific publishing. The meeting ended with a presentation to Sharon D'Souza, outgoing Publisher of the journal, and a welcome for Ian Forbes who has taken over the role. On behalf of all the Editorial Board I would like to offer a very special thanks to Sharon for all her great work for the journal over many years and wish her every success in her new IOPP posts as Publisher of Reports in Progress in Physics and the recently launched Methods and Applications in Fluorescence. Ian Forbes comes to the journal with a PhD in Physics from Heriot-Watt University and a wealth of relevant experience from having been Publisher of IOPP's Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering . Looking forward, I would like to take this opportunity to update you all on some of what is in store in the journal in 2014. This volume opens with three topical reviews on the application of energy harvesting, both in buildings and in the medical field, and on quantum cascade lasers. These continue the journal's tradition of publishing both the latest research papers and excellent articles designed to summarize activities in a research field, which are useful to both the expert and beginner alike. We will also continue to have a strong programme of special features on the pick of research presented at conferences around the globe, including the 11th International Symposium on Measurement Technology and Intelligent Instruments (ISMTII), Nanoscale 2013 and Sensors and their Applications XVII. In a broad-interest journal such as Measurement Science and Technology , it is necessary to have the advice of a wide range of experts, and I consider myself fortunate to be able to count on the assistance of our distinguished Editorial Board. The range and depth of expertise and experience of these researchers exists to serve all users of the journal, and is truly inspiring. I want also to acknowledge the diligent work of our reviewers and the editorial and production staff at IOPP. Through their hard work in 2013 the average time from submission of a manuscript to delivery of a first-stage publication decision has been reduced to under six weeks for the first time, with the average time for an accepted paper to go online being less than one month. Most important of all we should not forget that the journal is here to serve its users--the authors and readers across research communities in industry, government and academic sectors who all share a common passion for measurement, whatever their discipline. If you have ideas on how we might do this even better then please do not hesitate to contact me. Finally, I offer my very best wishes to all of you who interact with the journal and I thank you for your efforts past, present and in the future, and I wish you every success with your own endeavours in 2014! References [1] Dewhurst R J 2013 Measurement science and technology: a historical perspective Meas. Sci. Technol. 24 012006 [2] Kaatze U 2013 Measuring the dielectric properties of materials. Ninety-year development from low-frequency techniques to broadband spectroscopy and high-frequency imaging Meas. Sci. Technol. 24 012005

XVII International Conference on the Use of Computers in Radiation Therapy (ICCR 2013)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2014-03-01

Editorial Dear colleagues, From a professional perspective there is nothing quite as enjoyable as attending a good conference with colleagues that share not only interest for the same topic but also a similar vision for their field of work. Proceedings cannot replace the direct contact and lively conversations between participants who are at the same time at the same place sharing ideas and discussion. However, proceedings complement the actual conference by 1. giving the ideas, research findings and debates which characterise the conference lasting presence 2. giving participants an opportunity to refresh their memory about issues they would like to follow up on and 3. providing an opportunity for others who were not able to attend the meeting to share in the thoughts and issues discussed at the conference. For the proceedings of the International Conferences on the Use of Computers in Radiation Therapy (ICCR) all this has been important in the past as the high citation rates for ICCR proceedings show. We hope that also the present proceedings will appeal to participants and others who are interested in cancer and ways to treat patients affected by it. It is exciting to note that what sounded like a small niche field (''Computers in Radiation Therapy'') has become a very broad forum to discuss all aspects of cancer diagnosis and therapy. Of particular interest for the 17th ICCR have been data and how to collect, organise and use it effectively. This is relevant for most areas in medicine and we believe that radiation therapy with its focus on evidence based practice and measurable and standardised activities has an important and possibly leading role to play. The 100 manuscripts combined in the present proceedings can hopefully contribute to this. The proceedings are organised into five different streams which reflect the foci of the conference: • Dose Calculation • Imaging for treatment planning and Motion Management • Treatment planning and optimisation • Verification, Risk assessment and IGRT • Trials, registries and more Each of the streams had its own theme editor and we would like to thank Peter Greer, Sarah Gulliford, Tomas Janssen, Joerg Lehmann and Peter Metcalfe and for their invaluable contributions. I believe we all shared the joy of reading the huge variety of manuscripts which reflect a dynamic field and a truly international authorship. All manuscripts have been peer reviewed by at least two independent referees. Still, proceedings are different from journal articles. The focus of the proceedings is on interest for others, novelty and creativity. While trying to ensure a common format to all contributions we have also aimed to maintain the style and approach of the individual authors. We would like to thank all authors and reviewers for their contribution to these ICCR proceedings. On behalf of the editorial team we would like to invite you to explore the proceedings and hope that you enjoy reading them as much as we did editing them. Yours sincerely Annette Haworth and Tomas Kron Editors, Proceedings of the 17th ICCR

Introduction to the topical issue: Nonadditive entropy and nonextensive statistical mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiyama, Masaru

. Dear CMT readers, it is my pleasure to introduce you to this topical issue dealing with a new research field of great interest, nonextensive statistical mechanics. This theory was initiated by Constantino Tsallis' work in 1998, as a possible generalization of Boltzmann-Gibbs thermostatistics. It is based on a nonadditive entropy, nowadays referred to as the Tsallis entropy. Nonextensive statistical mechanics is expected to be a consistent and unified theoretical framework for describing the macroscopic properties of complex systems that are anomalous in view of ordinary thermostatistics. In such systems, the long-standing problem regarding the relationship between statistical and dynamical laws becomes highlighted, since ergodicity and mixing may not be well realized in situations such as the edge of chaos. The phase space appears to self-organize in a structure that is not simply Euclidean but (multi)fractal. Due to this nontrivial structure, the concept of homogeneity of the system, which is the basic premise in ordinary thermodynamics, is violated and accordingly the additivity postulate for the thermodynamic quantities such as the internal energy and entropy may not be justified, in general. (Physically, nonadditivity is deeply relevant to nonextensivity of a system, in which the thermodynamic quantities do not scale with size in a simple way. Typical examples are systems with long-range interactions like self-gravitating systems as well as nonneutral charged ones.) A point of crucial importance here is that, phenomenologically, such an exotic phase-space structure has a fairly long lifetime. Therefore, this state, referred to as a metaequilibrium state or a nonequilibrium stationary state, appears to be described by a generalized entropic principle different from the traditional Boltzmann-Gibbs form, even though it may eventually approach the Boltzmann-Gibbs equilibrium state. The limits t-> ∞ and N-> ∞ do not commute, where t and N are time and the number of particles, respectively. The present topical issue is devoted to summarizing the current status of nonextensive statistical mechanics from various perspectives. It is my hope that this issue can inform the reader of one of the foremost research areas in thermostatistics. This issue consists of eight articles. The first one by Tsallis and Brigatti presents a general introduction and an overview of nonextensive statistical mechanics. At first glance, generalization of the ordinary Boltzmann-Gibbs-Shannon entropy might be completely arbitrary. But Abe's article explains how Tsallis' generalization of the statistical entropy can uniquely be characterized by both physical and mathematical principles. Then, the article by Pluchino, Latora, and Rapisarda presents a strong evidence that nonextensive statistical mechanics is in fact relevant to nonextensive systems with long-range interactions. The articles by Rajagopal, by Wada, and by Plastino, Miller, and Plastino are concerned with the macroscopic thermodynamic properties of nonextensive statistical mechanics. Rajagopal discusses the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Wada develops a discussion about the condition under which the nonextensive statistical-mechanical formalism is thermodynamically stable. The work of Plastino, Miller, and Plastino addresses the thermodynamic Legendre-transform structure and its robustness for generalizations of entropy. After these fundamental investigations, Sakagami and Taruya examine the theory for self-gravitating systems. Finally, Beck presents a novel idea of the so-called superstatistics, which provides nonextensive statistical mechanics with a physical interpretation based on nonequilibrium concepts including temperature fluctuations. Its applications to hydrodynamic turbulence and pattern formation in thermal convection states are also discussed. Nonextensive statistical mechanics is already a well-studied field, and a number of works are available in the literature. It is recommended that the interested reader visit the URL http: //tsallis.cat.cbpf.br/TEMUCO.pdf. There, one can find a comprehensive list of references to more than one thousand papers including important results that, due to lack of space, have not been mentioned in the present issue. Though there are so many published works, nonextensive statistical mechanics is still a developing field. This can naturally be understood, since the program that has been undertaken is an extremely ambitious one that makes a serious attempt to enlarge the horizons of the realm of statistical mechanics. The possible influence of nonextensive statistical mechanics on continuum mechanics and thermodynamics seems to be wide and deep. I will therefore be happy if this issue contributes to attracting the interest of researchers and stimulates research activities not only in the very field of nonextensive statistical mechanics but also in the field of continuum mechanics and thermodynamics in a wider context. As the editor of the present topical issue, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all those who joined up to make this issue. I cordially thank Professor S. Abe for advising me on the editorial policy. Without his help, the present topical issue would never have been brought out.

Factors initiating phytoplankton blooms and resulting effects on dissolved oxygen in Duwamish River estuary, Seattle, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Welch, Eugene Brummer

1969-01-01

Phytoplankton productivity, standing stock, and related environmental factors were studied during 1964-66 in the Duwamish River estuary, at Seattle, Wash., to ascertain the factors that affect phytoplankton growth in the estuary; a knowledge of these factors in turn permits the detection and evaluation of the influence that effluent nutrients have on phytoplankton production. The factors that control the concentration of dissolved oxygen were also evaluated because of the importance of dissolved oxygen to the salmonid populations that migrate through the estuary. Phytoplankton blooms, primarily of diatoms, occurred in the lower estuary during August 1965 and 1966. No bloom occurred during 1964, but the presence of oxygen-supersaturated surface water in August 1963 indicates that a bloom did occur then. Nutrients probably were not the primary factor controlling the timing of phytoplankton blooms. Ammonia ,and phosphate concentrations increased significantly downstream from the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle's Renton Treatment Plant outfall after the plant began operation in June 1965, and concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus were relatively high before operation of the Renton Treatment Plant and during nonbloom periods. The consistent coincidence of blooms with minimum fresh-water discharge and tidal exchange during August throughout the study period indicates that bloom timing probably was controlled mostly by hydrographic factors that determine retention time and stability of the surface-water layer. This control was demonstrated in part by a highly significant correlation of gross productivity with retention time (as indicated by fresh-water discharge) and vertical stability (as indicated by the difference between mean surface and mean bottom temperatures). The failure of a bloom to develop in 1964 is related to a minimum fresh-water discharge that was much greater than normal during that summer. Hydrographic factors are apparently important because, as shown by studies of other estuarine environments by other workers, phytoplankton production increases when the zone of vertical turbulent mixing is not markedly deeper than the compensation depth. Phytoplankton cells produced in the surface waters sink, thereby contributing oxidizable organic matter to the bottom saline-water wedge. The maximum BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) in this bottom wedge occurs in the same section of the estuary and ,at the same time as the maximum phytoplankton biomass (as indicated by chlorophyll a) and minimum DO (dissolved oxygen). Other sources of BOD occur in the estuary, and conditions of minimum discharge and tidal exchange assist in reducing DO. Nonetheless, the highly significant correlation of chlorophyll a with BOD throughout the summer indicates that respiration and decomposition of phytoplankton cells is dearly an important contributor of BOD. Increases in the biomass and resultant B0D of blooms because of increased effluent nutrients presumably would further decrease the concentration of DO. This possible effect of effluent nutrients was evaluated by laboratory .bioassays and by a comparison of mean annual biomasses in the estuary. A green algal population in vitro did increase in response to added effluent nutrients; however, the available field data suggest that a 46-percent increase in effluent discharge between 1965 and 1966 did not increase the estuary's phytoplankton biomass significantly.

EDITORIAL: Letter from the Editor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hauptmann, Peter

2006-12-01

Dear authors and reviewers of articles for Measurement Science and Technology, I would like to thank all those who have published papers with us in 2006, and special thanks go to those of you who have kindly reviewed articles for the journal this year. I would also like to take this opportunity to update you on some of the developments on the journal this year. As many of you are no doubt aware our impact factor (a measure of the average number of times recent papers are referred to by others) has remained above 1 for the second year in a row. This is often taken as an indication of the quality and relevance of recently published research, and although as readers we develop our own instinct for journals of high quality, it is gratifying as an Editor to see the data from an independent organization agreeing with my own assessment. This year we have welcomed several new faces to our Editorial Board and International Advisory Board. We are delighted to welcome Professor Hirofumi Yamada of the University of Kyoto as a representative from Japan. From China we have been joined by Professor Xuzong Chen of Peking University and Professor Zhiyi Wei of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing. Professor Ivan Marusic from University of Minnesota and Dr Paul Williams of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder have joined as North American representatives. As usual you will be able to submit your articles through them or direct to the Editorial Office in Bristol, UK. As part of our ongoing initiative to give our authors' work the highest visibility, all articles are freely available online for 30 days from the date of publication, allowing all researchers to read and view the latest research as soon as it is published, and this year there have been many interesting articles to read! As regular readers are aware, Measurement Science and Technology publishes special issues and features, which highlight an area of current interest. This year's topics included particle image velocimetry; optoelectronic, electronic and optical fibre sensors; and density metrology among others, and next year we will publish a special issue on nanoscale metrology which I'm sure will be of interest to many of you. Remember to set up a free e-mail alert so you can be e-mailed as soon as articles in your field are published! The Editorial Board invites topical review articles and this year several interesting topics were covered by international leaders in their field. For example, Paul Lambeck (Univ. Twente, Netherlands) has written about integrated optical sensors in the chemical domain; Bernd Fellmuth, Christof Gaiser and Joachim Fischer of PTB, Germany have contributed an interesting article on the determination of the Boltzmann constant; Juergen Czarske (TU Dresden, Germany) has published an article on laser Doppler velocimetry; while Adrian Dobroiu, Chiko Otani and Kodo Kawase (RIKEN, Japan) have written about terahertz wave sources and imaging applications. We were also pleased to publish a review by Brian Culshaw (Univ. Strathclyde, UK) on the optical fibre Sagnac interferometer. We hope that these articles and the others published this year will provide a useful overview for our readers, and be helpful to new researchers. In June 2005 we introduced the second phase of our author and referee homepages. Many of you already have your own referee homepages set up, and we have now introduced an authors section where authors can submit their manuscript, access referee reports, collect proofs, and track the progress of their article from submission, through the peer-review process, to decision and publication. Of course we still understand that some people prefer to receive things by e-mail or post so we will do our best to be flexible for both authors and referees. Our author and referee web pages have proved extremely popular, and partly as a result of our innovation in this area, most authors can expect to receive a first decision on their paper within 55 days. Once accepted, papers are published within 40 days (on average), and although this means that on average papers are published less than 6 months after first being received, we will continue to work to improve the service we provide. There simply remains for me to say thank you again for your contribution to Measurement Science and Technology this year, and I wish you all the best for a successful 2007!

Measurement Science and Technology at 2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birch, David J. S.

2013-01-01

Dear authors, reviewers and readers of Measurement Science and Technology, As a New Year dawns I would like to thank all those who have published papers with us in 2012, and offer a special thanks go to those of you who have given up much of your precious time and kindly reviewed articles for the journal. I would also like to take this opportunity to update you all on some of the developments on the journal as we look ahead to a 2013 that will be a very special year for MST. Something that many readers may not be aware of is that Measurement Science and Technology was the world's first scientific instrument journal, and in 2013 we will be celebrating 90 years since the journal was first published. In 1923 the Institute of Physics launched the Journal of Scientific Instruments in order to capture the essential information regarding the design and performance of instruments, which was then often unobtainable from books or articles focused on results. The journal has moved with the times over the 90 years since its first publication, changing its name and scope to ensure it reflects the community it serves, but the dissemination of useful measurement knowledge has always been its core purpose. In 2013 we will be celebrating the sustained success of the journal with a series of articles and events throughout the year. These include a one-day 'Frontiers of Measurement' meeting to be held at the Institute of Physics, London, on 21 March. We do hope you can join us and leading speakers for this exciting event. We also think you will enjoy reading the articles in this special reviews issue which will showcase some of the best research in the journal's scope as well as look back over the past 90 years with a historical perspective by Richard Dewhurst and a historical review of the measurement of dielectric properties of materials by Udo Kaatze. Regular readers will already be familiar with our special issue programme, collecting original research papers in areas of interest to our readers. We can look forward in 2013 to the publication of special issues on 3D velocimetry and optical fibre sensors, areas where we have a long history of publishing articles from the some of the best researchers in the field. In my first year as Editor, I have enjoyed gaining an overview of other fields, in particular through the review articles. Multidisciplinarity, bound by the common language of measurement, is a hallmark of Measurement Science and Technology. It still impresses me that I can be reading about the measurement of protein dynamics [1] in one issue and measuring the interior of volcanoes [2] in another! As is so often the case, translating methods across research fields can break through the limits of traditional approaches and produce a real game-changer. By signing up to receive table of contents alerts, one can browse the journal and pick out topics of interest as well as experience the serendipity that comes from seeing things from the perspective of another research field. This seldom happens when looking at more narrowly focused journals or subject alerts. As this is a special year for the journal we are planning to publish several perspectives articles from members of our Editorial Board. Those published already have proved very popular so far as they give a personal view on a topic of current interest and help express the unique character of the journal. When speaking to young researchers I am particularly aware that having their articles published in a timely fashion is important, and I am pleased that our publication times are highly competitive, with most authors receiving a publication decision within six weeks and most articles being published a month after acceptance. Looking forward to 2013, we will continue to rely on our esteemed reviewers, for their help in determining which articles make a significant contribution to the field of measurement. Their work is highly valued, not only by those of us who work directly on the journal, but also by the readers who can continue to refer to MST knowing that only work of a high standard is published here. Finally I wish to thank the Institute of Physics Publishing team and the whole Editorial Board of Measurement Science and Technology. Their professionalism, expertise and dedication have, together with the fine work of authors and reviewers, led directly to the journal's impact factor (a measure of the average number of times recent papers are referenced by others) rising to its all-time high of 1.494. Impact factor is often taken as an indication of the quality and relevance of recently published research, and although as researchers we develop our own instinct for recognizing journals of high quality, it is gratifying as an Editor to see the data from an independent organization (Thomson ISI) agreeing with my own assessment. In research, as in commerce, competition raises quality and it is especially encouraging that our impact factor is now, for the first time, the highest in the sector of wide-ranging instrumentation and techniques. There simply remains for me to say thank you again for your contribution to Measurement Science and Technology in 2012, and wish you all the very best for a successful 2013! References [1] Adamczyk K et al 2012 Measuring protein dynamics with ultrafast two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy Meas. Sci. Technol. 23 062001 [2] Okubo S and Tanaka H K M 2012 Imaging the density profile of a volcano interior with cosmic-ray muon radiography combined with classical gravimetry Meas. Sci. Technol. 23 042001

Find a hotter place! A history of nuclear astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Celnikier, Ludwik Marian

1. The Vacuum, the Universe, and things that go "pop" in the night. 1.1. The discovery of the vacuum. 1.2. The rise and fall of the vacuum. 1.3. The vacuum reborn. 1.4. The transmutation of the vacuum. 1.5. The tribulations of a simple oscillator. 1.6. The ther, nouveau régime. 1.7. The unbearable heaviness of the vacuum -- 2. Eleven quadrillion six hundred thousand billion tonnes of coal per second. 2.1. The eternal triangle. 2.2. Cracks in the celestial sphere. 2.3. The rebirth of atoms -- 3. Fin de Siècle, Fin du Monde. 3.1. The atoms of chemistry. 3.2. The atoms of heat. 3.3. Chemical analysis without chemistry. 3.4. Temperature measurement without a thermometer. 3.5. A bagful of loose ends. 3.6. Thermodynamics: the 19th century astronomer's best friend. 3.7. The death of the Universe -- 4. A mystery wrapped in an enigma. 4.1. The mystery. 4.2. The enigma -- 5. The rise of the new physics. 5.1. Almost, but not quite, the alchemist's dream. 5.2. Light magic. 5.3. To catch a beam of light. 5.4. A locked room mystery . . . solved. 5.5. Of what is the Universe made? -- 6. The chicken and the egg. 6.1. Balancing acts. 6.2. Neutrons to the rescue? 6.3. Cosmology to the rescue? -- 7. The best of times and the worst of times. 7.1. Theories to end all theories. 7.2. Thermonuclear leggo. 7.3. And yet they shine. 7.4. The inflationary economy of stars. 7.5. To see the World in a grain of sand -- 8. A tale of two theories and one dogma. 8.1. Fiat lux? 8.2. Continuous creation? 8.3. Cosmic cooking pots. 8.4. Death of a travelling dogma -- 9. Relics of a bygone age. 9.1. One man's noise is another man's Nobel prize. 9.2. Clues about the distant past. 9.3. Genesis, according to Gamow -- 10. Cosmic ash. 10.1. "The fault, dear Enrico, is not in our stars, but in your neutrinos". 10.2. Things that go bump in the night. 10.3. "I come not to bury Caesar, but to praise him". 10.4. Most of our Universe is missing -- Epilogue-the mysterious universe -- A personal chronology of 20th century astrosphysics -- Bibliography.

HR Public meeting

ScienceCinema

Heuer, Rolf; Catherin, Anne-Sylvie; Vuillemin, Vin

2018-05-25

Cher(e)s collègues, En collaboration avec le Département HR, le Directeur général a le plaisir de vous convier à une réunion publique qui se tiendra le vendredi 25 juin 2010 à 9h30 dans l’Amphithéâtre principal (Bâtiment 500)*. Un café d’accueil y sera servi à partir de 9h. Cette réunion abordera les thèmes suivants : • Valeurs de l’Organisation (Directeur général) • Code de Conduite (Directeur général / Anne-Sylvie Catherin) • Création du nouveau rôle d’Ombudsperson (Vincent Vuillemin); Ces présentations seront suivies d’une séance de questions-réponses. Nous espérons vous retrouver nombreux le 25 juin ! Meilleures salutations, Anne-Sylvie Catherin Chef du Département des Ressources humaines *Cette réunion sera retransmise simultanément dans l’Amphithéâtre BE de Prévessin (Bâtiment 864) et également disponible à l’adresse suivante : http://webcast.cern.ch. Dear colleagues, In collaboration with HR Department, the Director-General would like to invite you to an information meeting which will be held on Friday 25 June 2010 at 9:30 am in the Main Auditorium (Building 500)*. A welcome coffee will be available from 9:00 am. During this meeting, information will be given about: • Organization’s values (Director-General) • Code of Conduct (Director-General / Anne-Sylvie Catherin) • New Ombudsperson role (Vincent Vuillemin) These presentations will be followed by a questions & answers session. We look forward to seeing you all on 25 June! Best regards, Anne-Sylvie Catherin Head, Human Resources Department. This meeting will be simultaneously retransmitted in BE Auditorium (Building 864) and available at the following address: http://webcast.cern.ch.

Transforming learning?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1999-09-01

A new Learning and Skills Council for post-16 learning is the latest proposal from the UK Government in its attempt to ensure a highly skilled workforce for the next century. Other aims will be to reduce the variability in standards of the existing post-16 system, coordination and coherence between further education and training, and a reduction in the duplication and layers in contracting and funding. The proposals include: a national Learning and Skills Council, with 40-50 local Learning and Skills Councils to develop local plans; a strengthened strategic role for business in education and training, influencing a budget of #5bn a radical new youth programme entitled `Connexions', with dedicated personal advisors for young people; greater cooperation between sixth forms and colleges; and the establishment of an independent inspectorate covering all work-related learning and training, to include a new role for Ofsted in inspecting the provision for 16-19 year-olds in schools and colleges. It is hoped that this programme will build on the successes of the previous systems and that savings of at least #50m can be achieved through streamlining and the reduction in bureaucracy. The intentions are set out in a White Paper, Learning to Succeed, which is available from the Stationery Office and bookshops, as well as on the website www.dfee.gov.uk/post16. Published in addition to the White Paper was `School Sixth form funding: a consultation paper' (available from DfEE publications, Prolog, PO Box 5050, Sherwood Park, Annesley, Nottingham NG15 0DJ) and `Transition plan for the post-16 education and training and for local delivery of support for small firms' (available from Trevor Tucknutt, TECSOP Division, Level 3, Department for Education and Employment, Moorfoot, Sheffield S1 4PQ). The deadline for comments on both the sixth form consultation document and the White Paper is 15 October 1999. Almost simultaneously with the announcement of the above proposals came the launch of the new Institute for Learning and Teaching in York. This has been established with the aim of raising standards of teaching in higher education and improving learning and teaching methods in universities and colleges. Teaching is felt to be at least as important as research in higher education, and the new Institute will oversee the quality of training programmes for higher education teachers, highlight examples of good practice throughout the UK, as well as recognize and reward good teaching. It will also help to administer teaching and learning support schemes on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, including a new #1m a year fund for national teaching fellowships. The Institute has been set up in response to recommendations in the Dearing Report on higher education, and will be an independent body supported by the teaching organisations, universities and colleges of higher education and the funding councils. Besides accrediting programmes of training and development, it will provide a range of services for members. Membership will be open to those engaged in teaching or learning support who have completed accredited training programmes or provided other evidence of eligibility. It is expected that membership of the institute will become a normal requirement for new teachers in higher education. Further information about the Institute may be obtained from the Institute for Learning and Teaching, Genesis 3, York Science Park, York YO10 5DQ (tel: 01904 434222, e-mail: enquiries@ilt.ac.uk).

Reduction of virion-associated σ1 fibers on oncolytic reovirus variants promotes adaptation toward tumorigenic cells.

PubMed

Mohamed, Adil; Teicher, Carmit; Haefliger, Sarah; Shmulevitz, Maya

2015-04-01

Wild-type mammalian orthoreovirus serotype 3 Dearing (T3wt) is nonpathogenic in humans but preferentially infects and kills cancer cells in culture and demonstrates promising antitumor activity in vivo. Using forward genetics, we previously isolated two variants of reovirus, T3v1 and T3v2, with increased infectivity toward a panel of cancer cell lines and improved in vivo oncolysis in a murine melanoma model relative to that of T3wt. Our current study explored how mutations in T3v1 and T3v2 promote infectivity. Reovirions contain trimers of σ1, the reovirus cell attachment protein, at icosahedral capsid vertices. Quantitative Western blot analysis showed that purified T3v1 and T3v2 virions had ∼ 2- and 4-fold-lower levels of σ1 fiber than did T3wt virions. Importantly, using RNA interference to reduce σ1 levels during T3wt production, we were able to generate wild-type reovirus with reduced levels of σ1 per virion. As σ1 levels were reduced, virion infectivity increased by 2- to 5-fold per cell-bound particle, demonstrating a causal relationship between virion σ1 levels and the infectivity of incoming virions. During infection of tumorigenic L929 cells, T3wt, T3v1, and T3v2 uncoated the outer capsid proteins σ3 and μ1C at similar rates. However, having started with fewer σ1 molecules, a complete loss of σ1 was achieved sooner for T3v1 and T3v2. Distinct from intracellular uncoating, chymotrypsin digestion, as a mimic of natural enteric infection, resulted in more rapid σ3 and μ1C removal, unique disassembly intermediates, and a rapid loss of infectivity for T3v1 and T3v2 compared to T3wt. Optimal infectivity toward natural versus therapeutic niches may therefore require distinct reovirus structures and σ1 levels. Wild-type reovirus is currently in clinical trials as a potential cancer therapy. Our molecular studies on variants of reovirus with enhanced oncolytic activity in vitro and in vivo now show that distinct reovirus structures promote adaptation toward cancer cells and away from conditions that mimic natural routes of infection. Specifically, we found that reovirus particles with fewer molecules of the cell attachment protein σ1 became more infectious toward transformed cells. Reduced σ1 levels conferred a benefit to incoming particles only, resulting in an earlier depletion of σ1 and a higher probability of establishing productive infection. Conversely, reovirus variants with fewer σ1 molecules showed reduced stability and infectivity and distinct disassembly when exposed to conditions that mimic natural intestinal proteolysis. These findings support a model where the mode of infection dictates the precise optimum of reovirus structure and provide a molecular rationale for considering alternative reovirus structures during oncolytic therapy. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Past Holocene soil erosion modeling as a new way to decipher human-climate-environment interactions on natural geo-ecosystem over long time-scale.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simonneau, Anaëlle; Di Giovanni, Christian; Chapron, Emmanuel

2017-04-01

Soil erosion is a global phenomenon dealing with both environmental, societal and economic issues. Soil erosion is also one of the key processes when it is a matter of Human-climate-environment interactions [1, 2] since if mechanical erosion of continental surfaces initially results from climatic forcing, it can be largely amplified by anthropogenic activities. Using multi-scalar datasets to model long-term (Holocene) erosion fluxes in contrasted areas, where human pressure is well documented by geoarchaeology, we address how landscape evolution, geomorphological processes, ecosystem response and human impacts have been connected over time. Beyond that, such interdisciplinary and integrative approach allow (1) to locally date, qualify, and in particular quantify, both climate variability (rainfall) and impacts of human activities on soils, and (2) to discuss of potential feedback mechanisms and the legacy of past socio-cultural systems on actual geo-ecosystems. Lacustrine sediment represents one of the more relevant natural archives in order to reconstruct environmental or climatic variability and human activities over the past thousand years. Over the last 50 years, the edges of lakes Paladru (low altitude site, 640 m a.s.l.) and Blanc Huez (high-altitude site, 2250 m a.s.l.), both located in Western French Alps and therefore sensitive to the same climatic influences, have been deeply studied by archaeologists who documented and dated periods of enhanced human pressures (agriculture, mining [3, 4]). In these two case-studies, we were therefore able to confront the specific calendars of local human activities with past landscape evolution (vegetation cover, 5) and soil erosion fluxes reconstituted from specific organic tracers quantified into the lacustrine sediments [3, 6]. Results demonstrated that, over the Holocene, climatic forcing, and more particularly glacial fluctuations, influenced human accessibility to high-altitude sites (lake Blanc Huez) and therefore regulated the anthropogenic impacts on the geo-ecosystem; whereas none feedback was identified at lower altitude (lake Paladru) at least after the Bronze Age period. Independent soil erosion modelling performed on the two sites add more information. Between 10,000 and 5500 cal years BP, annual rainfall estimations are the same for the two sites (around 300 mm per year), demonstrating that for both sites, soil erosion was only dependent of climate variability and rainfall intensity over this period. After 5500 cal years BP, the two models clearly differ, with a systematic overestimation of the sediment budget delivered into lake Paladru; and this time-interval matches the beginning of agricultural practices in the vicinity of this lake [3]. It suggests that human-induced soil erosion could be effective since the Neolithic period. Indeed, according to models, agrarian activities would explain up to 50% of soil erosion within the catchment area of lake Paladru between the Bronze Age and the Middle Age, suggesting that the actual geomorphology of the drainage basin is inherited from several millenary and not only from modern activities. [1] Dearing et al., 2006 [2] Ojima et al., 1994 [3] Simonneau et al., 2013, JAS [4] Garçon et al., 2012 [5] Doyen et al., 2016 [6] Simonneau et al., 2014, QSR

The evolution of agricultural intensification and environmental degradation in the UK: a data-driven systems dynamics approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armstrong McKay, David I.; Dearing, John A.; Dyke, James G.; Poppy, Guy; Firbank, Les

2016-04-01

The world's population continues to grow rapidly, yet the current demand for food is already resulting in environmental degradation in many regions. As a result, an emerging challenge of the 21st century is how agriculture can simultaneously undergo sustainable intensification and be made more resilient to accelerating climate change. Key to this challenge is: a) finding the "safe and just operating space" for the global agri-environment system that both provides sufficient food for humanity and avoids crossing dangerous planetary boundaries, and b) downscaling this framework from a planetary to a regional scale in order to better inform decision making and incorporate regional dynamics within the planetary boundaries framework. Regional safe operating spaces can be defined and explored using a combination of metrics that indicate the changing status of ecosystem services (both provisioning and regulating), statistical techniques that reveal early warning signals and breakpoints, and dynamical system models of the regional agri-environment system. Initial attempts to apply this methodology have been made in developing countries (e.g. China [Dearing et al., 2012, 2014; Zhang et al., 2015]), but have not yet been attempted in more developed countries, for example the UK. In this study we assess the changes in ecosystem services in two contrasting agricultural regions in the UK, arable-dominated East England and pastoral-dominated South-West England, since the middle of the 20th Century. We identify and establish proxies and indices of various provisioning and regulating services in these two regions and analyse how these have changed over this time. We find that significant degradation of regulating services occurred in Eastern England in the early 1980s, reflecting a period of rapid intensification and escalating fertiliser usage, but that regulating services have begun to recover since 2000 mainly as a result of fertiliser usage decoupling from increasing wheat yield. Soil erosion / suspended sediment transport and atmospheric pollution have also declined, but some biodiversity degradation metrics continue to rise. Environmental degradation resulting from agriculture in this region appears to have followed the trajectory of an Environmental Kuznets Curve, with recent years showing that regional GDP growth has begun to decouple from ecological deterioration. The history of South-West England is complicated by the significant drop in livestock density as a result of the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and highly variable erosion data, but in general a similar pattern of increasing degradation in the 1980s and a gradual recovery since ~2000 is observed. Data with higher spatial and temporal resolution is required in order to further investigate the differing behaviour of the agri-environment system in each region. Based on this analysis, the preliminary results of a prototype dynamical systems model of regional agri-environment systems in the UK is also presented. Further development of this model will enhance our ability to identify regional social-ecological system boundaries and to detect the potential presence of tipping points within them.

Reasons for not Using Condoms among Heterosexual Men in Belgrade, Serbia.

PubMed

Bjekić, Milan; Sipetić-Grujičić, Sandra; Vlajinac, Hristina; Nikolić, Aleksandra

2018-04-01

Dear Editor, Proper and consistent use of male condoms can be a highly effective method of preventing the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV (1), but this method relies on men's willingness and ability to use condoms. In the United States of America, about 20% overall and less than 50% of adults with multiple partners used a condom at last intercourse (2). In Serbia in 2013 (3), 50.0% of women and 62.5% of men aged 15-49 who had more than one partner in the past year used a condom during their last intercourse. Heterosexual men often use condoms to prevent pregnancy rather than the transmission of venereal diseases (4). For better public promotion of condom use, it is necessary to know the reasons for its inconsistent or incorrect use. With this in mind, we asked 200 consecutive chlamydia-positive heterosexual men admitted to the City Institute for Skin and Venereal Diseases in Belgrade to complete an anonymous questionnaire, taken from a Danish study (5), about their attitudes to/or experience with condoms. Patients were divided into two groups; Group I consisted of 109 (54.5%) men who reported that they had never or sometimes used condoms during intercourse and Group II consisted of 91 (45.5%) men who had used a condom often or always. The majority of participants (68.5%) were ≤30 years old, while the rest were older. The analysis of differences between these two groups was performed using a chi-square test. Attitudes concerning use of condoms are presented in Table 1. The majority of our participants (43.5%) did not use a condom because they had sexual intercourse with regular partners. This may be explained by trust and misperception of risk of contracting STIs during sex with a regular partner or lack of discussion with the partner about condom use. The results of another study about condom use with a steady partner (6) have shown that 31% of participants reported using condoms consistently with steady partners. The second most frequent reason for not using a condom in our participants was the statement that condom decreased sexual pleasure. Several studies (7,8) have reported that this is one of the main reasons for not using a condom. In Randolph et al. (9), both women and men rated unprotected vaginal intercourse as more pleasurable than protected vaginal sex. In particular, men believe that condoms reduce sexual pleasure and they are less likely to use them in practice. Condom-associated erection problems or problems with condom fit were reported by 42% of our participants (items 1, 14, 15 in Table 1). Several studies have shown that men experiencing condom-associated erection problems practiced unprotected vaginal intercourse significantly more frequently than men who did not experience this problem (10,11). Although alcohol use has been found to be an independent and important risk factor for unprotected sex (5,12), only 5.5% of our participants reported that alcohol intake was the main reason for not using a condom. In the present study, participants who had never or sometimes used condoms reported significantly more frequently that they forgot to bring or even use a condom when it was available, which illustrates their risky behavior and unwillingness to use a condom. Patients who had often used a condom reported condom failure significantly more frequently because of their partners refusing to use it. Since men believe more frequently than women that condoms reduce sexual pleasure, the question is whether they could not persuade their partners or find a good excuse not to use it. In summary, the results of the present study indicate the main factors that should be considered when promoting condom use. Such promotion should include advice about using condoms, a demonstration of correct use, and provision of condoms to the patient.

Accident rates at a busy diving centre.

PubMed

Davis, Michael; Malcolm, Kate

2008-06-01

Dear Editor, The Poor Knights Islands in Northland, New Zealand, is a world-famous, temperate-water, diving tourism destination, popularised many years ago by Jacques Cousteau. By far the largest dive operator there is Dive! Tutukaka, with five vessels carrying up to 30 divers, operating on a regular basis throughout the year. Dive! Tutukaka is required to keep a detailed, daily vessel manifest. Thus, the number of divers is known accurately and all incidents are recorded by the Skipper or the Chief Divemaster on board. Although all dives are logged (time in, time out and maximum depth for every diver) and kept permanently, these data were not utilised for this brief report. Each customer does two dives on a trip and there are between one and four divemasters on board who may do one, two or more dives a day (van der Hulst G, unpublished observations). Thus the accident rate per diver is known, and it is assumed that the rate per dive is very close to half this figure. In addition, under health and safety regulations all non-diving injuries both on shore and on board are documented, but these will include some non-divers. For the three financial years between July 2005 and 14 June 2008, 32,302 customers dived with Dive! Tutukaka, approximately 63,000 dives (a small minority did only one dive). Over the same period, there were an estimated 7,600 dives conducted by the divemasters. The injuries documented during this time are shown in Table 1. There were seven cases of decompression illness (DCI), a rate of about 1 per 10,000 divers (0.5 per 10,000 dives). Two of the seven DCI cases involved serious neurological injury. There was one further possible case of DCI who did not seek medical advice. If this diver is included then the rate is 1.14 per 10,000 divers. More minor diving injuries and incidents occurred at a rate of approximately 2 per 10,000 divers. Non-diving injuries occurred rarely, the most common being various musculo-skeletal injuries to staff, requiring time off work. Many of these were secondary to lifting and carrying heavy diving equipment, particularly dive tanks. This indicates an area where improved practices by staff could be achieved. We believe these injury data are robust and provide an accurate picture of a single, mainstream, international tourism diving centre in temperate waters, and indicate a low rate of injury, comparable to the international literature.

Nitrite fixation by humic substances: Nitrogen-15 nuclear magnetic resonance evidence for potential intermediates in chemodenitrification

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thorn, K.A.; Mikita, M.A.

2000-01-01

Studies have suggested that NO2/-, produced during nitrification and denitrification, can become incorporated into soil organic matter and, in one of the processes associated with chemodenitrification, react with organic matter to form trace N gases, including N2O. To gain an understanding of the nitrosation chemistry on a molecular level, soil and aquatic humic substances were reacted with 15N-labeled NaNO2, and analyzed by liquid phase 15N and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The International Humic Substances Society (IHSS) Pahokee peat and peat humic acid were also reacted with Na15NO2 and analyzed by solid-state 15N NMR. In Suwannee River, Armadale, and Laurentian fulvic acids, phenolic rings and activated methylene groups underwent nitrosation to form nitrosophenols (quinone monoximes) and ketoximes, respectively. The oximes underwent Beckmann rearrangements to 2??amides, and Beckmann fragmentations to nitriles. The nitriles in turn underwent hydrolysis to 1??amides. Peaks tentatively identified as imine, indophenol, or azoxybenzene nitrogens were clearly present in spectra of samples nitrosated at pH 6 but diminished at pH 3. The 15N NMR spectrum of the peat humic acid exhibited peaks corresponding with N-nitroso groups in addition to nitrosophenols, ketoximes, and secondary Beckmann reaction products. Formation of N-nitroso groups was more significant in the whole peat compared with the peat humic acid. Carbon-13 NMR analyses also indicated the occurrence of nitrosative demethoxylation in peat and soil humic acids. Reaction of 15N-NH3 fixated fulvic acid with unlabeled NO2/- resulted in nitrosative deamination of aminohydroquinone N, suggesting a previously unrecognized pathway for production of N2 gas in soils fertilized with NH3.Studies have suggested that NO2-, produced during nitrification and denitrification, can become incorporated into soil organic matter and, in one of the processes associated with chemodenitrification, react with organic matter to form trace N gases, including N2O. To gain an understanding of the nitrosation chemistry on a molecular level, soil and aquatic humic substances were reacted with 15N-labeled NaNO2, and analyzed by liquid phase 15N and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The International Humic Substances Society (IHSS) Pahokee peat and peat humic acid were also reacted with Na15NO2 and analyzed by solid-state 15N NMR. In Suwannee River, Armadale, and Laurentian fulvic acids, phenolic rings and activated methylene groups underwent nitrosation to form nitrosophenols (quinone monoximes) and ketoximes, respectively. The oximes underwent Beckmann rearrangements to 2?? amides, and Beckmann fragmentations to nitriles. The nitriles in turn underwent hydrolysis to 1?? amides. Peaks tentatively identified as imine, indophenol, or azoxybenzene nitrogens were dearly present in spectra of samples nitrosated at pH 6 but diminished at pH 3. The 15N NMR spectrum of the peat humic acid exhibited peaks corresponding with N-nitroso groups in addition to nitrosophenols, ketoximes, and secondary Beckmann reaction products. Formation of N-nitroso groups was more significant in the whole peat compared with the peat humic acid. Carbon-13 NMR analyses also indicated the occurrence of nitrosative demethoxylation in peat and soil humic acids. Reaction of 15N-NH3 fixated fulvic acids with unlabeled NO2- resulted in nitrosative deamination of aminohydroquinone N, suggesting a previously unrecognized pathway for production of N2 gas in soils fertilized with NH3.

EDITORIAL: Astrophysics by all means - but by what means?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kibble, Bob

1997-01-01

The October total lunar eclipse offered me no more company than two foxes out on a night excursion across Caterham Common. It was 4am, however, so company was an optimistic hope. The deep pink/red umbral phase was indeed breathtaking, as indeed was teaching physics the following day after only 90 minutes sleep. Two weeks later it was altogether a different story. I lost count of the people who kept me company on Waterloo Bridge for the duration of the partial solar eclipse. With telescope and safe projection all set up I met Americans on holiday, families out for the day, Greek students from King's College and a host of casual passers-by. It was a happy and interactive event. I had quite a crowd at one point and the broad pavement was blocked. There was much talk of Cornwall 1999 and the 'big one'. I have shared these scenes with you because for me they encapture the emerging renaissance of astronomy within the public domain. Was it a coincidence that the same month saw an entire night devoted to Star Trek on the TV, not to mention National Astronomy week. Translated into the curriculum, this movement has given birth to Earth and Beyond at Key Stages 1 to 4, to a revitalized GCSE astronomy course and to cosmology and astrophysics modules at A-level. This special issue provides readers with some engaging reading to support their interest in space and physics. From the personal account of three professionals who reflect on life after astrophysics to the latest curriculum package to emerge from the Trump team I hope you will find material here to enrich your own perspectives and your teaching. This is the third astronomy-related special that I have been associated with and there will no doubt be more. As 1999 approaches and we in the UK gear ourselves for those few minutes of totality, an equally significant event will be underway in schools and colleges. The post-Dearing physics syllabuses will be in operation, eclipsing the current, outdated, uninspiring, subject-centred menu and offering a new updated, attractive, student-centred approach to teaching and learning physics. The approach will be one where teaching is supported by innovative teaching materials, enabling students to work in groups, to role-play, to research and problem-solve, to design using mathematical models, to learn about physics beyond their classrooms, to develop key skills and to speak about physics with an enthusiasm and sparkle. Yes, I too can dream, but if you don't aim for the stars, as the saying goes, you will not even reach the top of the mountain. The inclusion of topics like astrophysics, cosmology and particle physics in syllabus structures is to be applauded for offering young people a broader vision of physics. However, they are all developments which attempt to influence the content of a physics syllabus. The debate has been whether or not to include the fourth-power law in an astrophysics unit or whether refractive index has a place in Medical Physics to explain optical fibre technology. What has been missing as far as I can see has been a parallel movement in developing the way Physics has been taught, can be taught and can be studied. The time for funding new initiatives which will develop the methodology of teaching and learning physics is now. It is over 20 years since I used the teacher's pages of the old Nuffleld Advanced books to give me ideas on how to teach the course as a probationer (NQT). I still find myself referring to them on occasion. In the intervening years we have learnt much about how young people learn science and how older people teach science. So here is a message to the physics education community. By all means fund projects to introduce some modern physics into the curriculum but hear this plea for parallel developments in new ways to teach the new, and the old, physics - ways that will cater for broad ability ranges and for the diverse career interests of students and will allow teachers to adjust their focus away from the content and towards the learners. Physics education in schools is not just about physics but about education.

Current Research Studies

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Obituary: Andrew Stephen Wilson, 1947-2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veilleux, Sylvain

2009-01-01

On 24 May 2008, Andrew Stephen Wilson passed away at the age of 61, in his home in Silver Spring, Maryland, from complications resulting from a painful spinal illness. Andrew was arguably one of the first truly multi-wavelength astronomers of his generation. His scientific work on active galactic nuclei [AGN] spanned the entire electromagnetic spectrum from the radio to the X-rays. Andrew was born in Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, on 26 March 1947. He was the younger of two brothers whose births were separated by the Second World War. His father, Norman, came from a relatively affluent family who were coal merchants. His mother, Mary, came from a less comfortable background, one of seven children, daughter of a skilled cabinet maker/French polisher, who went through a very hard time during the depression. As a teacher, she placed enormous value on hard work and education as a way of gaining advancement in life. When Andrew was four, the family moved to Skipton, a nice market town in the Yorkshire dales. Andrew went to a small village school until age eleven when he entered Ermysted's Grammar School. He was an enthusiastic soccer and cricket player. He never lost his enthusiasm for soccer and supported the local soccer team, Leeds United, for all his life. Andrew also followed the Yorkshire county cricket team. Andrew's interest in astronomy stemmed from the fact that at Ermysted's Grammar School someone donated a four-inch refracting telescope, so he and his friends used to go back in the evenings to investigate the rings of Saturn, the moons of Jupiter, and various nebulae. While an undergraduate at Cambridge, Andrew joined the astronomy club and ground an 8-inch mirror by hand as a part of a telescope that he set up in the backyard of his parents' house. Andrew spent hours observing with this telescope, and it was the wonder of the family. At Cambridge, Andrew obtained his bachelor's degree with first-class honors in 1969. During a short visit in London with his fellow students to celebrate the end of their exams, Andrew met Finnish summer student, Kaija Kettunen, whom he married in 1975 in her home town of Lieksa, Finland. They had a son, Daniel, now living in South Riding, Virginia, and a daughter, Caroline, living in Oakland, California. In 1973, Andrew obtained his doctorate degree in physics at the Cavendish Laboratory, working under the direction of Martin Ryle, winner of the 1974 Nobel Prize in physics. Andrew's PhD was dedicated to a study of the Crab Nebula at the highest radio frequencies at which the Cambridge One-mile Telescope could operate. This work, which included both intensity and polarization data, was a triumph of perseverance and skill in the reduction of an extremely complex data set. This experience stood him in excellent stead for his future career. After his PhD, Andrew went on to be a postdoctoral research fellow at Sterrewacht, Leiden, Netherlands, and then at the Astronomy Centre of the University of Sussex, England. By that time, Andrew wanted to leave England, because he thought that he would be able to secure a permanent position in astronomy faster in another country. He also loved traveling and getting to know other cultures, and he learned foreign languages easily. In 1978, Andrew and his wife had two choices: One was to accept a position at the European Southern Observatory in Garching and the other was to come to the University of Maryland. Together they decided to come to the United States rather than go to Germany because of the language and culture. Andrew remained at the University of Maryland for his entire career. He was a scientist of extraordinary productivity and impact over his lifetime: He wrote more than three-hundred scientific publications and accumulated more than 11,000 citations to this large body of work. In the 1970s and 1980s, he pioneered the use of radio telescopes for the study of active galactic nuclei, writing in collaboration with his students a number of seminal papers that are still standard references in the field today. In the last 15 years, Andrew became an avid proponent of two of NASA's Great Observatories, the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory. Since 1985, he was NASA Interdisciplinary Scientist and member of the Science Working Group for the Chandra X-ray Observatory. He was also an adjunct astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore since 1994. Taking advantage of this leap in technology, Andrew used these facilities to examine the environment of black holes in unprecedented detail and led a research group that was second to none in this area of research. Over the years, Andrew trained and supervised twelve Ph.D. students and more than fifteen postdoctoral research scientists, all of whom are active members of the astronomical community today. This group's work on nearby radio galaxies (e.g., Cygnus A, M87, and Pictor A) and Seyfert galaxies (e.g., the Circinus galaxy, NGC 1068, NGC 4151, and NGC 4258) is simply outstanding, a monument to Andrew's passion and perseverance to seek a complete physical understanding of the AGN phenomenon. Andrew was at his best in one-on-one discussions. He did not beat around the bush. He was always direct, frank, and honest, all for the sake of better science. He also never did anything halfway. Andrew was fully devoted to his science and held himself and others to the highest intellectual standards. He inspired many by his example, his discipline, and a sense of humor that was equally charming and disarming. The twinkle in his eyes and mischievous smile were sure signs that he was about to say something provocative and witty. Andrew will be dearly missed by the entire astronomical community. I thank Andrew's wife and brother, Kaija and Martin Wilson, for their assistance in writing this obituary.

Research Map of Research Priorities in HE Studies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

AlSumih, A. M.

2016-01-01

This study presents a research map for the key research priorities of higher education (HE) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study diagnoses and analyzes the research reality in HE studies in KSA in terms of strength points and improvement opportunities. It also explores the research map fields of current and prospective research priorities in…

Case Study Observational Research: A Framework for Conducting Case Study Research Where Observation Data Are the Focus.

PubMed

Morgan, Sonya J; Pullon, Susan R H; Macdonald, Lindsay M; McKinlay, Eileen M; Gray, Ben V

2017-06-01

Case study research is a comprehensive method that incorporates multiple sources of data to provide detailed accounts of complex research phenomena in real-life contexts. However, current models of case study research do not particularly distinguish the unique contribution observation data can make. Observation methods have the potential to reach beyond other methods that rely largely or solely on self-report. This article describes the distinctive characteristics of case study observational research, a modified form of Yin's 2014 model of case study research the authors used in a study exploring interprofessional collaboration in primary care. In this approach, observation data are positioned as the central component of the research design. Case study observational research offers a promising approach for researchers in a wide range of health care settings seeking more complete understandings of complex topics, where contextual influences are of primary concern. Future research is needed to refine and evaluate the approach.

A Case Study of Project ATHENA: Tactical Level Technological Innovation Aboard the USS Benfold

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

case studies , grounded theory research , phenomenological research and narrative research . 13 3. Qualitative Methods : Selection The researcher’s...12 B. THE CASE STUDY METHOD 1. Introduction The case study is a type of qualitative research that enables the researcher to chronicle and...objectives and the research environment ultimately determine the

Methodological Challenges in Cross-Language Qualitative Research: A Research Review

PubMed Central

Squires, Allison

2009-01-01

Objectives Cross-language qualitative research occurs when a language barrier is present between researchers and participants. The language barrier is frequently mediated through the use of a translator or interpreter. The purpose of this critical review of cross-language qualitative research was three fold: 1) review the methods literature addressing cross language research; 2) synthesize the methodological recommendations from the literature into a list of criteria that could evaluate how researchers methodologically managed translators and interpreters in their qualitative studies; and 3) test these criteria on published cross-language qualitative studies. Data sources A group of 40 purposively selected cross-language qualitative studies found in nursing and health sciences journals. Review methods The synthesis of the cross-language methods literature produced 14 criteria to evaluate how qualitative researchers managed the language barrier between themselves and their study participants. To test the criteria, the researcher conducted a summative content analysis framed by discourse analysis techniques of the 40 cross-language studies. Results The evaluation showed that only 6 out of 40 studies met all the criteria recommended by the cross-language methods literature for the production of trustworthy results in cross-language qualitative studies. Multiple inconsistencies, reflecting disadvantageous methodological choices by cross-language researchers, appeared in the remaining 33 studies. To name a few, these included rendering the translator or interpreter as an invisible part of the research process, failure to pilot test interview questions in the participant’s language, no description of translator or interpreter credentials, failure to acknowledge translation as a limitation of the study, and inappropriate methodological frameworks for cross-language research. Conclusions The finding about researchers making the role of the translator or interpreter invisible during the research process supports studies completed by other authors examining this issue. The analysis demonstrated that the criteria produced by this study may provide useful guidelines for evaluating cross-language research and for novice cross-language researchers designing their first studies. Finally, the study also indicates that researchers attempting cross-language studies need to address the methodological issues surrounding language barriers between researchers and participants more systematically. PMID:18789799

Methodological challenges in cross-language qualitative research: a research review.

PubMed

Squires, Allison

2009-02-01

Cross-language qualitative research occurs when a language barrier is present between researchers and participants. The language barrier is frequently mediated through the use of a translator or interpreter. The purpose of this analysis of cross-language qualitative research was threefold: (1) review the methods literature addressing cross-language research; (2) synthesize the methodological recommendations from the literature into a list of criteria that could evaluate how researchers methodologically managed translators and interpreters in their qualitative studies; (3) test these criteria on published cross-language qualitative studies. A group of 40 purposively selected cross-language qualitative studies found in nursing and health sciences journals. The synthesis of the cross-language methods literature produced 14 criteria to evaluate how qualitative researchers managed the language barrier between themselves and their study participants. To test the criteria, the researcher conducted a summative content analysis framed by discourse analysis techniques of the 40 cross-language studies. The evaluation showed that only 6 out of 40 studies met all the criteria recommended by the cross-language methods literature for the production of trustworthy results in cross-language qualitative studies. Multiple inconsistencies, reflecting disadvantageous methodological choices by cross-language researchers, appeared in the remaining 33 studies. To name a few, these included rendering the translator or interpreter as an invisible part of the research process, failure to pilot test interview questions in the participant's language, no description of translator or interpreter credentials, failure to acknowledge translation as a limitation of the study, and inappropriate methodological frameworks for cross-language research. The finding about researchers making the role of the translator or interpreter invisible during the research process supports studies completed by other authors examining this issue. The analysis demonstrated that the criteria produced by this study may provide useful guidelines for evaluating cross-language research and for novice cross-language researchers designing their first studies. Finally, the study also indicates that researchers attempting cross-language studies need to address the methodological issues surrounding language barriers between researchers and participants more systematically.

Research News

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Schematic representation of case study research designs.

PubMed

Rosenberg, John P; Yates, Patsy M

2007-11-01

The paper is a report of a study to demonstrate how the use of schematics can provide procedural clarity and promote rigour in the conduct of case study research. Case study research is a methodologically flexible approach to research design that focuses on a particular case - whether an individual, a collective or a phenomenon of interest. It is known as the 'study of the particular' for its thorough investigation of particular, real-life situations and is gaining increased attention in nursing and social research. However, the methodological flexibility it offers can leave the novice researcher uncertain of suitable procedural steps required to ensure methodological rigour. This article provides a real example of a case study research design that utilizes schematic representation drawn from a doctoral study of the integration of health promotion principles and practices into a palliative care organization. The issues discussed are: (1) the definition and application of case study research design; (2) the application of schematics in research; (3) the procedural steps and their contribution to the maintenance of rigour; and (4) the benefits and risks of schematics in case study research. The inclusion of visual representations of design with accompanying explanatory text is recommended in reporting case study research methods.

Recent Research on the Etiologies of Autism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Eileen; Van Dyke, Don C.; Sears, Lonnie; Matzen, Jane; Lin-Dyken, Deborah; McBrien, Dianne M.

1999-01-01

Reviews recent research on the etiologies of autism, including genetic research, anatomic and neuroimaging studies, topics in neurophysiology research (including serotonin, dopamine, and opiods), immunologic research, studies of autism phenotype, and electroencephalographic studies. It concludes that, as of yet, research has found no clear…