Porcine calbindin-D9k gene: expression in endometrium, myometrium, and placenta in the absence of a functional estrogen response element in intron A.

PubMed

Krisinger, J; Jeung, E B; Simmen, R C; Leung, P C

1995-01-01

The expression of Calbindin-D9k (CaBP-9k) in the pig uterus and placenta was measured by Northern blot analysis and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively. Progesterone (P4) administration to ovariectomized pigs decreased CaBP-9k mRNA levels. Expression of endometrial CaBP-9k mRNA was high on pregnancy Days 10-12 and below the detection limit on Days 15 and 18. On Day 60, expression could be detected at low levels. In myometrium and placenta, CaBP-9k mRNA expression was not detectable by Northern analysis using total RNA. Reverse-transcribed RNA from both tissues demonstrated the presence of CaBP-9k transcripts by means of PCR. The partial CaBP-9k gene was amplified by PCR and cloned to determine the sequence of intron A. In contrast to the rat CaBP-9k gene, the pig gene does not contain a functional estrogen response element (ERE) within this region. A similar ERE-like sequence located at the identical location was examined by gel retardation analysis and failed to bind the estradiol receptor. A similar disruption of this ERE-like sequence has been described in the human CaBP-9k gene, which is not expressed at any level in placenta, myometrium, or endometrium. It is concluded that the pig CaBP-9k gene is regulated in these reproductive tissues in a manner distinct from that in rat and human tissues. The regulation is probably due to a regulatory region outside of intron A, which in the rat gene contains the key cis element for uterine expression of the CaBP-9k gene.

Reemergence of Dengue in Southern Texas, 2013.

PubMed

Thomas, Dana L; Santiago, Gilberto A; Abeyta, Roman; Hinojosa, Steven; Torres-Velasquez, Brenda; Adam, Jessica K; Evert, Nicole; Caraballo, Elba; Hunsperger, Elizabeth; Muñoz-Jordán, Jorge L; Smith, Brian; Banicki, Alison; Tomashek, Kay M; Gaul, Linda; Sharp, Tyler M

2016-06-01

During a dengue epidemic in northern Mexico, enhanced surveillance identified 53 laboratory-positive cases in southern Texas; 26 (49%) patients acquired the infection locally, and 29 (55%) were hospitalized. Of 83 patient specimens that were initially IgM negative according to ELISA performed at a commercial laboratory, 14 (17%) were dengue virus positive by real-time reverse transcription PCR performed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dengue virus types 1 and 3 were identified, and molecular phylogenetic analysis demonstrated close identity with viruses that had recently circulated in Mexico and Central America. Of 51 household members of 22 dengue case-patients who participated in household investigations, 6 (12%) had been recently infected with a dengue virus and reported no recent travel, suggesting intrahousehold transmission. One household member reported having a recent illness consistent with dengue. This outbreak reinforces emergence of dengue in southern Texas, particularly when incidence is high in northern Mexico.

Reemergence of Dengue in Southern Texas, 2013

PubMed Central

Thomas, Dana L.; Santiago, Gilberto A.; Abeyta, Roman; Hinojosa, Steven; Torres-Velasquez, Brenda; Adam, Jessica K.; Evert, Nicole; Caraballo, Elba; Hunsperger, Elizabeth; Muñoz-Jordán, Jorge L.; Smith, Brian; Banicki, Alison; Tomashek, Kay M.; Gaul, Linda

2016-01-01

During a dengue epidemic in northern Mexico, enhanced surveillance identified 53 laboratory-positive cases in southern Texas; 26 (49%) patients acquired the infection locally, and 29 (55%) were hospitalized. Of 83 patient specimens that were initially IgM negative according to ELISA performed at a commercial laboratory, 14 (17%) were dengue virus positive by real-time reverse transcription PCR performed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dengue virus types 1 and 3 were identified, and molecular phylogenetic analysis demonstrated close identity with viruses that had recently circulated in Mexico and Central America. Of 51 household members of 22 dengue case-patients who participated in household investigations, 6 (12%) had been recently infected with a dengue virus and reported no recent travel, suggesting intrahousehold transmission. One household member reported having a recent illness consistent with dengue. This outbreak reinforces emergence of dengue in southern Texas, particularly when incidence is high in northern Mexico. PMID:27191223

Status and conservation of northern goshawks in the central Appalachian mountains: has the population trend reversed since 2001?

Treesearch

David F. Brinker; Kevin P. Boyle

2010-01-01

Prior to European settlement, northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) were a regular component of the high-elevation Appalachian breeding bird fauna, possibly as far south as the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. As a result of extensive 19th century logging in the Appalachians, goshawks were extirpated from Maryland south by the beginning of...

Molecular Characterization of Three Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus Phages

PubMed Central

Casey, Eoghan; Mahony, Jennifer; O'Connell-Motherway, Mary; Bottacini, Francesca; Cornelissen, Anneleen; Neve, Horst; Heller, Knut J.; Noben, Jean-Paul; Dal Bello, Fabio

2014-01-01

In this study, three phages infecting Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, named Ld3, Ld17, and Ld25A, were isolated from whey samples obtained from various industrial fermentations. These phages were further characterized in a multifaceted approach: (i) biological and physical characterization through host range analysis and electron microscopy; (ii) genetic assessment through genome analysis; (iii) mass spectrometry analysis of the structural components of the phages; and (iv), for one phage, transcriptional analysis by Northern hybridization, reverse transcription-PCR, and primer extension. The three obtained phage genomes display high levels of sequence identity to each other and to genomes of the so-called group b L. delbrueckii phages c5, LL-Ku, and phiLdb, where some of the observed differences are believed to be responsible for host range variations. PMID:25002431

Double diffusion in the frontal zones of the Yellow and East China Seas in winter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, K.; Lee, S.

2017-12-01

Where the cold, fresh water of the Yellow Sea (YS) and the warm, salty water of the East China Sea (ECS) meet, northern and southern fronts are formed in the southeastern YS and the northwestern ECS, respectively. Strong thermohaline fronts are formed on the northern front, and a strong thermocline and a temperature reversal phenomenon are represented in this front. To understand the water structure of this thermohaline zone, we examined double diffusion in the frontal zones in February 2003 using hydrographic data. In the northern front, the warm, salty Cheju Warm Current Water (CWCW) moved northwards along the bottom layer and the cold, fresh Yellow Sea Cold Water (YSCW) flowed southward in the upper layer. As a result, strong thermohaline fronts forms in the area where the two water masses met, and the slope was developed downward across the front. In this area, a strong thermocline and temperature reversal structures were present. The cold, fresh Korean Coastal Water (KCW) was also found in the upper layer near the thermocline, and has a low-temperature, low-salinity more than surrounding water. When cold, fresh water is located over warm, salty water, heat diffuses through the interface between the two water masses, and then the diffusive-convection can be expected to occur. On the other hand, when warm, salty water overlays cold, fresh water, heat in the upper layer is preferentially transferred downward, and the salt-fingering occurs. The diffusive-convection occurs predominantly in the northern thermohaline front, where the cold, fresh YSCW is situated above the warm, salty CWCW and has the effect of strengthening stratification, so that the water column maintains a physically stable structure. In addition, this phenomenon seems to play a role in maintaining the reversal structure. The salt-fingering occurs in upper layers of the northern front where the cold, fresh YSCW is located over the most cold, fresh KCW. Near the northern thermo-halocline zone, the salt-fingering occurs simultaneously with the diffusive-convection, because three water masses, YSCW, KCW and CWCW, interact in that area. Therefore, it can be seen that the water structure of the northern frontal zone in winter is influenced mainly by the cold, fresh YSCW, the most cold, fresh KCW, and the warm, salty CWCW.

On the Freshwater Sensitivity of the Arctic-Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lambert, E.; Eldevik, T.; Haugan, P.

2016-02-01

The North Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC) carries heat and salt toward the Arctic. This circulation is generally believed to be inhibited by northern freshwater input as indicated by the `box-model' of Stommel (1961). The inferred freshwater-sensitivity of the THC, however, varies considerably between studies, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The northernmost branch of the Atlantic THC, which forms a double estuarine circulation in the Arctic Mediterranean, is one example where both strengthening and weakening of the circulation may occur due to increased freshwater input. We have accordingly built on Stommel's original concept to accomodate a THC similar to that in the Arctic Mediterranean. This model consists of three idealized basins, or boxes, connected by two coupled branches of circulation - the double estuary. The net transport of these two branches represents the extension of the Gulf Stream toward the Arctic. Its sensitivity to a change in freshwater forcing depends largely on the distribution of freshwater over the two northern basins. Varying this distribution opens a spectrum of qualitative behaviours ranging from Stommel's original freshwater-inhibited overturning circulation to a freshwater-facilitated estuarine circulation. Between these limiting cases, a Hopf and a cusp bifurcation divide the spectrum into three qualitative regions. In the first region, the circulation behaves similarly to Stommel's circulation, and sufficient freshwater input can induce an abrupt transition into a reversed flow; in the second, a similar transition can be found, although it does not reverse the circulation; in the third, no transition can occur and the circulation is generally facilitated by the northern freshwater input. Overall, the northern THC appears more stable than what would be inferred based on Stommel's model; it requires a larger amount and more localized freshwater input to `collapse' it, and a double estuary circulation is less prone to flow reversal.

The Vaccinium corymbosum FLOWERING LOCUS T-like gene (VcFT): a flowering activator reverses photoperiodic and chilling requirements in blueberry.

PubMed

Song, Guo-qing; Walworth, Aaron; Zhao, Dongyan; Jiang, Ning; Hancock, James F

2013-11-01

The blueberry FLOWERING LOCUS T ( FT )-like gene ( VcFT ) cloned from the cDNA of a tetraploid, northern highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is able to reverse the photoperiodic and chilling requirements and drive early and continuous flowering. Blueberry is a woody perennial bush with a longer juvenile period than annual crops, requiring vernalization to flower normally. Few studies have been reported on the molecular mechanism of flowering in blueberry or other woody plants. Because FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) from Arabidopsis thaliana plays a multifaceted role in generating mobile molecular signals to regulate plant flowering time, isolation and functional analysis of the blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) FT-like gene (VcFT) will facilitate the elucidation of molecular mechanisms of flowering in woody plants. Based on EST sequences, a 525-bpVcFT was identified and cloned from the cDNA of a tetraploid, northern highbush blueberry cultivar, Bluecrop. Ectopic expression of 35S:VcFT in tobacco induced flowering an average of 28 days earlier than wild-type plants. Expression of the 35S:VcFT in the blueberry cultivar Aurora resulted in an extremely early flowering phenotype, which flowered not only during in vitro culture, a growth stage when nontransgenic shoots had not yet flowered, but also in 6-10-week old, soil-grown transgenic plants, in contrast to the fact that at least 1 year and 800 chilling hours are required for the appearance of the first flower of both nontransgenic 'Aurora' and transgenic controls with the gusA. These results demonstrate that the VcFT is a functional floral activator and overexpression of the VcFT is able to reverse the photoperiodic and chilling requirements and drive early and continuous flowering.

Molecular characterization of three Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus phages.

PubMed

Casey, Eoghan; Mahony, Jennifer; O'Connell-Motherway, Mary; Bottacini, Francesca; Cornelissen, Anneleen; Neve, Horst; Heller, Knut J; Noben, Jean-Paul; Dal Bello, Fabio; van Sinderen, Douwe

2014-09-01

In this study, three phages infecting Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, named Ld3, Ld17, and Ld25A, were isolated from whey samples obtained from various industrial fermentations. These phages were further characterized in a multifaceted approach: (i) biological and physical characterization through host range analysis and electron microscopy; (ii) genetic assessment through genome analysis; (iii) mass spectrometry analysis of the structural components of the phages; and (iv), for one phage, transcriptional analysis by Northern hybridization, reverse transcription-PCR, and primer extension. The three obtained phage genomes display high levels of sequence identity to each other and to genomes of the so-called group b L. delbrueckii phages c5, LL-Ku, and phiLdb, where some of the observed differences are believed to be responsible for host range variations. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Structural mapping based on potential field and remote sensing data, South Rewa Gondwana Basin, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chowdari, Swarnapriya; Singh, Bijendra; Rao, B. Nageswara; Kumar, Niraj; Singh, A. P.; Chandrasekhar, D. V.

2017-08-01

Intracratonic South Rewa Gondwana Basin occupies the northern part of NW-SE trending Son-Mahanadi rift basin of India. The new gravity data acquired over the northern part of the basin depicts WNW-ESE and ENE-WSW anomaly trends in the southern and northern part of the study area respectively. 3D inversion of residual gravity anomalies has brought out undulations in the basement delineating two major depressions (i) near Tihki in the north and (ii) near Shahdol in the south, which divided into two sub-basins by an ENE-WSW trending basement ridge near Sidi. Maximum depth to the basement is about 5.5 km within the northern depression. The new magnetic data acquired over the basin has brought out ENE-WSW to E-W trending short wavelength magnetic anomalies which are attributed to volcanic dykes and intrusive having remanent magnetization corresponding to upper normal and reverse polarity (29N and 29R) of the Deccan basalt magnetostratigrahy. Analysis of remote sensing and geological data also reveals the predominance of ENE-WSW structural faults. Integration of remote sensing, geological and potential field data suggest reactivation of ENE-WSW trending basement faults during Deccan volcanism through emplacement of mafic dykes and sills. Therefore, it is suggested that South Rewa Gondwana basin has witnessed post rift tectonic event due to Deccan volcanism.

Stratospheric Analysis and Forecasting in the Northern Winter of 1999/2000: The NASA DAO's GEOS-3 System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pawson, Steven; Lamich, David; Ledvina, Andrea; Lucchesi, Robert; Owens, Tommy; Newman, Paul A.; Atlas, Robert (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

An evaluation is presented of the performance in the northern winter 1999/2000 of the GEOS-3 troposphere-stratosphere data assimilation system (DAS). The impacts of the two main input data types are assessed: upper-air soundings (sondes) provide wind and temperature information and satellite-based (Tiros Operational Vertical Sounders: TOVS) give estimates of the thermal structure. It is shown that in the low stratosphere (300-70hPa) the analyses are generally slightly warmer than the sonde data, but colder than the TOVS data; this relationship reverses between 70 and 10 hPa. There are geographical biases, related to the spatial and temporal coverage of the observation types and to the statistical weights assigned to them in the DAS. Forecasts show a tendency to reduce zonal asymmetries in the atmospheric flow and to suppress stratospheric temperature minima. In the DAS, the analysis increments compensate for this, but it leads to important biases in the multi-day forecasts. The analysis increments are as large as the diabatic forcing in the lower polar stratosphere, indicating a substantial model bias. The results provide important insights into the roles of different data types and the circulation model in producing accurate analyses for studies of polar chemistry and physical processes.

Post-Paleogene Deformation in central Anatolia, South of Ankara (Turkey)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rojay, Bora

2014-05-01

The closure of the northern Neo-Tethys took place between Eurasia in the north and northern edge of Afro- Arabian plate in the south since the Early Cretaceous is documented in central Anatolia. It is mated by Cretaceous ophiolitic mélanges thrusted over southwards on to the upper Cretaceous-Paleogene fore-arc and foreland sequences along the northern margins of Haymana and Tuzgölü basins, respectively. Two main deformation episodes are recognized in the region. These include post-Cretaceous-pre Miocene compressional regime and Miocene to mid-Pliocene transcurrent regime dominated extensional deformation. The first regime is characterize by NW-SE directed compressional and contractional deformation dominated by south vergent, large wave length, asymmetric to overturned folds and associated thrust/reverse faults. Some of these reverse faults were reactivated as strike-slip faults with reverse components as evidenced by cross-cutting relationships and overprinting slickensides observed extensively in the field. Along these reactivated faults, echelon calcite veins, fault parallel meter thick silica walls with repeated phases of deformation are very common. Following the Miocene, the region is affected by a NNE-SSW to NE-SW directed extension, possibly resulted from the interaction of Tuzgölü Fault with the northwards convex splays of dextral North Anatolian Fault extending into the region. As a conclusion, the Paleogene sequences with ophiolitic mélanges are deformed under NNE-SSW directed compression related to the development of dextral strike slip tectonics during post-Paleogene-pre-Miocene period. Keywords:fault plane slip data, transcurrent regime, post-Paleogene, central Anatolia.

A major advance of tropical Andean glaciers during the Antarctic cold reversal.

PubMed

Jomelli, V; Favier, V; Vuille, M; Braucher, R; Martin, L; Blard, P-H; Colose, C; Brunstein, D; He, F; Khodri, M; Bourlès, D L; Leanni, L; Rinterknecht, V; Grancher, D; Francou, B; Ceballos, J L; Fonseca, H; Liu, Z; Otto-Bliesner, B L

2014-09-11

The Younger Dryas stadial, a cold event spanning 12,800 to 11,500 years ago, during the last deglaciation, is thought to coincide with the last major glacial re-advance in the tropical Andes. This interpretation relies mainly on cosmic-ray exposure dating of glacial deposits. Recent studies, however, have established new production rates for cosmogenic (10)Be and (3)He, which make it necessary to update all chronologies in this region and revise our understanding of cryospheric responses to climate variability. Here we present a new (10)Be moraine chronology in Colombia showing that glaciers in the northern tropical Andes expanded to a larger extent during the Antarctic cold reversal (14,500 to 12,900 years ago) than during the Younger Dryas. On the basis of a homogenized chronology of all (10)Be and (3)He moraine ages across the tropical Andes, we show that this behaviour was common to the northern and southern tropical Andes. Transient simulations with a coupled global climate model suggest that the common glacier behaviour was the result of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation variability superimposed on a deglacial increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. During the Antarctic cold reversal, glaciers advanced primarily in response to cold sea surface temperatures over much of the Southern Hemisphere. During the Younger Dryas, however, northern tropical Andes glaciers retreated owing to abrupt regional warming in response to reduced precipitation and land-surface feedbacks triggered by a weakened Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. Conversely, glacier retreat during the Younger Dryas in the southern tropical Andes occurred as a result of progressive warming, probably influenced by an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Considered with evidence from mid-latitude Andean glaciers, our results argue for a common glacier response to cold conditions in the Antarctic cold reversal exceeding that of the Younger Dryas.

Earthquake Activity in the North Greenland Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, Tine B.; Dahl-Jensen, Trine; Voss, Peter H.

2017-04-01

Many local and regional earthquakes are recorded on a daily basis in northern Greenland. The majority of the earthquakes originate at the Arctic plate boundary between the Eurasian and the North American plates. Particularly active regions away from the plate boundary are found in NE Greenland and in northern Baffin Bay. The seismograph coverage in the region is sparse with the main seismograph stations located at the military outpost, Stations Nord (NOR), the weather station outpost Danmarkshavn (DAG), Thule Airbase (TULEG), and the former ice core drilling camp (NEEM) in the middle of the Greenland ice sheet. Furthermore, data is available from Alert (ALE), Resolute (RES), and other seismographs in northern Canada as well as from a temporary deployment of BroadBand seismographs along the north coast of Greenland from 2004 to 2007. The recorded earthquakes range in magnitude from less than 2 to a 4.8 event, the largest in NE Greenland, and a 5.7 event, the largest recorded in northern Baffin Bay. The larger events are recorded widely in the region allowing for focal mechanisms to be calculated. Only a few existing focal mechanisms for the region can be found in the ISC bulletin. Two in NE Greenland representing primarily normal faulting and one in Baffin Bay resulting from reverse faulting. New calculations of focal mechanisms for the region will be presented as well as improved hypocenters resulting from analysis involving temporary stations and regional stations that are not included in routine processing.

A statistical study of single crest phenomenon in the equatorial ionospheric anomaly region using Swarm A satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fathy, Adel; Ghamry, Essam

2017-03-01

Though the Equatorial Ionospheric Anomaly (EIA) is represented by two crests within ±15° latitude, a single crest is also observed in the entire ionosphere. Few studies have addressed single crest phenomena. A statistical study of 2237 single crest phenomenon from the in situ electron density measurements of Swarm A satellite was investigated during December 2013-December 2015. Our analysis focused on local time, seasonal, and both geographic and geomagnetic latitudinal variations. Our results show the following observations: 1 - The maximum number of events peaks mainly in the dayside region around 0800-1200 LT and these occur mainly within the magnetic equator. 2 - The maximum amplitude of the single crests take place most prominently during equinoxes. 3 - The majority of single crests occur in the northern hemisphere. 4 - The seasonal distribution of the events shows that the summer events are located further from the magnetic equator in the northern hemisphere and shift their locations into the southern hemisphere in winter, while spring events are centered along the magnetic equator. 5 - Dayside single crest events appear close to the magnetic equator and more centered on the equator in winter season. 6 - Dawn, night and dusk side events reverse their location from northern hemisphere in summer to southern hemisphere in winter.

Old Business: From Brown to Now.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Kenneth B.

1978-01-01

During the past ten years, subtle White northern liberal racism, White backlash, and Black separatism have seriously threatened the gains of the civil rights movement that were triggered by the "Brown" decision. Fortunately, this negative tide is now being reversed. (Author/IRT)

Structural Analysis of the Pärvie Fault in Northern Scandinavia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baeckstroem, A.; Rantakokko, N.; Ask, M. V.

2011-12-01

The Pärvie fault is the largest known postglacial fault in the world with a length of about 160 km. The structure has a dominating fault scarp as its western perimeter but in several locations it is rather a system of several faults. The current fault scarps, mainly caused by reverse faulting, are on average, 10-15 m in height and are thought to have been formed during one momentous event near the end of the latest glaciation (the Weichselian, 9,500-115,000 BP ) (Lagerbäck & Sundh, 2008). This information has been learnt from studying deformation features in sediments from the latest glaciation. However, the fault is believed to have been formed as early as the Precambrian, and it has been reactivated repeatedly throughout its history. The earlier history of this fault zone is still largely unknown. Here we present a pre-study to the scientific drilling project "Drilling Active Faults in Northern Europe", that was submitted to the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) in 2009 (Kukkonen et al. 2010) with an ICDP-sponsored workshop in 2010 (Kukkonen et al. 2011). During this workshop a major issue to be addressed before the start of drilling was to reveal whether the fault scarps were formed by one big earthquake or by several small ones (Kukkonen et al. 2011). Initial results from a structural analysis by Riad (1990) have produced information of the latest kinematic event where it is suggested that the latest event coincides with the recent stress field, causing a transpressional effect. The geometrical model suggested for an extensive area of several fault scarps along the structure is the compressive tulip structure. In the southern part, where the fault dips steeply E, the structure is parallel to the foliation of the country rock and earlier breccias, thus indicating a dependence of earlier structures. Modelling of the stress field during the latest glaciation show that a reverse background stress field together with excess pore pressure governs the destabilization of a structure, such as the Pärvie fault, rather than the induced stresses from the weight of ice-sheet (Lund, 2005). This is a presentation of the first part of the structural analysis of the brittle structures around the Pärvie fault in order to evaluate its brittle deformation history and to attempt to constrain the paleostress fields causing these deformations. References Kukkonen, I.T., Olesen, O., Ask, M.V.S., and the PFDP Working Group, 2010. Postglacial faults in Fennoscandia: targets for scientific drilling. GFF, 132:71-81. Kukkonen, I.T., Ask, M.V.S., Olesen, O., 2011. Postglacial Fault Drilling in Northern Europe: Workshop in Skokloster, Sweden. Scientific Drilling, 11, doi:10.2204/iodp.sd.11.08.2011. Lagerbäck, R. & Sundh, M., 2008. Early Holocene faulting and paleoseismicity in northern Sweden. Geological survey of Sweden. Research paper, C 836. 80 p. Lund, B., Schmidt, P., Hieronymus, C., 2009. Stress evolution and fault stability during the Weichselian glacial cycle. Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., Stockholm. TR-09-15. 106 p. Riad, L., 1990. The Pärvie fault, Northern Sweden, Uppsala University. Research report 63. 48 p

Marriage and contraception among the Pare of northern Tanzania.

PubMed

Hollos, Marida; Larsen, Ulla

2004-05-01

The purpose of the research reported here is to examine the connection between contraception and those aspects of a woman's position that are related to her marriage. The research was conducted in two villages among the Pare of northern Tanzania where a shift from hoe cultivation as primary occupation to wage labour has brought about major changes in social relations. The major hypothesis is that a change from a 'traditional' marital union to a 'companionate' marriage is instrumental in the acceptance of contraception and in lowering fertility. The latter type of relationship between marital partners is related to the status of women. The research methodology consisted of a combination of an ethnographic study, demographic surveys and in-depth interviews. Findings show that approximately half of the women in this community ever used contraception. Of current users, a third are sterilized and half are using a modern reversible method. The determining factor for using modern reversible methods is the nature of the conjugal union.

Structural architecture and tectonic evolution of the Maghara inverted basin, Northern Sinai, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moustafa, Adel R.

2014-05-01

Large NE-SW oriented asymmetric inversion anticlines bounded on their southeastern sides by reverse faults affect the exposed Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks of the Maghara area (northern Sinai). Seismic data indicate an earlier Jurassic rifting phase and surface structures indicate Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary inversion phase. The geometry of the early extensional fault system clearly affected the sense of slip of the inverted faults and the geometry of the inversion anticlines. Rift-parallel fault segments were reactivated by reverse slip whereas rift-oblique fault segments were reactivated as oblique-slip faults or lateral/oblique ramps. New syn-inversion faults include two short conjugate strike-slip sets dissecting the forelimbs of inversion anticlines and the inverted faults as well as a set of transverse normal faults dissecting the backlimbs. Small anticline-syncline fold pairs ornamenting the steep flanks of the inversion anticlines are located at the transfer zones between en echelon segments of the inverted faults.

River capture and sediment redistribution in northern Tunisia: The doom of Utica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Booth-Rea, Guillermo; Camafort, Miquel; Pérez-Peña, J. Vicente; Melki, Fetheddine; Ranero, César; Azañón, José Miguel; Gracia, Eulalia; Ouadday, Mohamed

2016-04-01

Utica was a flourishing port city in northern Tunisia since the Phoenician times, 12-9th century B.C., until the 4th century A.D.. However, at present it is located 10 km from the coastline after very fast late Holocene progradation of the Mejerda River delta into the bay of Utica. This fast delta progradation occurred after Mejerda River captured Tine River increasing 140 % the river catchment area. Charcoal fragments present in the youngest Tine river terrace at the wind gap give a conventional radiocarbon age of 3240 +/- 30yr BP, indicating that the capture occurred after this date. Quaternary fluvial terraces located in the Tine River paleovalley have been folded and uplifted above a fold related to the active El Alia Tebousouk reverse fault (ETF). Continued uplift of the Tine River valley above the ETF favoured headward erosion of the Medjerda river tributaries creating a transverse drainage that captured Tine River. This capture produced an important change in sediment discharge along the northern Tunisia coast driving sediments to the Gulf of Tunis instead of feeding the Tyrrhenian Sea through the Ichkeul and Bizerte lakes. Although anthropogenic derived degradation of northern Tunisia land for agricultural purposes probably influenced the increase in sediment into the Utica bay, the main cause of rapid progradation of the Medjerda River delta during the late Holocene is related to its increase in drainage area after capturing the Tine River. This process was mostly driven by local contractive tectonics linked to the seismogenic Alia Tebousouk reverse fault.

I-95/I-395 HOV restriction study : volume 1 : summary report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-02-01

The I-95/I-395 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) facility is a reversible two-lane freeway, about 27 miles long, between the southern terminus at Dumfries near Route 234 and the northern terminus between Route 27 and Eads Street in Arlington. Beyond this ...

Human ophthalmomyiasis interna caused by Hypoderma tarandi, Northern Canada.

PubMed

Lagacé-Wiens, Philippe R S; Dookeran, Ravi; Skinner, Stuart; Leicht, Richard; Colwell, Douglas D; Galloway, Terry D

2008-01-01

Human myiasis caused by bot flies of nonhuman animals is rare but may be increasing. The treatment of choice is laser photocoagulation or vitrectomy with larva removal and intraocular steroids. Ophthalmomyiasis caused by Hypoderma spp. should be recognized as a potentially reversible cause of vision loss.

Mutation and new polymorphisms insight in introns 11 to 14a of CFTR gene of northern Iranian cystic fibrosis patients.

PubMed

Esmaeili Dooki, Mohammad Reza; Tabaripour, Reza; Rahimi, Razieh; Akhavan-Niaki, Haleh

2015-06-15

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common autosomal recessive disease in Caucasians, caused by mutation in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). The type and distribution of mutations vary widely between different countries and ethnic groups. We therefore aimed to perform a comprehensive analysis of the CFTR gene in northern Iranian CF patients. Forty northern Iranian CF patients were analyzed for mutations in introns 11 to 14a of their CFTR genes, using sequencing and reverse dot blot methods. Five normal subjects were also analyzed as normal control. One mutation and seven polymorphisms were identified. Of the eighty alleles studied, c.2043delG in exon 13 represented 12.5% of mutant alleles and was associated with two distinct haplotypes. rs1042077T>G, rs4148712delAT, rs4148711T>A and rs3808183 T>C with frequencies varying between 29.2% and 6.9% for the least common allele, as well as three new polymorphisms c.1680-224C>A (11.1%), c.2491-275T>G (14.1%) and c.2491-274C>G (35.9%) were detected. These findings suggest a founder effect for c.2043delG in the Middle East and will assist in genetic counseling, prenatal diagnosis and future screening of CF in Iran. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of myosin heavy chain mRNA expression by RT-PCR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, C.; Haddad, F.; Qin, A. X.; Baldwin, K. M.

1997-01-01

An assay was developed for rapid and sensitive analysis of myosin heavy chain (MHC) mRNA expression in rodent skeletal muscle. Only 2 microg of total RNA were necessary for the simultaneous analysis of relative mRNA expression of six different MHC genes. We designed synthetic DNA fragments as internal standards, which contained the relevant primer sequences for the adult MHC mRNAs type I, IIa, IIx, IIb as well as the embryonic and neonatal MHC mRNAs. A known amount of the synthetic fragment was added to each polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and yielded a product of different size than the amplified MHC mRNA fragment. The ratio of amplified MHC fragment to synthetic fragment allowed us to calculate percentages of the gene expression of the different MHC genes in a given muscle sample. Comparison with the traditional Northern blot analysis demonstrated that our reverse transcriptase-PCR-based assay was reliable, fast, and quantitative over a wide range of relative MHC mRNA expression in a spectrum of adult and neonatal rat skeletal muscles. Furthermore, the high sensitivity of the assay made it very useful when only small quantities of tissue were available. Statistical analysis of the signals for each MHC isoform across the analyzed samples showed a highly significant correlation between the PCR and the Northern signals as Pearson correlation coefficients ranged between 0.77 and 0.96 (P < 0.005). This assay has potential use in analyzing small muscle samples such as biopsies and samples from pre- and/or neonatal stages of development.

Differentiation of canine distemper virus isolates in fur animals from various vaccine strains by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism according to phylogenetic relations in china

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

In order to effectively identify the vaccine and field strains of Canine distemper virus (CDV), a new differential diagnostic test has been developed based on reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). We selected an 829 bp fragment of the nucleoprotein (N) gene of CDV. By RFLP analysis using BamHI, field isolates were distinguishable from the vaccine strains. Two fragments were obtained from the vaccine strains by RT-PCR-RFLP analysis while three were observed in the field strains. An 829 nucleotide region of the CDV N gene was analyzed in 19 CDV field strains isolated from minks, raccoon dogs and foxes in China between 2005 and 2007. The results suggest this method is precise, accurate and efficient. It was also determined that three different genotypes exist in CDV field strains in fur animal herds of the north of China, most of which belong to Asian type. Mutated field strains, JSY06-R1, JSY06-R2 and JDH07-F1 also exist in Northern China, but are most closely related to the standard virulent strain A75/17, designated in Arctic and America-2 genetype in the present study, respectively. PMID:21352564

Synoptic forcing of wind relaxations at Pt. Conception, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fewings, Melanie R.; Washburn, Libe; Dorman, Clive E.; Gotschalk, Christopher; Lombardo, Kelly

2016-08-01

Over the California Current upwelling system in summer, the prevailing upwelling-favorable winds episodically weaken (relax) or reverse direction for a few days. Near Pt. Conception, California, the wind usually does not reverse, but wind relaxation allows poleward oceanic coastal flow with ecological consequences. To determine the offshore extent and synoptic forcing of these wind relaxations, we formed composite averages of wind stress from the QuikSCAT satellite and atmospheric pressure from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) using 67 wind relaxations during summer 2000-2009. Wind relaxations at Pt. Conception are the third stage of an event sequence that repeatedly affects the west coast of North America in summer. First, 5-7 days before the wind weakens near Pt. Conception, the wind weakens or reverses off Oregon and northern California. Second, the upwelling-favorable wind intensifies along central California. Third, the wind relaxes at Pt. Conception, and the area of weakened winds extends poleward to northern California over 3-5 days. The NARR underestimates the wind stress within ˜200 km of coastal capes by a factor of 2. Wind relaxations at Pt. Conception are caused by offshore extension of the desert heat low. This synoptic forcing is related to event cycles that cause wind reversal as in Halliwell and Allen (1987) and Mass and Bond (1996), but includes weaker events. The wind relaxations extend ˜600 km offshore, similarly to the California-scale hydraulic expansion fan shaping the prevailing winds, and ˜1000 km alongshore, limited by an opposing pressure gradient force at Cape Mendocino.

Human Ophthalmomyiasis Interna Caused by Hypoderma tarandi, Northern Canada

PubMed Central

Dookeran, Ravi; Skinner, Stuart; Leicht, Richard; Colwell, Douglas D.; Galloway, Terry D.

2008-01-01

Human myiasis caused by bot flies of nonhuman animals is rare but may be increasing. The treatment of choice is laser photocoagulation or vitrectomy with larva removal and intraocular steroids. Ophthalmomyiasis caused by Hypoderma spp. should be recognized as a potentially reversible cause of vision loss. PMID:18258079

Strong Medieval Earthquake in the Northern Issyk-Kul Lake Region (Tien Shan): Results of Paleoseismological and Archeoseismological Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korzhenkov, A. M.; Deev, E. V.; Luzhanskii, D. V.; Abdieva, S. V.; Agatova, A. R.; Mazeika, J. V.; Men'shikov, M. Yu.; Rogozhin, E. A.; Rodina, S. N.; Rodkin, M. V.; Sorokin, A. A.; Fortuna, A. B.; Charimov, T. A.; Shen, J.; Yudakhin, A. S.

2017-12-01

A number of archeological monuments in the northern Issyk-Kul Lake region (Tien Shan) in the basins of the Chet-Koysuu and Chon-Koysuu rivers are studied. All monuments have undergone significant seismogenic deformations and destructions. A cromlech (7th century BC to 8th centuries AD) was displaced along the sinistral strike-slip fault. A kurgan (7th-13th centuries AD) was deformed in a front of the reverse fault scarp. A fortress (14th-15th centuries AD) was submerged beneath the lake water during the catastrophic subsidence of the coastal zone. We identify a zone of the seismogenic rupture. It is located along the Kultor border fault, which separates the Issyk-Kul depression and its surrounding mountains (Kungey Ala-Too Range). During the earthquake, the seismogenic reverse fault scarp was formed. A total of 1.6 m was offset along the rupture, which corresponds to an earthquake with M S ≥ 7 and seismic intensity of I 0 ≥ IX. Judging by numerous radiocarbon datings of submerged wood, which was used in building the fortress (end of 14th to the beginning of 15th centuries AD), the earthquake occurred in the 16th century AD and could have caused the decline of the Mogul civilization in the northern Issyk-Kul Lake region.

Assessing the effect of desertification controlling projects and policies in northern Shaanxi Province, China by integrating remote sensing and farmer investigation data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Duanyang; Song, Alin; Song, Xiao

2017-12-01

To combat desertification, the Chinese government has launched a series of Desertification Controlling Projects and Policies over the past several decades. However, the effect of these projects and policies remains controversial due to a lack of suitable methods and data to assess them. In this paper, the authors selected the farming-pastoral region of the northern Shaanxi Province in China as a sample region and attempted to assess the effect of Desertification Controlling Projects and Policies launched after 2000 by combining remote sensing and farmer investigation data. The results showed that the combination of these two complementary assessments can provide comprehensive information to support decision-making. According to the remote sensing and Net Primary Production data, the research region experienced an obvious desertification reversion between 2000 and 2010, and approximately 70% of this reversion can be explained by Desertification Controlling Projects and Policies. Farmer investigation data also indicated that these projects and policies were the dominating factor contributing to desertification reversion, and approximately 70% of investigated farmers agreed with this conclusion. However, low supervision and subsidy levels were issues that limited the policy effect. Therefore, it is necessary for the government to enhance supervision, raise subsidy levels, and develop environmental protection regulations to encourage more farmers to participate in desertification control.

Environmental impacts in the life cycle of olive oil: a literature review.

PubMed

Banias, Georgios; Achillas, Charisios; Vlachokostas, Christos; Moussiopoulos, Nicolas; Stefanou, Maria

2017-04-01

The production of olive oil is considered to be one of the largest agricultural business sectors in the Mediterranean area. Apart from its significant impact on the economies of countries in Southern Europe, Northern Africa and Middle East, olive oil production also involves considerable social and environmental considerations. However, despite such importance, the environmental effects of olive oil production have not been studied as much other agricultural productions and farming systems, which are more characteristic of central and northern Europe. We present a thorough and systematic literature review of scientific publications with respect to the use of environmental tools in the life cycle of olive oil. The analysis takes into consideration the farming of olive trees, the manufacture of olive oil, packaging, transportation and reverse logistics. To that end, journal publications up to 2015 in this specific field are recorded and, at the same time, the most important environmental impacts are revealed and a gap analysis is carried out. The analysis conducted reveals that farming of olive trees (with pesticide use and waste/by-product production being the 'hottest' topics) and the manufacturing of olive oil (concentrating mostly on waste/by-product production and management) are the phases with the highest environmental focus from the scientific community. Moreover, gaps in the literature are detected mostly with respect to fuel consumption and the use and promotion of renewable energy sources in olive oil production. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

A multi-model analysis of moisture changes during the last glacial maximum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shanshan; Jiang, Dabang; Lang, Xianmei

2018-07-01

This study investigates terrestrial moisture changes and associated mechanisms during the last glacial maximum (LGM; approximately 21,000 calendar years ago) using multi-model simulations from the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project phase 3 (PMIP3). Considering that terrestrial moisture is not determined solely by precipitation, an aridity index (AI) is employed for measuring the terrestrial moisture by combining the effects of both precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (PET), where the latter represents atmospheric water demand and is greatly decreased mainly by the intense cooling during the LGM. Compared to the preindustrial period, the magnitude of global mean terrestrial moisture change is small, as the wetness brought by decreased PET counteracts the dryness induced by decreased precipitation. Regionally, the moisture changes depend on the different combinations of changes in precipitation and PET: (i) drying occurs where precipitation deceases and PET hardly changes, such as the northern tropical Americas and Southeast Asia; (ii) wetting is found in regions with precipitation increases and PET decreases (e.g., northwestern Africa and the central Andes), and their contributions are comparable; (iii) in particular, wetting can also occur in regions of decreased precipitation if a sufficient decrease in PET also occurs (i.e., southeastern North America and the northern and southern parts of eastern Asia), with the latter wetting effect reversing the former drying effect. The multi-model median field is consistent with available paleo-records in southern North America, the northern tropical Americas, the Andes, northwestern Africa, the southern Iberian Peninsula, southwestern Africa, the central part of eastern Asia, and Java but disagrees with proxies in Australia, central Brazil, southeastern Africa, the northern Iberian Peninsula, and the southern part of eastern Asia.

The Interior Lowland Plains Unit of Mars: Evidence for a Possible Mud Ocean and Induced Tectonic Deformation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tanaka, K. L.; Banerdt, W. B.

2000-01-01

We conclude from MOC and MOLA data that the northern plains of Mars were infilled by a sediment-rich, mud ocean. Evidence for subsidence within the north polar basin and reversed channel-floor gradients are consistent with tectonic deformation due to the sediment load.

Size, dimorphism, and related characteristics of Ciccaba owls from Guatemala

Treesearch

Richard P. Gerhardt; Dawn McAnnis Gerhardt

1997-01-01

Tropical owls, being poorly studied, have been excluded from discussions of reversed size dimorphism. As part of a breeding and food habits study, we weighed and measured 20 Mottled Owls (Ciccaba virgata) and a mated pair of Black-and-white Owls (C. nigrolineata) in northern Guatemala. Mottled Owls exhibited pronounced dimorphism...

Bats respond to polarity of a magnetic field.

PubMed

Wang, Yinan; Pan, Yongxin; Parsons, Stuart; Walker, Michael; Zhang, Shuyi

2007-11-22

Bats have been shown to use information from the Earth's magnetic field during orientation. However, the mechanism underlying this ability remains unknown. In this study we investigated whether bats possess a polarity- or inclination-based compass that could be used in orientation. We monitored the hanging position of adult Nyctalus plancyi in the laboratory in the presence of an induced magnetic field of twice Earth-strength. When under the influence of a normally aligned induced field the bats showed a significant preference for hanging at the northern end of their roosting basket. When the vertical component of the field was reversed, the bats remained at the northern end of the basket. However, when the horizontal component of the field was reversed, the bats changed their positions and hung at the southern end of the basket. Based on these results, we conclude that N. plancyi, unlike all other non-mammalian vertebrates tested to date, uses a polarity-based compass during orientation in the roost, and that the same compass is also likely to underlie bats' long-distance navigation abilities.

Ocean science: Radiocarbon variability in the western North Atlantic during the last deglaciation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robinson, L.F.; Adkins, J.F.; Keigwin, L.D.; Southon, J.; Fernandez, D.P.; Wang, S.-L.; Scheirer, D.S.

2005-01-01

We present a detailed history of glacial to Holocene radiocarbon in the deep western North Atlantic from deep-sea corals and paired benthic-planktonic foraminifera. The deglaciation is marked by switches between radiocarbon-enriched and -depleted waters, leading to large radiocarbon gradients in the water column. These changes played an important role in modulating atmospheric radiocarbon. The deep-ocean record supports the notion of a bipolar seesaw with increased Northern-source deep-water formation linked to Northern Hemisphere warming and the reverse. In contrast, the more frequent radiocarbon variations in the intermediate/deep ocean are associated with roughly synchronous changes at the poles.

The January 2014 Northern Cuba Earthquake Sequence - Unusual Location and Unexpected Source Mechanism Variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braunmiller, J.; Thompson, G.; McNutt, S. R.

2017-12-01

On 9 January 2014, a magnitude Mw=5.1 earthquake occurred along the Bahamas-Cuba suture at the northern coast of Cuba revealing a surprising seismic hazard source for both Cuba and southern Florida where it was widely felt. Due to its location, the event and its aftershocks (M>3.5) were recorded only at far distances (300+ km) resulting in high-detection thresholds, low location accuracy, and limited source parameter resolution. We use three-component regional seismic data to study the sequence. High-pass filtered seismograms at the closest site in southern Florida are similar in character suggesting a relatively tight event cluster and revealing additional, smaller aftershocks not included in the ANSS or ISC catalogs. Aligning on the P arrival and low-pass filtering (T>10 s) uncovers a surprise polarity flip of the large amplitude surface waves on vertical seismograms for some aftershocks relative to the main shock. We performed regional moment tensor inversions of the main shock and its largest aftershocks using complete three-component seismograms from stations distributed throughout the region to confirm the mechanism changes. Consistent with the GCMT solution, we find an E-W trending normal faulting mechanism for the main event and for one immediate aftershock. Two aftershocks indicate E-W trending reverse faulting with essentially flipped P- and T-axes relative to the normal faulting events (and the same B-axes). Within uncertainties, depths of the two event families are indistinguishable and indicate shallow faulting (<10 km). One intriguing possible interpretation is that both families ruptured the same fault with reverse mechanisms compensating for overshooting. However, activity could also be spatially separated either vertically (with reverse mechanisms possibly below extension) or laterally. The shallow source depth and the 200-km long uplifted chain of islands indicate that larger, shallow and thus potentially tsunamigenic earthquakes could occur just offshore of northern Cuba posing a potential hazard to Florida and the Bahamas.

Paleomagnetism of Cretaceous Oceanic Red Beds (CORBs) from Gyangze, northern Tethys Himalaya: Evidence for Intra-oceanic Subduction System and Southern Paleolatitute Limit for the Lhasa Block

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Xiaodong

2016-04-01

In the northern Tethys Himalaya, sporadically distributed Cretaceous oceanic red beds (CORBs, the Chuangde Formation) have been described. The sequence was interpreted to be firstly deposited in the outer continental shelf and upper slope, and later slumped into deep basin. Based on this model, and paleomagnetic data of shallow water deposits from the southern Tethys Himalaya, the CORBs were derived from the northern tip of the passive margin of the greater India. If so, the CORBs would provide more accurate record of the northern extent of the greater India, which is an important parameter for estimating the initial time of India-Asia continental collision and the amount of crustal shortening. The well studied and most accessible section is located in the Chuangde village, about 40km east from the Gyangze city. The formation is about 25m thick, ranging from 84 to 75Ma in age according to fossil records of planktonic foraminiferal species. The lower and upper parts are 2 and 5 meter thick marlstones, respectively, and the middle section is dominated by shale with a few layers of centimeter scale marlstones. Fifty cores were collected from the marlstones of the section, and for the purpose of fold test, 30 more cores were collected from the upper part of the formation from a second section located in the Pulong village, ~3km to the northeast of the Chuangde village. All samples were subject to stepwise thermal demagnetization. About 60% of the samples yielded interpretable demagnetization results. The bottom of the upper part of the formation show reversed high temperature component, and the rest of the upper part and the lower part show normal polarity. The Chuangde section data failed reversal test, because the normal polarity direction is likely not fully resolved from overprint component. However, the well resolved reversal direction from the Chuangde village and the normal direction from Pulong pass both reversal and fold tests. The mean paleomagnetic data indicate a paleolatitude of 10±2 degree north, ~2000 km distance from the southern Tethys Himalaya. Therefore, the formation is not deposited near the greater Indian continental margins. Based on recent plate tectonic reconstruction, the CORBs are very likely formed within a back-arc basin between the equatorial intra-oceanic subduction system and the Asian continental margin. Due to coeval development of abundant red beds in the Lhasa block, the characteristic pigments of hematite born in the CORBs are likely of terrestrial origin. In addition, the new data indicate that the Lhasa block is unlikely to be at low paleolatitude in the Late Cretaceous and Tertiary as some of the paleomagnetic results show.

Coastal Marine Terraces Define Late Quaternary Fault Activity and Deformation Within Northern East Bay Hills, San Francisco Bay Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelson, K. I.

2004-12-01

Detailed mapping of uplifted marine platforms bordering the Carquinez Strait between Benicia and Pinole, California, provides data on the pattern and rate of late Quaternary deformation across the northern East Bay Hills. Field mapping, interpretation of early 20th-century topographic data, analysis of aerial photography, and compilation of onshore borehole data show the presence of remnants of three platforms, with back-edge elevations of about 4 m, 12 m, and 18 m. Based on U-series dates (Helley et al., 1993) and comparison of platform elevations to published sea-level curves, the 12-m-high and 18-m-high platforms correlate with substage 5e (ca. 120 ka) and stage 9 (ca. 330 ka) sea-level high stands, respectively. West of the Southhampton fault, longitudinal profiles of platform back-edges suggest that the East Bay Hills between Pinole and Vallejo have undergone block uplift at a rate of 0.05 +/- 0.01 m/ka without substantial tilting or warping. With uncertainty of <3 m, the 120 ka and 330 ka platforms are at the same elevations across the NW-striking Franklin fault. This west-vergent reverse fault previously was interpreted to have had late Pleistocene activity and to accommodate crustal shortening in the East Bay Hills. Our data indicate an absence of vertical displacement across the Franklin fault within at least the past 120ka and perhaps 330ka. In contrast, the stage 5e and 9 have up-on-the-east vertical displacement and gentle westward tilting across the N-striking Southhampton fault, with a late Pleistocene vertical slip rate of >0.02 m/ka. The northerly strike and prominent geomorphic expression of this potentially active fault differs from the Franklin fault. Our mapping of the Southhampton fault suggests that it accommodates dextral shear in the East Bay Hills, and is one of several left-stepping, en echelon N-striking faults (collectively, the "Contra Costa shear zone", CCSZ) in the East Bay Hills. Faults within this zone coincide with geomorphic features suggestive of late Quaternary dextral strike slip and appear to truncate or displace NW-striking reverse faults (e.g., Franklin fault) that do not displace the late Quaternary marine platform sequence. These data support an interpretation that the CCSZ accommodates regional dextral shear, and possibly represents the northern extension of the Calaveras fault. Overall, the marine terraces provide excellent strain gauges from which to evaluate the pattern and rate of late Quaternary deformation throughout the northern East Bay Hills.

Signals of El Niño Modoki in the tropical tropopause layer and stratosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, F.; Li, J.; Tian, W.; Feng, J.; Huo, Y.

2012-06-01

The effects of El Niño Modoki events on the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) and on the stratosphere were investigated using European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) reanalysis data, oceanic El Niño indices, and general climate model outputs. El Niño Modoki events tend to depress convective activities in the western and eastern Pacific but enhance convective activities in the central and northern Pacific. Consequently, during El Niño Modoki events, negative water vapor anomalies occur in the western and eastern Pacific upper troposphere, whereas there are positive anomalies in the central and northern Pacific upper troposphere. The spatial patterns of the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and upper tropospheric water vapor anomalies exhibit a tripolar form. The empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of the OLR and upper tropospheric water vapor anomalies reveals that canonical El Niño events are associated with the leading mode of the EOF, while El Niño Modoki events correspond to the second mode. The composite analysis based on ERA-interim data indicate that El Niño Modoki events have a reverse effect on middle-high latitudes stratosphere, as compared with the effect of typical El Niño events, i.e., the northern polar vortex is stronger and colder but the southern polar vortex is weaker and warmer during El Niño Modoki events. According to the simulation' results, we found that the reverse effect on the middle-high latitudes stratosphere is resulted from a complicated interaction between quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) signal of east phase and El Niño Modoki signal. This interaction is not a simply linear overlay of QBO signal and El Niño Modoki signal in the stratosphere, it is El Niño Modoki that leads to different tropospheric zonal wind anomalies with QBO forcing from that caused by typical El Niño, thus, the planetary wave propagation from troposphere to the stratosphere during El Niño Modoki events is different from that during canonical El Niño events. However, when QBO is in its west phase, El Niño Modoki events have the same effect on middle-high latitudes stratosphere as the typical El Niño events. Our simulations also suggest that canonical El Niño and El Niño Modoki activities actually have the same influence on the middle-high latitudes stratosphere when in the absence of QBO forcing.

Matuyama-age lithic tools from the Sima del Elefante site, Atapuerca (northern Spain).

PubMed

Parés, Josep M; Pérez-González, Alfredo; Rosas, Antonio; Benito, A; Bermúdez de Castro, J M; Carbonell, E; Huguet, R

2006-02-01

Paleomagnetic results obtained from the sedimentary fill at the Sima del Elefante site in Atapuerca, Spain, reveal a geomagnetic reversal, interpreted as the Matuyama-Brunhes boundary (0.78 Ma). The uppermost lithostratigraphic units (E17 through E19), which contain Mode II and III archaeological assemblages, display normal polarity magnetization, whereas the six lowermost units (E9 through E16) yield negative latitudinal virtual geomagnetic pole positions. Units E9 through E13, all of which display reverse magnetic polarity, contain Mode I (Oldowan) lithic tools, testifying to the presence of humans in the early Pleistocene (0.78-1.77 Ma).

Homogenization of northern U.S. Great Lakes forests due to land use

Treesearch

Lisa A. Schulte; David J. Mladenoff; Thomas R. Crow; Laura C. Merrick; David T. Cleland

2007-01-01

Human land use of forested regions has intensified worldwide in recent decades, threatening long-term sustainability. Primary effects include conversion of land cover or reversion to an earlier stage of successional development. Both types of change can have cascading effects through ecosystems; however, the longterm effects where forests are allowed to regrow are...

Multi scale habitat relationships of Martes americana in northern Idaho, U.S.A.

Treesearch

Tzeidle N. Wasserman; Samuel A. Cushman; David O. Wallin; Jim Hayden

2012-01-01

We used bivariate scaling and logistic regression to investigate multiple-scale habitat selection by American marten (Martes americana). Bivariate scaling reveals dramatic differences in the apparent nature and strength of relationships between marten occupancy and a number of habitat variables across a range of spatial scales. These differences include reversals in...

Proteomic analysis of early phase of conidia germination in Aspergillus nidulans.

PubMed

Oh, Young Taek; Ahn, Chun-Seob; Kim, Jeong Geun; Ro, Hyeon-Su; Lee, Chang-Won; Kim, Jae Won

2010-03-01

In order to investigate proteins involved in early phase of conidia germination, proteomic analysis was performed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D-GE) in conjunction with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS). The expression levels of 241 proteins varied quantitatively with statistical significance (P<0.05) at the early phase of the germination stage. Out of these 57 were identified by MALDI-TOF MS. Through classification of physiological functions from Conserved Domain Database analysis, among the identified proteins, 21, 13, and 6 proteins were associated with energy metabolism, protein synthesis, and protein folding process, respectively. Interestingly, eight proteins, which are involved in detoxification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) including catalase A, thioredoxin reductase, and mitochondrial peroxiredoxin, were also identified. The expression levels of the genes were further confirmed using Northern blot and reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR analyses. This study represents the first proteomic analysis of early phase of conidia germination and will contribute to a better understanding of the molecular events involved in conidia germination process. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identification of floral genes for sex determination in Calamus palustris Griff. by using suppression subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Ng, C Y; Wickneswari, R; Choong, C Y

2014-08-07

Calamus palustris Griff. is an economically important dioecious rattan species in Southeast Asia. However, dioecy and onset of flowering at 3-4 years old render uncertainties in desired female:male seedling ratios to establish a productive seed orchard for this rattan species. We constructed a subtractive library for male floral tissue to understand the genetic mechanism for gender determination in C. palustris. The subtractive library produced 1536 clones with 1419 clones of high quality. Reverse Northern screening showed 313 clones with differential expression, and sequence analyses clustered them into 205 unigenes, including 32 contigs and 173 singletons. The subtractive library was further validated with reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Homology identification classified the unigenes into 12 putative functional proteins with 83% unigenes showing significant match to proteins in databases. Functional annotations of these unigenes revealed genes involved in male flower development, including MADS-box genes, pollen-related genes, phytohormones for flower development, and male flower organ development. Our results showed that the male floral genes may play a vital role in sex determination in C. palustris. The identified genes can be exploited to understand the molecular basis of sex determination in C. palustris.

Gravity field over northern Eurasia and variations in the strength of the upper mantle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kogan, Mikhail G.; Mcnutt, Marcia K.

1993-01-01

The correlation of long-wavelength gravity anomalies in northern Eurasia with seismic velocity anomalies in the upper mantle reverses in sign between western and eastern Eurasia. The difference between western and eastern Eurasia can be explained by the presence of a low-viscosity zone in the uppermost mantle beneath eastern Eurasia that is absent to the west. The location of the lateral change in viscosity corresponds with the geologic boundary between the older shields and platforms of the Baltics, Russia, and Siberia and the younger, geologically active mountain belts of eastern Asia. This relation provides evidence that differences in the strength of the upper mantle control the locus of intracontinental deformation.

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

PubMed Central

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

2015-01-01

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

Seasonal and Interannual Variation of Currents and Water Properties off the Mid-East Coast of Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, J. H.; Chang, K. I.; Nam, S.

2016-02-01

Since 1999, physical parameters such as current, temperature, and salinity off the mid-east coast of Korea have been continuously observed from the long-term buoy station called `East-Sea Real-time Ocean monitoring Buoy (ESROB)'. Applying harmonic analysis to 6-year-long (2007-2012) depth-averaged current data from the ESROB, a mean seasonal cycle of alongshore currents, characterized by poleward current in average and equatorward current in summer, is extracted which accounts for 5.8% of the variance of 40 hours low-pass filtered currents. In spite of the small variance explained, a robust seasonality of summertime equatorward reversal typifies the low-passed alongshore currents along with low-density water. To reveal the dynamics underlying the seasonal variation, each term of linearized, depth-averaged momentum equations is estimated using the data from ESROB, adjacent tide gauge stations, and serial hydrographic stations. The result indicates that the reversal of alongshore pressure gradient is a major driver of the equatorward reversals in summer. The reanalysis wind product (MERRA) and satellite altimeter-derived sea surface height (AVISO) data show correlated features between positive (negative) wind stress curl and sea surface depression (uplift). Quantitative estimates reveal that the wind-stress curl accounts for 42% of alongshore sea level variation. Summertime low-density water originating from the northern coastal region is a footprint of the buoyancy-driven equatorward current. An interannual variation (anomalies from the mean seasonal cycle) of alongshore currents and its possible driving mechanisms will be discussed.

Androgen induces gonadal soma-derived factor, Gsdf, in XX gonads correlated to sex-reversal but not Dmrt1 directly, in the teleost fish, northern medaka (Oryzias sakaizumii).

PubMed

Horie, Yoshifumi; Myosho, Taijun; Sato, Tadashi; Sakaizumi, Mitsuru; Hamaguchi, Satoshi; Kobayashi, Tohru

2016-11-15

In the inbred HNI-II strain of Oryzias sakaizumii, Dmy and Gsdf are expressed in XY gonads from Stages 35 and 36, respectively, similarly to the inbred Hd-rR strain of Oryzias latipes. However, Dmrt1 respectively becomes detectable at Stage 36 and 5 days post hatching (dph) in the two strains. In XX HNI-II embryos, 17α-methyltestosterone (MT) induces Gsdf mRNA from Stage 36, accompanied by complete sex-reversal in all treated individuals (MT, 10 ng/mL), while Dmrt1 mRNA was first detectable at 5 dph. In XX d-rR, MT induced Gsdf mRNA expression and sex-reversal in only some of the treated individuals. Together, these results suggest the testis differentiation cascade in XY individuals differs between the HNI-II and Hd-rR strains. In addition, it is suggested that androgen-induced XX sex-reversal proceeds via an androgen-Gsdf-Dmrt1 cascade and that Gsdf plays an important role in sex-reversal in medaka. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Satellite tracking of the migration of Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus wintering in Japan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shimada, Tetsuo; Yamaguchi, Noriyuki M.; Hijikata, N.; Hiraoka, Emiko N.; Hupp, Jerry W.; Flint, Paul L.; Tokita, Ken-ichi; Fujita, Go; Uchida, Kiyoshi; Sato, F.; Kurechi, Masayuki; Pearce, John M.; Ramey, Andy M.; Higuchi, Hiroyoshi

2014-01-01

We satellite-tracked Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus wintering in northern Japan to document their migration routes and timing, and to identify breeding areas. From 47 swans that we marked at Lake Izunuma-Uchinuma, Miyagi Prefecture, northeast Honshu, and at Lake Kussharo, east Hokkaido, we observed 57 spring and 33 autumn migrations from 2009-2012. In spring, swans migrated north along Sakhalin Island from eastern Hokkaido using stopovers in Sakhalin, at the mouth of the Amur River and in northern coastal areas of the Sea of Okhotsk. They ultimately reached molting/breedmg areas along the Indigirka River and the lower Kolyma River in northern Russia. In autumn, the swans basically reversed the spring migration routes. We identified northern Honshu, eastern Hokkaido, coastal areas in Sakhalin, the lower Amur River and northern coastal areas of the Sea of Okhotsk as the most frequent stopover sites, and the middle reaches of the Indigirka and the lower Kolyma River as presumed breeding sites. Our results are helpful in understanding the distribution of the breeding and stopover sites of Whooper Swans wintering in Japan and in identifying their major migration habitats. Our findings contribute to understanding the potential transmission process of avian influenza viruses potentially carried by swans, and provide information necessary to conserve Whooper Swans in East Asia.

Restoring perennial warm-season grasses as a means of reversing mesophication of oak woodlands in northern Mississippi

Treesearch

Erynn E. Maynard; J. Stephen Brewer

2012-01-01

Fire suppression has removed an important ecological force previously responsible for shaping many plant communities throughout the world. Upland areas of northcentral Mississippi that have been protected from fire are now closed-canopy forests including species known to be uncommon as bearing/witness trees in upland portions of the landscape (historically off-site...

Reactive silica fractions in coastal lagoon sediments from the northern Gulf of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krause, Jeffrey W.; Darrow, Elizabeth S.; Pickering, Rebecca A.; Carmichael, Ruth H.; Larson, Ashley M.; Basaldua, Jose L.

2017-12-01

Continental-margin sediments account for 50% of the oceanic biogenic silica burial despite covering < 10% of its area. In Mississippi Sound, a coastal lagoon in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM), we measured sediment biogenic silica at sites removed from major freshwater discharge sources using the traditional method and a method that has been modified for deltaic systems to quantify other reactive silica pools, specifically those involved in the process of reverse weathering. The magnitude of authigenically-altered biogenic silica during our study was significant and represented, on average, 33% of the total sediment biogenic silica among core depths and sites. Additionally, there was a significant relationship between the degree to which the biogenic silica pool was authigenically altered and the source of the sediment organic matter, with lower modification in sediments corresponding with higher terrestrial organic matter. We observed no positive correlation between the magnitude of authigenic modification and sediment clay content. Thus, our findings suggest that these processes may occur within a variety of sediment compositions and add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that reverse weathering of silica in coastal systems is a significant pathway in the global silica budget.

Cloud cover anomalies at middle latitudes: Links to troposphere dynamics and solar variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veretenenko, S.; Ogurtsov, M.

2016-11-01

In this work we study links between low cloud anomalies (LCA) at middle latitudes of the Northern and Southern hemispheres and galactic cosmic ray (GCR) variations used as a proxy of solar variability on the decadal time scale. It was shown that these links are not direct, but realized through GCR/solar activity phenomena influence on the development of extratropical baric systems (cyclones and troughs) which form cloud field. The violation of a positive correlation between LCA and GCR intensity which was observed in the 1980s-1990s occurred simultaneously in the Northern and Southern hemispheres in the early 2000s and coincided with the sign reversal of GCR effects on troposphere circulation. It was suggested that a possible reason for the correlation reversal between cyclonic activity at middle latitudes and GCR fluxes is the change of the stratospheric polar vortex intensity which influences significantly the troposphere-stratosphere coupling. The evidences for a noticeable weakening of the polar vortices in the Arctic and Antarctic stratosphere in the early 2000s are provided. The results obtained suggest an important role of the polar vortex evolution as a reason for a temporal variability of solar activity effects on the lower atmosphere.

Carbon and hydrogen isotopic reversals in deep basin gas: Evidence for limits to the stability of hydrocarbons

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burruss, R.C.; Laughrey, C.D.

2010-01-01

During studies of unconventional natural gas reservoirs of Silurian and Ordovician age in the northern Appalachian basin we observed complete reversal of the normal trend of carbon isotopic composition, such that ??13C methane (C1) >??13C ethane (C2) >??13C propane (C3). In addition, we have observed isotopic reversals in the ??2H in the deepest samples. Isotopic reversals cannot be explained by current models of hydrocarbon gas generation. Previous observations of partial isotopic reversals have been explained by mixing between gases from different sources and thermal maturities. We have constructed a model which, in addition to mixing, requires Rayleigh fractionation of C2 and C3 to cause enrichment in 13C and create reversals. In the deepest samples, the normal trend of increasing enrichment of 13C and 2H in methane with increasing depth reverses and 2H becomes depleted as 13C becomes enriched. We propose that the reactions that drive Rayleigh fractionation of C2 and C3 involve redox reactions with transition metals and water at late stages of catagenesis at temperatures on the order of 250-300??C. Published ab initio calculated fractionation factors for C-C bond breaking in ethane at these temperatures are consistent with our observations. The reversed trend in ??2H in methane appears to be caused by isotopic exchange with formation water at the same temperatures. Our interpretation that Rayleigh fractionation during redox reactions is causing isotopic reversals has important implications for natural gas resources in deeply buried sedimentary basins. ?? 2010.

Identification of new NE-trending deep-seated faults and tectonic pattern updating in northern Tunisia (Mogodos-Bizerte region), insights from field and seismic reflection data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Essid, El Mabrouk; Kadri, Ali; Inoubli, Mohamed Hedi; Zargouni, Fouad

2016-07-01

The northern Tunisia is occupied by the Tellian domain constituent the eastern end of the Maghrebides, Alpine fold-thrust belt. Study area includes partially the Tellian domain (Mogodos belt) and its foreland (Bizerte region). Most of this region outcrops consist of Numidian thrust sheet flysch attributed to the lower Oligocene-Burdigalian. In the study area, the major fault systems are still subject of discussion. The Numidian nappe structure, the distribution of basalt and Triassic outcrops within and at the front of this Tellian domain deserve more explanation. In this work we intend to update the structural scheme and the tectonic evolution of the northern Tunisia, taking into account salt tectonics and magmatism. The updated tectonic evolution will be integrated in the geodynamic framework of the Central Mediterranean. For this purpose, we have analyzed morphologic, seismic and structural data. The compilation of the results has allowed the identification of new regional NE-trending faults dipping towards the NW: the Bled el Aouana-Bizerte, the Sejnane-Ras Enjla and the Oued el Harka faults. They correspond to the reactivation of deep-seated normal faults splaying on the Triassic evaporites. This fault system constitutes the main component of the northern Tunisia structural scheme and has influenced its tectonic evolution marked by the main following stages. The Tellian thrust-sheets were immobilized at the uppermost Langhian. During the major Tortonian NW-trending compressive phase, these faults were reactivated with reverse kinematics and controlled the distribution of the post-nappes Neogene continental deposits. At the early Pleistocene, a compressive NNW-trending event has reactivated again these faults with sinistral-reverse movements and deformed the post-nappes Neogene series. Late Quaternary to Actual, the tectonic regime continues to be compressive with a NNW-trending maximum horizontal stress.

Flow path oscillations in transient ground-water simulations of large peatland systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reeve, A.S.; Evensen, R.; Glaser, P.H.; Siegel, D.I.; Rosenberry, D.

2006-01-01

Transient numerical simulations of the Glacial Lake Agassiz Peatland near the Red Lakes in Northern Minnesota were constructed to evaluate observed reversals in vertical ground-water flow. Seasonal weather changes were introduced to a ground-water flow model by varying evapotranspiration and recharge over time. Vertical hydraulic reversals, driven by changes in recharge and evapotranspiration were produced in the simulated peat layer. These simulations indicate that the high specific storage associated with the peat is an important control on hydraulic reversals. Seasonally driven vertical flow is on the order of centimeters in the deep peat, suggesting that seasonal vertical advective fluxes are not significant and that ground-water flow into the deep peat likely occurs on decadal or longer time scales. Particles tracked within the ground-water flow model oscillate over time, suggesting that seasonal flow reversals will enhance vertical mixing in the peat column. The amplitude of flow path oscillations increased with increasing peat storativity, with amplitudes of about 5 cm occurring when peat specific storativity was set to about 0.05 m-1. ?? 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Growth hormone and Pit-1 expression in bovine fetal lymphoid cells.

PubMed

Chen, H T; Schuler, L A; Schultz, R D

1997-11-01

Bovine fetal lymphoid cells were examined for growth hormone (GH) and the transcription factor Pit-1/GHF-1 mRNA. GH and Pit-1/GHF-1 transcripts were detected in thymocytes and splenocytes from fetuses at 60, 90, 120, and 270 d of gestation using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Northern analysis indicated that the lymphoid GH mRNA was approximately 350 nucleotides larger than in the pituitary. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that the coding regions as well as 3' untranslated region of the lymphocyte GH and pituitary transcripts were the same. Analysis of the 5'-untranslated region of the lymphocyte GH mRNA showed that transcription began upstream from the start site in the pituitary gland, suggesting differences in regulation in these tissues. Fetal thymocytes and splenocytes expressed Pit-1/GHF-1 mRNA; however, they contained only the 2.5-kb transcript. The GH and Pit-1/GHF-1 mRNA in fetal lymphoid cells supports the hypothesis that lymphocyte-derived GH may function as an autocrine and/or paracrine factor during the development and maturation of the bovine fetal immune system.

Salinity inhibits post transcriptional processing of chloroplast 16S rRNA in shoot cultures of jojoba (Simmondsia chinesis).

PubMed

Mizrahi-Aviv, Ela; Mills, David; Benzioni, Aliza; Bar-Zvi, Dudy

2005-03-01

Chloroplast metabolism is rapidly affected by salt stress. Photosynthesis is one of the first processes known to be affected by salinity. Here, we report that salinity inhibits chloroplast post-transcriptional RNA processing. A differentially expressed 680-bp cDNA, containing the 3' sequence of 16S rRNA, transcribed intergenic spacer, exon 1 and intron of tRNA(Ile), was isolated by differential display reverse transcriptase PCR from salt-grown jojoba (Simmondsia chinesis) shoot cultures. Northern blot analysis indicated that although most rRNA appears to be fully processed, partially processed chloroplast 16S rRNA accumulates in salt-grown cultures. Thus, salinity appears to decrease the processing of the rrn transcript. The possible effect of this decreased processing on physiological processes is, as yet, unknown.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of the Necrotrophic Fungus Ascochyta rabiei during Oxidative Stress: Insight for Fungal Survival in the Host Plant

PubMed Central

Singh, Kunal; Nizam, Shadab; Sinha, Manisha; Verma, Praveen K.

2012-01-01

Localized cell death, known as the hypersensitive response (HR), is an important defense mechanism for neutralizing phytopathogens. The hallmark of the HR is an oxidative burst produced by the host plant. We aimed to identify genes of the necrotrophic chickpea blight fungus Ascochyta rabiei that are involved in counteracting oxidative stress. A subtractive cDNA library was constructed after menadione treatment, which resulted in the isolation of 128 unigenes. A reverse northern blot was used to compare transcript profiles after H2O2, menadione and sodium nitroprusside treatments. A total of 70 unigenes were found to be upregulated by more than two-fold following menadione treatment at different time intervals. A large number of genes not previously associated with oxidative stress were identified, along with many stress-responsive genes. Differential expression patterns of several genes were validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and northern blotting. In planta qRT-PCR of several selected genes also showed differential expression patterns during infection and disease progression. These data shed light on the molecular responses of the phytopathogen A. rabiei to overcome oxidative and nitrosative stresses and advance the understanding of necrotrophic fungal pathogen survival mechanisms. PMID:22427966

Molecular detection and characterization of picobirnaviruses in piglets with diarrhea in Thailand.

PubMed

Wilburn, Lauren; Yodmeeklin, Arpaporn; Kochjan, Pakawat; Saikruang, Wilaiporn; Kumthip, Kattareeya; Khamrin, Pattara; Maneekarn, Niwat

2017-04-01

Picobirnavirus (PBV) is a small, bi-segmented, double-stranded RNA virus. Taxonomically, the genus Picobirnavirus belongs to the Picobirnaviridae family. PBV infects a wide range of hosts and causes opportunistic infections, but its role in diarrheal disease remains unclear. To determine the prevalence and genetic diversity of porcine PBVs in Northern Thailand, 380 fecal samples collected from diarrheic and non-diarrheic piglets, raised in 22 pig farms, were tested for the presence of PBV. Reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) was performed using primer sets specific to the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene. PBV was detected in 86 of 265 (32.5%) diarrheic piglets and in 26 of 115 (22.6%) non-diarrheic piglets. All the PBV strains detected in this study belonged to genogroup I and a high proportion of PBV-positive piglets were co-infected with group A rotavirus (RVA) and bocavirus (BoV). Phylogenetic analysis of representative genogroup I strains revealed remarkably high similarity between strains; these formed a monophyletic cluster with 97-100% sequence identity in the RdRp gene. The strains were also closely related to genogroup I PBV Chinese porcine strain. The findings indicate that PBV infection is common in piglets with and without diarrhea in Northern Thailand.

[Identification of genes that are specifically/preferentially expressed in developing cotton fibers by mRNA fluorescence differential display (FDD)].

PubMed

Sun, Jie; Li, Yuan-Li; Wang, Ruo-Hai; Xia, Gui-Xian

2004-01-01

Fluorescence differential display (FDD) technique was used to identify genes that are specifically or preferentially expressed in different developmental stages of cotton fiber cells. One hundred and nine differentially displayed cDNA fragments were isolated using 9, 21 and 27 DPA (days postanthesis) fibers as experimental materials. By a combination of two rounds of reverse Northern hybridization and Northern blot analyses, a number of such cDNA fragments were proved to represent fiber-specific/preferential genes. Sequencing determination and database searching indicated that most of these genes are novel. This work is an important step towards cloning the full-length cDNAs and characterizing the cellular functions of aforementioned genes in fiber development.

By-controlled convection and field-aligned currents near midnight auroral oval for northward interplanetary magnetic field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taguchi, S.; Sugiura, M.; Iyemori, T.; Winningham, J. D.; Slavin, J. A.

1994-01-01

Using the Dynamics Explorer (DE) 2 magnetic and electric field and plasma data, B(sub y)- controlled convection and field-aligned currents in the midnight sector for northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) are examined. The results of an analysis of the electric field data show that when IMF is stable and when its magnitude is large, a coherent B(sub y)-controlled convection exists near the midnight auroral oval in the ionosphere having adequate conductivities. When B(sub y) is negative, the convection consists of a westward (eastward) plasma flow at the lower latitudes and an eastward (westward) plasma flow at the higher latitudes in the midnight sector in the northern (southern) ionosphere. When B(sub y) is positive, the flow directions are reversed. The distribution of the field-aligned currents associated with the B(sub y)-controlled convection, in most cases, shows a three-sheet structure. In accordance with the convection the directions of the three sheets are dependent on the sign of B(sub y). The location of disappearance of the precipitating intense electrons having energies of a few keV is close to the convection reversal surface. However, the more detailed relationship between the electron precipitation boundary and the convection reversal surface depends on the case. In some cases the precipitating electrons extend beyond the convection reversal surface, and in others the poleward boundary terminates at a latitude lower than the reversal surface. Previous studies suggest that the poleward boundary of the electrons having energies of a few keV is not necessarily coincident with an open/closed bounary. Thus the open/closed boundary may be at a latitude higher than the poleward boundary of the electron precipitation, or it may be at a latitude lower than the poleward boundary of the electron precipitation. We discuss relationships between the open/closed boundary and the convection reversal surface. When as a possible choice we adopt a view that the open/closed boundary agrees with the convection reversal surface, we can explain qualitatively the configuration of the B(sub y)-controlled convection on the open and close field line regions by proposing a mapping modified in accordance with IMF B(sub y).

Monsoon control on faunal composition of planktic foraminifera in the Arabian Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munz, P.; Siccha, M.; Kucera, M.; Schulz, H.

2013-12-01

Being among the most productive open ocean basins, sea surface properties in the Arabian Sea are highly influenced by the seasonal reversal of the monsoonal wind system. During boreal summer wind direction from the southwest induces strong upwelling along the coast off Somalia and Oman. Vertical transport of cold and nutrient-rich deep-water masses by Ekman pumping reduces sea surface temperature and triggers primary productivity. Reversed cold and dry winds during boreal winter lead to cooling of the surface- and subsurface-waters and hereby to deep convective mixing, bringing nutrients into the photic zone and enhancing primary productivity especially in the northern part of the Arabian Sea. Here, we study the influence of the different seasonal monsoon systems on the faunal composition of planktic foraminifera, in order to improve our understanding how the faunal community record is influenced by the respective monsoon systems and to provide baseline information for the reconstruction of ancient monsoon conditions. We used published core-top foraminiferal databases, significantly increased in spatial coverage by new contributions. The resulting combined database consists of 413 core-top samples spanning the Arabian Sea and the Northern Indian Ocean to 10° S. The seasonal sea surface properties at these stations could be binned into categories of different monsoon influence, based on satellite-derived chlorophyll-a concentrations. Interpretation of species response to environmental control is based on multivariate statistical analyses of each of the categorical bins. First results show that samples influenced only by winter- and summer monsoon conditions, respectively, feature specifiable faunal composition. Globigerina bulloides is mostly associated with summer upwelling conditions, whereas Globigerina falconensis and Pulleniatina obliquiloculata are typical species of winter conditions. Redundancy analysis reveals preferences of species populations with respect to particular environmental gradients and may help to disentangle winter- from summer monsoon impact on modern and fossil faunas.

Paleosecular variation and time-averaged field analysis over the last 10 Ma from a new global dataset (PSV10)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cromwell, G.; Johnson, C. L.; Tauxe, L.; Constable, C.; Jarboe, N.

2015-12-01

Previous paleosecular variation (PSV) and time-averaged field (TAF) models draw on compilations of paleodirectional data that lack equatorial and high latitude sites and use latitudinal virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) cutoffs designed to remove transitional field directions. We present a new selected global dataset (PSV10) of paleodirectional data spanning the last 10 Ma. We include all results calculated with modern laboratory methods, regardless of site VGP colatitude, that meet statistically derived selection criteria. We exclude studies that target transitional field states or identify significant tectonic effects, and correct for any bias from serial correlation by averaging directions from sequential lava flows. PSV10 has an improved global distribution compared with previous compilations, comprising 1519 sites from 71 studies. VGP dispersion in PSV10 varies with latitude, exhibiting substantially higher values in the southern hemisphere than at corresponding northern latitudes. Inclination anomaly estimates at many latitudes are within error of an expected GAD field, but significant negative anomalies are found at equatorial and mid-northern latitudes. Current PSV models Model G and TK03 do not fit observed PSV or TAF latitudinal behavior in PSV10, or subsets of normal and reverse polarity data, particularly for southern hemisphere sites. Attempts to fit these observations with simple modifications to TK03 showed slight statistical improvements, but still exceed acceptable errors. The root-mean-square misfit of TK03 (and subsequent iterations) is substantially lower for the normal polarity subset of PSV10, compared to reverse polarity data. Two-thirds of data in PSV10 are normal polarity, most which are from the last 5 Ma, so we develop a new TAF model using this subset of data. We use the resulting TAF model to explore whether new statistical PSV models can better describe our new global compilation.

Identification of Burkholderia pseudomallei Near-Neighbor Species in the Northern Territory of Australia

PubMed Central

Ginther, Jennifer L.; Mayo, Mark; Warrington, Stephanie D.; Kaestli, Mirjam; Mullins, Travis; Wagner, David M.; Currie, Bart J.; Tuanyok, Apichai; Keim, Paul

2015-01-01

Identification and characterization of near-neighbor species are critical to the development of robust molecular diagnostic tools for biothreat agents. One such agent, Burkholderia pseudomallei, a soil bacterium and the causative agent of melioidosis, is lacking in this area because of its genomic diversity and widespread geographic distribution. The Burkholderia genus contains over 60 species and occupies a large range of environments including soil, plants, rhizospheres, water, animals and humans. The identification of novel species in new locations necessitates the need to identify the true global distribution of Burkholderia species, especially the members that are closely related to B. pseudomallei. In our current study, we used the Burkholderia-specific recA sequencing assay to analyze environmental samples from the Darwin region in the Northern Territory of Australia where melioidosis is endemic. Burkholderia recA PCR negative samples were further characterized using 16s rRNA sequencing for species identification. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that over 70% of the bacterial isolates were identified as B. ubonensis indicating that this species is common in the soil where B. pseudomallei is endemic. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis reveals many novel branches within the B. cepacia complex, one novel B. oklahomensis-like species, and one novel branch containing one isolate that is distinct from all other samples on the phylogenetic tree. During the analysis with recA sequencing, we discovered 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the reverse priming region of B. oklahomensis. A degenerate primer was developed and is proposed for future use. We conclude that the recA sequencing technique is an effective tool to classify Burkholderia and identify soil organisms in a melioidosis endemic area. PMID:26121041

Course of c-myc mRNA expression in the regenerating mouse testis determined by competitive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.

PubMed

Amendola, R

1994-11-01

The c-myc proto-oncogene is a reliable marker of the "G0-early G1" transition, and its down-regulation is believed to be necessary to obtain cellular differentiation. In murine spermatogenesis, the level of c-myc transcripts does not correlate with the rate of cellular division. Proliferation of supposed staminal spermatogonia to reproduce themselves is induced with a local 5 Gy X-ray dose in 90-day-old C57Bl/6 mice. c-myc quantification by a newly developed competitive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was carried out to follow the expression course of this proto-oncogene. Damage and restoration of spermatogenesis were analyzed at days 3, 6, 9, 10, 13, 30, and 60 after injury by relative testes/body weight determination and histological examination. Proliferative status was determined by histone H3 Northern blot analysis. c-myc mRNA level was 10 times higher after 3 days in the irradiated animals compared to the controls. An increasing number of copies were noted up to 10 days, but promptly decreased to the base level found for irradiated mice from 13 to 60 days. Interestingly, the expression of histone H3 detected S phase only in testes at 60 days from damage.

Restoration of chemosensitivity in cancer cells with MDR phenotype by deoxyribozyme, compared with ribozyme.

PubMed

Xing, Ai-Yan; Shi, Duan-bo; Liu, Wei; Chen, Xu; Sun, Yan-Lin; Wang, Xiao; Zhang, Jian-ping; Gao, Peng

2013-06-01

One of the main mechanisms for multidrug resistance (MDR) involves multidrug resistance gene 1 (MDR1) which encodes P-glycoprotein (Pgp). Pgp acts as a drug efflux pump and exports chemotherapeutic agents from cancer cells. Specific inhibition of Pgp expression by gene therapy is considered a well-respective strategy having less innate toxicities. At present, the investigation of DRz in reversal MDR is scarce. In the study, phosphorothioate DRz that targets to the translation initiation codon AUG was synthesized and transfected into breast cancer cells and leukemia cells with MDR phenotype. ASODN (antisense oligonucleotide) and ribozyme targets to the same region were also synthesized for comparison analysis. Alterations in MDR1 mRNA and Pgp were determined by RT-PCR, Northern blot, flow cytometry and Rh123 retention tests. Chemosensitivity of the treated cells was determined by MTT assay. The results showed that DRz could significantly suppress expression of MDR1 mRNA and inhibit synthesis of Pgp. The efflux activity of Pgp was inhibited accordingly. Chemosensitivity assay showed that a 21-fold reduction in drug resistance for Adriamycin and a 45-fold reduction in drug resistance for Vinblastine were found in the treated cells 36h after transfection. These data suggest that DRz targeted to the translation initiation codon AUG can reverse MDR phenotype in cancer cells and restore their chemosensitivity. Moreover, the reversal efficiency of DRz is better than that of ribozyme and ASODN targets to the same region of MDR1 mRNA. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Applying behavior analysis to clinical problems: review and analysis of habit reversal.

PubMed Central

Miltenberger, R G; Fuqua, R W; Woods, D W

1998-01-01

This article provides a review and analysis of habit reversal, a multicomponent procedure developed by Azrin and Nunn (1973, 1974) for the treatment of nervous habits, tics, and stuttering. The article starts with a discussion of the behaviors treated with habit reversal, behavioral covariation among habits, and functional analysis and assessment of habits. Research on habit reversal and simplified versions of the procedure is then described. Next the article discusses the limitations of habit reversal and the evidence for its generality. The article concludes with an analysis of the behavioral processes involved in habit reversal and suggestions for future research. PMID:9757583

Fire and stand history in two limber pine (Pinus flexilis) and Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata) stands in Colorado

Treesearch

Peter M. Brown; Anna W. Schoettle

2008-01-01

We developed fire-scar and tree-recruitment chronologies from two stands dominated by limber pine and Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine in central and northern Colorado. Population structures in both sites exhibit reverse-J patterns common in uneven-aged forests. Bristlecone pine trees were older than any other at the site or in the limber pine stand, with the oldest...

Development of a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for the detection of vesicular stomatitis New Jersey virus: use of rapid molecular assay to differentiate between vesicular disease viruses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Vesicular stomatitis (VS) is endemic in Central America and northern regions of South America. Sporadic outbreaks of VS can occur in cattle and pigs where the clinical presentation can be similar to foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). There is therefore a pressing need for rapid, sensitive and specific d...

Prevalence of HIV drug resistance mutation in the northern Indian population after failure of the first line antiretroviral therapy.

PubMed

Sinha, S; Shekhar, R C; Ahmad, H; Kumar, N; Samantaray, J C; Sreenivas, V; Khan, N H; Mitsuyasu, R T

2012-09-01

There is limited information available about the prevalence and pattern of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) drug resistance mutations (DRMs) among antiretroviral therapy (ART) experienced patients from northern India. Results of genotypic drug resistance testing were obtained from plasma samples of 128 patients, who had presented with clinical or immunological failure to treatment after at least six months of ART. Major DRMs associated with any of the three classes of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI), non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) and protease inhibitors (PI), were seen in 120 out of 128 patients (93.8% prevalence). NRTI and NNRTI DRMs were each seen in 115/128 (89.8%) patients, with M184V, M41L, D67N and T215Y being the most frequent among NRTI associated mutations, and K103N, G190A, Y181C and A98G among NNRTI associated ones. PI DRMs were observed in 14/128 (10.9%) patients, with L10I, V82A and L89V being the commonest. These results present a high prevalence of DRMs among ART experienced patients from northern India with clinical or immunological failure of therapy. It emphasizes the need for regular testing of plasma samples of such patients for DRMs in order to detect and replace a failing regimen early, and also the use of HIV drug resistance genotyping of ART naive individuals prior to initiating first line ART for possible transmitted resistance. It is very important to enhance the access of patients to ARV drugs so that their compliance could be improved and hence development of DRMs be minimized.

Measuring groundwater-surface water interaction and its effect on wetland stream benthic productivity, Trout Lake watershed, northern Wisconsin, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hunt, R.J.; Strand, M.; Walker, J.F.

2006-01-01

Measurements of groundwater-surface water exchange at three wetland stream sites were related to patterns in benthic productivity as part of the US Geological Survey's Northern Temperate Lakes-Water, Energy and Biogeochemical Budgets (NTL-WEBB) project. The three sites included one high groundwater discharge (HGD) site, one weak groundwater discharge (WGD) site, and one groundwater recharge (GR) site. Large upward vertical gradients at the HGD site were associated with smallest variation in head below the stream and fewest gradient reversals between the stream and the groundwater beneath the stream, and the stream and the adjacent streambank. The WGD site had the highest number of gradient reversals reflecting the average condition being closest to zero vertical gradient. The duration of groundwater discharge events was related to the amount of discharge, where the HGD site had the longest strong-gradient durations for both horizontal and vertical groundwater flow. Strong groundwater discharge also controlled transient temperature and chemical hyporheic conditions by limiting the infiltration of surface water. Groundwater-surface water interactions were related to highly significant patterns in benthic invertebrate abundance, taxonomic richness, and periphyton respiration. The HGD site abundance was 35% greater than in the WGD site and 53% greater than the GR site; richness and periphyton respiration were also significantly greater (p???0.001, 31 and 44%, respectively) in the HGD site than in the GR site. The WGD site had greater abundance (27%), richness (19%) and periphyton respiration (39%) than the GR site. This work suggests groundwater-surface water interactions can strongly influence benthic productivity, thus emphasizing the importance of quantitative hydrology for management of wetland-stream ecosystems in the northern temperate regions. ?? 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural evolution of the Semail Ophiolite metamorphic sole, Wadi Hawasina and Northern Jebel Nakhl Culmination, Oman

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurtado, C.; Bailey, C.; Visokay, L.; Scharf, A.

2017-12-01

The Semail ophiolite is the world's largest and best-exposed ophiolite sequence, however the processes associated with both oceanic detachment and later emplacement onto the Arabian continental margin remain enigmatic. This study examines the upper mantle section of the ophiolite, its associated metamorphic sole, and the autochthonous strata beneath the ophiolite at two locations in northern Oman. Our purpose is to understand the structural history of ophiolite emplacement and evaluate the deformation kinematics of faulted and sheared rocks in the metamorphic sole. At Wadi Hawasina, the base of the ophiolite is defined by a 5- to 15-m thick zone of penetratively-serpentinized mylonitic peridotite. Kinematic indicators record top-to-the SW (reverse) sense-of-shear with a triclinic deformation asymmetry. An inverted metamorphic grade is preserved in the 300- to 500-m thick metamorphic sole that is thrust over deep-water sedimentary rocks of the Hawasina Group. The study site near Buwah, in the northern Jebel Nakhl culmination, contains a N-to-S progression of mantle peridotite, metamorphic sole, and underlying Jurassic carbonates. Liswanite crops out in NW-SE trending linear ridges in the peridotite. The metamorphic sole includes well-foliated quartzite, metachert, and amphibolite. Kinematic evidence indicates that the liswanite and a serpentinized mélange experienced top to-the north (normal) sense-of-shear. Two generations of E-W striking, N-dipping normal faults separate the autochthonous sequence from the metamorphic sole, and also cut out significant sections of the metamorphic sole. Fabric analysis reveals that the metamorphic sole experienced flattening strain (K<0.2) that accumulated during pure shear-dominated general shear (Wk<0.4). Normal faulting and extension at the Buwah site indicates that post-ophiolite deformation is significant in the Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Nakhl culminations.

Dendroclimatic estimates of a drought index for northern Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Puckett, Larry J.

1981-01-01

A 230-year record of the Palmer drought-severity index (PDSI) was estimated for northern Virginia from variations in widths of tree rings. Increment cores were extracted from eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr., at three locations in northern Virginia. Measurements of annual growth increments were made and converted to standardized indices of growth. A response function was derived for hemlock to determine the growth-climate relationship. Growth was positively correlated with precipitation and negatively correlated with temperature during the May-July growing season. Combined standardized indices of growth were calibrated with the July PDSI. Growth accounted for 20-30 percent of the PDSI variance. Further regressions using factor scores of combined tree growth indices resulted in a small but significant improvement. Greatest improvement was made by using factor scores of growth indices of individual trees, thereby accounting for 64 percent of the July PDSI variance in the regression. Comparison of the results with a 241-year reconstruction from New York showed good agreement between low-frequency climatic trends. Analysis of the estimated Central Mountain climatic division of Virginia PDSI record indicated that, relative to the long-term record (1746-1975), dry years have occurred in disproportionally larger numbers during the last half of the 19th century and the mid-20th century. This trend appears reversed for the last half of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. Although these results are considered first-generation products, they are encouraging, suggesting that once additional tree-ring chronologies are constructed and techniques are refined, it will be possible to obtain more accurate estimates of prior climatic conditions in the mid-Atlantic region.

Evolution of regional stress state based on faulting and folding near the pit river, Shasta county, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Austin, Lauren Jean

We investigate the evolution of the regional stress state near the Pit River, northern California, in order to understand the faulting style in a tectonic transition zone and to inform the hazard analysis of Fault 3432 near the Pit 3 Dam. By analyzing faults and folds preserved in and adjacent to a diatomite mine north of the Pit River, we have determined principal stress directions preserved during the past million years. We find that the stress state has evolved from predominantly normal to strike slip and most recently to reverse, which is consistent with regional structures such as the extensional Hat Creek Fault to the south and the compressional folding of Mushroom Rock to the north. South of the Pit River, we still observe normal and strike slip faults, suggesting that changes in stress state are moving from north to south through time.

The effect of the solar field reversal on the modulation of galactic cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, B. T.; Goldstein, B. E.

1983-01-01

There is now a growing awareness that solar cycle related changes in the large-scale structure of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) may play an important role in the modulation of galactic cosmic rays. To date, attention focussed on two aspects of the magnetic field structure: large scale compression regions produced by fast solar wind streams and solar flares, both of which are known to vary in intensity and number over the solar cycle, and the variable warp of the heliospheric current sheet. It is suggested that another feature of the solar cycle is worthy of consideration: the field reversal itself. If the Sun reverses its polarity by simply overturning the heliospheric current sheet (northern fields migrating southward and vice-versa) then there may well be an effect on cosmic ray intensity. However, such a simple picture of solar reversal seems improbable. Observations of the solar corona suggest the existence of not one but several current sheets in the heliosphere at solar maximum. The results of a simple calculation to demonstrate that the variation in cosmic ray intensities that will result can be as large as is actually observed over the solar cycle are given.

Functional organization of a single nif cluster in the mesophilic archaeon Methanosarcina mazei strain Gö1

PubMed Central

Ehlers, Claudia; Veit, Katharina; Gottschalk, Gerhard; Schmitz, Ruth A.

2002-01-01

The mesophilic methanogenic archaeon Methanosarcina mazei strain Gö1 is able to utilize molecular nitrogen (N2) as its sole nitrogen source. We have identified and characterized a single nitrogen fixation (nif) gene cluster in M. mazei Gö1 with an approximate length of 9 kbp. Sequence analysis revealed seven genes with sequence similarities to nifH, nifI1, nifI2, nifD, nifK, nifE and nifN, similar to other diazotrophic methanogens and certain bacteria such as Clostridium acetobutylicum, with the two glnB-like genes (nifI1 and nifI2) located between nifH and nifD. Phylogenetic analysis of deduced amino acid sequences for the nitrogenase structural genes of M. mazei Gö1 showed that they are most closely related to Methanosarcina barkeri nif2 genes, and also closely resemble those for the corresponding nif products of the gram-positive bacterium C. acetobutylicum. Northern blot analysis and reverse transcription PCR analysis demonstrated that the M. mazei nif genes constitute an operon transcribed only under nitrogen starvation as a single 8 kb transcript. Sequence analysis revealed a palindromic sequence at the transcriptional start site in front of the M. mazei nifH gene, which may have a function in transcriptional regulation of the nif operon. PMID:15803652

Paleomagnetism and paleogeography of Jurassic radiolarian cherts from the Northern Apennines of Italy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aiello, I.W.; Hagstrum, J.T.

2001-01-01

Oriented samples of Jurassic radiolarian chert were collected from the Tuscan domain (continental margin) and the Ligurid domain (oceanic) of the northern Apennines for paleomagnetic study to determine the paleogeographic origins of these rocks. The oceanic rocks are all thermochemically overprinted by a mostly reversed-polarity component of magnetization (B) that was likely acquired during late Miocene regional uplift of the northern Apennines. This component also dominates the lower brittle chert of the Tuscan Cherts, but disappears upsection in the more clay-rich and ductile siliceous marlstones. In addition, the Tuscan Cherts retain an inferred primary magnetization (C), isolated at temperatures between 560 and 660 degrees C, which passes a fold test and shows a polarity stratigraphy. This component indicates a paleolatitude of 11 degrees + or -4 degrees N, and a counterclockwise vertical-axis rotation of 29 degrees + or -9 degrees with respect to the southern Alps of Italy, of 49 degrees + or -8 degrees with respect to Africa, and of 91 degrees + or -8 degrees with respect to Eurasia. Our results suggest that the Tuscan domain was farther south than other deep-water continental margin sections of Adria, and that transcurrent faulting might have played a significant role in the orogenic evolution of the northern Apennines.

The Use of Megamelus scutellaris Berg in the Southern United States as a Biocontrol Agent of Waterhyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.))

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-01

spread to include the southern and western United States and disjunct northern populations ( US Department of Agriculture/ Natural Resources...waterhyacinth in Louisiana currently exceeds $4 million.3 Primary control methods include the use of herbicides and release of insect biological control...C with natural daylight (Figure 4). Reverse osmosis (RO) water was used in the tanks with periodic application of nutrients. Waterhyacinth was

Neotectonic deformation in Tunisia (North of the African plate)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soumaya, Abdelkader; Ben Ayed, Noureddine; Kadri, Ali; Delvaux, Damien; Khayati Ammar, Hayet; Braham, Ahmed

2017-04-01

In Tunisia, at the extreme North of the African plate, the neotectonic context is largely influenced by the Eurasia-Africa convergence. The aim of this work is to characterize the neotectonic regime that affected this region during Quaternary. Field work investigations integrated with published data allowed to evidence a spatial-temporal variation of the tectonic stress regime during this period. The spatial repartition of the different types of Quaternary to historical deformation shows a North-South neotectonic zoning in Tunisia. After lower Pleistocene, the Tellian domain (Maghrebides) in the North and its Atlassic foreland in central Tunisia are affected by NNW-SSE compression. It generated E-W to NE-SW folds and reverse faults, well developed in the Plio-Quaternary molassic basins of Kechabta and Jendouba (Northern Tunisia). In the Atlas, the major E-W and N-S pre-existing faults have been reactivated with dextral and sinistral strike-slip kinematic respectively, associated to en-echelon folds (Kasserine, N-S Axis, Northern Chott belt...). After the Tyrrhenian, a submeridian compressional regime affected Northern Tunisia (e.g., Bizerte region) and was responsible for the E-W folding of marine strata. More to the South, in the Tunisian Sahel, transtensional tectonics with a NW-SE horizontal maximal compression (SHmax) deformed the Tyrrhenian marine series (Khénis, Skanès, Monastir…). During the Holocene and up to present-day times, N-S compressional tectonics reactivated the E-W pre-existing faults with a reverse movement in Northern Tunisia (Bulla Regia, Utica …), generating historical earthquakes. In Central Tunisia, the Aqueduct of Cherichira (built around AD 850) is displaced by a N-S normal fault. Similarly, a mosaic of a roman house is shifted by 10 cm, along a N-S sinistral normal fault. These deformations evidence a transtensional tectonic regime. During the Quaternary, all the NW-SE oriented grabens are subsiding (e.g., Bizerte Lake, Grombalia, and others in central Atlas). They can be explained by the coexistence of extensional and compressional structures in a general compressional tectonic regime with NNW-SSE SHmax.

[Molecular epidemiology of hepatitis B virus in Northern Cyprus].

PubMed

Arıkan, Ayşe; Şanlıdağ, Tamer; Süer, Kaya; Sayan, Murat; Akçalı, Sinem; Güler, Emrah

2016-01-01

Identification of hepatitis B virus (HBV) strains and understanding of molecular epidemiological characteristics are important for the effective surveillance of HBV infections. Genotype D is dominant in studies performed in Turkey but it is known that cases infected with genotypes A, E, G and H also exists. In contrast, there are no data regarding the molecular epidemiologic characteristics of the HBV in Northern Cyprus. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of genotypes and subgenotypes of HBV among the people living, educating and working in Northern Cyprus. A total of 160 cases (1.2%) who were HBsAg seropositive out of 13.892 subjects admitted to Nicosia, Near East University Hospital microbiology laboratory for the routine control and to blood center for donor screening tests between November 2011 to September 2014, were included in the study. HBV-DNA levels in the HBsAg positive cases were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction and genotypes/subgenotypes were determined by sequence analysis of the viral pol gene (reverse transcriptase [rt] region, between 80-250. aminoacids). Sixty samples (60/160, 37.5%) were excluded from sequencing analysis due to negative and/or very low (< 30 IU/ml) HBV-DNA levels, so 100 samples were included in sequence analysis. Ninety-six of those cases (13 female, 87 male; mean age: 35.51 ± 12.88 years) were anti-HBc IgG, 95 were anti-HBe and five were HBeAg positive, with a mean HBV-DNA level of 5.36 x 10(6) ± 3.58 x 10(7) IU/ml. As 32 (32%) samples yielded HBV-DNA level below the threshold of 1000 IU/ml, sequence analyses were unsuccesful, eventually 68 (68/160, 42.5%) samples could be phylogenetically analyzed. The distribution of HBV genotypes/subgenotypes were found as follows: 48 were (70.6%) D/D1; four were (5.9%) D/D2; one was (1.5%) D/D3, five were (7.4%) A/A1, two were (2.9%) A/A2 and eight were (11.8%) genotype E. Among the most frequent D1 strains, 60.4% (29/48) cases were from Turkish; single D/D3 strain from Benguela (Angola) and all eight genotype E strains were from Nigerian national cases. According to the data of this first study performed in TRNC on this subject, genotype D is dominant (53/68, 78%) in Northern Cyprus and consistent with the subgenotype distribution that is similar to Turkey and mediterranean basin. The prevalences of genotype A (7/68, 10.3%) and E (8/68, 11.8%) were also remarkable. In conclusion, although Northern Cyprus is an island country the heterogeneous distribution of HBV genotype/subgenotype may be contributed to the cosmopolitan characteristics of various populations from different countries who have come here for education, work or touristic purposes.

Short Communication Phylogenetic Characterization of HIV Type 1 CRF01_AE V3 Envelope Sequences in Pregnant Women in Northern Vietnam

PubMed Central

Caridha, Rozina; Ha, Tran Thi Thanh; Gaseitsiwe, Simani; Hung, Pham Viet; Anh, Nguyen Mai; Bao, Nguyen Huy; Khang, Dinh Duy; Hien, Nguyen Tran; Cam, Phung Dac; Chiodi, Francesca

2012-01-01

Abstract Characterization of HIV-1 strains is important for surveillance of the HIV-1 epidemic. In Vietnam HIV-1-infected pregnant women often fail to receive the care they are entitled to. Here, we analyzed phylogenetically HIV-1 env sequences from 37 HIV-1-infected pregnant women from Ha Noi (n=22) and Hai Phong (n=15), where they delivered in 2005–2007. All carried CRF01_AE in the gp120 V3 region. In 21 women CRF01_AE was also found in the reverse transcriptase gene. We compared their env gp120 V3 sequences phylogenetically in a maximum likelihood tree to those of 198 other CRF01_AE sequences in Vietnam and 229 from neighboring countries, predominantly Thailand, from the HIV-1 database. Altogether 464 sequences were analyzed. All but one of the maternal sequences colocalized with sequences from northern Vietnam. The maternal sequences had evolved the least when compared to sequences collected in Ha Noi in 2002, as shown by analysis of synonymous and nonsynonymous changes, than to other Vietnamese sequences collected earlier and/or elsewhere. Since the HIV-1 epidemic in women in Vietnam may still be underestimated, characterization of HIV-1 in pregnant women is important to observe how HIV-1 has evolved and follow its molecular epidemiology. PMID:21936713

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

Schlagnhaufer, C.D.; Arteca, R.N.; Pell, E.J.

When potato plants (Solanum tuberosum L. cv Norland) are subjected to oxone stress ethylene is emitted. Increases in ethylene production are often the result of increased expression of the enzyme ACC synthase. We used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to clone a cDNA encoding an ozone-induced ACC synthase. After treating potato plants with 300 ppb ozone for 4 h, RNA was extracted using a guanidinium isothiocyanate method. Using degenerate oligonucleotides corresponding to several conserved regions of ACC synthase sequences reported from different plant tissues as primers, we were able to reverse transcribe the RNA and amplify a cDNA for ACCmore » synthase. The clone is 1098 bp in length encoding for 386 amino acids comprising [approximately]80% of the protein. Computer analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence showed that our clone is 50-70% homologous with ACC synthase genes cloned from other plant tissues. Using the cDNA as a probe in northern analysis we found that there is little or no expression in control tissue: however there is a large increase in the expression of the ACC synthase message in response to ozone treatment.« less

A study of the asymmetrical distribution of solar activity features on solar and plasma parameters (1967-2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Borie, M. A.; El-Taher, A. M.; Aly, N. E.; Bishara, A. A.

2018-04-01

The impact of asymmetrical distribution of hemispheric sunspot areas (SSAs) on the interplanetary magnetic field, plasma, and solar parameters from 1967 to 2016 has been studied. The N-S asymmetry of solar-plasma activities based on SSAs has a northern dominance during solar cycles 20 and 24. However, it has a tendency to shift to the southern hemisphere in cycles 21, 22, and 23. The solar cycle 23 showed that the sorted southern SSAs days predominated over the northern days by ˜17%. Through the solar cycles 21-24, the SSAs of the southern hemisphere were more active. In contrast, the northern SSAs predominate over the southern one by 9% throughout solar cycle 20. On the other hand, the average differences of field magnitude for the sorted northern and southern groups during solar cycles 20-24 are statistically insignificant. Clearly, twenty years showed that the solar plasma ion density from the sorted northern group was denser than that of southern group and a highest northern dominant peak occurred in 1971. In contrast, seventeen out of fifty years showed the reverse. In addition, there are fifteen clear asymmetries of solar wind speed (SWS), with SWS (N) > SWS (S), and during the years 1972, 2002, and 2008, the SWS from the sorted northern group was faster than that of southern activity group by 6.16 ± 0.65 km/s, 5.70 ± 0.86 km/s, and 5.76 ± 1.35 km/s, respectively. For the solar cycles 20-24, the grand-averages of P from the sorted solar northern and southern have nearly the same parameter values. The solar plasma was hotter for the sorted northern activity group than the southern ones for 17 years out of 50. Most significant northern prevalent asymmetries were found in 1972 (5.76 ± 0.66 × 103 K) and 1996 (4.7 ± 0.8 × 103 K), while two significant equivalent dominant southern asymmetries (˜3.8 ± 0.3 × 103 K) occurred in 1978 and 1993. The grand averages of sunspot numbers have symmetric activity for the two sorted northern and southern hemispheres through the solar cycles 20 and 21. The sunspots tend to be the southern dominance during the solar cycles 22 and 23, and it shifted during solar cycle 24 to symmetric distribution on both solar hemispheres.

Reversible Ca2+-induced fast-to-slow transition in primary skeletal muscle culture cells at the mRNA level

PubMed Central

Meißner, Joachim D; Kubis, Hans-Peter; Scheibe, Renate J; Gros, Gerolf

2000-01-01

The adult fast character and a Ca2+-inducible reversible transition from a fast to a slow type of rabbit myotube in a primary culture were demonstrated at the mRNA level by Northern blot analysis with probes specific for different myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms and enzymes of energy metabolism. No non-adult MyHC isoform mRNA was detected after 22 days of culture. After 4 weeks of culture the fast MyHCIId mRNA was strongly expressed while MyHCI mRNA was virtually absent, indicating the fast adult character of the myotubes in the primary skeletal muscle culture. The data show that a fast-to-slow transition occurred in the myotubes at the level of MyHC isoform gene expression after treatment with the Ca2+ ionophore A23187. The effects of ionophore treatment were decreased levels of fast MyHCII mRNA and an augmented expression of the slow MyHCI gene. Changes in gene expression started very rapidly 1 day after the onset of ionophore treatment. Levels of citrate synthase mRNA increased and levels of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA decreased during ionophore treatment. This points to a shift from anaerobic to oxidative energy metabolism in the primary skeletal muscle culture cells at the level of gene expression. Withdrawal of the Ca2+ ionophore led to a return to increased levels of MyHCII mRNA and decreased levels of MyHCI mRNA, indicating a slow-to-fast transition in the myotubes and the reversibility of the effect of ionophore on MyHC isoform gene expression. PMID:10673542

Production of thrombopoietin (TPO) by rat hepatocytes and hepatoma cell lines.

PubMed

Shimada, Y; Kato, T; Ogami, K; Horie, K; Kokubo, A; Kudo, Y; Maeda, E; Sohma, Y; Akahori, H; Kawamura, K

1995-12-01

Recently, we purified rat thrombopoietin (TPO) from plasma of irradiated rats (XRP) by measuring its activity that stimulated the production of megakaryocytes from megakaryocyte progenitor cells (CFU-MK) in vitro. We then cloned the cDNAs for rat and human TPO. In this study, we found the production of TPO by hepatocytes isolated with the collagenase perfusion method from both normal and thrombocytopenic rats, by a two-step fractionation of hepatocyte culture medium (CM). Subsequently, CM of rat hepatoma cell lines was screened for the presence of TPO; three cell lines, H4-II-E, McA-RH8994, and HTC, were found to produce TPO. According to the purification procedure for TPO from XRP, TPO was partially purified from 2 L CM of each of three cell lines with a six-step procedure. In the final reverse-phase column, TPO from each cell line was eluted with the same retention time as that from XRP, and the TPO fraction exhibited megakaryocyte colony-stimulating activity (Meg-CSA). TPO-active fraction eluted from the final reverse-phase column was separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), extracted from the gel, and assayed. TPO activity from each cell line was found in the respective molecular weight region, indicating the heterogeneity of the TPO molecule. Using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we detected the expression of TPO mRNA in hepatocytes, three hepatoma cell lines, normal rat liver, and X-irradiated rat liver. Northern blot analysis showed that TPO mRNA was expressed mainly in liver among the various organs tested. These data demonstrate that TPO is produced by rat hepatocytes and hepatoma cell lines and suggest that liver may be the primary organ that produces TPO.

Signals of El Niño Modoki in the tropical tropopause layer and stratosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, F.; Li, J.; Tian, W.; Feng, J.

2012-02-01

The effects of El Niño Modoki events on the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) and on the stratosphere were investigated using European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) reanalysis data, satellite observations from the Aura satellite Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), oceanic El Niño indices, and general climate model outputs. El Niño Modoki events tend to depress convective activities in the western and eastern Pacific but enhance convective activities in the central and northern Pacific. Consequently, during Modoki events, negative water vapor anomalies occur in the western and eastern Pacific upper troposphere, whereas there are positive anomalies in the central and northern Pacific upper troposphere. The spatial patterns of the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and upper tropospheric water vapor anomalies exhibit a tripolar form. The empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of the OLR and upper tropospheric water vapor anomalies reveals that canonical El Niño events are associated with the leading mode of the EOF, while El Niño Modoki events correspond to the second mode. El Niño Modoki activities tend to moisten the lower and middle stratosphere, but dry the upper stratosphere. It was also found that the canonical El Niño signal can overlay linearly on the QBO signal in the stratosphere, whereas the interaction between the El Niño Modoki and QBO signals is non-linear. Because of these non-linear interactions, El Niño Modoki events have a reverse effect on high latitudes stratosphere, as compared with the effects of typical Modoki events, i.e. the northern polar vortex is stronger and colder but the southern polar vortex is weaker and warmer during El Niño Modoki events. However, simulations suggest that canonical El Niño and El Niño Modoki activities actually have the same influence on high latitudes stratosphere, in the absence of interactions between QBO and ENSO signals. The present results also reveal that canonical El Niño events have a greater impact on the high-latitude Northern Hemisphere stratosphere than on the high-latitude Southern Hemisphere stratosphere. However, El Niño Modoki events can more profoundly influence the high-latitude Southern Hemisphere stratosphere than the high-latitude Northern Hemisphere stratosphere.

High stoma prevalence and stoma reversal complications following anterior resection for rectal cancer: a population-based multicentre study.

PubMed

Holmgren, K; Kverneng Hultberg, D; Haapamäki, M M; Matthiessen, P; Rutegård, J; Rutegård, M

2017-12-01

Fashioning a defunctioning stoma is common when performing an anterior resection for rectal cancer in order to avoid and mitigate the consequences of an anastomotic leakage. We investigated the permanent stoma prevalence, factors influencing stoma outcome and complication rates following stoma reversal surgery. Patients who had undergone an anterior resection for rectal cancer between 2007 and 2013 in the northern healthcare region were identified using the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry and were followed until the end of 2014 regarding stoma outcome. Data were retrieved by a review of medical records. Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate predefined risk factors for stoma permanence. Risk factors for non-reversal of a defunctioning stoma were also analysed, using Cox proportional-hazards regression. A total of 316 patients who underwent anterior resection were included, of whom 274 (87%) were defunctioned primarily. At the end of the follow-up period 24% had a permanent stoma, and 9% of patients who underwent reversal of a stoma experienced major complications requiring a return to theatre, need for intensive care or mortality. Anastomotic leakage and tumour Stage IV were significant risk factors for stoma permanence. In this series, partial mesorectal excision correlated with a stoma-free outcome. Non-reversal was considerably more prevalent among patients with leakage and Stage IV; Stage III patients at first had a decreased reversal rate, which increased after the initial year of surgery. Stoma permanence is common after anterior resection, while anastomotic leakage and advanced tumour stage decrease the chances of a stoma-free outcome. Stoma reversal surgery entails a significant risk of major complications. Colorectal Disease © 2017 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.

Titan: Evidence for seasonal change - A comparison of Hubble Space Telescope and Voyager images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caldwell, John; Cunningham, Cindy C.; Anthony, David; White, H. P.; Groth, E. J.; Hasan, H.; Noll, K.; Smith, P. H.; Tomasko, M. G.; Weaver, H. A.

1992-01-01

A comparison of images of Titan obtained by the HST in August, 1990 with Voyager 1 and 2 images respectively obtained 10 and 9 years earlier has indicated a reversal of the seasonal hemispheric brightness asymmetry near 440 and 550 nm wavelengths; the northern hemisphere is in the more recent observations the brighter of the two, by about 10 percent. Titan's albedo pattern is therefore adequately explained by a seasonal model.

Cross-Scale Analysis of the Region Effect on Vascular Plant Species Diversity in Southern and Northern European Mountain Ranges

PubMed Central

Lenoir, Jonathan; Gégout, Jean-Claude; Guisan, Antoine; Vittoz, Pascal; Wohlgemuth, Thomas; Zimmermann, Niklaus E.; Dullinger, Stefan; Pauli, Harald; Willner, Wolfgang; Grytnes, John-Arvid; Virtanen, Risto; Svenning, Jens-Christian

2010-01-01

Background The divergent glacial histories of southern and northern Europe affect present-day species diversity at coarse-grained scales in these two regions, but do these effects also penetrate to the more fine-grained scales of local communities? Methodology/Principal Findings We carried out a cross-scale analysis to address this question for vascular plants in two mountain regions, the Alps in southern Europe and the Scandes in northern Europe, using environmentally paired vegetation plots in the two regions (n = 403 in each region) to quantify four diversity components: (i) total number of species occurring in a region (total γ-diversity), (ii) number of species that could occur in a target plot after environmental filtering (habitat-specific γ-diversity), (iii) pair-wise species compositional turnover between plots (plot-to-plot β-diversity) and (iv) number of species present per plot (plot α-diversity). We found strong region effects on total γ-diversity, habitat-specific γ-diversity and plot-to-plot β-diversity, with a greater diversity in the Alps even towards distances smaller than 50 m between plots. In contrast, there was a slightly greater plot α-diversity in the Scandes, but with a tendency towards contrasting region effects on high and low soil-acidity plots. Conclusions/Significance We conclude that there are strong regional differences between coarse-grained (landscape- to regional-scale) diversity components of the flora in the Alps and the Scandes mountain ranges, but that these differences do not necessarily penetrate to the finest-grained (plot-scale) diversity component, at least not on acidic soils. Our findings are consistent with the contrasting regional Quaternary histories, but we also consider alternative explanatory models. Notably, ecological sorting and habitat connectivity may play a role in the unexpected limited or reversed region effect on plot α-diversity, and may also affect the larger-scale diversity components. For instance, plot connectivity and/or selection for high dispersal ability may increase plot α-diversity and compensate for low total γ-diversity. PMID:21203521

Evaluating desiccation sensitivity of northern red oak acorns using x-ray image analysis

Treesearch

Rosa C. Goodman; Douglass F. Jacobs

2005-01-01

Desiccation of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) acorns can have a major influence on seed viability. Recalcitrant behavior of northern red oak acorns was studied to examine the effects of moisture content (MC) on germination and early growth. Because it is rapid and non-destructive, X-ray image analysis was chosen to assess cotyledon damage in...

Neogene carbonate exploration play concepts for Northern New Guinea: New iteration from field work and seismic stratigraphy along the Northern New Guinea Fault Zone

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

Pigott, J.D.; Geiger, C.

1994-07-01

Recent field reconnaissance, petrography, nanno and foraminifera age determinations, and seismic stratigraphy of the Sepik and Piore subbasins of northern New Guinea reveal the existence of an extensive, tectonically unstable, Miocene-Pliocene carbonate shelf system. These findings represent the first recorded evidence of northern Papuan limestones coeval in age to those of the hydrocarbon productive Salawati Basin of Irian Jaya. Moreover, these observations also demonstrate the significance of episodic activities of the northern New Guinea fault zone upon the changes in carbonate sedimentation and diagenesis. During the Neogene, algal biosparites to foraminiferal biomicrites defined the clean portion of a mixed clastic-carbonatemore » shelf system of the northern New Guinea basin, which began at the central New Guinea cordillera and deepened northward. This shelf was interrupted by coral-coralline algal boundstone fringing- to patch-reef buildups with associated skeletal grainstones. Clean carbonates were spatially and temporally restricted to basement blocks, which episodically underwent uplift while terrigenous dilutes carbonates were more common in adjacently subsiding basement block bathymetric lows. These tectonic expressions were caused by the spatially transient nature of constraining bends of the evolving north New Guinea faults. As shown by seismic stratigraphy, by the late Miocene to the early Pliocene the uplift of the Bewani-Torricelli Mountains sagittally divided the shelf of the northern New Guinea basin into the Ramu-Sepik and the Piore basins. Continued regional sinistral transpression between the Pacific and the New Guinea leading edge of the Indo-Australian plates led to the reverse tilting of the Piore basin, the shallowing of the former distal shelf with concomitant extensive biolithite development (e.g., on subsiding volcanic islands) eventual uplifting of the Oenake Range, and en echelon faulting of the Bewani-Torricelli Mountains.« less

Magnetostratigraphy, paleomagnetic correlation, and deformation of pleistocene deposits in the south central Puget Lowland, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hagstrum, J.T.; Booth, D.B.; Troost, K.G.; Blakely, R.J.

2002-01-01

Paleomagnetic results from Pleistocene sedimentary deposits in the central Puget Lowland indicate that the region has experienced widespread deformation within the last 780 kyr. Three oriented samples were collected from unaltered fine-grained sediments mostly at sea level to determine the magnetostratigraphy at 83 sites. Of these, 47 have normal, 18 have reversed, and 18 have transitional (8 localities) polarities. Records of reversed- to normal-polarity transitions of the geomagnetic field were found in thick sections of silt near the eastern end of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and again at Wingehaven Park near the northern tip of Vashon Island. The transitional horizons, probably related to the Bruhnes-Matuyama reversal, apparently fall between previously dated Pleistocene sediments at the Puyallup Valley type section (all reversed-polarity) to the south and the Whidbey Island type section (all normal-polarity) to the north. The samples, in general, are of sufficient quality to record paleosecular variation (PSV) of the geomagnetic field, and a statistical technique is used to correlate horizons with significant agreement in their paleomagnetic directions. Our data are consistent with the broad structures of the Seattle uplift inferred at depth from seismic reflection, gravity, and aeromagnetic profiles, but the magnitude of vertical adjustments is greatly subdued in the Pleistocene deposits.

Feasibility of blocking detection in observations from radio occultation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunner, Lukas; Steiner, Andrea Karin; Scherllin-Pirscher, Barbara; Jury, Martin

2015-04-01

Blocking describes an atmospheric situation in which the climatological westerly flow at mid latitudes is weakened or reversed. This is caused by a persistent high pressure system which can be stationary for several days to weeks. In the Northern Hemisphere blocking preferably occurs over the Atlantic/European and the Pacific regions. In recent years blocking has been under close scientific investigation due to its effect on weather extremes, triggering heat waves in summer and cold spells in winter. So far, scientific literature mainly focused on the investigation of blocking in reanalysis and global climate model data sets. However, blocking is underestimated in most climate models due to small-scale processes involved in its evolution. For a detection of blocking, most commonly applied methods are based on the computation of meridional geopotential height gradients at the 500 hPa level. Therefore measurements with adequate vertical, horizontal, and temporal resolution and coverage are required. We use an observational data set based on Global Positioning System (GPS) Radio Occultation (RO) measurements fulfilling these requirements. RO is a relatively new, satellite based remote sensing technique, delivering profiles of atmospheric parameters such as geopotential height, pressure, and temperature. It is characterized by favorable properties like long-term stability, global coverage, and high vertical resolution. Our data set is based on the most recent WEGC RO retrieval. Here we report on a feasibility study for blocking detection and analysis in RO data for two exemplary blocking events: the blocking over Russia in summer 2010 and the blocking over Greenland in late winter 2013. For these two events about 700 RO measurements per day are available in the Northern Hemisphere. We will show that the measurement density and quality of RO observations are favorable for blocking analysis and can therefore contribute to blocking research.

Molecular epidemiology of rabies virus in Vietnam (2006-2009).

PubMed

Nguyen, Anh K T; Nguyen, Dong V; Ngo, Giang C; Nguyen, Thu T; Inoue, Satoshi; Yamada, Akio; Dinh, Xuyen K; Nguyen, Dung V; Phan, Thao X; Pham, Bao Q; Nguyen, Hien T; Nguyen, Hanh T H

2011-01-01

This study was aimed at determining the molecular epidemiology of rabies virus (RABV) circulating in Vietnam. Intra vitam samples (saliva and cerebrospinal fluid) were collected from 31 patients who were believed to have rabies and were admitted to hospitals in northern provinces of Vietnam. Brain samples were collected from 176 sick or furious rabid dogs from all over the country. The human and canine samples were subjected to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. The findings showed that 23 patients tested positive for RABV. Interestingly, 5 rabies patients did not have any history of dog or cat bites, but they had an experience of butchering dogs or cats, or consuming their meat. RABV was also detected in 2 of the 100 sick dogs from slaughterhouses. Molecular epidemiological analysis of 27 RABV strains showed that these viruses could be classified into two groups. The RABVs classified into Group 1 were distributed throughout Vietnam and had sequence similarity with the strains from China, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. However, the RABVs classified into Group 2 were only found in the northern provinces of Vietnam and showed high sequence similarity with the strain from southern China. This finding suggested the recent influx of Group 2 RABVs between Vietnam and China across the border. Although the incidence of rabies due to circulating RABVs in slaughterhouses is less common than that due to dog bite, the national program for rabies control and prevention in Vietnam should include monitoring of the health of dogs meant for human consumption and vaccination for workers at dog slaughterhouses. Further, monitoring of and research on the circulating RABVs in dog markets may help to determine the cause of rabies and control the spread of rabies in slaughterhouses in Vietnam.

Detection of West Nile virus-specific antibodies and nucleic acid in horses and mosquitoes, respectively, in Nuevo Leon State, northern Mexico, 2006-2007.

PubMed

Ibarra-Juarez, L; Eisen, L; Bolling, B G; Beaty, B J; Blitvich, B J; Sanchez-Casas, R M; Ayala-Sulca, Y O; Fernandez-Salas, I

2012-09-01

In the last 5 years, there has been only one reported human case of West Nile virus (WNV) disease in northern Mexico. To determine if the virus was still circulating in this region, equine and entomological surveillance for WNV was conducted in the state of Nuevo Leon in northern Mexico in 2006 and 2007. A total of 203 horses were serologically assayed for antibodies to WNV using an epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA). Seroprevalences for WNV in horses sampled in 2006 and 2007 were 26% and 45%, respectively. Mosquito collections in 2007 produced 7365 specimens representing 15 species. Culex mosquitoes were screened for WNV RNA and other genera (Mansonia, Anopheles, Aedes, Psorophora and Uranotaenia) were screened for flaviviruses using reverse-transcription (RT)-PCR. Two pools consisting of Culex spp. mosquitoes contained WNV RNA. Molecular species identification revealed that neither pool included Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) (Diptera:Culicidae) complex mosquitoes. No evidence of flaviviruses was found in the other mosquito genera examined. These data provide evidence that WNV is currently circulating in northern Mexico and that non-Cx. quinquefasciatus spp. mosquitoes may be participating in the WNV transmission cycle in this region. Published 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Seasonal variation of the water exchange through the Bohai Strait

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Z.

2016-02-01

Seasonal variations of the Lubei coastal current off the northern Shandong Peninsula and water exchange between the Bohai and Yellow seas were analyzed, based on current and salinity data measured mainly in 2006, 2007 and 2012. In winter and autumn, the Lubei coastal current flows eastward through the Bohai Strait before ultimately heading southward into the waters off Chengshantou in the east of the Shandong Peninsula. In spring and summer, the Lubei coastal current disappears. There are three kinds of patterns of water exchange between the Bohai and Yellow seas. The first is the "inflow in the north and outflow in the south of the Bohai Strait" in winter and autumn, which is regarded as the permanent pattern during the whole year from literature. The second is "outflow in the surface layer and inflow in the underlying layer" in summer, where the outflow is significantly greater than the inflow related with increased runoff and precipitation. The third is "inflow together in the southern and northern channels of the Bohai Strait" in spring. The low mean sea level and N-S sea-level incline formed in winter in the Bohai Sea lose their dynamic balance because of the reversal of the northeast monsoon in spring. This forces the water from the northern Yellow Sea into the Bohai Sea via the southern and northern channels of the Bohai Strait, which constitutes the largest net inflow of the four seasons.

The 2017 Jiuzhaigou Earthquake: A Complicated Event Occurred in a Young Fault System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jianbao; Yue, Han; Shen, Zhengkang; Fang, Lihua; Zhan, Yan; Sun, Xiangyu

2018-03-01

The Minshan Uplift Zone (MUZ) is located at the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, which is the junction of three tectonic terranes. The observed discrepancy between a high uplifting and low shortening rate over the MUZ is attributed to the intrusion of a viscous lower crust. In the last 50 years, several significant earthquakes occurred at the boundaries of the MUZ, that is, the Huya and Mingjiang faults. On 8 August 2017, the Jiuzhaigou earthquake (Mw 6.5) occurred on the northern extension of the Huya fault. We adopt a joint inversion of the interferometric synthetic aperture radar and teleseismic body wave data to investigate the rupture process of this event. The obtained slip model is dominated by left-lateral strike slips on a subvertical fault presenting significant shallow slip deficit. The rupture initiation is composed of both thrust and strike-slip mechanisms producing a non-double-couple solution. We also resolve a secondary fault branch forming an obtuse angle with the main fault plane at its northern end. These phenomena indicate that the northern Huya fault is a young (less mature) fault system. Focal mechanisms of the regional earthquakes demonstrate that the northern and southern Huya faults present different combinations of strike-slip and reversed motion. We attribute such discrepancy to the lateral extension of the viscous lower crust, which appears to extrude to the east beyond the northern Huya fault, in comparison with that confined under the MUZ near the southern Huya fault. This conceptual model is also supported by geomorphological and magnetotelluric observations.

The effects of habitat, climate, and Barred Owls on long-term demography of Northern Spotted Owls

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dugger, Catherine; Forsman, Eric D.; Franklin, Alan B.; Davis, Raymond J.; White, Gary C.; Schwarz, Carl J.; Burnham, Kenneth P.; Nichols, James D.; Hines, James E.; Yackulic, Charles B.; Doherty, Paul F.; Bailey, Larissa; Clark, Darren A.; Ackers, Steven H.; Andrews, Lawrence S.; Augustine, Benjamin; Biswell, Brian L.; Blakesley, Jennifer; Carlson, Peter C.; Clement, Matthew J.; Diller, Lowell V.; Glenn, Elizabeth M.; Green, Adam; Gremel, Scott A.; Herter, Dale R.; Higley, J. Mark; Hobson, Jeremy; Horn, Rob B.; Huyvaert, Kathryn P.; McCafferty, Christopher; McDonald, Trent; McDonnell, Kevin; Olson, Gail S.; Reid, Janice A.; Rockweit, Jeremy; Ruiz, Viviana; Saenz, Jessica; Sovern, Stan G.

2016-01-01

Estimates of species' vital rates and an understanding of the factors affecting those parameters over time and space can provide crucial information for management and conservation. We used mark–recapture, reproductive output, and territory occupancy data collected during 1985–2013 to evaluate population processes of Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) in 11 study areas in Washington, Oregon, and northern California, USA. We estimated apparent survival, fecundity, recruitment, rate of population change, and local extinction and colonization rates, and investigated relationships between these parameters and the amount of suitable habitat, local and regional variation in meteorological conditions, and competition with Barred Owls (Strix varia). Data were analyzed for each area separately and in a meta-analysis of all areas combined, following a strict protocol for data collection, preparation, and analysis. We used mixed effects linear models for analyses of fecundity, Cormack-Jolly-Seber open population models for analyses of apparent annual survival (ϕ), and a reparameterization of the Jolly-Seber capture–recapture model (i.e. reverse Jolly-Seber; RJS) to estimate annual rates of population change (λRJS) and recruitment. We also modeled territory occupancy dynamics of Northern Spotted Owls and Barred Owls in each study area using 2-species occupancy models. Estimated mean annual rates of population change (λ) suggested that Spotted Owl populations declined from 1.2% to 8.4% per year depending on the study area. The weighted mean estimate of λ for all study areas was 0.962 (± 0.019 SE; 95% CI: 0.925–0.999), indicating an estimated range-wide decline of 3.8% per year from 1985 to 2013. Variation in recruitment rates across the range of the Spotted Owl was best explained by an interaction between total winter precipitation and mean minimum winter temperature. Thus, recruitment rates were highest when both total precipitation (29 cm) and minimum winter temperature (−9.5°C) were lowest. Barred Owl presence was associated with increased local extinction rates of Spotted Owl pairs for all 11 study areas. Habitat covariates were related to extinction rates for Spotted Owl pairs in 8 of 11 study areas, and a greater amount of suitable owl habitat was generally associated with decreased extinction rates. We observed negative effects of Barred Owl presence on colonization rates of Spotted Owl pairs in 5 of 11 study areas. The total amount of suitable Spotted Owl habitat was positively associated with colonization rates in 5 areas, and more habitat disturbance was associated with lower colonization rates in 2 areas. We observed strong declines in derived estimates of occupancy in all study areas. Mean fecundity of females was highest for adults (0.309 ± 0.027 SE), intermediate for 2-yr-olds (0.179 ± 0.040 SE), and lowest for 1-yr-olds (0.065 ± 0.022 SE). The presence of Barred Owls and habitat covariates explained little of the temporal variation in fecundity in most study areas. Climate covariates occurred in competitive fecundity models in 8 of 11 study areas, but support for these relationships was generally weak. The fecundity meta-analysis resulted in 6 competitive models, all of which included the additive effects of geographic region and annual time variation. The 2 top-ranked models also weakly supported the additive negative effects of the amount of suitable core area habitat, Barred Owl presence, and the amount of edge habitat on fecundity. We found strong support for a negative effect of Barred Owl presence on apparent survival of Spotted Owls in 10 of 11 study areas, but found few strong effects of habitat on survival at the study area scale. Climate covariates occurred in top or competitive survival models for 10 of 11 study areas, and in most cases the relationships were as predicted; however, there was little consistency among areas regarding the relative importance of specific climate covariates. In contrast, meta-analysis results suggested that Spotted Owl survival was higher across all study areas when the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) was in a warming phase and the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) was negative, with a strongly negative SOI indicative of El Niño events. The best model that included the Barred Owl covariate (BO) was ranked 4th and also included the PDO covariate, but the BO effect was strongly negative. Our results indicated that Northern Spotted Owl populations were declining throughout the range of the subspecies and that annual rates of decline were accelerating in many areas. We observed strong evidence that Barred Owls negatively affected Spotted Owl populations, primarily by decreasing apparent survival and increasing local territory extinction rates. However, the amount of suitable owl habitat, local weather, and regional climatic patterns also were related to survival, occupancy (via colonization rate), recruitment, and, to a lesser extent, fecundity, although there was inconsistency in regard to which covariates were important for particular demographic parameters or across study areas. In the study areas where habitat was an important source of variation for Spotted Owl demographics, vital rates were generally positively associated with a greater amount of suitable owl habitat. However, Barred Owl densities may now be high enough across the range of the Northern Spotted Owl that, despite the continued management and conservation of suitable owl habitat on federal lands, the long-term prognosis for the persistence of Northern Spotted Owls may be in question without additional management intervention. Based on our study, the removal of Barred Owls from the Green Diamond Resources (GDR) study area had rapid, positive effects on Northern Spotted Owl survival and the rate of population change, supporting the hypothesis that, along with habitat conservation and management, Barred Owl removal may be able to slow or reverse Northern Spotted Owl population declines on at least a localized scale.

Glacial morphology and depositional sequences of the Antarctic Continental Shelf

USGS Publications Warehouse

ten Brink, Uri S.; Schneider, Christopher

1995-01-01

Proposes a simple model for the unusual depositional sequences and morphology of the Antarctic continental shelf. It considers the regional stratal geometry and the reversed morphology to be principally the results of time-integrated effects of glacial erosion and sedimentation related to the location of the ice grounding line. The model offers several guidelines for stratigraphic interpretation of the Antarctic shelf and a Northern Hemisphere shelf, both of which were subject to many glacial advances and retreats. -Authors

Optimization of Ebb Shoal Mining and Beach Nourishment at St. Johns County, St. Augustine Inlet, Florida, Report 3

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-01

Figure 6). Over the latter time period, from 1999 to 2007, Anastasia State Park experienced significant accretion where the region directly to the south...cu yd/year. However, a known reversal in net transport exists from the northern tip of Anastasia Island down to St. Augustine Beach, and the...connectivity. Therefore, the inlet left- bypassing location was set to the first adjacent cell. Downdrift of the inlet (to the right), the beach at Anastasia

Attenuation Tomography of Northern California and the Yellow Sea/Korean Peninsula from Coda-Source Normalized and Direct LG Amplitudes

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

method correlate slightly with global Vs30 measurements . While the coda-source and amplitude ratio methods do not correlate with Vs30 measurements ...Ford et al., 2008), we compared 1-D methods to measure QLg and attempted to assess the error associated with the results. The assessment showed the...reverse two-station (RTS), source-pair/receiver-pair (SPRP), and the new coda-source normalization (CS) methods to measure Q of the regional phase, Lg

On the decline of ground lichen forests in the Swedish boreal landscape: Implications for reindeer husbandry and sustainable forest management.

PubMed

Sandström, Per; Cory, Neil; Svensson, Johan; Hedenås, Henrik; Jougda, Leif; Borchert, Nanna

2016-05-01

Lichens are a bottleneck resource for circumpolar populations of reindeer, and as such, for reindeer husbandry as an indigenous Sami land-use tradition in northern Sweden. This study uses ground lichen data and forest information collected within the Swedish National Forest Inventory since 1953, on the scale of northern Sweden. We found a 71 % decline in the area of lichen-abundant forests over the last 60 years. A decline was observed in all regions and age classes and especially coincided with a decrease of >60 year old, open pine forests, which was the primary explanatory factor in our model. The effects of reindeer numbers were inconclusive in explaining the decrease in lichen-abundant forest. The role that forestry has played in causing this decline can be debated, but forestry can have a significant role in reversing the trend and improving ground lichen conditions.

An Anglican crisis of comparison: intersections of race, gender, and religious authority, with particular reference to the Church of Nigeria.

PubMed

Rubenstein, Mary-Jane

2004-01-01

The 1998 Lambeth Conference of the Anglican Communion brought into striking relief the two major issues dividing this particular global church: homosexuality and the ordination of women. Debates over these questions tend to split the church into its "conservative" southern dioceses and more "liberal" northern dioceses. With bishops from Africa and Southeast Asia now outnumbering their British and American counterparts, however, this rift had a surprising consequence at "Lambeth '98": church leaders of the northern hemisphere found themselves having to accept the postcolonial South's interpretation of the very Scripture, ecclesiastical traditions, and sexual norms the North had imposed on the South in the first place. This article explores the Anglican Church's internal struggle over women's ordination and homosexuality as a site of internalized and redeployed colonial tactics-as a complex of racial, economic, and historical forces that far exceeds the logic of "reverse colonialism."

Middle pleistocene mollusks from St. Lawrence Island and their significance for the paleo-oceanography of the Bering Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hopkins, D.M.; Rowland, R.W.; Patton, W.W.

1972-01-01

Drift, evidently of Illinoian age, was deposited on St. Lawrence Island at the margin of an ice cap that covered the highlands of the Chukotka Peninsula of Siberia and spread far eastward on the continental shelf of northern Bering Sea. Underlying the drift on the northwestward part of the island are mollusk-bearing beds deposited during the Kotzebuan Transgression. A comparison of mollusk faunas from St. Lawrence Island, Chukotka Peninsula, and Kotzebue Sound suggests that the present northward flow through Bering and Anadyr Straits was reversed during the Kotzebuan Transgression. Cold arctic water penetrated southward and southwestward bringing an arctic fauna to the Gulf of Anadyr. Warmer Pacific water probably entered eastern Bering Sea, passed eastward and northeastward around eastern and northern St. Lawrence Island, and then became entrained in the southward currents that passed through Anadyr Strait. ?? 1972.

Active deformation processes of the Northern Caucasus deduced from the GPS observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milyukov, Vadim; Mironov, Alexey; Rogozhin, Eugeny; Steblov, Grigory; Gabsatarov, Yury

2015-04-01

The Northern Caucasus, as a part of the Alpine-Himalayan mobile belt, is a zone of complex tectonics associated with the interaction of the two major tectonic plates, Arabian and Eurasian. The first GPS study of the contemporary geodynamics of the Caucasus mountain system were launched in the early 1990s in the framework of the Russia-US joint project. Since 2005 observations of the modern tectonic motion of the Northern Caucasus are carried out using the continuous GPS network. This network encompasses the territory of three Northern Caucasian Republics of the Russian Federation: Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and North Ossetia. In the Ossetian part of the Northern Caucasus the network of GPS survey-mode sites has been deployed as well. The GPS velocities confirm weak general compression of the Northern Caucasus with at the rate of about 1-2 mm/year. This horizontal motion at the boundary of the Northern Caucasus with respect to the Eurasian plate causes the higher seismic and tectonic activity of this transition zone. This result confirms that the source of deformation of the Northern Caucasus is the sub-meridional drift of the Arabian plate towards the adjacent boundary of the Eastern European part of the Eurasian lithospheric plate. The concept of such convergence implies that the Caucasian segment of the Alpine-Himalayan mobile belt is under compression, the layers of sedimentary and volcanic rocks are folded, the basement blocks are subject to shifts in various directions, and the upper crust layers are ruptured by reverse faults and thrusts. Weak deviation of observed velocities from the pattern corresponding to homogeneous compression can also be revealed, and numerical modeling of deformations of major regional tectonic structures, such as the Main Caucasus Ridge, can explain this. The deformation tensor deduced from the velocity field also exhibits the sub-meridional direction of the major compressional axes which coincides with the direction of the relative Arabian-Eurasian plate motion. This work is partly supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research under Grant No 14-45-01005 and № 14-05-90411.

Crustal structure of the northern margin of the eastern Tien Shan, China, and its tectonic implications for the 1906 M~7.7 Manas earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wang, Chun-Yong; Yang, Zhu-En; Luo, Hai; Mooney, W.D.

2004-01-01

The Tien Shan orogenic belt is the most active intracontinental mountain belt in the world. We describe an 86-km-long N–S-trending deep seismic reflection profile (which passes through the southern Junggar basin) located on the northeastern Tien Shan piedmont. Two distinct anticlines beneath the northern margin of the Tien Shan are clearly imaged in the seismic section. In addition, we have imaged two detachment surfaces at depths of ∼7 and ∼16 km. The detachment surface at 16-km depth corresponds to the main detachment that converges with the steep angle reverse fault (the Junggar Southern Marginal Fault) on which the 1906 M~7.7 Manas earthquake occurred. A 12–14-km-thick sedimentary basin is imaged beneath the southern Junggar basin near Shihezi. The crust beneath the northern margin of the Tien Shan is 50–55-km thick, and decreases beneath the Junggar basin to 40–45-km thick. The crustal image of the deep seismic reflection profile is consistent with models derived from nearby seismic refraction data and Bouguer gravity anomalies in the same region. The faulting associated with the 1906 Manas earthquake also fits within the structural framework imaged by the seismic reflection profile. Present-day micro-seismicity shows a hypocentral depth-distribution between 5 and 35 km, with a peak at 20 km. We hypothesize that the 1906 Manas earthquake initiated at a depth of ∼20 km and propagated upwards, causing northward slip on the sub-horizontal detachments beneath the southern Junggar basin. Thus, in accord with regional geological mapping, the current shortening within the eastern Tien Shan is accommodated both by high-angle reverse faulting and detachment faulting that can be clearly imaged at depth in seismic reflection data.

Comparison of the eating and cooking habits of northern Europe and the Mediterranean countries in the past, present and future.

PubMed

Rumm-Kreuter, D

2001-05-01

It was already possible to demonstrate in the 50s that the Mediterranean countries have significantly less coronary heart disease than northern Europe and the USA and that this correlated closely with the diets of people in the Mediterranean region. Consequently, the traditional Mediterranean corresponds to the ideas of dietetics about a preventive diet with its high percentage of fruit, vegetables, cereal products legumes, olive oil and its slight share of animal products. However, an increase of the share of animal products can be detected in the diet of the Mediterranean populations with increasing wealth to the detriment of basic foodstuffs on a vegetable basis and their positive effects. This is reducing the preventive effect of the diet. The dietary situation is also becoming worse in northern Europe, which was already found to be unfavorable in the 60s. The reasons for this development can be found in the substantial socioeconomic changes throughout all of Europe over the past 40 years. A return or reversal to the Mediterranean way of eating would be desirable due to its positive effects. But the strong trend to convenience products and eating out is in opposition to this.

Functional analysis of a viroid RNA motif mediating cell-to-cell movement in Nicotiana benthamiana.

PubMed

Jiang, Dongmei; Wang, Meng; Li, Shifang

2017-01-01

Cell-to-cell trafficking through different cellular layers is a key process for various RNAs including those of plant viruses and viroids, but the regulatory mechanisms involved are still not fully elucidated and good model systems are important. Here, we analyse the function of a simple RNA motif (termed 'loop19') in potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) which is required for trafficking in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Northern blotting, reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and in situ hybridization analyses demonstrated that unlike wild-type PSTVd, which was present in the nuclei in all cell types, the trafficking-defective loop19 mutants were visible only in the nuclei of upper epidermal and palisade mesophyll cells, which shows that PSTVd loop19 plays a role in mediating RNA trafficking from palisade to spongy mesophyll cells in N.benthamiana leaves. Our findings and approaches have broad implications for studying the RNA motifs mediating trafficking of RNAs across specific cellular boundaries in other biological systems.

The Colorado front range: anatomy of a Laramide uplift

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kellogg, Karl; Bryant, Bruce; Reed, John C.

2004-01-01

Along a transect across the Front Range from Denver to the Blue River valley near Dillon, the trip explores the geologic framework and Laramide (Late Cretaceous to early Eocene) uplift history of this basement-cored mountain range. Specific items for discussion at various stops are (1) the sedimentary and structural record along the upturned eastern margin of the range, which contains several discontinuous, east-directed reverse faults; (2) the western structural margin of the range, which contains a minimum of 9 km of thrust overhang and is significantly different in structural style from the eastern margin; (3) mid- to late-Tertiary modifications to the western margin of the range from extensional faulting along the northern Rio Grande rift trend; (4) the thermal and uplift history of the range as revealed by apatite fission track analysis; (5) the Proterozoic basement of the range, including the significance of northeast-trending shear zones; and (6) the geologic setting of the Colorado mineral belt, formed during Laramide and mid-Tertiary igneous activity.

The Soviet contributions towards MAP/WINE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rapoport, Z. TA.; Kazimirovsky, E. S.

1989-01-01

In the winter of 1983 to 1984, the research institutes of the Soviet Union took an active part in the accomplishment of the project Winter in Northern Europe (MAP/WINE) of the Middle Atmosphere Program. Different methods were used to measure temperature, direction and velocity of wind, turbulence, electron concentration in the lower ionosphere, and radio wave absorption. The study of the stratopheric warmings and the related changes in the mesosphere and lower ionosphere was considered of special importance. The analysis of the obtained data has shown, in particular, that during the stratospheric warmings the western wind in winter time becomes weaker and even reverses. At the same time period the electron concentration and the radio wave absorption in the lower ionosphere are often reduced. It is also observed that the high absorption zones move from west to east. These results confirm the concept about the role of the cyclonic circumpolar vortex in the transport of the auroral air to temperate latitudes and about the appearance of conditions for the winter anomalous radio wave absorption.

Stronger Ocean Meridinal Heat Transport with a Weaker Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sevellec, F.; Fedorov, A. V.

2014-12-01

It is typically assumed that oceanic heat transport is well and positively correlated with the Atlantic Meridional Ocean Circulation (AMOC). In numerical "water-hosing" experiments, for example, imposing an anomalous freshwater flux in the northern hemisphere leads to a slow-down of the AMOC and a corresponding reduction of the northward heat transport. Here, we study the sensitivity of the heat transport to surface freshwater fluxes using a generalized stability analysis and find that, while the direct relationship between the AMOC and heat transport holds on shorter time scales, it completely reverses on timescales longer than ~500 yr. That is, a reduction in the AMOC volume transport can actually lead to a stronger heat transport on those long timescales, which results from the gradual increase in ocean thermal stratification. We discuss the implications of these results for the problem of steady state (statistically equilibrium) in ocean and climate GCM as well as various paleoclimate problems such as millennial climate variability and the maintenance of equable climate states.

Human Infection with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (H5N1) in Northern Vietnam, 2004–2005

PubMed Central

Hien, Nguyen Duc; Ha, Nguyen Hong; Van, Nguyen Tuong; Ha, Nguyen Thi Minh; Lien, Trinh Thi Minh; Thai, Nguyen Quoc; Trang, Van Dinh; Takahashi, Yoshimitsu; Kato, Yasuyuki; Kawana, Akihiko; Akita, Samu; Kudo, Koichiro

2009-01-01

We performed a retrospective case-series study of patients with influenza A (H5N1) admitted to the National Institute of Infectious and Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, Vietnam, from January 2004 through July 2005 with symptoms of acute respiratory tract infection, a history of high-risk exposure or chest radiographic findings such as pneumonia, and positive findings for A/H5 viral RNA by reverse transcription–PCR. We investigated data from 29 patients (mean age 35.1 years) of whom 7 (24.1%) had died. Mortality rates were 20% (5/25) and 50% (2/4) among patients treated with or without oseltamivir (p = 0.24), respectively, and were 33.3% (5/15) and 14.2% (2/14) among patients treated with and without methylprednisolone (p = 0.39), respectively. After exact logistic regression analysis was adjusted for variation in severity, no significant effectiveness for survival was observed among patients treated with oseltamivir or methylprednisolone. PMID:19116044

Arbovirus Surveillance near the Mexico-U.S. Border: Isolation and Sequence Analysis of Chikungunya Virus from Patients with Dengue-like Symptoms in Reynosa, Tamaulipas.

PubMed

Laredo-Tiscareño, S Viridiana; Machain-Williams, Carlos; Rodríguez-Pérez, Mario A; Garza-Hernandez, Javier A; Doria-Cobos, Gloria L; Cetina-Trejo, Rosa C; Bacab-Cab, Lucio A; Tangudu, Chandra S; Charles, Jermilia; De Luna-Santillana, Erick J; Garcia-Rejon, Julian E; Blitvich, Bradley J

2018-05-14

A total of 1,090 residents of the city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, on the Mexico-U.S. border presented at hospitals and clinics of the Secretariat of Health, Mexico, in 2015 with symptoms characteristic of dengue. Dengue virus (DENV) antigen was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in acute sera from 134 (12.3%) patients. Sera from select patients ( N = 34) were also tested for chikungunya virus (CHIKV) RNA by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Thirteen (38.2%) patients, including five DENV antigen-positive patients, were positive. Sera from three CHIKV RNA-positive patients were further assayed by virus isolation in cell culture and CHIKV was recovered on each occasion. The genome of one isolate and structural genes of the other two isolates were sequenced. In conclusion, we present evidence of CHIKV and DENV coinfections in patients who live near the Mexico-U.S. border and provide the first genome sequence of a CHIKV isolate from northern Mexico.

Fathers in hot water: rising sea temperatures and a Northeastern Atlantic pipefish baby boom

PubMed Central

Kirby, Richard R; Johns, David G; Lindley, John A

2006-01-01

We report unprecedented numbers of juvenile snake pipefish, Entelurus aequoreus, in continuous plankton records of the Northeastern Atlantic since 2002. Increased sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the Northern Hemisphere, linked to global warming, are a likely cause. Analysis of a long-term time-series of SST data in the Northeastern Atlantic shows a rise in winter, spring and summer sea temperatures (January–September), when the eggs of E. aqueoreus, which are brooded by the male, are developing and the larvae are growing in plankton. From what is known of the reproductive biology of closely related species, we suggest that the increased abundance of larval and juvenile E. aequoreus in the plankton as far west as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge may reflect the impact of temperature on abundance, through its effects on the operational sex ratio and potential reproductive rate, the onset of the breeding season and juvenile survival in this sex role reversed fish. PMID:17148298

Basement and cover-rock deformation during Laramide contraction in the northern Madison Range (Montana) and its influence on Cenozoic basin formation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kellogg, K.S.; Schmidt, C.J.; Young, S.W.

1995-01-01

Two major Laramide fault systems converge in the northwestern Madison Range: the northwest-striking, southwest-vergent Spanish Peaks reverse fault and the north-striking, east-vergent Hilgard thrust system. Analysis of foliation attitudes in basement gneiss north and south of the Spanish Peaks fault indicates that the basement in thrusted blocks of the Hilgard thrust system have been rotated by an amount similar to that of the basement-cover contact. Steeply dipping, north-striking breccia zones enclosing domains of relatively undeformed basement may have permitted domino-style rotation of basement blocks during simple shear between pairs of thrusts. No hydrocarbon discoveries have been made in this unique structural province. However, petroleum exploration here has focused on basement-cored anticlines, both surface and subthrust, related to the two major Laramide fault systems and on the fault-bounded blocks of Tertiary rocks within the post-Laramide extensional basins. -from Authors

Detection of multiple enteric virus strains within a foodborne outbreak of gastroenteritis: an indication of the source of contamination.

PubMed Central

Gallimore, C. I.; Pipkin, C.; Shrimpton, H.; Green, A. D.; Pickford, Y.; McCartney, C.; Sutherland, G.; Brown, D. W. G.; Gray, J. J.

2005-01-01

An outbreak of acute gastroenteritis of suspected viral aetiology occurred in April 2003 in the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship (RFA) Argus deployed in the Northern Arabian Gulf. There were 37 cases amongst a crew of 400 personnel. Of 13 samples examined from cases amongst the crew, six enteric viruses were detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Five different viruses were identified including, three norovirus genotypes, a sapovirus and a rotavirus. No multiple infections were detected. A common food source was implicated in the outbreak and epidemiological analysis showed a statistically significant association with salad as the source of the outbreak, with a relative risk of 3.41 (95% confidence interval of 1.7-6.81) of eating salad on a particular date prior to the onset of symptoms. Faecal contamination of the salad at source was the most probable explanation for the diversity of viruses detected and characterized. PMID:15724709

Holocene tectonics and fault reactivation in the foothills of the north Cascade Mountains, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sherrod, Brian L.; Barnett, Elizabeth; Schermer, Elizabeth; Kelsey, Harvey M.; Hughes, Jonathan; Foit, Franklin F.; Weaver, Craig S.; Haugerud, Ralph; Hyatt, Tim

2013-01-01

We use LiDAR imagery to identify two fault scarps on latest Pleistocene glacial outwash deposits along the North Fork Nooksack River in Whatcom County, Washington (United States). Mapping and paleoseismic investigation of these previously unknown scarps provide constraints on the earthquake history and seismic hazard in the northern Puget Lowland. The Kendall scarp lies along the mapped trace of the Boulder Creek fault, a south-dipping Tertiary normal fault, and the Canyon Creek scarp lies in close proximity to the south-dipping Canyon Creek fault and the south-dipping Glacier Extensional fault. Both scarps are south-side-up, opposite the sense of displacement observed on the nearby bedrock faults. Trenches excavated across these scarps exposed folded and faulted late Quaternary glacial outwash, locally dated between ca. 12 and 13 ka, and Holocene buried soils and scarp colluvium. Reverse and oblique faulting of the soils and colluvial deposits indicates at least two late Holocene earthquakes, while folding of the glacial outwash prior to formation of the post-glacial soil suggests an earlier Holocene earthquake. Abrupt changes in bed thickness across faults in the Canyon Creek excavation suggest a lateral component of slip. Sediments in a wetland adjacent to the Kendall scarp record three pond-forming episodes during the Holocene—we infer that surface ruptures on the Boulder Creek fault during past earthquakes temporarily blocked the stream channel and created an ephemeral lake. The Boulder Creek and Canyon Creek faults formed in the early to mid-Tertiary as normal faults and likely lay dormant until reactivated as reverse faults in a new stress regime. The most recent earthquakes—each likely Mw > 6.3 and dating to ca. 8050–7250 calendar years B.P. (cal yr B.P.), 3190–2980 cal. yr B.P., and 910–740 cal. yr B.P.—demonstrate that reverse faulting in the northern Puget Lowland poses a hazard to urban areas between Seattle (Washington) and Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada).

Sunspot activity and cosmic ray modulation at 1 a.u. for 1900-2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahluwalia, H. S.

2014-10-01

The descent of sunspot cycle 23 to an unprecedented minimum of long duration in 2006-2009 led to a prolonged galactic cosmic ray (GCR) recovery to the highest level observed in the instrumental era for a variety of energetic charged particle species on Earth, over a wide range of rigidities. The remarkable GCR increase measured by several ground-based, balloon-borne, and detectors on a satellite is described and discussed. It is accompanied by a decrease in solar wind velocity and interplanetary magnetic field at 1 a.u., reaching the lowest values since measurements of the solar wind began in October 1963; the solar polar field strength (μT) measured at the Wilcox Solar Observatory (WSO) is also significantly reduced compared to prior cycles since the start of the program in 1976, the polar field in the northern hemisphere reversed in June 2012 and again in February 2014, that in the southern hemisphere reversed in July 2013. If updates of WSO data confirm the second reversal in northern solar hemisphere, it would pose a serious challenge to the Dynamo Theory. The long-term change in solar behavior may have begun in 1992, perhaps earlier. The physical underpinnings of these solar changes need to be understood and their effect on GCR modulation processes clarified. The study discusses the recent phenomena in the context of GCR modulation since 1900. These happenings affected our empirical predictions for the key parameters for the next two sunspot cycles (they may be progressively less active than sunspot cycle 24) but it enhanced support for our prediction that solar activity is descending into a Dalton-like grand minimum in the middle of the twentyfirst century, reducing the frequency of the coronal mass ejections; they determine the space weather affecting the quality of life on Earth, radiation dose for hardware and human activities in space as well as the frequency of large Forbush decreases at 1 a.u.

Novel Regulatory Small RNAs in Streptococcus pyogenes

PubMed Central

Tesorero, Rafael A.; Yu, Ning; Wright, Jordan O.; Svencionis, Juan P.; Cheng, Qiang; Kim, Jeong-Ho; Cho, Kyu Hong

2013-01-01

Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus or GAS) is a Gram-positive bacterial pathogen that has shown complex modes of regulation of its virulence factors to cause diverse diseases. Bacterial small RNAs are regarded as novel widespread regulators of gene expression in response to environmental signals. Recent studies have revealed that several small RNAs (sRNAs) have an important role in S. pyogenes physiology and pathogenesis by regulating gene expression at the translational level. To search for new sRNAs in S. pyogenes, we performed a genomewide analysis through computational prediction followed by experimental verification. To overcome the limitation of low accuracy in computational prediction, we employed a combination of three different computational algorithms (sRNAPredict, eQRNA and RNAz). A total of 45 candidates were chosen based on the computational analysis, and their transcription was analyzed by reverse-transcriptase PCR and Northern blot. Through this process, we discovered 7 putative novel trans-acting sRNAs. Their abundance varied between different growth phases, suggesting that their expression is influenced by environmental or internal signals. Further, to screen target mRNAs of an sRNA, we employed differential RNA sequencing analysis. This study provides a significant resource for future study of small RNAs and their roles in physiology and pathogenesis of S. pyogenes. PMID:23762235

A revised velocity-reversal and sediment-sorting model for a high-gradient, pool-riffle stream

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, D.M.; Wohl, E.E.; Jarrett, R.D.

1996-01-01

Sediment-sorting processes related to varying channel-bed morphology were investigated from April to November 1993 along a 1-km pool-riffle and step-pool reach of North Saint Vrain Creek, a small mountain stream in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado. Measured cross-sectional areas of flow were used to suggest higher velocities in pools than in riffles at high flow. Three hundred and sixteen tracer particles, ranging in size from 16 mm to 256 mm, were placed in two separate pool-riffle-pool sequences and used to assess sediment-sorting patterns and sediment-transport competence variations. Tracer-particle depositional evidence indicated higher sediment-transport competence in pools than in riffles at high flow. Pool-riffle sediment sorting may be created by velocity reversals, and more localized sorting results from gravitational forces along the upstream sloping portion of the channel bed located at the downstream end of pools.

The dynamo dilemma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, E. N.

1987-01-01

The recent determination that the angular velocity Omega of the sun declines downward through the convective zone raises serious questions about the nature of the solar dynamo. The principal qualitative features of the sun are the azimuthal fields that migrate toward the equator in association with an oscillating poloidal field which reverses at about the time of maximum appearance of bipolar magnetic regions. If Omega decreases downward, or is negligible, the horizontal gradient in Omega produces a dynamo with some of these essential characteristics. There is reason to think that the dynamo is confined to the lower half of the convective zone, where alpha has the opposite sign from the usual (alpha of greater than 0 in the northern hemisphere) producing equatorward migration but reversing the sign of the associated poloidal field. Meridional circulation may play an essential role in shaping the dynamo. At the present time it is essential to measure Omega accurately and determine the nature of the meridional circulation.

The Economic Impact of Ulster University on the Northern Ireland Economy. Higher Education in Focus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Ursula; McNicoll, Iain; White, James

2015-01-01

This study provides an analysis of the economic impact of Ulster University and its students on the Northern Ireland economy. With over 26,000 students, Ulster University is Northern Ireland's largest university in terms of student numbers. With its headquarters based at the Coleraine Campus, it has three more campuses in Northern Ireland: the…

Paleomagnetism and Tectonic Interpretations of the Taos Plateau Volcanic Field, Rio Grande Rift, New Mexico

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Laurie L.; Caffall, Nancy M.; Golombek, Matthew P.

1993-01-01

The tectonic response of the Taos Plateau volcanic field in the southern San Luis basin to the late stage extensional environment of the Rio Grande rift was investigated using paleomagnetic techniques. Sixty-two sites (533 samples) of Pliocene volcanic units were collected covering four major rock types with ages of 4.7 to 1.8 Ma. Twenty-two of these sites were from stratigraphic sections of the lower, middle and upper Servilleta Basalt collected in the Rio Grande gorge at two locations 19 km apart. Flows from the lower and middle members in the southern gorge record reversed polarities, while those in Garapata Canyon are normal with an excursion event in the middle of the sequence. The uppermost flows of the upper member at both sites display normal directions. Although these sections correlate chemically, they seem to represent different magnetic time periods during the Gilbert Reversed-Polarity Chiron. Alternating field demagnetization, aided by principal component analysis, yields 55 sites with stable directions representing both normal and reversed polarities, and five sites indicating transitional fields. Mean direction of the normal and inverted reversed sites is I=49.3 deg. and D=356.7 deg. (alpha(sub 95)=3.6 deg). Angular dispersion of the virtual geomagnetic poles is 16.3 deg, which is consistent with paleosecular variation model G, fit to data from the past 5 m.y. Comparison with the expected direction indicates no azimuthal rotation of the Taos Plateau volcanic field; inclination flattening for the southern part of the plateau is 8.3 deg +/- 5.3 deg. Previous paleomagnelic data indicate 10 deg- 15 deg counterclockwise rotation of die Espanola block to the south over the past 5 m.y. The data suggest the Taos Plateau volcanic field, showing no rotation and some flattening in the south and east, has acted as a stable buttress and has been downwarped by overriding of the southeastern end of the plateau by the Picuris Mountains, which make up the northern corner of the counterclockwise rotating Espanola block.

Magnetostratigraphy of late Devonian carbonates of Western Australia: Integrating reversal history with biostratigraphic and 13C records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tohver, E.; Playton, T.; Hillbun, K.; Yan, M.; Pisarevsky, S.; Hansma, J.; Roelofs, B.; Trinajstic, K.; Kirschvink, J. L.; Haines, P.

2016-12-01

The Global Polarity Timescale presents a useful basis for chronostratigraphic correlations, but pre-Jurassic records depend on records from sedimentary basins preserved on the continents. At present, the record for the late Devonian is poorly established. Here we present an integrated magnetostratigraphic, biostratigraphic and C-isotope study of the Canning Basin of Western Australia, located on the northern margin of eastern Gondwana. The study region is part of the classic "Devonian Great Barrier Reef", and preserves an outstanding marine record of a prominent mass extinction event (i.e., the Frasnian-Fammenian event, the fifth of the "Big Five" mass extinctions). We present magnetostratigraphic profiles from six different sections (2200 m total) from four separate localities that record different paleowater depths, i.e., lowermost slope to reef/platform deposits of the basin. Correlations between localities are based on conodont assemblages that can be correlated to global records. Paleomagnetic sampling was carried out at the meter-scale for magnetostratigraphic analysis, with duplicate specimens used for carbon isotope stratigraphy. Most samples record a magnetic overprint parallel to the modern geomagnetic direction, but this remanence was removed by laboratory heating to ca. 180°C. Approximately forty percent of samples retain a high temperature characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM), typically carried by magnetite or hematite. Before using these ChRMs to assign a magnetic polarity, we filtered paleomagnetic directions to eliminate directions >45 degrees from the Fisherian mean direction, avoiding spurious directions and low latitude virtual geomagnetic poles (VGPs) from transitional field directions. The resulting magnetostratigraphic profiles were used to correlate different sections on the basis of matching reversal records, yielding a composite record of the Middle to Late Devonian geomagnetic reversal record. We recognized seventeen major magnetozones, although the total number of individual reversals is much higher. We examine the distribution of both VGPs and ChRMs to assess whether non-Fisherian statistics should be applied to magnetostratigraphic datasets, and we assess the factors that might cause ellipticity of both datasets.

Isolation and characterization of the pea cytochrome c oxidase Vb gene.

PubMed

Kubo, Nakao; Arimura, Shin-Ichi; Tsutsumi, Nobuhiro; Kadowaki, Koh-Ichi; Hirai, Masashi

2006-11-01

Three copies of the gene that encodes cytochrome c oxidase subunit Vb were isolated from the pea (PscoxVb-1, PscoxVb-2, and PscoxVb-3). Northern Blot and reverse transcriptase-PCR analyses suggest that all 3 genes are transcribed in the pea. Each pea coxVb gene has an N-terminal extended sequence that can encode a mitochondrial targeting signal, called a presequence. The localization of green fluorescent proteins fused with the presequence strongly suggests the targeting of pea COXVb proteins to mitochondria. Each pea coxVb gene has 5 intron sites within the coding region. These are similar to Arabidopsis and rice, although the intron lengths vary greatly. A phylogenetic analysis of coxVb suggests the occurrence of gene duplication events during angiosperm evolution. In particular, 2 duplication events might have occurred in legumes, grasses, and Solanaceae. A comparison of amino acid sequences in COXVb or its counterpart shows the conservation of several amino acids within a zinc finger motif. Interestingly, a homology search analysis showed that bacterial protein COG4391 and a mitochondrial complex I 13 kDa subunit also have similar amino acid compositions around this motif. Such similarity might reflect evolutionary relationships among the 3 proteins.

Bimodality and regime behavior in atmosphere-ocean interactions during the recent climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fallah, Bijan; Sodoudi, Sahar

2015-06-01

Maximum covariance analysis (MCA) and isometric feature mapping (Isomap) are applied to investigate the spatio-temporal atmosphere-ocean interactions otherwise hidden in observational data for the period of 1979-2010. Despite an established long-term surface warming trend for the whole northern hemisphere, sea surface temperatures (SST) in the East Pacific have remained relatively constant for the period of 2001-2010. Our analysis reveals that SST anomaly probability density function of the leading two Isomap components is bimodal. We conclude that Isomap shows the existence of two distinct regimes in surface ocean temperature, resembling the break and active phases of rainfall over equatorial land areas. These regimes occurred within two separated time windows during the past three decades. Strengthening of trade winds over Pacific was coincident with the cold phase of east equatorial Pacific. This pattern was reversed during the warm phase of east equatorial Pacific. The El Niño event of 1997/1998 happened within the transition mode between these two regimes and may be a trigger for the SST changes in the Pacific. Furthermore, we suggest that Isomap, compared with MCA, provides more information about the behavior and predictability of the inter-seasonal atmosphere-ocean interactions.

Characterization of cDNA encoding molt-inhibiting hormone of the crab, Cancer pagurus; expression of MIH in non-X-organ tissues.

PubMed

Lu, W; Wainwright, G; Olohan, L A; Webster, S G; Rees, H H; Turner, P C

2001-10-31

Synthesis of ecdysteroids (molting hormones) by crustacean Y-organs is regulated by a neuropeptide, molt-inhibiting hormone (MIH), produced in eyestalk neural ganglia. We report here the molecular cloning of a cDNA encoding MIH of the edible crab, Cancer pagurus. Full-length MIH cDNA was obtained by using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with degenerate oligonucleotides based upon the amino acid sequence of MIH, in conjunction with 5'- and 3'-RACE. Full-length clones of MIH cDNA were obtained that encoded a 35 amino acid putative signal peptide and the mature 78 amino acid peptide. Of various tissues examined by Northern blot analysis, the X-organ was the sole major site of expression of the MIH gene. However, a nested-PCR approach using non-degenerate MIH-specific primers indicated the presence of MIH transcripts in other tissues. Southern blot analysis indicated a simple gene arrangement with at least two copies of the MIH gene in the genome of C. pagurus. Additional Southern blotting experiments detected MIH-hybridizing bands in another Cancer species, Cancer antennarius and another crab species, Carcinus maenas.

Solar cycle length hypothesis appears to support the ipcc on global warming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laut, P.; Gundermann, J.

1998-12-01

Since the discovery of a striking correlation between 1-2-2-2-1 filtered solar cycle lengths and the 11-year running average of northern hemisphere land air temperatures, there have been widespread speculations as to whether these findings would rule out any significant contributions to global warming from the enhanced concentrations of greenhouse gases. The solar hypothesis (as we shall term this assumption) claims that solar activity causes a significant component of the global mean temperature to vary in phase opposite to the filtered solar cycle lengths. In an earlier article we have demonstrated that for data covering the period 1860-1980 the solar hypothesis does not rule out any significant contribution from man-made greenhouse gases and sulphate aerosols. The present analysis goes a step further. We analyse the period 1579-1987 and find that the solar hypothesis-instead of contradicting-appears to support the assumption of a significant warming due to human activities. We have tentatively corrected the historical northern hemisphere land air temperature anomalies by removing the assumed effects of human activities. These are represented by northern hemisphere land air temperature anomalies calculated as the contributions from man-made greenhouse gases and sulphate aerosols by using an upwelling diffusion-energy balance model similar to the model of [Wigley and Raper, 1993] employed in the Second Assessment Report of The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It turns out that the agreement of the filtered solar cycle lengths with the corrected temperature anomalies is substantially better than with the historical anomalies, with the mean square deviation reduced by 36% for a climate sensitivity of 2.5°C, the central value of the IPCC assessment, and by 43% for the best-fit value of 1.7°C. Therefore our findings support a total reversal of the common assumption that a verification of the solar hypothesis would challenge the IPCC assessment of man-made global warming.

[Isolation and identification of specific sequences correlated to cytoplasmic male sterility and fertile maintenance in cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis)].

PubMed

Wang, Chun Guo; Chen, Xiao Qiang; Li, Hui; Zhao, Qian Cheng; Sun, De Ling; Song, Wen Qin

2008-02-01

Analysis of ISSR (Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat) and DDRT-PCR (Differential Display Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction) was performed between cytoplasmic male sterility cauliflower ogura-A and its corresponding maintainer line ogura-B. Totally, 306 detectable bands were obtained by ISSR using thirty oligonucleotide primers. Commonly, six to twelve bands were produced per primer. Among all these primers only the amplification of primer ISSR3 was polymorphic, an 1100 bp specific band was only detected in maintainer line, named ISSR3(1100). Analysis of this sequence indicated that ISSR3(1100) was high homologous with the corresponding sequences of mitochondrial genome in Brassica napus and Arabidopsis thaliana,which suggested that ISSR3(1100) may derive from mitochondrial genome in cauliflower. To carry out DDRT-PCR analysis, three anchor primers and fifteen random primers were selected to combine. Totally, 1122 bands from 1 000 bp to 50 bp were detected. However, only four bands, named ogura-A 205, ogura-A383, ogura-B307 and ogura-B352, were confirmed to be different display in both lines. This result was further identified by reverse Northern dot blotting analysis. Among these four bands, ogura-A205 and ogura-A383 only express in cytoplasmic male sterility line, while ogura-B307 and ogura-B352 were only detected in maintainer line. Analysis of these sequences indicated that it was the first time that these four sequences were reported in cauliflower. Interestingly, ogura-A205 and ogura-B307 did not exhibit any similarities to other reported sequences in other species, more investigations were required to obtain further information. ogura-A383 and ogura-B352 were also two new sequences, they showed high similarities to corresponding chloroplast sequences of Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis. So we speculated that these two sequences may derive from chloroplast genome. All these results obtained in this study offer new and significant information to investigate the molecular mechanism of cytoplasmic male sterility and fertile maintenance in cauliflower.

Comparison of Mesospheric Winds From a High-Altitude Meteorological Analysis System and Meteor Radar Observations During the Boreal Winters of 2009-2010 and 2012-2013

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCormack, J.; Hoppel, K.; Kuhl, D.; de Wit, R.; Stober, G.; Espy, P.; Baker, N.; Brown, P.; Fritts, D.; Jacobi, C.;

Crustal underthrusting in the Crimea - Northern Black Sea area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yegorova, Tamara; Gobarenko, Valentina; Murovskaya, Anna; Sheremet, Yevgeniya

2016-04-01

The southern Crimean Mountains and the Greater Caucasus form a fold and thrust belt located on the northern margin of the Black Sea, south of Precambrian East European Craton. It is limited to the south by the Main Caucasus Thrust that runs along the whole of the northern margin of the Black Sea and is related to a zone of present day seismicity along the southern Crimea-Caucasus coast of the Sea (Crimean Seismogenic Zone). Strong seismic activity in the region indicates active on-going tectonic processes caused by collision of Eurasian and Arabian plates. In the vicinity of the seismogenic zone there is a transition from thick continental crust on the north to thin suboceanic one on the south in the sea. However, type and structural relations between them are known poorly. To understand better geodynamic processes, there were collected data on the earthquakes that were analyzed together with focal mechanisms of strong earthquakes, new results of geological structural analysis and paleostress reconstructions by kinematic method. These allowed drawing the following conclusions. Seismic activity in the study region, evidenced of active tectonic processes under compression and transpression at the transition from the southern margin of the East European Craton (Scythian Platform) to the Black Sea, is confirmed by predominance of reverse mechanisms among 31 focal mechanisms. In the seismogenic zone, much of which is located along the continental slope, there are three subzones (from east to west): 1) Kerch-Taman one dipping northwards at angle 30 degrees to the depth of 90 km; 2) South-Coast subzone gently dipping to the southeast at angle of 18 degrees with foci depth range 10-45 km, and 3) orthogonal to the latter and confining it from the west the Sevastopol one, characterized by scattered seismicity. The earthquake foci are located in the gradient zone that separates intense Crimea gravity high and positive anomaly of Northern Caucasus from negative gravity field of the Black Sea. The north-south tight band of the South-Coast subzone epicenters relates with highest gravity gradient offshore and is traced northward onshore on transition zone between the Western and Eastern Crimean Mountains. In the eastern part the reverse and strike-slip faulting prevail, while in the western part - the strike-slip and normal faults occur. The Kerch-Taman subzone is characterized by underthrusting the East Black Sea microplate with thin suboceanic (or strongly extended continental) crust below the Scythian Platform with thick continental crust. In the South-Coast subzone this process is complicated by wedging the frontal part of suboceanic crust into the mid-crust of Crimea. Sevastopol branch of the earthquakes is interpreted as zone of strike-slip deformations. The wedging of the East Black Sea microplate into the Scythian Plate crust in Crimea causes intense gravity anomaly of Crimean Mountains and strong present-day uplift of the latter. The analogue of described wedging mechanism seems to be geodynamic processes in the Ivrea area in Western Alps, ccharacterized by similar crust structure and intense gravity anomaly.

The effect of rotation on shoaling of large amplitude internal solitary waves in the northern South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, C.; Vlasenko, V.

2012-12-01

The propagation of large amplitude internal solitary waves (ISWs) in the northern South China Sea (SCS) is simulated using the fully nonlinear, nonhydrostatic MIT general circulation model (MITgcm). Special attention is paid to the effects of rotation and the shoaling three-dimensional topography. It is found that for the conditions of the northern SCS, a propagating ISW continuously loses its energy under the action of rotation by shedding inertia-gravity waves backwards, which further become steepened and form a new ISW. Such a decay-reemergence process repeats itself in a similar way as discussed by Helfrich (2007) with the only difference that, instead of the formation of a final localized wave packet, the frontal waves constantly attenuate by repeatedly shedding inertia-gravity waves backwards. Under the action of rotation and variable topography, the shoaling ISWs attenuate severely and disintegrate after passing through the continental slope. Wave polarity starts to reverse at the depth of about 130 m, which is consistent with the prediction of weakly nonlinear theories. It is also found that the rotational effects are more pronounced in combination with the topographic effects in the three-dimensional realistic context. Discrepancies between the wave profiles obtained with and without rotation are small in the deep part of the ocean but eventually turn out to be significant when going upon the shelf, addressing the crucial roles played by the rotation in the northern SCS.

OBSERVATIONS AND MODELING OF NORTH-SOUTH ASYMMETRIES USING A FLUX TRANSPORT DYNAMO

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

Shetye, Juie; Tripathi, Durgesh; Dikpati, Mausumi

2015-02-01

The peculiar behavior of solar cycle 23 and its prolonged minima has been one of the most studied problems over the past few years. In the present paper, we study the asymmetries in active region magnetic flux in the northern and southern hemispheres during the complete solar cycle 23 and the rising phase of solar cycle 24. During the declining phase of solar cycle 23, we find that the magnetic flux in the southern hemisphere is about 10 times stronger than that in the northern hemisphere; however, during the rising phase of cycle 24, this trend is reversed. The magnetic fluxmore » becomes about a factor of four stronger in the northern hemisphere than in the southern hemisphere. Additionally, we find that there was a significant delay (about five months) in change of the polarity in the southern hemisphere in comparison with the northern hemisphere. These results provide us with hints of how the toroidal fluxes have contributed to the solar dynamo during the prolonged minima in solar cycle 23 and in the rising phase of solar cycle 24. Using a solar flux-transport dynamo model, we demonstrate that persistently stronger sunspot cycles in one hemisphere could be caused by the effect of greater inflows into active region belts in that hemisphere. Observations indicate that greater inflows are associated with stronger activity. Some other change or difference in meridional circulation between hemispheres could cause the weaker hemisphere to become the stronger one.« less

Proteomic analysis of three gonad types of swamp eel reveals genes differentially expressed during sex reversal.

PubMed

Sheng, Yue; Zhao, Wei; Song, Ying; Li, Zhigang; Luo, Majing; Lei, Quan; Cheng, Hanhua; Zhou, Rongjia

2015-05-18

A variety of mechanisms are engaged in sex determination in vertebrates. The teleost fish swamp eel undergoes sex reversal naturally and is an ideal model for vertebrate sexual development. However, the importance of proteome-wide scanning for gonad reversal was not previously determined. We report a 2-D electrophoresis analysis of three gonad types of proteomes during sex reversal. MS/MS analysis revealed a group of differentially expressed proteins during ovary to ovotestis to testis transformation. Cbx3 is up-regulated during gonad reversal and is likely to have a role in spermatogenesis. Rab37 is down-regulated during the reversal and is mainly associated with oogenesis. Both Cbx3 and Rab37 are linked up in a protein network. These datasets in gonadal proteomes provide a new resource for further studies in gonadal development.

Detection and Analysis of Circular RNAs by RT-PCR.

PubMed

Panda, Amaresh C; Gorospe, Myriam

2018-03-20

Gene expression in eukaryotic cells is tightly regulated at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Posttranscriptional processes, including pre-mRNA splicing, mRNA export, mRNA turnover, and mRNA translation, are controlled by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and noncoding (nc)RNAs. The vast family of ncRNAs comprises diverse regulatory RNAs, such as microRNAs and long noncoding (lnc)RNAs, but also the poorly explored class of circular (circ)RNAs. Although first discovered more than three decades ago by electron microscopy, only the advent of high-throughput RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and the development of innovative bioinformatic pipelines have begun to allow the systematic identification of circRNAs (Szabo and Salzman, 2016; Panda et al ., 2017b; Panda et al ., 2017c). However, the validation of true circRNAs identified by RNA sequencing requires other molecular biology techniques including reverse transcription (RT) followed by conventional or quantitative (q) polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and Northern blot analysis (Jeck and Sharpless, 2014). RT-qPCR analysis of circular RNAs using divergent primers has been widely used for the detection, validation, and sometimes quantification of circRNAs (Abdelmohsen et al ., 2015 and 2017; Panda et al ., 2017b). As detailed here, divergent primers designed to span the circRNA backsplice junction sequence can specifically amplify the circRNAs and not the counterpart linear RNA. In sum, RT-PCR analysis using divergent primers allows direct detection and quantification of circRNAs.

Dependence of present and future European heat waves and cold spells on the location of atmospheric blocking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunner, L.; Schaller, N.; Sillmann, J.; Steiner, A. K.

2017-12-01

Atmospheric blocking describes stationary anti-cyclones, which weaken or reverse the climatological flow at mid-latitudes. In the northern hemisphere one of the main blocking regions is located over the North Atlantic and Northern Europe. The link between blocking and European temperature extremes, such as heat waves and cold spells, strongly depends on several aspects like season, longitudinal location of the block, and location of the extremes (particularly Northern Europe versus Southern Europe). We use a 50-member ensemble of the Canadian CanESM2 model to investigate historical (1981-2010) and future (2070-2099) blocking cases and their relationship with European temperature extremes. For the historical period the model results are also compared to those from the ERA-Interim reanalysis. Atmospheric blocking is detected on a daily basis in different 30° longitude windows between 60°W and 60°E, using a standard geopotential height-based detection index. Temperature extremes are defined by the daily Heat/Cold Wave Magnitude Index (HWMId/CWMId). The role of cold advection is found particularly important in winter conditions leading to a more than threefold increase in cold wave occurrence during blocking between 60°W and 0°. During blocking over Northern Europe (0° to 60°E) a split relationship is found with cold wave occurrence being strongly increased in Southern Europe, while it is decreased in Northern Europe. Direct, radiative effects dominate in summer, therefore blocking westward of Europe has a weaker effect, while blocking over Northern Europe leads to an increase of heat waves by at least a factor three at the location of the block and a decrease in cold wave occurrence in almost all of Europe. Comparing the historical and future period we find the link between blocking and temperature extremes in Europe to be robust, even though blocking frequency and temperatures are changing.

Extrapolar climate reversal during the last deglaciation.

PubMed

Asmerom, Yemane; Polyak, Victor J; Lachniet, Matthew S

2017-08-02

Large ocean-atmosphere and hydroclimate changes occurred during the last deglaciation, although the interplay between these changes remains ambiguous. Here, we present a speleothem-based high resolution record of Northern Hemisphere atmospheric temperature driven polar jet variability, which matches the Greenland ice core records for the most of the last glacial period, except during the last deglaciation. Our data, combined with data from across the globe, show a dramatic climate reversal during the last deglaciation, which we refer to as the Extrapolar Climate Reversal (ECR). This is the most prominent feature in most tropical and subtropical hydroclimate proxies. The initiation of the ECR coincides with the rapid rise in CO 2 , in part attributed to upwelling in the Southern Ocean and the near collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. We attribute the ECR to upwelling of cold deep waters from the Southern Ocean. This is supported by a variety of proxies showing the incursion of deep Southern Ocean waters into the tropics and subtropics. Regional climate variability across the extropolar regions during the interval previously referred to as the "Mystery Interval" can now be explained in the context of the ECR event.

SIMULATION STUDY OF HEMISPHERIC PHASE-ASYMMETRY IN THE SOLAR CYCLE

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

Shukuya, D.; Kusano, K., E-mail: kusano@nagoya-u.jp

2017-01-20

Observations of the Sun suggest that solar activities systematically create north–south hemispheric asymmetries. For instance, the hemisphere in which sunspot activity is more active tends to switch after the early half of each solar cycle. Svalgaard and Kamide recently pointed out that the time gaps of polar field reversal between the northern and southern hemispheres are simply consequences of the asymmetry of sunspot activity. However, the mechanism underlying the asymmetric feature in solar cycle activity is not yet well understood. In this paper, in order to explain the cause of the asymmetry from the theoretical point of view, we investigatemore » the relationship between the dipole- and quadrupole-type components of the magnetic field in the solar cycle using the mean-field theory based on the flux transport dynamo model. As a result, we found that there are two different attractors of the solar cycle, in which either the north or the south polar field is first reversed, and that the flux transport dynamo model explains well the phase-asymmetry of sunspot activity and the polar field reversal without any ad hoc source of asymmetry.« less

Effects of the proposed California WaterFix North Delta Diversion on flow reversals and entrainment of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) into Georgiana Slough and the Delta Cross Channel, northern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Perry, Russell W.; Romine, Jason G.; Pope, Adam C.; Evans, Scott D.

2018-02-27

The California Department of Water Resources and Bureau of Reclamation propose new water intake facilities on the Sacramento River in northern California that would convey some of the water for export to areas south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (hereinafter referred to as the Delta) through tunnels rather than through the Delta. The collection of water intakes, tunnels, pumping facilities, associated structures, and proposed operations are collectively referred to as California WaterFix. The water intake facilities, hereinafter referred to as the North Delta Diversion (NDD), are proposed to be located on the Sacramento River downstream of the city of Sacramento and upstream of the first major river junction where Sutter Slough branches from the Sacramento River. The NDD can divert a maximum discharge of 9,000 cubic feet per second (ft3/s) from the Sacramento River, which reduces the amount of Sacramento River inflow into the Delta.In this report, we conducted three analyses to investigate the effect of the NDD and its proposed operation on entrainment of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) into Georgiana Slough and the Delta Cross Channel (DCC). Fish that enter the interior Delta (the network of channels to the south of the Sacramento River) through Georgiana Slough and the DCC survive at lower rates than fish that use other migration routes (Sacramento River, Sutter Slough, and Steamboat Slough). Therefore, fisheries managers were concerned about the extent to which operation of the NDD would increase the proportion of the population entering the interior Delta, which, all else being equal, would lower overall survival through the Delta by increasing the fraction of the population subject to lower survival rates. Operation of the NDD would reduce flow in the Sacramento River, which has the potential to increase the magnitude and duration of reverse flows of the Sacramento River downstream of Georgiana Slough.In the first analysis, we evaluate the effect of the NDD bypass rules on flow reversals of the Sacramento River downstream of Georgiana Slough. The NDD bypass rules are a set of operational criteria designed to minimize upstream transport of fish into Georgiana Slough and the DCC, and were developed based on previous studies showing that the magnitude and duration of flow reversals increase the proportion of fish entering Georgiana Slough and the DCC. We estimated the frequency and duration of reverse-flow conditions of the Sacramento River downstream of Georgiana Slough under each of the prescribed minimum bypass flows described in the NDD bypass rules. To accommodate adaptive levels of protection during different times of year when juvenile salmon are migrating through the Delta, the NDD bypass rules prescribe a series of minimum allowable bypass flows that vary depending on (1) month of the year, and (2) progressively decreasing levels of protection following a pulse flow event.We determined that the NDD bypass rules increased the frequency and duration of reverse flows of the Sacramento River downstream of Georgiana Slough, with the magnitude of increase varying among scenarios. Constant low-level pumping, the most protective bypass rule that limits diversion to 10 percent of the maximum diversion and is implemented following a pulse-flow event, led to the smallest increase in frequency and duration of flow reversals. In contrast, we found that some scenarios led to sizeable increases in the fraction of the day with reverse flow. The conditions under which the proportion of the day with reverse flow can increase by greater than or equal to 10 percentage points between October and June, when juvenile salmon are present in the Delta, include October–November bypass rules and level-3 post-pulse operations during December–June. These conditions would be expected to increase the proportion of juvenile salmon entering the interior Delta through Georgiana Slough.In the second analysis, we assessed bias in Delta Simulation Model 2 (DSM2) flow predictions at the junction of the Sacramento River, DCC, and Georgiana Slough. Because DSM2 was being used to simulate California WaterFix operations, understanding the extent of bias relative to USGS streamgages was important since fish routing models were based on flow data at streamgages. We determined that river flow predicted by DSM2 was biased for Georgiana Slough and the Sacramento River. Therefore, for subsequent analysis, we bias-corrected the DSM2 flow predictions using measured stream flows as predictor variables.In the third analysis, we evaluated the effect of the NDD on the daily probability of fish entering Georgiana Slough and the DCC. We applied an existing model to predict entrainment from 15-minute flow simulations for an 82-year time series of flows simulated by DSM2 under the Proposed Action (PA), where the North Delta Diversion is implemented under California WaterFix, and the No Action Alternative (NAA), where the diversion is not implemented. To estimate the daily fraction of fish entering each river channel, entrainment probabilities were averaged over each day. To evaluate the two scenarios, we then compared mean annual entrainment probabilities by month, water year classification, and three different assumed run timings. Overall, the probability of remaining in the Sacramento River was lower under the PA scenario, but the magnitude of the difference was small (3/s. At flows greater than 41,000 ft3/s, we hypothesize that entrainment into the interior Delta is relatively constant, which would have caused little difference between scenarios at higher flows.

Neotectonic deformation model of the Northern Algeria from Paleomagnetic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derder, M. E. M.; Henry, B.; Maouche, S.; Amenna, M.; Bayou, B.; Djellit, H.; Ymel, H.; Gharbi, S.; Abtout, A.; Ayache, M.

2012-04-01

The seismic activity of the Western Mediterranean area is partly concentrated in northern Africa, particularly in northern Algeria, as it is shown by the strongest recent earthquakes of "Zemmouri" 21 May 2003 Mw=6.9 and the "El Asnam" 10 October 1980 Ms= 7.3. This seismicity is due to the tectonic activity related to the convergence between Africa and Eurasia plates since at least the Oligocene. The deformation is mostly compressional with associated folds, strike-slip faults and thrusts, and a direction of shortening between N-S and NNW-SSE. This convergence involves a tectonic transpression which is expressed by active deformation along the plate boundary. In northern Algeria, the seismicity is concentrated in a coastal E-W thin band zone (the Tell Atlas). Active structures define there NE-SW trending folds and NE-SW sinistral transpressive faults, which affect the intermountain and coastal Neogene to Quaternary sedimentary basins (e.g. " Cheliff "basin, " Mitidja "basin, …). These reverse faults are associated with NW-SE to E-W strike-slips deep faults. The active tectonics could be explained by a simple blocks rotation kinematics model. In order to test the validity of this kinematic model, three different paleomagnetic studies have been conducted. The first one concerned the "Cheliff" basin where sedimentary Neogene formations were extensively sampled (66 sites). The second study was carried out on Miocene andesite and dacite rocks cropping out along the northern coastal zone of the "Cheliff" basin ("Beni Haoua" area, 19 sites). The third study has been carried out on the Miocene magmatic rocks (rhyolites and basalts) cropping out north-eastern part of the "Mitidja" basin ("Cap Djinet" - "Boumerdes" area, 23 sites). The obtained results show existence of paleomagnetic clockwise rotations in all the studied areas and then validates the kinematics block rotation model. Accordingly, the deformation related to the convergence between the Africa and Eurasia plates, is partly accommodated in northern Algeria by blocks rotation movements. It seems that the Tellian Atlas (northern Algeria) domain is organized as tectonic blocks with relative clockwise blocks rotation movement as in a "bookshelf" model.

Detection of sialomucin complex (MUC4) in human ocular surface epithelium and tear fluid.

PubMed

Pflugfelder, S C; Liu, Z; Monroy, D; Li, D Q; Carvajal, M E; Price-Schiavi, S A; Idris, N; Solomon, A; Perez, A; Carraway, K L

2000-05-01

To evaluate human ocular surface epithelium and tear fluid for the presence of sialomucin complex (MUC4), a high-molecular-weight heterodimeric glycoprotein composed of mucin (ASGP-1) and transmembrane (ASGP-2) subunits. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Northern blot analysis assays were used to identify sialomucin complex RNA in ocular surface epithelia. Immunoprecipitation and immunoblot analysis were used to identify immunoreactive species in human tears and in the corneal and conjunctival epithelia using antibodies specific for carbohydrate and peptide epitopes on the sialomucin complex subunits. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect sialomucin complex in frozen sections and impression cytology specimens of human cornea and conjunctival epithelia. ASGP-1- and ASGP-2-specific sequences were amplified from RNA extracted from both conjunctival and corneal epithelial biopsies by RT-PCR. Sialomucin complex transcripts were also detected in these tissues by Northern blot analysis, with a greater level of RNA detected in the peripheral than the central corneal epithelium. Sialomucin complex was immunoprecipitated from tear fluid samples and both corneal and conjunctival epithelia and detected by immunoblot analysis with specific anti-ASGP-1 and anti-ASGP-2 antibodies. The ASGP-1 peptide antibody HA-1 stained the full thickness of the corneal and conjunctival epithelia. In contrast, antibody 15H10, which reacts against a carbohydrate epitope on ASGP-1, stained only the superficial epithelial layers of these tissues. No staining was observed in the conjunctival goblet cells. Sialomucin complex was originally identified in rat mammary adenocarcinoma cells and has recently been shown to be produced by the ocular surface epithelia of rats. Furthermore, it has been identified as the rat homologue of human MUC4 mucin. The present studies show that it is expressed in the stratified epithelium covering the surface of the human eye and is present in human tear fluid. Expression of a carbohydrate-dependent epitope on the mucin subunit (ASGP-1) of sialomucin complex occurs in a differentiation-dependent fashion. Sialomucin complex joins MUC1 as another membrane mucin produced by the human ocular surface epithelia but is also found in the tear fluid, presumably in a soluble form, as found on the rat ocular surface.

Yohimbine hydrochloride as an antagonist to xylazine hydrochloride-ketamine hydrochloride immobilization of white-tailed deer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mech, L.D.; DelGiudice, G.D.; Karns, P.D.; Seal, U.S.

1985-01-01

Thirteen captive and one free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were immobilized one to six times each with ketamine hydrochloride and xylazine hydrochloride during winter and spring in northern Minnesota. Administration of 0.09 to 0.53 mg of yohimbine hydrochloride per kg IV after each trial reversed the immobilization. The deer raised their heads within a median time of 2.0 min, stood in 6.0 min and walked away in 9.5 min. No adverse side effects were observed for several weeks following the immobilization.

Informal and formal mental health: preliminary qualitative findings

PubMed Central

O'Neill, Linda; George, Serena; Koehn, Corinne; Shepard, Blythe

2013-01-01

Background Northern-based research on mental health support, no matter the specific profession, helps to inform instruction of new practitioners and practitioners already working in rural or isolated conditions. Understanding the complexities of northern mental health support not only benefits clients and practitioners living in the North, but also helps prepare psychologists and counsellors preparing to work in other countries with large rural and isolated populations. The qualitative phase is part of a multi-year research study on informal and formal mental health support in northern Canada involving the use of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. Objective The main objective of the qualitative phase interviews was to document in-depth the situation of formal and informal helpers in providing mental health support in isolated northern communities in northern British Columbia, northern Alberta, Yukon and Northwest Territories (NWT). The intent of in-depth interviews was to collect descriptive information on the unique working conditions of northern helping practitioners for the development of a survey and subsequent community action plans for helping practitioner support. Design Twenty participants in northern BC, Yukon and NWT participated in narrative interviews. Consensual qualitative research (CQR) was used in the analysis completed by 7 researchers. The principal researcher and research associate then worked through all 7 analyses, defining common categories and themes, and using selections from each researcher in order to ensure that everyone's analysis was represented in the final consensual summary. Results The preliminary results include 7 main categories consisting of various themes. Defining elements of northern practice included the need for generalist knowledge and cultural sensitivity. The task of working with and negotiating membership in community was identified as essential for northern mental health support. The need for revised codes of ethics relevant to the reality of northern work was a major category, as was insight on how to best sustain northern practice. Conclusion Many of the practitioners who participated in this study have found ways to overcome the biggest challenges of northern practice, yet the limitations of small populations and lack of resources in small communities to adequately address mental health support were identified as existing. Empowering communities by building community capacity to educate, supervise and support formal and informal mental health workers may be the best approach to overcoming the lack of external resources. PMID:23977648

Informal and formal mental health: preliminary qualitative findings.

PubMed

O'Neill, Linda; George, Serena; Koehn, Corinne; Shepard, Blythe

2013-01-01

Northern-based research on mental health support, no matter the specific profession, helps to inform instruction of new practitioners and practitioners already working in rural or isolated conditions. Understanding the complexities of northern mental health support not only benefits clients and practitioners living in the North, but also helps prepare psychologists and counsellors preparing to work in other countries with large rural and isolated populations. The qualitative phase is part of a multi-year research study on informal and formal mental health support in northern Canada involving the use of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. The main objective of the qualitative phase interviews was to document in-depth the situation of formal and informal helpers in providing mental health support in isolated northern communities in northern British Columbia, northern Alberta, Yukon and Northwest Territories (NWT). The intent of in-depth interviews was to collect descriptive information on the unique working conditions of northern helping practitioners for the development of a survey and subsequent community action plans for helping practitioner support. Twenty participants in northern BC, Yukon and NWT participated in narrative interviews. Consensual qualitative research (CQR) was used in the analysis completed by 7 researchers. The principal researcher and research associate then worked through all 7 analyses, defining common categories and themes, and using selections from each researcher in order to ensure that everyone's analysis was represented in the final consensual summary. The preliminary results include 7 main categories consisting of various themes. Defining elements of northern practice included the need for generalist knowledge and cultural sensitivity. The task of working with and negotiating membership in community was identified as essential for northern mental health support. The need for revised codes of ethics relevant to the reality of northern work was a major category, as was insight on how to best sustain northern practice. Many of the practitioners who participated in this study have found ways to overcome the biggest challenges of northern practice, yet the limitations of small populations and lack of resources in small communities to adequately address mental health support were identified as existing. Empowering communities by building community capacity to educate, supervise and support formal and informal mental health workers may be the best approach to overcoming the lack of external resources.

Harvesting systems for the northern forest hardwoods

Treesearch

Chris B. LeDoux

2011-01-01

This monograph is a summary of research results and environmental compliance measures for timber harvesting operations. Data are presented from the Northern Research Station's forest inventory and analysis of 20 states in the northern forest hardwoods. Harvesting systems available in the region today are summarized. Equations for estimating harvesting costs are...

Interhemispheric Asymmetry of the Sunward Plasma Flows for Strongly Dominant IMF BZ > 0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yakymenko, K. N.; Koustov, A. V.; Fiori, R. A. D.

2018-01-01

Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) convection maps obtained simultaneously in both hemispheres are averaged to infer polar cap ionospheric flow patterns under strongly dominant positive interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz component. The data set consisted of winter observations in the Northern Hemisphere simultaneously with summer observations in the Southern Hemisphere. Long-lasting high-latitude dayside reverse convection cells are shown to have faster sunward flows at near-magnetic noon hours in the summer/Southern Hemisphere. Sunward flows typically deviate from the midnight-noon meridian toward 10-11 h of magnetic local time in the summer/Southern Hemisphere and are more aligned with the midnight-noon meridian in the winter/Northern Hemisphere. Flow deviations in the winter/Northern Hemisphere can be both toward prenoon and postnoon hours, and there is no clear relationship between flow deviation and the IMF By component. No strong preference for the sunward flow occurrence depending on the IMF Bx polarity was found. In addition, the rate of the sunward flow speed increase in response to an increase in driving conditions was found to be comparable for the IMF Bx > 0 and Bx < 0.

Restoration of the Cretaceous uplift of the Harz Mountains, North Germany: evidence for the geometry of a thick-skinned thrust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanner, David C.; Krawczyk, Charlotte M.

2017-04-01

Reverse movement on the Harz Northern Boundary Fault was responsible for the Late Cretaceous uplift of the Harz Mountains in northern Germany. Using the known geometry of the surface position and dip of the fault, and a published cross section of the Base Permian horizon, we show that it is possible to predict the probable shape of the fault at depth, down to a detachment level. We use the `inclined-shear' method with constant heave and argue that a shear angle of 30° was most likely. In this case, the detachment level is at a depth of ca. 25 km. Kinematic restoration of the Harz Mountains using this fault geometry does not produce a flat horizon, rather it results in a ca. 4 km depression. Airy-Heiskanen isostatic equilibrium adjustment of the Harz Mountains restores the Base Permian horizon to the horizontal, as well as raising the Moho to a depth of 32 km, a typical value for northern Germany. Restoration also causes a rotation of tectonic fabrics within the Harz Mountains of about 11° clockwise. We show that this model geometry is very good fit to the interpreted DEKORP BASIN 9601 deep seismic profile.

Tempo-Spatial Variations of Ambient Ozone-Mortality Associations in the USA: Results from the NMMAPS Data.

PubMed

Liu, Tao; Zeng, Weilin; Lin, Hualiang; Rutherford, Shannon; Xiao, Jianpeng; Li, Xing; Li, Zhihao; Qian, Zhengmin; Feng, Baixiang; Ma, Wenjun

2016-08-26

Although the health effects of ambient ozone have been widely assessed, their tempo-spatial variations remain unclear. We selected 20 communities (ten each from southern and northern USA) based on the US National Morbidity, Mortality, and Air Pollution Study (NMMAPS) dataset. A generalized linear model (GLM) was used to estimate the season-specific association between each 10 ppb (lag0-2 day average) increment in daily 8 h maximum ozone concentration and mortality in every community. The results showed that in the southern communities, a 10 ppb increment in ozone was linked to an increment of mortality of -0.07%, -0.17%, 0.40% and 0.27% in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively. For the northern communities, the excess risks (ERs) were 0.74%, 1.21%, 0.52% and -0.65% in the spring, summer, autumn and winter seasons, respectively. City-specific ozone-related mortality effects were positively related with latitude, but negatively related with seasonal average temperature in the spring, summer and autumn seasons. However, a reverse relationship was found in the winter. We concluded that there were different seasonal patterns of ozone effects on mortality between southern and northern US communities. Latitude and seasonal average temperature were identified as modifiers of the ambient ozone-related mortality risks.

Tempo-Spatial Variations of Ambient Ozone-Mortality Associations in the USA: Results from the NMMAPS Data

PubMed Central

Liu, Tao; Zeng, Weilin; Lin, Hualiang; Rutherford, Shannon; Xiao, Jianpeng; Li, Xing; Li, Zhihao; Qian, Zhengmin; Feng, Baixiang; Ma, Wenjun

2016-01-01

Although the health effects of ambient ozone have been widely assessed, their tempo-spatial variations remain unclear. We selected 20 communities (ten each from southern and northern USA) based on the US National Morbidity, Mortality, and Air Pollution Study (NMMAPS) dataset. A generalized linear model (GLM) was used to estimate the season-specific association between each 10 ppb (lag0-2 day average) increment in daily 8 h maximum ozone concentration and mortality in every community. The results showed that in the southern communities, a 10 ppb increment in ozone was linked to an increment of mortality of −0.07%, −0.17%, 0.40% and 0.27% in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively. For the northern communities, the excess risks (ERs) were 0.74%, 1.21%, 0.52% and −0.65% in the spring, summer, autumn and winter seasons, respectively. City-specific ozone-related mortality effects were positively related with latitude, but negatively related with seasonal average temperature in the spring, summer and autumn seasons. However, a reverse relationship was found in the winter. We concluded that there were different seasonal patterns of ozone effects on mortality between southern and northern US communities. Latitude and seasonal average temperature were identified as modifiers of the ambient ozone-related mortality risks. PMID:27571094

Seasonal Changes in Titan's Southern Stratosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nixon, C. A.; Bjoraker, G. L.; Achterberg, R. K.; Teanby, N. A.; Coustenis, A.; Jennings, D. E.; Cottini, V.; Irwin, P. G.; Flasar, F. M.

2012-01-01

In August 2009 Titan passed through northern spring equinox, and the southern hemisphere passed into fall. Since then, the moon's atmosphere has been closely watched for evidence of the expected seasonal reversal of stratospheric circulation, with increased northern insolation leading to upwelling, and consequent downwelling at southern high latitudes. If the southern winter mirrors the northern winter, this circulation will be traced by increases in short-lived gas species advected downwards from the upper atmosphere to the stratosphere. The Cassini spacecraft in orbit around Saturn carries on board the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS), which has been actively monitoring the trace gas populations through measurement of the intensity of their infrared emission bands (7-1000 micron). In this presentation we will show fresh evidence from recent CIRS measurements in June 2012, that the shortest-lived and least abundant minor species (C3H4, C4H2, C6H6, HC3N) are indeed increasing dramatically southwards of 50S in the lower stratosphere. Intriguingly, the more stable gases (C2H2, HCN, CO2) have yet to show this trend, and continue to exhibit their 'summer' abundances, decreasing towards the south pole. Possible chemical and dynamical explanations of these results will be discussed , along with the potential of future CIRS measurements to monitor and elucidate these seasonal changes.

Recent changes in the marine ecosystems of the northern Adriatic Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giani, Michele; Djakovac, Tamara; Degobbis, Danilo; Cozzi, Stefano; Solidoro, Cosimo; Umani, Serena Fonda

2012-12-01

This review of studies on long term series on river discharges, oceanographic features, plankton, fish and benthic compartments, collected since the 1970s revealed significant changes of mechanisms and trophic structures in the northern Adriatic ecosystems. A gradual increase of eutrophication pressure occurred during the 1970s until the mid 1980s, followed by a reversal of the trend, particularly marked in the 2000s. This trend was ascribed to the combination of a reduction of the anthropogenic impact, mainly due to a substantial decrease of the phosphorus loads, and of climatic modifications, resulting in a decline of atmospheric precipitations and, consequently, of the runoff in the northern Adriatic Sea. Significant decreases of the phytoplankton abundances were observed after the mid 1980s, concurrently with changes in the species composition of the communities, with an evident shift toward smaller cells or organism sizes. Moreover, changes in the zooplankton community were also observed. A decrease of demersal fishes, top predators and small pelagic fishes was ascribed to both overfishing and a demise of eutrophication. Macrozoobenthic communities slowly recovered in the last two decades after the anoxia events of the 1970s and 1980s. An increasing number of non-autochthonous species has been recorded in the last decades moreover the increasing seawater temperature facilitated the spreading of thermophilic species.

Implementing guideline based heart failure care in the Northern Territory: challenges and solutions.

PubMed

Iyngkaran, Pupalan; Harris, Melanie; Ilton, Marcus; Kangaharan, Nadarajan; Battersby, Malcolm; Stewart, Simon; Brown, Alex

2014-05-01

The Northern Territory of Australia is a vast area serviced by two major tertiary hospitals. It has both a unique demography and geography, which pose challenges for delivering optimal heart failure services. The prevalence of congestive heart failure continues to increase, imposing a significant burden on health infrastructure and health care costs. Specific patient groups suffer disproportionately from increased disease severity or service related issues often represented as a "health care gap". The syndrome itself is characterised by ongoing symptoms interspersed with acute decompensation requiring lifelong therapy and is rarely reversible. For the individual client the overwhelming attention to heart failure care and the impact of health care gaps can be devastating. This gap may also contribute to widening socio-economic differentials for families and communities as they seek to take on some of the care responsibilities. This review explores the challenges of heart failure best practice in the Northern Territory and the opportunities to improve on service delivery. The discussions highlighted could have implications for health service delivery throughout regional centres in Australia and health systems in other countries. Copyright © 2014 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). All rights reserved.

Seasonal and Interseasonal Dynamics of Bluetongue Virus Infection of Dairy Cattle and Culicoides sonorensis Midges in Northern California – Implications for Virus Overwintering in Temperate Zones

PubMed Central

Mayo, Christie E.; Mullens, Bradley A.; Reisen, William K.; Osborne, Cameron J.; Gibbs, E. Paul J.; Gardner, Ian A.; MacLachlan, N. James

2014-01-01

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is the cause of an economically important arboviral disease of domestic and wild ruminants. The occurrence of BTV infection of livestock is distinctly seasonal in temperate regions of the world, thus we determined the dynamics of BTV infection (using BTV-specific real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) among sentinel cattle and vector Culicoides sonorensis (C. sonorensis) midges on a dairy farm in northern California throughout both the seasonal and interseasonal (overwintering) periods of BTV activity from August 2012 until March 2014. The data confirmed widespread infection of both sentinel cattle and vector midges during the August – November period of seasonal BTV transmission, however BTV infection of parous female midges captured in traps set during daylight hours also was detected in February of both 2013 and 2014, during the interseasonal period. The finding of BTV-infected vector midges during mid-winter suggests that BTV may overwinter in northern California by infection of long-lived female C. sonorensis midges that were infected during the prior seasonal period of virus transmission, and reemerged sporadically during the overwintering period; however the data do not definitively preclude other potential mechanisms of BTV overwintering that are also discussed. PMID:25215598

Seasonal and interseasonal dynamics of bluetongue virus infection of dairy cattle and Culicoides sonorensis midges in northern California--implications for virus overwintering in temperate zones.

PubMed

Mayo, Christie E; Mullens, Bradley A; Reisen, William K; Osborne, Cameron J; Gibbs, E Paul J; Gardner, Ian A; MacLachlan, N James

2014-01-01

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is the cause of an economically important arboviral disease of domestic and wild ruminants. The occurrence of BTV infection of livestock is distinctly seasonal in temperate regions of the world, thus we determined the dynamics of BTV infection (using BTV-specific real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) among sentinel cattle and vector Culicoides sonorensis (C. sonorensis) midges on a dairy farm in northern California throughout both the seasonal and interseasonal (overwintering) periods of BTV activity from August 2012 until March 2014. The data confirmed widespread infection of both sentinel cattle and vector midges during the August-November period of seasonal BTV transmission, however BTV infection of parous female midges captured in traps set during daylight hours also was detected in February of both 2013 and 2014, during the interseasonal period. The finding of BTV-infected vector midges during mid-winter suggests that BTV may overwinter in northern California by infection of long-lived female C. sonorensis midges that were infected during the prior seasonal period of virus transmission, and reemerged sporadically during the overwintering period; however the data do not definitively preclude other potential mechanisms of BTV overwintering that are also discussed.

Analysis of a Wave-Powered, Reverse-Osmosis System and its Economic Availability in the United States

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

Yu, Yi-Hsiang; Jenne, Dale S

A wave energy converter (WEC) system has the potential to convert the wave energy resource directly into the high-pressure flow that is needed by the desalination system to permeate saltwater through the reverse-osmosis membrane to generate clean water. In this study, a wave-to-water numerical model was developed to investigate the potential use of a wave-powered desalination system (WPDS) for water production in the United States. The model was developed by coupling a time-domain radiation-and-diffraction-method-based numerical tool (WEC-Sim) for predicting the hydrodynamic performance of WECs with a solution-diffusion model that was used to simulate the reverse-osmosis process. To evaluate the feasibilitymore » of the WPDS, the wave-to-water numerical model was applied to simulate a desalination system that used an oscillating surge WEC device to pump seawater through the system. The annual water production was estimated based on the wave resource at a reference site on the coast of northern California to investigate the potential cost of water in that area, where the cost of water and electricity is high compared to other regions. In the scenario evaluated, for a 100-unit utility-scale array, the estimated levelized cost of energy for these WECs is about 3-6 times the U.S.'s current, unsubsidized electricity rates. However, with clean water as an end product and by directly producing pressurized water with WECs, rather than electricity as an intermediary, it is presently only 12% greater than typical water cost in California. This study suggests that a WEC array that produces water may be a viable, near-term solution to the nation's water supply, and the niche application of the WPDS may also provide developers with new opportunities to further develop technologies that benefit both the electric and drinking water markets.« less

Analysis of a Wave-Powered, Reverse-Osmosis System and Its Economic Availability in the United States: Preprint

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

Yu, Yi-Hsiang; Jenne, Dale S

A wave energy converter (WEC) system has the potential to convert the wave energy resource directly into the high-pressure flow that is needed by the desalination system to permeate saltwater through the reverse-osmosis membrane to generate clean water. In this study, a wave-to-water numerical model was developed to investigate the potential use of a wave-powered desalination system (WPDS) for water production in the United States. The model was developed by coupling a time-domain radiation-and-diffraction-method-based numerical tool (WEC-Sim) for predicting the hydrodynamic performance of WECs with a solution-diffusion model that was used to simulate the reverse-osmosis process. To evaluate the feasibilitymore » of the WPDS, the wave-to-water numerical model was applied to simulate a desalination system that used an oscillating surge WEC device to pump seawater through the system. The annual water production was estimated based on the wave resource at a reference site on the coast of northern California to investigate the potential cost of water in that area, where the cost of water and electricity is high compared to other regions. In the scenario evaluated, for a 100-unit utility-scale electricity-producing array, the estimated levelized cost of energy for these WECs is about 3-6 times the U.S.'s current, unsubsidized electricity rates. However, with clean water as an end product and by directly producing pressurized water with WECs, rather than electricity as an intermediary, it is presently only 12 percent greater than typical water cost in California. This study suggests that a WEC array that produces water may be a viable, near-term solution to the nation's water supply, and the niche application of the WPDS may also provide developers with new opportunities to further develop technologies that benefit both the electric and drinking water markets.« less

The northern annular mode in summer and its relation to solar activity variations in the GISS ModelE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jae N.; Hameed, Sultan; Shindell, Drew T.

2008-03-01

The northern annular mode (NAM) has been successfully used in several studies to understand the variability of the winter atmosphere and its modulation by solar activity. The variability of summer circulation can also be described by the leading empirical orthogonal function (EOF) of geopotential heights. We compare the annular modes of the summer geopotential heights in the northern hemisphere stratosphere and troposphere in the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) ModelE with those in the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis. In the stratosphere, the summer NAM obtained from NCEP/NCAR reanalysis as well as from the ModelE simulations has the same sign throughout the northern hemisphere, but shows greater variability at low latitudes. The patterns in both analyses are consistent with the interpretation that low NAM conditions represent an enhancement of the seasonal difference between the summer and the annual averages of geopotential height, temperature and velocity distributions, while the reverse holds for high NAM conditions. Composite analysis of high and low NAM cases in both model and observation suggests that the summer stratosphere is more "summer-like" when the solar activity is near a maximum. This means that the zonal easterly wind flow is stronger and the temperature is higher than normal. Thus increased irradiance favors a low summer NAM. A quantitative comparison of the anti-correlation between the NAM and the solar forcing is presented in the model and in the observation, both of which show lower/higher NAM index in solar maximum/minimum conditions. The temperature fluctuations in simulated solar minimum conditions are greater than in solar maximum throughout the summer stratosphere. The summer NAM in the troposphere obtained from NCEP/NCAR reanalysis has a dipolar zonal structure with maximum variability over the Asian monsoon region. The corresponding EOF in ModelE has a qualitatively similar structure but with less variability in the Asian monsoon region which is displaced eastward of its observed position. In both the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis and the GCM the negative anomalies associated with the NAM in the Euro-Atlantic and Aleutian island regions are enhanced in the solar minimum conditions, though the results are not statistically significant.

Assessing the potential and side effects of ocean albedo modification in the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mengis, N.; Oschlies, A.; Keller, D. P.; Martin, T.

2015-12-01

The ice albedo feedbacks in the Arctic are a key factor of the positive feedback mechanisms, which amplify climate change in the high northern latitudes. This study assesses the potential and side effects of an idealised Arctic ocean albedo modification (AOAM) experiment under varying emissions scenarios. A first finding is the fact that the decreasing trend in the Arctic summer sea ice extent could only be offset rather than reversed by the implementation of AOAM under increasing atmospheric CO2 emissions. What becomes evident in this study is that the Earth system regulates its internal heat budgets. Therefore a local cooling at the high northern latitudes causes compensatory heat fluxes in the atmosphere and the ocean. Meaning that firstly, the effectiveness of local scale climate intervention will, in the long term, be lowered by these compensatory fluxes and secondly that there are consequences, such as the subsurface warming signal found in this study, which are unexpected and unintended.

Investigation of a marine magnetic polarity reversal boundary in cross-section at the northern boundary of the Kane Megamullion, Mid-Atlantic Ridge 23°40'N

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, M.; Tivey, M.

2016-12-01

Near-bottom magnetic field measurements made by the submersible Nautile during the 1992 Kanaut Expedition define the cross-sectional geometry of magnetic polarity reversal boundaries and the vertical variation of crustal magnetization in lower oceanic crust exposed along the Kane Transform Fault (TF) at the northern boundary of the Kane Megamullion (KMM). The KMM exposes lower crust and upper mantle rocks on a low-angle normal fault that was active between 3.3 Ma and 2.1 Ma. The geometry of the polarity boundaries is estimated from an inversion of the submarine magnetic data for crustal magnetization. In general, the polarity boundaries dip away from the ridge axis along the Kane TF scarp, with a west-dipping angle of 45° in the shallow (<1 km) crust and <20° in the deeper crust. The existence of the magnetic polarity boundaries (e.g. C2r.2r/C2An.1n, 2.581 Ma) indicates that the lower crustal gabbros and upper mantle serpentinized peridotites are able to record a coherent magnetic signal. Our results support the conclusion of Williams [2007] that the lower crust cools through the Curie temperature of magnetite to become magnetic, with the polarity boundaries representing both frozen isotherms and isochrons. We also test the effects of the rotation of this isotherm structure and/or footwall rotation, and find that the magnetic polarity boundary geometry is not sensitive to these directional changes.

Investigation of a marine magnetic polarity reversal boundary in cross section at the northern boundary of the Kane Megamullion, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 23°40'N

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Min; Tivey, M. A.

2016-05-01

Near-bottom magnetic field measurements made by the submersible Nautile during the 1992 Kanaut Expedition define the cross-sectional geometry of magnetic polarity reversal boundaries and the vertical variation of crustal magnetization in lower oceanic crust exposed along the Kane Transform Fault (TF) at the northern boundary of the Kane Megamullion (KMM). The KMM exposes lower crust and upper mantle rocks on a low-angle normal fault that was active between 3.3 Ma and 2.1 Ma. The geometry of the polarity boundaries is estimated from an inversion of the submarine magnetic data for crustal magnetization. In general, the polarity boundaries dip away from the ridge axis along the Kane TF scarp, with a west dipping angle of ~45° in the shallow (<1 km) crust and <20° in the deeper crust. The existence of the magnetic polarity boundaries (e.g., C2r.2r/C2An.1n, ~2.581 Ma) indicates that the lower crustal gabbros and upper mantle serpentinized peridotites are able to record a coherent magnetic signal. Our results support the conclusion of Williams (2007) that the lower crust cools through the Curie temperature of magnetite to become magnetic, with the polarity boundaries representing both frozen isotherms and isochrons. We also test the effects of the rotation of this isotherm structure and/or footwall rotation and find that the magnetic polarity boundary geometry is not sensitive to these directional changes.

The development of a real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assay using TaqMan technology for the pan detection of bluetongue virus (BTV).

PubMed

Mulholland, Catherine; McMenamy, Michael J; Hoffmann, Bernd; Earley, Bernadette; Markey, Bryan; Cassidy, Joseph; Allan, Gordon; Welsh, Michael D; McKillen, John

2017-07-01

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is an infectious, non-contagious viral disease of domestic and wild ruminants that is transmitted by adult females of certain Culicoides species. Since 2006, several serotypes including BTV-1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 16, have spread from the Mediterranean basin into Northern Europe for the first time. BTV-8 in particular, caused a major epidemic in northern Europe. As a result, it is evident that most European countries are at risk of BTV infection. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assay based on TaqMan technology for the detection of representative strains of all BTV serotypes. Primers and probes were based on genome segment 10 of the virus, the NS3 gene. The assay was tested for sensitivity, and specificity. The analytical sensitivity of the rRT-PCR assay was 200 copies of RNA per reaction. The assay did not amplify the closely related orbivirus epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) but successfully detected all BTV reference strains including clinical samples from animals experimentally infected with BTV-8. This real time RT-PCR assay offers a sensitive, specific and rapid alternative assay for the pan detection of BTV that could be used as part of a panel of diagnostic assays for the detection of all serotypes of BTV. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tracking a Head-Mounted Display in a Room-Sized Environment with Head-Mounted Cameras

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-04-01

poor resolution and a very limited working volume [Wan90]. 4 OPTOTRAK [Nor88] uses one camera with two dual-axis CCD infrared position sensors. Each...Nor88] Northern Digital. Trade literature on Optotrak - Northern Digital’s Three Dimensional Optical Motion Tracking and Analysis System. Northern Digital

Citizen Support for Northern Ohio Community College Funding Initiatives during an Economic Recession Recovery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flores, Patricia

2013-01-01

The current research, "Citizen Support for Northern Ohio Community College Funding Initiatives during an Economic Recession Recovery", asks the question: Do the citizens of Northern Ohio support community college funding during difficult economic times? Based on the theory of Stakeholder Analysis, the purpose of this concurrent,…

76 FR 30339 - National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation; Notice of Public Scoping Meeting for the Proposed Northern...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-25

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. CP11-128-000] National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation; Notice of Public Scoping Meeting for the Proposed Northern Access Project On... related to the environmental analysis of National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation's (National Fuel) Northern...

Modeling Global Soil Carbon and Soil Microbial Carbon by Integrating Microbial Processes into the Ecosystem Process Model TRIPLEX-GHG

DOE PAGES

Wang, Kefeng; Peng, Changhui; Zhu, Qiuan; ...

2017-09-28

Microbial physiology plays a critical role in the biogeochemical cycles of the Earth system. However, most traditional soil carbon models are lacking in terms of the representation of key microbial processes that control the soil carbon response to global climate change. In this study, the improved process-based model TRIPLEX-GHG was developed by coupling it with the new MEND (Microbial-ENzyme-mediated Decomposition) model to estimate total global soil organic carbon (SOC) and global soil microbial carbon. The new model (TRIPLEX-MICROBE) shows considerable improvement over the previous version (TRIPLEX-GHG) in simulating SOC. We estimated the global soil carbon stock to be approximately 1195more » Pg C, with 348 Pg C located in the high northern latitudes, which is in good agreement with the well-regarded Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD) and the Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database (NCSCD). We also estimated the global soil microbial carbon to be 21 Pg C, similar to the 23 Pg C estimated. We found that the microbial carbon quantity in the latitudinal direction showed reversions at approximately 30°N, near the equator and at 25°S. A sensitivity analysis suggested that the tundra ecosystem exhibited the highest sensitivity to a 1°C increase or decrease in temperature in terms of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MOC). Furthermore, our work represents the first step towards a new generation of ecosystem process models capable of integrating key microbial processes into soil carbon cycles.« less

Modeling Global Soil Carbon and Soil Microbial Carbon by Integrating Microbial Processes into the Ecosystem Process Model TRIPLEX-GHG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Kefeng; Peng, Changhui; Zhu, Qiuan; Zhou, Xiaolu; Wang, Meng; Zhang, Kerou; Wang, Gangsheng

2017-10-01

Microbial physiology plays a critical role in the biogeochemical cycles of the Earth system. However, most traditional soil carbon models are lacking in terms of the representation of key microbial processes that control the soil carbon response to global climate change. In this study, the improved process-based model TRIPLEX-GHG was developed by coupling it with the new MEND (Microbial-ENzyme-mediated Decomposition) model to estimate total global soil organic carbon (SOC) and global soil microbial carbon. The new model (TRIPLEX-MICROBE) shows considerable improvement over the previous version (TRIPLEX-GHG) in simulating SOC. We estimated the global soil carbon stock to be approximately 1195 Pg C, with 348 Pg C located in the high northern latitudes, which is in good agreement with the well-regarded Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD) and the Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database (NCSCD). We also estimated the global soil microbial carbon to be 21 Pg C, similar to the 23 Pg C estimated by Xu et al. (2014). We found that the microbial carbon quantity in the latitudinal direction showed reversions at approximately 30°N, near the equator and at 25°S. A sensitivity analysis suggested that the tundra ecosystem exhibited the highest sensitivity to a 1°C increase or decrease in temperature in terms of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and mineral-associated organic carbon (MOC). However, our work represents the first step toward a new generation of ecosystem process models capable of integrating key microbial processes into soil carbon cycles.

Stress state reconstruction and tectonic evolution of the northern slope of the Baikit anteclise, Siberian Craton, based on 3D seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moskalenko, A. N.; Khudoley, A. K.; Khusnitdinov, R. R.

2017-05-01

In this work, we consider application of an original method for determining the indicators of the tectonic stress fields in the northern Baikit anteclise based on 3D seismic data for further reconstruction of the stress state parameters when analyzing structural maps of seismic horizons and corresponded faults. The stress state parameters are determined by the orientations of the main stress axes and shape of the stress ellipsoid. To calculate the stress state parameters from data on the spatial orientations of faults and slip vectors, we used the algorithms from quasiprimary stress computation methods and cataclastic analysis, implemented in the software products FaultKinWin and StressGeol, respectively. The results of this work show that kinematic characteristics of faults regularly change toward the top of succession and that the stress state parameters are characterized by different values of the Lode-Nadai coefficient. Faults are presented as strike-slip faults with normal or reverse component of displacement. Three stages of formation of the faults are revealed: (1) partial inversion of ancient normal faults, (2) the most intense stage with the predominance of thrust and strike-slip faults at north-northeast orientation of an axis of the main compression, and (3) strike-slip faults at the west-northwest orientation of an axis of the main compression. The second and third stages are pre-Vendian in age and correlate to tectonic events that took place during the evolution of the active southwestern margin of the Siberian Craton.

Modeling Global Soil Carbon and Soil Microbial Carbon by Integrating Microbial Processes into the Ecosystem Process Model TRIPLEX-GHG

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

Wang, Kefeng; Peng, Changhui; Zhu, Qiuan

Microbial physiology plays a critical role in the biogeochemical cycles of the Earth system. However, most traditional soil carbon models are lacking in terms of the representation of key microbial processes that control the soil carbon response to global climate change. In this study, the improved process-based model TRIPLEX-GHG was developed by coupling it with the new MEND (Microbial-ENzyme-mediated Decomposition) model to estimate total global soil organic carbon (SOC) and global soil microbial carbon. The new model (TRIPLEX-MICROBE) shows considerable improvement over the previous version (TRIPLEX-GHG) in simulating SOC. We estimated the global soil carbon stock to be approximately 1195more » Pg C, with 348 Pg C located in the high northern latitudes, which is in good agreement with the well-regarded Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD) and the Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database (NCSCD). We also estimated the global soil microbial carbon to be 21 Pg C, similar to the 23 Pg C estimated. We found that the microbial carbon quantity in the latitudinal direction showed reversions at approximately 30°N, near the equator and at 25°S. A sensitivity analysis suggested that the tundra ecosystem exhibited the highest sensitivity to a 1°C increase or decrease in temperature in terms of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MOC). Furthermore, our work represents the first step towards a new generation of ecosystem process models capable of integrating key microbial processes into soil carbon cycles.« less

Enterotoxigenic coagulase positive Staphylococcus in milk and milk products, lben and jben, in northern Morocco.

PubMed

Bendahou, Abdrezzak; Abid, Mohammed; Bouteldoun, Nadine; Catelejine, Dierick; Lebbadi, Mariam

2009-04-30

The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of enterotoxin genes (sea-seo) in Coagulase Positive Staphylococcus (CPS) isolated from unpasteurized milk and milk products. These results were compared with the results obtained by using the detection kit SET-RPLA for the specific detection of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEA-SED). Eighty-one samples of milk and milk products were analyzed for the presence of Staphylococcus strains. Forty-six coagulase positive Staphylococcus isolates were tested for the production of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEA-SED) by using the reversed passive latex agglutination method. The strains were also tested for the presence of se genes (sea-seo) by polymerase chain reaction. One or more classical enterotoxin products (SEA-SED) were observed in 39% of the strains tested, while se genes were detected in 56.5%. SEA and sea were most commonly detected. For newly discovered se genes among CPS isolates tested in this study, except the seh gene which was revealed in four isolates (8.7 %), none of the strains harbored any of the other se genes (see, seg, sei, sej, sek, sel, sem, seo and sen). The finding of a pathogen such as staphylococci-producing SEs and containing se genes in milk and milk products in northern Morocco may indicate a problem for public health in this region. The presence of enterotoxigenic strains in food does not always necessarily mean that the toxin will be produced. For that reason, the combination of both methods (RPLA and PCR) is a guarantee for success in diagnostic analysis tests.

Model-simulated coastal trapped waves stimulated by typhoon in northwestern South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Xuefeng; Shi, Hongyuan; Shi, Maochong; Guo, Peifang; Wu, Lunyu; Ding, Yang; Wang, Lu

2017-12-01

In this paper, we apply an unstructured grid coastal ocean model to simulate variations in the sea level and currents forced by two typhoons in the northwestern South China Sea (SCS). The model simulations show distinct differences for the two cases in which the typhoon paths were north and south of the Qiongzhou (QZ) Strait. In both cases, coastal trapped waves (CTWs) are stimulated but their propagation behaviors differ. Model sensitivity simulations suggest the dominant role played by alongshore wind in the eastern SCS (near Shanwei) and southeast of Hainan Island. We also examine the influence of the Leizhou Peninsula by changing the coastline in simulation experiments. Based on our results, we can draw the following conclusions: 1) The CTWs stimulated by the northern typhoon are stronger than the southern CTW. 2) In the two cases, the directions of the current structures of the QZ cross-transect are reversed. The strongest flow cores are both located in the middle-upper area of the strait and the results of our empirical orthogonal function analysis show that the vertical structure is highly barotropic. 3) The simulated CTWs divide into two branches in the QZ Strait for the northern typhoon, and an island trapped wave (ITW) around Hainan Island for the southern typhoon. 4) The Leizhou Peninsula plays a significant role in the distribution of the kinetic energy flux between the two CTW branches. In the presence of the Leizhou Peninsula, the QZ branch has only 39.7 percent of the total energy, whereas that ratio increases to 72.2 percent in its absence.

Molecular phylogeography of the Andean alpine plant, Gunnera magellanica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimizu, M.; Fujii, N.; Ito, M.; Asakawa, T.; Nishida, H.; Suyama, C.; Ueda, K.

2015-12-01

To clarify the evolutionary history of Gunnera magellanica (Gunneraceae), an alpine plant of the Andes mountains, we performed molecular phylogeographic analyses based on the sequences of an internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA and four non-coding regions (trnH-psbA, trnL-trnF, atpB-rbcL, rpl16 intron) of chloroplast DNA. We investigated 3, 4, 4 and 11 populations in, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile, respectively, and detected six ITS genotypes (Types A-F) in G. magellanica. Five genotypes (Types A-E) were observed in the northern Andes population (Ecuador and Bolivia); only one ITS genotype (Type F) was observed in the southern Andes population (Chile and Argentina). Phylogenetic analyses showed that the ITS genotypes of the northern and southern Andes populations form different clades with high bootstrap probability. Furthermore, network analysis, analysis of molecular variance, and spatial analysis of molecular variance showed that there were two major clusters (the northern and southern Andes populations) in this species. Furthermore, in chloroplast DNA analysis, three major clades (northern Andes, Chillan, and southern Andes) were inferred from phylogenetic analyses using four non-coding regions, a finding that was supported by the above three types of analysis. The Chillan clade is the northernmost population in the southern Andes populations. With the exception of the Chillan clade (Chillan population), results of nuclear DNA and chloroplast DNA analyses were consistent. Both markers showed that the northern and southern Andes populations of G. magellanica were genetically different from each other. This type of clear phylogeographical structure was supported by PERMUT analysis according to Pons & Petit (1995, 1996). Moreover, based on our preliminary estimation that is based on the ITS sequences, the northern and southern Andes clades diverged ~0.63-3 million years ago, during a period of upheaval in the Andes. This suggests that the populations of G. magellanica that were distributed along the Andes have been divided into the two local populations of the northern and southern Andes during the uplift of the Andes.

Analysis of the vortices in the inner flow of reversible pump turbine with the new omega vortex identification method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yu-ning; Liu, Kai-hua; Li, Jin-wei; Xian, Hai-zhen; Du, Xiao-ze

2018-05-01

Reversible pump turbines are widely employed in the pumped hydro energy storage power plants. The frequent shifts among various operational modes for the reversible pump turbines pose various instability problems, e.g., the strong pressure fluctuation, the shaft swing, and the impeller damage. The instability is related to the vortices generated in the channels of the reversible pump turbines in the generating mode. In the present paper, a new omega vortex identification method is applied to the vortex analysis of the reversible pump turbines. The main advantage of the adopted algorithm is that it is physically independent of the selected values for the vortex identification in different working modes. Both weak and strong vortices can be identified by setting the same omega value in the whole passage of the reversible pump turbine. Five typical modes (turbine mode, runaway mode, turbine brake mode, zero-flow-rate mode and reverse pump mode) at several typical guide vane openings are selected for the analysis and comparisons. The differences between various modes and different guide vane openings are compared both qualitatively in terms of the vortex distributions and quantitatively in terms of the areas of the vortices in the reversible pump turbines. Our findings indicate that the new omega method could be successfully applied to the vortex identification in the reversible pump turbines.

The tectonic and geomagnetic significance of paleomagnetic observations from volcanic rocks from central Afar, Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acton, Gary D.; Tessema, Abera; Jackson, Michael; Bilham, Roger

2000-08-01

Deformation throughout Afar over the past 2 myr has been characterized by widespread and intense crustal fragmentation that results from inhomogeneous extension across the region. In eastern Afar, this situation has evolved to localized extension associated with the westward propagation of the Gulf of Aden/Gulf of Tadjurah seafloor spreading system into the Asal-Ghoubbet Rift. During the gradual process of rift propagation and localization, crustal blocks in eastern Afar sustained clockwise rotations of ˜11°. To better understand the processes of rift propagation and localization and how they affect the rest of Afar, we have collected and analyzed over 400 oriented paleomagnetic samples from 67 lava flows from central and southern Afar. Unlike eastern Afar, the mean paleomagnetic direction from central Afar indicates that vertical-axis rotations are statistically insignificant (3.6°±4.4°), though small clockwise rotations (<8°) are permitted. Thus, propagation and localization in central Afar have not had the same influence in causing crustal block rotations or, perhaps more likely, have not reached the same stage of evolution as seen in eastern Afar. In addition, several of the lava flows record intriguing geomagnetic field behavior associated with polarity transitions, excursions, or large secular variation events. Interestingly, the transitional or anomalous virtual geomagnetic poles (VGPs) tend to cluster in two nearly antipodal regions, one in the northern Pacific Ocean and the other in the southwest Indian Ocean. One lava flow has recorded both of the antipodal transitional components, with the two components residing in magnetic minerals with unblocking temperatures above and below ˜500°C, respectively. Reheating and partial remagnetization by the overlying flow cannot explain either of the transitional directions because both differ significantly from that of the reversely magnetized overlying flow. The high-temperature component gives a VGP in the northern Pacific, whereas the lower-temperature component gives a nearly antipodal VGP south of Cape Town, South Africa. Hence, the configuration of the geomagnetic field appears to have jumped nearly instantaneously from a northern-hemisphere transitional state to a southern-hemisphere one during this normal-to-reverse polarity transition.

Seismotectonics of the northern Rockies: Causes and effects of the intraplate seismicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, Daisuke

This dissertation presents four studies that explore potential causes and effects of the seismicity in the Northern Rockies. The focus of Chapter 1 is on spatial correlations between the seismicity and the upper mantle structures. Tomography models suggest a strong low-velocity anomaly along the axis of the Yellowstone Tectonic Parabola. A tomography model, as well as heat flow, corrected geoid height, and shear wave splitting data, suggest a low-velocity body along the axis of another seismic parabola formed by the Centennial Tectonic Belt and Intermountain Seismic Belt (ISB). This similarity points to a common mechanism for both seismic parabolas: a passive rising of buoyant mantle overlain by a moving lithosphere. In Chapter 2, the effects of the historical and hypothetical earthquakes on the Yellowstone magmatic system are assessed by calculating a static stress transfer from each event. The second mainshock of the 1959 Hebgen Lake sequence effectively unclamped the magma reservoir, which could have led to a magma overpressure. Among the 13 hypothetical MW7.1-7.5 earthquakes, events at the second mainshock and largest aftershock of the Hebgen sequence, as well as the one on the Upper Yellowstone Valley fault, show the pattern of normal stress changes favorable to promote a Yellowstone eruption. Chapter 3 presents an interpretation of the 2015 Sandpoint, Idaho earthquake sequence that occurred in the Lewis Clark Fault Zone (LCFZ). The fault plane solutions show reverse sense of oblique slips on a southeast-dipping nodal plane, which is likely to represent a reactivation of the Purcell Trench fault. The Sandpoint earthquakes, along with the adjacent reverse-faulting events, constrain the western extent of the northeast-southwest extension of the LCFZ. In the last chapter, I estimate the effective elastic thickness (Te) of the Northern Rockies, using the free-air admittance method. The effect from the upper mantle density heterogeneity is taken into consideration. The result shows a Te variation in which the relatively narrow transition zone from small to large (>10 km) Te coincides with the ISB, as well as a limited effect from the upper mantle. The Te estimate largely agrees with the Te map from the Bouguer coherence method.

Bathypelagic Food Web Structure of the Northern Atlantic Mid-Atlantic Ridge Based on Stable Isotope Analysis

EPA Science Inventory

The objective of our study was to characterize the trophic connections of the dominant fishes of the deep-pelagic region of the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) with respect to vertical distribution using carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stable isotope analysis. Our goals were to id...

A novel salt-inducible gene SbSI-1 from Salicornia brachiata confers salt and desiccation tolerance in E. coli.

PubMed

Yadav, Narendra Singh; Rashmi, Deo; Singh, Dinkar; Agarwal, Pradeep K; Jha, Bhavanath

2012-02-01

Salicornia brachiata is one of the extreme salt tolerant plants and grows luxuriantly in coastal areas. Previously we have reported isolation and characterization of ESTs from S. brachiata with large number of unknown gene sequences. Reverse Northern analysis showed upregulation and downregulation of few unknown genes in response to salinity. Some of these unknown genes were made full length and their functional analysis is being tested. In this study, we have selected a novel unknown salt inducible gene SbSI-1 (Salicornia brachiata salt inducible-1) for the functional validation. The SbSI-1 (Gen-Bank accession number JF 965339) was made full length and characterized in detail for its functional validation under desiccation and salinity. The SbSI-1 gene is 917 bp long, and contained 437 bp 3' UTR, and 480 bp ORF region encoding 159 amino acids protein with estimated molecular mass of 18.39 kDa and pI 8.58. The real time PCR analysis revealed high transcript expression in salt, desiccation, cold and heat stresses. However, the maximum expression was obtained by desiccation. The ORF region of SbSI-1 was cloned in pET28a vector and transformed in BL21 (DE3) E. coli cells. The SbSI-1 recombinant E. coli cells showed tolerance to desiccation and salinity stress compared to only vector in the presence of stress.

Analysis of airborne LiDAR surveys to quantify the characteristic morphologies of northern forested wetlands

Treesearch

Murray C. Richardson; Carl P. J. Mitchell; Brian A. Branfireun; Randall K. Kolka

2010-01-01

A new technique for quantifying the geomorphic form of northern forested wetlands from airborne LiDAR surveys is introduced, demonstrating the unprecedented ability to characterize the geomorphic form of northern forested wetlands using high-resolution digital topography. Two quantitative indices are presented, including the lagg width index (LWI) which objectively...

Young Women's Positive and Negative Perceptions of Self in Northern Ireland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McAlister, Siobhan; Neill, Gail

2007-01-01

This paper represents analysis of one aspect of a larger research project examining the everyday lives and experiences of young women in Northern Ireland. As an introductory exercise within focus groups, 48 young women considered and discussed the good and not so good things about being a young woman in Northern Ireland. Through these accounts…

Northern Helping Practitioners and the Phenomenon of Secondary Trauma

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Neill, Linda K.

2010-01-01

This article highlights a narrative inquiry study that considered the experience of and the effects on 8 northern helping practitioners (5 women, 3 men, ages 30-60) who have 7 to 40 years of experience in providing trauma support in isolated communities in northern BC and the Yukon. Using a three-phase narrative analysis, 10 categories provided a…

Involvement of the C-terminal extension of the alpha polypeptide and of the PucC protein in LH2 complex biosynthesis in Rubrivivax gelatinosus.

PubMed

Steunou, Anne-Soisig; Ouchane, Soufian; Reiss-Husson, Françoise; Astier, Chantal

2004-05-01

The facultative phototrophic nonsulfur bacterium Rubrivivax gelatinosus exhibits several differences from other species of purple bacteria in the organization of its photosynthetic genes. In particular, the puc operon contains only the pucB and pucA genes encoding the beta and alpha polypeptides of the light-harvesting 2 (LH2) complex. Downstream of the pucBA operon is the pucC gene in the opposite transcriptional orientation. The transcription of pucBA and pucC has been studied. No pucC transcript was detected either by Northern blotting or by reverse transcription-PCR analysis. The initiation site of pucBA transcription was determined by primer extension, and Northern blot analysis revealed the presence of two transcripts of 0.8 and 0.65 kb. The half-lives of both transcripts are longer in cells grown semiaerobically than in photosynthetically grown cells, and the small transcript is the less stable. It was reported that the alpha polypeptide, encoded by the pucA gene, presents a C-terminal extension which is not essential for LH2 function in vitro. The biological role of this alanine- and proline-rich C-terminal extension in vivo has been investigated. Two mutants with C-terminal deletions of 13 and 18 residues have been constructed. Both present the two pucBA transcripts, while their phenotypes are, respectively, LH2+ and LH2-, suggesting that a minimal length of the C-terminal extension is required for LH2 biogenesis. Another important factor involved in the LH2 biogenesis is the PucC protein. To gain insight into the function of this protein in R. gelatinosus, we constructed and characterized a PucC mutant. The mutant is devoid of LH2 complex under semiaerobiosis but still produces a small amount of these antennae under photosynthetic growth conditions. This conditional phenotype suggests the involvement of another factor in LH2 biogenesis.

Lack of NF1 gene expression in a sporadic schwannoma from a patient without neurofibromatosis

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

Norton, K.K.; Dowton, B.; Silow-Santiago, I.

The neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) gene encodes a tumor suppressor protein, neurofibromin, which is expressed at high levels in Schwann cells and other adult tissues. Loss of NF1 gene expression has been reported in Schwann cell tumors (neurofibrosarcomas) from patients with NF1 and its loss is associated with increased proliferation of these cells. We examined one spinal schwannoma from a patient without clinical features of neurofibromatosis type 1 or 2. The tumor was a typical schwannoma confirmed by standard neuropathologic criteria and expressed S100 by immunocytochemistry. NF1 gene expression in this tumor was examined by in situ hybridization using anmore » NF1-specific riboprobe, Northern blot analysis and reverse-transcribed (RT) PCR. Little or no expression of NF1 RNA could be detected using these methods whereas abundant expression of S100, cyclophilin and beta-action RNA was found in the tumor. Fibroblast and Schwann cells were then individually cultured from this schwannoma and the RNA extracted for Northern blot and RT-PCR analysis. In these cultured Schwann cells both from early and late passages, abundant expression of NF1 RNA could be detected. It is unlikely that our culture technique preferentially expanded {open_quotes}normal{close_quotes} Schwann cells, since NF1 acts as a tumor suppressor gene and its presence would not confer any growth advantage over the tumor-derived, neurofibromin-negative Schwann cells which presumably have an increased proliferation rate. Similarly, the conditions used to expand these Schwann cells do not result in increased NF1 gene expression as shown in previous studies. These results suggest that, in some tumors, expression of the NF1 gene can be downregulated by factors produced within the tumor and that this type of tumor suppressor gene downregulation may represent another mechanism other than mutation for turning off the expression of these growth-suppressing genes and allowing for cell proliferation in tumors.« less

Nitric oxide mediates the lipopolysaccharide dependent upregulation of the heme oxygenase-1 gene expression in cultured rat Kupffer cells.

PubMed

Immenschuh, S; Tan, M; Ramadori, G

1999-01-01

Heme oxygenase catalyzes the rate-limiting enzymatic step of heme degradation. The inducible isoform of heme oxygenase, heme oxygenase-1, is expressed at a low level in most tissues and is upregulated by its substrate heme and various stress stimuli. Kupffer cells which represent the largest population of the body's tissue macrophages serve physiological functions in the defense against various pathogens such as lipopolysaccharide. The goal of the present study was to investigate the heme oxygenase-1 gene expression in Kupffer cells of rat liver and in isolated Kupffer cell cultures during treatment with lipopolysaccharide. Cryostat sections of normal rat liver were investigated by immunofluorescence double-staining using specific antibodies for rat heme oxygenase-1 and ED2. Isolation and cell culture of Kupffer cells and primary hepatocytes from rat liver, as well as Northern and Western blot analysis, were performed with standard protocols. Heme oxygenase-1 protein was highly expressed in large sinusoidal cells of normal rat liver, which were identified as Kupffer cells by staining with the macrophage surface marker ED2. By contrast, no expression of heme oxygenase-1 was detected in liver parenchymal cells. High expression of heme oxygenase-1 was also found in isolated Kupffer cells in culture by immunocytochemical staining as well as by Western and Northern blot analysis. After treatment of Kupffer cells cultures with lipopolysaccharide, heme oxygenase-1 was upregulated on the protein and mRNA level in a time- and dose-dependent manner. This increase in heme oxygenase-1 expression by lipopolysaccharide was prevented by the nitric oxide inhibitor N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine which was reversed by an excess of L-arginine. Various nitric oxide donors up-regulated heme oxygenase-1 mRNA expression in Kupffer cells. The lipopolysaccharide-dependent upregulation of the heme oxygenase-1 gene which is highly expressed in Kupffer cells is mediated by a nitric oxide-dependent mechanism.

Observation of a Unipolar Field-aligned Current System Associated With IMF By-triggered Theta Auroras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hairston, M. R.; Watanabe, M.

2016-12-01

We investigate the existence of a specific field-aligned current (FAC) system predicted by numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulations in a past study. The FAC system is expected to occur when a drifting theta aurora is formed in response to a stepwise transition of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) By during strongly northward IMF periods. When the IMF By changes from positive to negative, a crossbar forms in the Northern Hemisphere that moves dawnward, while in the Southern Hemisphere the crossbar moves in the opposite direction. The crossbar motion reverses when the IMF By changes from negative to positive. The FAC system appears on the trailing side of the drifting crossbar of the theta aurora as it moves either dawnward or duskward. When the theta aurora is drifting dawnward, the FACs flow into the ionosphere. The FAC polarity reverses when the theta aurora is drifting duskward. Using low-altitude satellite data, we confirmed the real existence of the above model-predicted FAC system.

Revised paleomagnetic pole for the Sonoma Volcanics, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mankinen, E.A.

1989-01-01

Paleomagnetic sampling of the Miocene and Pliocene Sonoma Volcanics, northern California, was undertaken to supplement an earlier collection. Data from 25 cooling units yield positive fold and reversal tests, and a paleomagnetic pole located at 80.2??N., 069.2??E., with ??95 = 6.8??. This paleopole is significantly displaced (9.6?? ?? 5.3?? of latitude) to the farside of the geographic pole. A highly elliptical distribution of the data in both direction and VGP space indicates that incomplete averaging of geomagnetic secular variation is a more likely explanation for this anomaly than is northward translation of the volcanic field. -Author

Reversion of QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube test in individuals with and without prophylactic treatment for latent tuberculosis infection: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Zhang, Haoran; Xin, Henan; Li, Xiangwei; Li, Hengjing; Li, Mufei; Feng, Boxuan; Gao, Lei

2018-05-07

Reversion of tuberculosis (TB) infection testing has been suggested to be associated with prophylactic treatment efficacy. However, evidences based on randomized controlled study were sparse. Studies on serial QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT) test, among individuals with and without prophylactic treatment were identified in the databases of PubMed, MEDLINE and EMBASE up to 28 February 2018. The reversion rates were quantitatively summarized by means of meta-analysis using the random-effect model. A total of 52 eligible studies were included in the meta-analysis on QFT test reversion rate among participants with (20 studies) and without (32 studies) prophylactic treatment. Summarized reversion rate was found to be 24.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 18.4%-32.9%) and 25.3% (95% CI: 19.6%-32.0%) for those completed or without treatment, respectively. When the analysis was restricted to the participants completed treatment, higher summarized rate of QFT reversion was found among those with longer course therapy (9INH vs. the other regimens), studies from Asia (vs. Europe and America), and individuals with immunosuppression disorders (vs. general populations). Our results suggested that QFT reversion was frequently observed regardless of with or without prophylactic treatment. Serial QFT testing might be inappropriate for evaluating preventive treatment efficacy. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The Argonaute protein TbAGO1 contributes to large and mini-chromosome segregation and is required for control of RIME retroposons and RHS pseudogene-associated transcripts.

PubMed

Durand-Dubief, Mickaël; Absalon, Sabrina; Menzer, Linda; Ngwabyt, Sandra; Ersfeld, Klaus; Bastin, Philippe

2007-12-01

The protist Trypanosoma brucei possesses a single Argonaute gene called TbAGO1 that is necessary for RNAi silencing. We previously showed that in strain 427, TbAGO1 knock-out leads to a slow growth phenotype and to chromosome segregation defects. Here we report that the slow growth phenotype is linked to defects in segregation of both large and mini-chromosome populations, with large chromosomes being the most affected. These phenotypes are completely reversed upon inducible re-expression of TbAGO1 fused to GFP, demonstrating their link with TbAGO1. Trypanosomes that do not express TbAGO1 show a general increase in the abundance of transcripts derived from the short retroposon RIME (Ribosomal Interspersed Mobile Element). Supplementary large RIME transcripts emerge in the absence of RNAi, a phenomenon coupled to the disappearance of short transcripts. These fluctuations are reversed by inducible expression of GFP::TbAGO1. Furthermore, we use a combination of Northern blots, RT-PCR and sequencing to reveal that RNAi controls expression of transcripts derived from RHS (Retrotransposon Hot Spot) pseudogenes (RHS genes with retro-element(s) integrated within their coding sequence). Absence of RNAi also leads to an increase of steady-state transcripts from regular RHS genes (those without retro-element), indicating a role for pseudogene in control of gene expression. However, analysis of retroposon abundance and arrangement in the genome of multiple clonal cell lines of TbAGO1-/- failed to reveal movement of mobile elements despite the increased amounts of retroposon transcripts.

Phylogenetic analysis of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus isolates from Northern Ireland.

PubMed

Smith, Natalie; Power, Ultan F; McKillen, John

2018-05-29

To investigate the genetic diversity of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) in Northern Ireland, the ORF5 gene from nine field isolates was sequenced and phylogenetically analysed. The results revealed relatively high diversity amongst isolates, with 87.6-92.2% identity between farms at the nucleotide level and 84.1-93.5% identity at the protein level. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that all nine isolates belonged to the European (type 1) genotype and formed a cluster within the subtype 1 subgroup. This study provides the first report on PRRSV isolate diversity in Northern Ireland.

Seismotectonics of New Guinea: a Model for Arc Reversal Following Arc-Continent Collision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, Patricia; Taylor, Brian

1987-02-01

The structure and evolution of the northern New Guinea collision zone is deduced from International Seismological Center (ISC) seismicity (1964-1985), new and previously published focal mechanisms and a reexamination of pertinent geological data. A tectonic model for the New Guinea margin is derived which illustrates the sequential stages in the collision and suturing of the Bewani-Toricelli-Adelbert-Finisterre-Huon-New Britain arc to central New Guinea followed by subduction polarity reversal in the west. East of 149°E, the Solomon plate is being subducted both to the north and south; bringing the New Britain and Trobriand forearcs toward collision. West of 149°E the forearcs have collided, and together they override a fold in the doubly subducted Solomon plate lithosphere, which has an axis that is parallel to the strike of the Ramu-Markham suture and that plunges westward at an angle of 5° beneath the coast ranges of northern New Guinea. Active volcanism off the north coast of New Guinea is related to subduction of the Solomon plate beneath the Bismarck plate. Active volcanism of the Papuan peninsula and Quaternary volcanism of the New Guinea highlands are related to slow subduction of the Solomon plate beneath the Indo-Australian plate along the Trobriand Trough and the trough's former extension to the west, respectively. From 144°-148°E, seismicity and focal mechanisms reveal that convergence between the sutured Bismarck and Indo-Australian plates is accommodated by thrusting within the Finisterre and Adelbert ranges and compression of the New Guinea orogenic belt, together with basement-involved foreland folding and thrusting to the south. The Finisterre block overthrusts the New Guinea orogenic belt, whereas the Adelbert block is sutured to New Guinea and overthrusts the oceanic lithosphere of the Bismarck Sea. Along the New Guinea Trench, west of 144°E, seismicity defines a southward dipping Wadati-Benioif zone, and focal mechanisms indicate oblique subduction. Only this oldest, westernmost portion of the collision has progressed past suturing to a full reversal in subduction polarity.

[Whole cDNA sequence cloning and expression of chicken L-FABP gene and its relationship with lipid deposition of hybrid chickens].

PubMed

Yu, Ying; Wang, Dong; Sun, Dong-Xiao; Xu, Gui-Yun; Li, Jun-Ying; Zhang, Yuan

2011-07-01

Liver fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) is closely related to intracellular transportation and deposition of lipids. A positive differential displayed fragment was found in the liver tissue among Silkie (CC), CAU-brown chicken (CD), and their reciprocal hybrids (CD and DC) at 8 weeks-old using differential display RT-PCR techniques (DDRT-PCR). Through recycling, sequencing, and alignment analysis, the fragment was identified as chicken liver fatty acid-binding protein gene (L-FABP, GenBank accession number AY321365). Reverse Northern dot blot and semi-quantitative RT-PCR revealed that the avian L-FABP gene was over-expressed in the liver tissue of the reciprocal hybrids (CD and DC) compared to their parental lines (CC and DD), which was consistent with the fact that higher abdomen fat weight and wider inter-muscular fat width observed in the reciprocal hybrids. Considering the higher expression of L-FABP may contribute to the increased lipid deposition in the hybrid chickens, the functional study of avian L-FABP is warranted in future.

The cDNA-derived amino acid sequence of hemoglobin II from Lucina pectinata.

PubMed

Torres-Mercado, Elineth; Renta, Jessicca Y; Rodríguez, Yolanda; López-Garriga, Juan; Cadilla, Carmen L

2003-11-01

Hemoglobin II from the clam Lucina pectinata is an oxygen-reactive protein with a unique structural organization in the heme pocket involving residues Gln65 (E7), Tyr30 (B10), Phe44 (CD1), and Phe69 (E11). We employed the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and methods to synthesize various cDNA(HbII). An initial 300-bp cDNA clone was amplified from total RNA by RT-PCR using degenerate oligonucleotides. Gene-specific primers derived from the HbII-partial cDNA sequence were used to obtain the 5' and 3' ends of the cDNA by RACE. The length of the HbII cDNA, estimated from overlapping clones, was approximately 2114 bases. Northern blot analysis revealed that the mRNA size of HbII agrees with the estimated size using cDNA data. The coding region of the full-length HbII cDNA codes for 151 amino acids. The calculated molecular weight of HbII, including the heme group and acetylated N-terminal residue, is 17,654.07 Da.

AMOC sensitivity to surface buoyancy fluxes: Stronger ocean meridional heat transport with a weaker volume transport?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sévellec, Florian; Fedorov, Alexey V.

2016-09-01

Oceanic northward heat transport is commonly assumed to be positively correlated with the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). For example, in numerical "water-hosing" experiments, imposing anomalous freshwater fluxes in the northern Atlantic leads to a slow-down of the AMOC and the corresponding reduction of oceanic northward heat transport. Here, we study the sensitivity of the ocean heat and volume transports to surface heat and freshwater fluxes using a generalized stability analysis. For the sensitivity to surface freshwater fluxes, we find that, while the direct relationship between the AMOC volume and heat transports holds on shorter time scales, it can reverse on timescales longer than 500 years or so. That is, depending on the model surface boundary conditions, reduction in the AMOC volume transport can potentially lead to a stronger heat transport on long timescales, resulting from the gradual increase in ocean thermal stratification. We discuss the implications of these results for the problem of steady state (statistical equilibrium) in ocean and climate GCM as well as paleoclimate problems including millennial climate variability.

Organization of genes responsible for the stereospecific conversion of hydantoins to alpha-amino acids in Arthrobacter aurescens DSM 3747.

PubMed

Wiese, A; Syldatk, C; Mattes, R; Altenbuchner, J

2001-09-01

Arthrobacter aurescens DSM 3747 hydrolyzes stereospecifically 5'-monosubstituted hydantoins to alpha-amino acids. The genes involved in hydantoin utilization (hyu) were isolated on an 8.7-kb DNA fragment, and by DNA sequence analysis eight ORFs were identified. The hyu gene cluster includes four genes: hyuP encoding a putative transport protein, the hydantoin racemase gene hyuA, the hydantoinase gene hyuH, and the carbamoylase gene hyuC. The four genes are transcribed in the same direction. Upstream of hyuP and in opposite orientation to the hyu genes, three ORFs were found showing similarities to cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (ORF1, incomplete), to membrane proteins (ORF2), and to ferredoxin (ORF3). ORF8 was found downstream of hyuC and again in opposite orientation to the hyu genes. The gene product of ORF8 displayed similarities to the LacI/GalR family of transcriptional regulators. Reverse transcriptase PCR experiments and Northern blot analysis revealed that the genes hyuPAHC are coexpressed in A. aurescens after induction with 3-N-CH3-IMH. The expression of the hyu operon was not regulated by the putative regulator ORF8 as shown by gene disruption and mobility-shift experiments.

Variations in northern hemisphere snowfall: An analysis of historical trends and the projected response to anthropogenic forcing in the twenty-first century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krasting, John P.

Snowfall is an important feature of the Earth's climate system that has the ability to influence both the natural world and human activity. This dissertation examines past and future changes in snowfall related to increasing concentrations of anthropogenic greenhouse gases. Snowfall observations for North America, derived snowfall products for the Northern Hemisphere, and simulations performed with 13 coupled atmosphere-ocean global climate models are analyzed. The analysis of the spatial pattern of simulated annual trends on a grid point basis from 1951 to 1999 indicates that a transition zone exists above 60° N latitude across the Northern Hemisphere that separates negative trends in annual snowfall in the mid-latitudes and positive trends at higher latitudes. Regional analysis of observed annual snowfall indicates that statistically significant trends are found in western North America, Japan, and southern Russia. A majority of the observed historical trends in annual snowfall elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, however, are not statistically significant and this result is consistent with model simulations. Projections of future snowfall indicate the presence of a similar transition zone between negative and positive snowfall trends that corresponds with the area between the -10 to -15°C isotherms of the multi-model mean temperature of the late twentieth century in each of the fall, winter, and spring seasons. Redistributions of snowfall throughout the entire snow season are likely -- even in locations where there is little change in annual snowfall. Changes in the fraction of precipitation falling as snow contribute to decreases in snowfall across most Northern Hemisphere regions, while changes in precipitation typically contribute to increases in snowfall. Snowfall events less than or equal to 5 cm are found to decrease in the future across most of the Northern Hemisphere, while snowfall events greater than or equal to 20 cm increase in some locations, such as northern Quebec. A signal-to-noise analysis reveals that the projected changes in snowfall are likely to become apparent during the twenty-first century for most locations in the Northern Hemisphere.

A Content Analysis of School Anti-Bullying Policies in Northern Ireland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purdy, Noel; Smith, Peter K.

2016-01-01

This original study presents a content analysis of 100 primary and post-primary school anti-bullying policies in Northern Ireland using a 36-item scoring scheme. Overall schools had 52% of the items in their policies. Most schools included reference to physical, verbal, relational, material and cyberbullying but a minority mentioned racist,…

Organic geochemical investigations of the Dali Lake sediments in northern China: Implications for environment and climate changes of the last deglaciation in the East Asian summer monsoon margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Jiawei; Xiao, Jule; Wen, Ruilin; Zhang, Shengrui; Wang, Xu; Cui, Linlin; Yamagata, Hideki

2017-06-01

Millennial-scale environment and climate changes in the East Asian summer monsoon margin during the last deglaciation are reconstructed by systematic studies on the characteristic of sedimentary organic matter from Dali Lake in northern China. Concurrent increases in the TOC and TN concentrations indicate increases in terrestrial organic matter and nutrient inputs to the lake and a development of terrestrial vegetation and phytoplankton productivity related to increases in regional temperature and precipitation. C/N ratios reflect changes in the proportions of terrestrial and aquatic organic matter. Decreases in both δ13Corg and δ15N values indicate increases in the isotopically lighter, terrestrial carbon and nitrogen inputs to the lake, due to increases in surface runoffs; while a sharp decrease in the δ15N value implies a significant weakening in the biological activities of nitrifying and amonifying bacteria, due to abrupt decrease in the water temperature. The geochemical data indicate that regional temperature and precipitation exhibited increasing trends from 15,000 to 12,350 cal yr BP; temperature decreased abruptly at 12,350 cal yr BP and then maintained a low level from 12,350 to 11,400 cal yr BP, precipitation decreased to a relatively low level from 12,350 to 11,400 cal yr BP; and both temperature and precipitation returned to increase after 11,400 cal yr BP. The climate change in the Dali Lake region during the last deglaciation corresponds, within age uncertainties, to the Bølling-Allerød (BA) warm phase and Younger Dryas (YD) cold reversal occurring over northern high latitudes. However, the gradual and mild increasing trends of regional temperature and precipitation during the BA warm period contrasts with the general cooling trend in northern high latitude temperature, implying a dominant influence from increases in the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation; while the slight decreases in regional precipitation relative to the rapid and significant decreases in northern high latitude temperature during the YD cold period may have resulted from local moisture recycling or from an insensitive response of hydrology and ecology to the regional precipitation change.

Cost minimisation analysis of provision of oxygen at home: are the Drug Tariff guidelines cost effective?

PubMed Central

Heaney, Liam G; McAllister, Denise; MacMahon, Joseph

1999-01-01

Objectives To determine the level of oxygen cylinder use at which it becomes more cost effective to provide oxygen by concentrator at home in Northern Ireland, and to examine potential cost savings if cylinder use above this level had been replaced by concentrator in 1996. Design Cost minimisation analysis. Setting Area health boards in Northern Ireland. Main outcome measures Cost effective cut off point for switch to provision of oxygen from cylinder to concentrator. Potential maximum and minimum savings in Northern Ireland (sensitivity analysis) owing to switch to more cost effective strategy on the basis of provision of cylinders in 1996. Results In Northern Ireland it is currently cost effective to provide oxygen by concentrator when the patient is using three or more cylinders per month independent of the duration of the prescription. More widespread use of concentrators at this level of provision is likely to lead to a cost saving. Conclusions The Drug Tariff prescribing guidelines, advocating that provision of oxygen by concentrator becomes cheaper when 21 cylinders are being used per month—are currently inaccurate in Northern Ireland. Regional health authorities should review their current arrangements for provision of oxygen at home and perform a cost analysis to determine at what level it becomes more cost effective to provide oxygen by concentrator. Key messagesThe current Drug Tariff prescribing guidelines are not cost effective for provision of oxygen at home in Northern IrelandIndividual prescriptions detailing frequency of usage and delivery costs should be recordedA switch to a more cost effective strategy is likely to result in a cost savingRegional health authorities should examinecurrent arrangements for provision of oxygen at home and should perform cost analyses PMID:10390453

Phylogeographic Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA in Northern Asian Populations

PubMed Central

Derenko, Miroslava ; Malyarchuk, Boris ; Grzybowski, Tomasz ; Denisova, Galina ; Dambueva, Irina ; Perkova, Maria ; Dorzhu, Choduraa ; Luzina, Faina ; Lee, Hong Kyu ; Vanecek, Tomas ; Villems, Richard ; Zakharov, Ilia 

2007-01-01

To elucidate the human colonization process of northern Asia and human dispersals to the Americas, a diverse subset of 71 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages was chosen for complete genome sequencing from the collection of 1,432 control-region sequences sampled from 18 autochthonous populations of northern, central, eastern, and southwestern Asia. On the basis of complete mtDNA sequencing, we have revised the classification of haplogroups A, D2, G1, M7, and I; identified six new subhaplogroups (I4, N1e, G1c, M7d, M7e, and J1b2a); and fully characterized haplogroups N1a and G1b, which were previously described only by the first hypervariable segment (HVS1) sequencing and coding-region restriction-fragment–length polymorphism analysis. Our findings indicate that the southern Siberian mtDNA pool harbors several lineages associated with the Late Upper Paleolithic and/or early Neolithic dispersals from both eastern Asia and southwestern Asia/southern Caucasus. Moreover, the phylogeography of the D2 lineages suggests that southern Siberia is likely to be a geographical source for the last postglacial maximum spread of this subhaplogroup to northern Siberia and that the expansion of the D2b branch occurred in Beringia ∼7,000 years ago. In general, a detailed analysis of mtDNA gene pools of northern Asians provides the additional evidence to rule out the existence of a northern Asian route for the initial human colonization of Asia. PMID:17924343

Phylogeographic analysis of mitochondrial DNA in northern Asian populations.

PubMed

Derenko, Miroslava; Malyarchuk, Boris; Grzybowski, Tomasz; Denisova, Galina; Dambueva, Irina; Perkova, Maria; Dorzhu, Choduraa; Luzina, Faina; Lee, Hong Kyu; Vanecek, Tomas; Villems, Richard; Zakharov, Ilia

2007-11-01

To elucidate the human colonization process of northern Asia and human dispersals to the Americas, a diverse subset of 71 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages was chosen for complete genome sequencing from the collection of 1,432 control-region sequences sampled from 18 autochthonous populations of northern, central, eastern, and southwestern Asia. On the basis of complete mtDNA sequencing, we have revised the classification of haplogroups A, D2, G1, M7, and I; identified six new subhaplogroups (I4, N1e, G1c, M7d, M7e, and J1b2a); and fully characterized haplogroups N1a and G1b, which were previously described only by the first hypervariable segment (HVS1) sequencing and coding-region restriction-fragment-length polymorphism analysis. Our findings indicate that the southern Siberian mtDNA pool harbors several lineages associated with the Late Upper Paleolithic and/or early Neolithic dispersals from both eastern Asia and southwestern Asia/southern Caucasus. Moreover, the phylogeography of the D2 lineages suggests that southern Siberia is likely to be a geographical source for the last postglacial maximum spread of this subhaplogroup to northern Siberia and that the expansion of the D2b branch occurred in Beringia ~7,000 years ago. In general, a detailed analysis of mtDNA gene pools of northern Asians provides the additional evidence to rule out the existence of a northern Asian route for the initial human colonization of Asia.

Population trends in northern spotted owls: Associations with climate in the Pacific Northwest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Glenn, E.M.; Anthony, R.G.; Forsman, E.D.

2010-01-01

We used reverse time capture-mark-recapture models to describe associations between rate of population change (??) and climate for northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) at six long-term study areas in Washington and Oregon, USA. Populations in three of six areas showed strong evidence of declining populations, while populations in two additional areas were likely declining as well. At four areas, ?? was positively associated with wetter-than-normal conditions during the growing season, which likely affects prey availability. Lambda was also negatively associated with cold, wet winters and nesting seasons, and the number of hot summer days. The amount of annual variation in ?? accounted for by climate varied across study areas (3-85%). Rate of population change was more sensitive to adult survival than to recruitment; however, there was considerable variation among years and across study areas for all demographic rates. While annual survival was more closely related to regional climate conditions, recruitment was often associated with local weather. In addition to climate, declines in recruitment at four of six areas were associated with increased presence of barred owls. Climate change models predict warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers for the Pacific Northwest in the first half of the 21st century. Our results indicate that these conditions have the potential to negatively affect annual survival, recruitment, and consequently population growth rates for northern spotted owls. ?? 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

Mouse osteoblastic cell line (MC3T3-E1) expresses extracellular calcium (Ca2+o)-sensing receptor and its agonists stimulate chemotaxis and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yamaguchi, T.; Chattopadhyay, N.; Kifor, O.; Butters, R. R. Jr; Sugimoto, T.; Brown, E. M.; O'Malley, B. W. (Principal Investigator)

1998-01-01

The calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) is a G protein-coupled receptor that plays key roles in extracellular calcium ion (Ca2+o) homeostasis in parathyroid gland and kidney. Osteoblasts appear at sites of osteoclastic bone resorption during bone remodeling in the "reversal" phase following osteoclastic resorption and preceding bone formation. Bone resorption produces substantial local increases in Ca2+o that could provide a signal for osteoblasts in the vicinity, leading us to determine whether such osteoblasts express the CaR. In this study, we used the mouse osteoblastic, clonal cell line MC3T3-E1. Both immunocytochemistry and Western blot analysis, using an antiserum specific for the CaR, detected CaR protein in MC3T3-E1 cells. We also identified CaR transcripts in MC3T3-E1 cells by Northern analysis using a CaR-specific riboprobe and by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction with CaR-specific primers, followed by nucleotide sequencing of the amplified products. Exposure of MC3T3-E1 cells to high Ca2+o (up to 4.8 mM) or the polycationic CaR agonists, neomycin and gadolinium (Gd3+), stimulated both chemotaxis and DNA synthesis in MC3T3-E1 cells. Therefore, taken together, our data strongly suggest that the osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1 possesses both CaR protein and mRNA very similar, if not identical, to those in parathyroid and kidney. Furthermore, the CaR in these osteoblasts could play a key role in regulating bone turnover by stimulating the proliferation and migration of such cells to sites of bone resorption as a result of local release of Ca2+o.

A cluster of lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI) patients in a northern part of Iwate, Japan due to a founder effect. The Mass Screening Group.

PubMed

Koizumi, A; Shoji, Y; Nozaki, J; Noguchi, A; E, X; Dakeishi, M; Ohura, T; Tsuyoshi, K; Yasuhiko, W; Manabe, M; Takasago, Y; Takada, G

2000-09-01

Lysinuric protein intolerance is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by defective transport of the dibasic aminoacids. Mutational analysis of LPI patients in the northern part of Japan revealed that six were homozygous for the R410X mutation and two others were compound heterozygotes of R410X and other unknown mutations. In the population epidemiology study in a local cluster in the northern part of Iwate, ten heterozygotes were found in 1190 newborn babies leading to an estimated LPI incidence of 1/57,000. Polymorphism analysis revealed two major alleles, A and B, in intron 8. While the population frequency of allele A was 0.9 and that of allele B was 0.1 in the northern part of Japan the R410X mutations were exclusively on allele B in 31 chromosomes suggesting a founder effect. Genetic analysis in patients revealed strong linkage disequilibrium with D14S283 and TCRA indicating that the R410X mutation occurred before at least 130 generations ago (about 2600 years). The R410X mutation was shown to be useful as a molecular marker for screening LPI patients in the northern part of Japan. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Further studies of crania from ancient northern Africa: an analysis of crania from first dynasty Egyptian tombs, using discriminant functions.

PubMed

Keita, S O

1992-03-01

An analysis of First Dynasty crania from Abydos was undertaken using multiple discriminant functions. The results demonstrate greater affinity with Upper Nile Valley patterns, but also suggest change from earlier craniometric trends. Gene flow and movement of northern officials to the important southern city may explain the findings.

The Economic Impact of Queen's University Belfast on the Northern Ireland Economy. Higher Education in Focus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Ursula; McNicoll, Iain; White, James

2015-01-01

This study provides an analysis of the economic impact of Queen's University Belfast and its students on the Northern Ireland economy. Based in the City of Belfast, the university has over 22,500 students. Its turnover of nearly £290 million makes it Northern Ireland's largest university in terms of its financial standing. With origins going back…

Preliminary geophysical interpretations of regional subsurface geology near the Questa Mine Tailing Facility and Guadalupe Mountain, Taos County, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grauch, V.J.S.; Drenth, Benjamin J.; Thompson, Ren A.; Bauer, Paul W.

2015-08-01

This report presents geophysical interpretations of regional subsurface geology in the vicinity of the Tailing Facility of the Questa Mine near Guadalupe Mountain, Taos County, New Mexico, in cooperation with the New Mexico Environment Department. The interpretations were developed from aeromagnetic data, regional gravity data, data from four ground magnetic traverses, geologic mapping, a digital elevation model, and information from a few shallow wells. The resolution of the geophysical data is only appropriate for a broad assessment of the regional setting. Aeromagnetic data provided the most comprehensive information for interpretation. Qualitative and semiquantitative interpretations indicate the nature and extent of volcanic rocks, their relative depths, and inferred contacts between them, as well as conjectured locations of faults. In particular, the aeromagnetic data indicate places where volcanic rocks extend at shallow depths under sedimentary cover. Trachydacites of Guadalupe Mountain are magnetic, but their associated aeromagnetic anomalies are opposite in sign over the northern versus the southern parts of the mountain. The difference indicates that lavas erupted during different magnetic-polarity events in the north (reverse polarity) versus the south (normal polarity) and therefore have different ages. We postulate a buried volcano with reverse-polarity magnetization lies under the northeast side of Guadalupe Mountain, which likely predated the exposed trachydacites. Faults interpreted for the study area generally align with known fault zones. We interpret a northern extension to one of these faults that crosses northwesterly underneath the Tailing Facility. Gravity data indicate that Guadalupe Mountain straddles the western margin of a subbasin of the Rio Grande rift and that significant (>400 meters) thicknesses of both volcanic and sedimentary rocks underlie the mountain.

Tectonic evolution of the northeastern part of the African continental margin, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussein, I. M.; Abd-Allah, A. M. A.

2001-07-01

The area between Manzalah Lake and the southern Galala Plateau in northeast Egypt constitutes the Galalas, Cairo-Suez, southern Nile Delta and northern Nile Delta structural provinces. The northern Galala Fault separates the Galalas Province from the Cairo-Suez Province and is considered to be the westward extension of the Themed Fault in central Sinai. The pre-Eocene rocks are affected by northeast to east-northeast-orientated folds and reverse faults, as well as east-west-orientated oblique-slip faults with dextral and normal components. Some folds and reverse faults are interpreted to have been formed by northwest to north-northwest-orientated compression related to the Syrian Arc movement, whereas the others by the secondary northwest orientated shortening, which accompanied dextral strike-slip component along the planes of the east-west-orientated faults. The east-west-orientated faults were initially formed during the Late Triassic/Early Jurassic extension related to the drifting of the African/Arabian Plate away from the Eurasian Plate as a result of opening of the Neotethyan Sea. The Neotethyan began to close due to convergence between the two plates, leading to the Syrian Arc deformation. This deformation mildly started in Late Cenomanian and followed by a more intensive phase in Conacian/Santonian. It mildly continued in the Maastrichtian, Early Palæocene and Late Palæocene/Early Eocene. The southward thinning of the pre-Eocene rocks controlled the intensity and style of deformation. Two deformational mechanisms are proposed for the Nile Delta hinge zone. The first is related to Late Oligocene—Early Miocene north-northwest-orientated Alpine compression. The second is related to northward gravitational sliding of the post-Oligocene shale and sandstone over Cretaceous-Eocene carbonates.

Anomalously shallow inclination in middle-northern part of the South China block: palaeomagnetic study of Late Cretaceous red beds from Yichang area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narumoto, Kazutoshi; Yang, Zhenyu; Takemoto, Kazuhiro; Zaman, Haider; Morinaga, Hayao; Otofuji, Yo-ichiro

2006-02-01

We present new palaeomagnetic results from Late Cretaceous red beds of the Paomagang Formation collected at 42 sites in the Yichang area (30.7°N, 111.7°E), middle-northern part of the South China Block. A high unblocking temperature component around 680°C was isolated from 26 sites by stepwise thermal demagnetization. Fold tests are positive at the 95 per cent confidence limit for 14 and 11 sites of the Paomagang and Wangdian areas, respectively. Normal and reversed polarity sequence found in the Wangdian area passed a reversal test at the 95 per cent confidence limit. The tilt-corrected mean direction for Yichang area is D= 3.8°, I= 23.3° (α95= 5.1°,N= 26), corresponding to a palaeopole at 71.5°N, 280.0°E with A95= 4.3°. Comparison with the expected inclination from the 80 Ma Eurasian APWP pole indicates a inclination flattening of 26.3°+/- 6.4°. Middle Cretaceous to Cenozoic NW-SE extension tectonics within the SCB contributes only 2.0° to the inclination flattening. While the massive samples of the Paomagang Formation show a moderate degree of anisotropy (1.017 < Pj < 1.086) and steeper inclination (I= 29.3°), the laminated samples, which form more than 75 per cent of the studied samples, show a higher degree of anisotropy (1.052 < Pj < 1.227) and shallower inclination value (I= 22.7°). A good correlation between remanence inclination and facies types indicates that depositional processes produced the observed shallow inclination in the Yichang area.

Synchoronous inter-hemispheric alpine glacier advances during the Late Glacial?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakke, Jostein; Paasche, Øyvind

2016-04-01

The termination of the last glaciation in both hemispheres was a period of rapid climate swings superimposed on the overall warming trend, resulting from large-scale reorganizations of the atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns in both hemispheres. Environmental changes during the deglaciation have been inferred from proxy records, as well as by model simulations. Several oscillations took place both in northern and southern hemispheres caused by melt water releases such as during the Younger Dryas in north and the Antarctic Cold Reversal in south. However, a consensus on the hemispheric linkages through ocean and atmosphere are yet to be reached. Here we present a new multi-proxy reconstruction from a sub-annually resolved lake sediment record from Lake Lusvatnet in Arctic Norway compared with a new reconstruction from the same time interval at South Georgia, Southern Ocean, suggesting inter-hemispheric climate linkages during the Bølling/Allerød time period. Our reconstruction of the alpine glacier in the lake Lusvatnet catchment show a synchronous glacier advance with the Birch-hill moraine complex in the Southern Alps, New Zealand during the Intra Allerød Cooling period. We propose these inter hemispheric climate swings to be forced by the northward migration of the southern Subtropical Front during the Antarctic Cold Reversal. Such a northward migration of the Subtropical Front is shown in model simulation and in palaeorecords to reduce the Agulhas leakage impacting the strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. We simply ask if this can be the carrier of rapid climate swings from one hemisphere to another? Our high-resolution reconstructions provide the basis for an enhanced understanding of the tiny balance between migration of the Subtropical Front in the Southern Ocean and the teleconnection to northern hemisphere.

Prevalence and underdiagnosis of airway obstruction among middle-aged adults in northern France: The ELISABET study 2011-2013.

PubMed

Quach, Alexandre; Giovannelli, Jonathan; Chérot-Kornobis, Natalie; Ciuchete, Alina; Clément, Guillaume; Matran, Régis; Amouyel, Philippe; Edmé, Jean-Louis; Dauchet, Luc

2015-12-01

Airway obstruction (AO), mainly due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults, is a major cause of mortality and poor quality of life. However, few data are available for France. This study was designed to calculate the prevalence AO among middle-aged adults in northern France, explore the associated risk factors and evaluate the underdiagnosis. The Enquête Littoral Souffle Air Biologie Environnement (ELISABET) was a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of 3276 adults aged from 40 to 64 in two urban areas in northern France (Lille and Dunkirk). Participants filled out a questionnaire and performed spirometry testing, without a reversibility test. The age-standardized estimated prevalence [95% confidence interval] of AO was 16.0% [13.9; 17.9] in Lille and 13.7% [11.7; 15.7] in Dunkirk with the Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) definition and 10.8% [9.2; 12.5] and 9.5% [7.9; 11.2] respectively with the lower limit of normal calculated with the Global Lung Initiative (GLI) 2012 equations. AO was associated with age, male gender, tobacco consumption and low body mass index. The underdiagnosis rate was greater than 70%. Previously undiagnosed participants with AO displayed more respiratory symptoms compared with participants without AO and less than participants with previously diagnosed AO. The prevalence of AO in northern France ranged from 9.5 to 16.0%, depending on the centre and definition used. The high underdiagnosis rate observed here suggests that greater efforts should be made to identify individuals presenting with the symptoms and/or risk factors associated with AO. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Paleomagnetic Constraints From the Baoshan Area on the Deformation of the Qiangtang-Sibumasu Terrane Around the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shihu; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J. J.; Deng, Chenglong; Advokaat, Eldert L.; Zhu, Rixiang

2018-02-01

The Sibumasu Block in SE Asia represents the eastward continuation of the Qiangtang Block. Here we report a detailed rock magnetic and paleomagnetic study on the Middle Jurassic and Paleocene rocks from northern Sibumasu, to document the crustal deformation during the India-Asia collision since the Paleocene and reconstruct the overall strike of the Qiangtang/Sibumasu elements before the India-Asia collision. Although the fold test is inconclusive based solely on our data, a positive reversal test, a positive regional fold test with previous paleomagnetic results, and a detrital origin of hematite in the red beds as indicated by scanning electron microscopy suggest that the magnetizations obtained from the Jurassic and Paleocene rocks are most likely primary, showing an 80° clockwise rotation since Paleocene. These results, together with previously published paleomagnetic data, suggest that the northern Sibumasu and northern Simao elements experienced a 60-80° clockwise rotation since Paleocene. This large clockwise rotation is also consistent with the surface GPS velocity field and NE-SW fault networks, suggesting a rotational motion of crustal material from southeastern Tibet during late Cenozoic. We infer that the large clockwise rotation is a sum of rotation in the Eocene to Middle Miocene time associated with Indochina extrusion and rotation after the Middle Miocene associated with the E-W extension in central Tibet. This suggests that the eastward motion of Tibetan crustal material along the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault after Middle Miocene is transmitted to the southwest toward Myanmar. Jurassic and Cretaceous paleomagnetic results suggest that the Qiangtang/northern Sibumasu was originally a curved structure with an orientation of N60°W in Tibet and changes to N10°W in southern Sibumasu.

Multivariate and Cladistic Analyses of Isolated Teeth Reveal Sympatry of Theropod Dinosaurs in the Late Jurassic of Northern Germany.

PubMed

Gerke, Oliver; Wings, Oliver

2016-01-01

Remains of theropod dinosaurs are very rare in Northern Germany because the area was repeatedly submerged by a shallow epicontinental sea during the Mesozoic. Here, 80 Late Jurassic theropod teeth are described of which the majority were collected over decades from marine carbonates in nowadays abandoned and backfilled quarries of the 19th century. Eighteen different morphotypes (A-R) could be distinguished and 3D models based on micro-CT scans of the best examples of all morphotypes are included as supplements. The teeth were identified with the assistance of discriminant function analysis and cladistic analysis based on updated datamatrices. The results show that a large variety of theropod groups were present in the Late Jurassic of northern Germany. Identified specimens comprise basal Tyrannosauroidea, as well as Allosauroidea, Megalosauroidea cf. Marshosaurus, Megalosauridae cf. Torvosaurus and probably Ceratosauria. The formerly reported presence of Dromaeosauridae in the Late Jurassic of northern Germany could not be confirmed. Some teeth of this study resemble specimens described as pertaining to Carcharodontosauria (morphotype A) and Abelisauridae (morphotype K). This interpretation is however, not supported by discriminant function analysis and cladistic analysis. Two smaller morphotypes (N and Q) differ only in some probably size-related characteristics from larger morphotypes (B and C) and could well represent juveniles of adult specimens. The similarity of the northern German theropods with groups from contemporaneous localities suggests faunal exchange via land-connections in the Late Jurassic between Germany, Portugal and North America.

Glutenite bodies sequence division of the upper Es4 in northern Minfeng zone of Dongying Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Xupeng

2017-04-01

Glutenite bodies are widely developed in northern Minfeng zone of Dongying Sag. Their litho-electric relationship is not clear. In addition, as the conventional sequence stratigraphic research method drawbacks of involving too many subjective human factors, it has limited deepening of the regional sequence stratigraphic research. The wavelet transform technique based on logging data and the time-frequency analysis technique based on seismic data have advantages of dividing sequence stratigraphy quantitatively comparing with the conventional methods. Under the basis of the conventional sequence research method, this paper used the above techniques to divide the fourth-order sequence of the upper Es4 in northern Minfeng zone of Dongying Sag. The research shows that the wavelet transform technique based on logging data and the time-frequency analysis technique based on seismic data are essentially consistent, both of which divide sequence stratigraphy quantitatively in the frequency domain; wavelet transform technique has high resolutions. It is suitable for areas with wells. The seismic time-frequency analysis technique has wide applicability, but a low resolution. Both of the techniques should be combined; the upper Es4 in northern Minfeng zone of Dongying Sag is a complete set of third-order sequence, which can be further subdivided into 5 fourth-order sequences that has the depositional characteristics of fine-upward sequence in granularity. Key words: Dongying sag, northern Minfeng zone, wavelet transform technique, time-frequency analysis technique ,the upper Es4, sequence stratigraphy

Characterization of the Hosgri Fault Zone and adjacent structures in the offshore Santa Maria Basin, south-central California: Chapter CC of Evolution of sedimentary basins/onshore oil and gas investigations - Santa Maria province

USGS Publications Warehouse

Willingham, C. Richard; Rietman, Jan D.; Heck, Ronald G.; Lettis, William R.

2013-01-01

The Hosgri Fault Zone trends subparallel to the south-central California coast for 110 km from north of Point Estero to south of Purisima Point and forms the eastern margin of the present offshore Santa Maria Basin. Knowledge of the attributes of the Hosgri Fault Zone is important for petroleum development, seismic engineering, and environmental planning in the region. Because it lies offshore along its entire reach, our characterizations of the Hosgri Fault Zone and adjacent structures are primarily based on the analysis of over 10,000 km of common-depth-point marine seismic reflection data collected from a 5,000-km2 area of the central and eastern parts of the offshore Santa Maria Basin. We describe and illustrate the along-strike and downdip geometry of the Hosgri Fault Zone over its entire length and provide examples of interpreted seismic reflection records and a map of the structural trends of the fault zone and adjacent structures in the eastern offshore Santa Maria Basin. The seismic data are integrated with offshore well and seafloor geologic data to describe the age and seismic appearance of offshore geologic units and marker horizons. We develop a basin-wide seismic velocity model for depth conversions and map three major unconformities along the eastern offshore Santa Maria Basin. Accompanying plates include maps that are also presented as figures in the report. Appendix A provides microfossil data from selected wells and appendix B includes uninterpreted copies of the annotated seismic record sections illustrated in the chapter. Features of the Hosgri Fault Zone documented in this investigation are suggestive of both lateral and reverse slip. Characteristics indicative of lateral slip include (1) the linear to curvilinear character of the mapped trace of the fault zone, (2) changes in structural trend along and across the fault zone that diminish in magnitude toward the ends of the fault zone, (3) localized compressional and extensional structures characteristic of constraining and releasing bends and stepovers, (4) changes in the sense and magnitude of vertical separation along strike within the fault zone, and (5) changes in downdip geometry between the major traces and segments of the fault zone. Characteristics indicative of reverse slip include (1) reverse fault geometries that occur across major strands of the fault zone and (2) fault-bend folds and localized thrust faults that occur along the northern and southern reaches of the fault. Analyses of high-resolution, subbottom profiler and side-scan sonar records indicate localized Holocene activity along most of the extent of the fault zone. Collectively, these features are the basis of our characterization of the Hosgri Fault Zone as an active, 110-km-long, convergent right-oblique slip (transpressional) fault with identified northern and southern terminations. This interpretation is consistent with recently published analyses of onshore geologic data, regional tectonic kinematic models, and instrumental seismicity.

Active tectonics and drainage evolution in the Tunisian Atlas driven by interaction between crustal shortening and slab pull

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camafort, Miquel; Booth-Rea, Guillermo; Pérez-Peña, Jose Vicente; Melki, Fetheddine; Gracia, Eulalia; Azañón, Jose Miguel; Ranero, César R.

2017-04-01

Active tectonics in North Africa is fundamentally driven by NW-SE directed slow convergence between the Nubia and Eurasia plates, leading to a region of thrust and strike-slip faulting. In this paper we analyze the morphometric characteristics of the little-studied northern Tunisia sector. The study aimed at identifying previously unknown active tectonic structures, and to further understand the mechanisms that drive the drainage evolution in this region of slow convergence. The interpretation of morphometric data was supported with a field campaign of a selection of structures. The analysis indicates that recent fluvial captures have been the main factor rejuvenating drainage catchments. The Medjerda River, which is the main catchment in northern Tunisia, has increased its drainage area during the Quaternary by capturing adjacent axial valleys to the north and south of its drainage divide. These captures are probably driven by gradual uplift of adjacent axial valleys by reverse/oblique faults or associated folds like El Alia-Teboursouk and Dkhila faults. Our fieldwork found that these faults cut Holocene colluvial fans containing seismites like clastic dikes and sand volcanoes, indicating recent seismogenic faulting. The growth and stabilization of the axial Medjerda River against the natural tendency of transverse drainages might be caused by a combination of dynamic topography and transpressive tectonics. The orientation of the large axial Medjerda drainage that runs from eastern Algeria towards northeastern Tunisia into the Gulf of Tunis, might be the associated to negative buoyancy caused by the underlying Nubia slab at its mouth, together with uplift of the Medjerda headwaters along the South Atlassic dextral transfer zone.

Subsurface structural interpretation by applying trishear algorithm: An example from the Lenghu5 fold-and-thrust belt, Qaidam Basin, Northern Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pei, Yangwen; Paton, Douglas A.; Wu, Kongyou; Xie, Liujuan

2017-08-01

The application of trishear algorithm, in which deformation occurs in a triangle zone in front of a propagating fault tip, is often used to understand fault related folding. In comparison to kink-band methods, a key characteristic of trishear algorithm is that non-uniform deformation within the triangle zone allows the layer thickness and horizon length to change during deformation, which is commonly observed in natural structures. An example from the Lenghu5 fold-and-thrust belt (Qaidam Basin, Northern Tibetan Plateau) is interpreted to help understand how to employ trishear forward modelling to improve the accuracy of seismic interpretation. High resolution fieldwork data, including high-angle dips, 'dragging structures', thinning hanging-wall and thickening footwall, are used to determined best-fit trishear model to explain the deformation happened to the Lenghu5 fold-and-thrust belt. We also consider the factors that increase the complexity of trishear models, including: (a) fault-dip changes and (b) pre-existing faults. We integrate fault dip change and pre-existing faults to predict subsurface structures that are apparently under seismic resolution. The analogue analysis by trishear models indicates that the Lenghu5 fold-and-thrust belt is controlled by an upward-steepening reverse fault above a pre-existing opposite-thrusting fault in deeper subsurface. The validity of the trishear model is confirmed by the high accordance between the model and the high-resolution fieldwork. The validated trishear forward model provides geometric constraints to the faults and horizons in the seismic section, e.g., fault cutoffs and fault tip position, faults' intersecting relationship and horizon/fault cross-cutting relationship. The subsurface prediction using trishear algorithm can significantly increase the accuracy of seismic interpretation, particularly in seismic sections with low signal/noise ratio.

Magnetic helicity of the global field in solar cycles 23 and 24

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

Pipin, V. V.; Pevtsov, A. A.

2014-07-01

For the first time we reconstruct the magnetic helicity density of the global axisymmetric field of the Sun using the method proposed by Brandenburg et al. and Pipin et al. To determine the components of the vector potential, we apply a gauge which is typically employed in mean-field dynamo models. This allows for a direct comparison of the reconstructed helicity with the predictions from the mean-field dynamo models. We apply this method to two different data sets: the synoptic maps of the line-of-sight magnetic field from the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) andmore » vector magnetic field measurements from the Vector Spectromagnetograph (VSM) on the Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun (SOLIS) system. Based on the analysis of the MDI/SOHO data, we find that in solar cycle 23 the global magnetic field had positive (negative) magnetic helicity in the northern (southern) hemisphere. This hemispheric sign asymmetry is opposite to the helicity of the solar active regions, but it is in agreement with the predictions of mean-field dynamo models. The data also suggest that the hemispheric helicity rule may have reversed its sign during the early and late phases of cycle 23. Furthermore, the data indicate an imbalance in magnetic helicity between the northern and southern hemispheres. This imbalance seems to correlate with the total level of activity in each hemisphere in cycle 23. The magnetic helicity for the rising phase of cycle 24 is derived from SOLIS/VSM data, and qualitatively its latitudinal pattern is similar to the pattern derived from SOHO/MDI data for cycle 23.« less

Latitude is significantly associated with the prevalence of multiple sclerosis: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Simpson, Steve; Blizzard, Leigh; Otahal, Petr; Van der Mei, Ingrid; Taylor, Bruce

2011-10-01

There is a striking latitudinal gradient in multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence, but exceptions in Mediterranean Europe and northern Scandinavia, and some systematic reviews, have suggested that the gradient may be an artefact. The authors sought to evaluate the association between MS prevalence and latitude by meta-regression. Studies were sourced from online databases, reference mining and author referral. Prevalence estimates were age-standardised to the 2009 European population. Analyses were carried out by means of random-effects meta-regression, weighted with the inverse of within-study variance. The authors included 650 prevalence estimates from 321 peer-reviewed studies; 239 were age-standardised, and 159 provided sex-specific data. The authors found a significant positive association (change in prevalence per degree-latitude) between age-standardised prevalence (1.04, p<0.001) and latitude that diminished at high latitudes. Adjustment for prevalence year strengthened the association with latitude (2.60, p<0.001). An inverse gradient in the Italian region reversed on adjustment for MS-associated HLA-DRB1 allele distributions. Adjustment for HLA-DRB1 allele frequencies did not appreciably alter the gradient in Europe. Adjustment for some potential sources of bias did not affect the observed associations. This, the most comprehensive review of MS prevalence to date, has confirmed a statistically significant positive association between MS prevalence and latitude globally. Exceptions to the gradient in the Italian region and northern Scandinavia are likely a result of genetic and behavioural-cultural variations. The persistence of a positive gradient in Europe after adjustment for HLA-DRB1 allele frequencies strongly supports a role for environmental factors which vary with latitude, the most prominent candidates being ultraviolet radiation (UVR)/vitamin D.

[Vertical variability of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica tree ring delta13C and its relationship with tree ring width in northern Daxing' an Mountains of Northeast China].

PubMed

Shang, Zhi-Yuan; Wang, Jian; Zhang, Wen; Li, Yan-Yan; Cui, Ming-Xing; Chen, Zhen-Ju; Zhao, Xing-Yun

2013-01-01

A measurement was made on the vertical direction tree ring stable carbon isotope ratio (delta13C) and tree ring width of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica in northern Daxing' an Mountains of Northeast China, with the relationship between the vertical direction variations of the tree ring delta13C and tree ring width analyzed. In the whole ring of xylem, earlywood (EW) and bark endodermis, the delta13C all exhibited an increasing trend from the top to the base at first, with the maximum at the bottom of tree crown, and then, decreased rapidly to the minimum downward. The EW and late-wood (LW) had an increasing ratio of average tree ring width from the base to the top. The average annual sequence of the delta13C in vertical direction had an obvious reverse correspondence with the average annual sequence of tree ring width, and had a trend comparatively in line with the average annual sequence of the tree ring width ratio of EW to LW above tree crown. The variance analysis showed that there existed significant differences in the sequences of tree ring delta13C and ring width in vertical direction, and the magnitude of vertical delta13C variability was basically the same as that of the inter-annual delta13C variability. The year-to-year variation trend of the vertical delta13C sequence was approximately identical. For each sample, the delta13C sequence at the same heights was negatively correlated with the ring width sequence, but the statistical significance differed with tree height.

Volume equations for the Northern Research Station's Forest Inventory and Analysis Program as of 2010

Treesearch

Patrick D. Miles; Andrew D. Hill

2010-01-01

The U.S. Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program collects sample plot data on all forest ownerships across the United States. This report documents the methodology used to estimate live-tree gross, net, and sound volume for the 24 States inventoried by the Northern Research Station's (NRS) FIA unit. Sound volume is of particular interest...

Response of ponderosa pine plantations to competing vegetation control in Northern California, USA: A meta- analysis

Treesearch

Jianwei Zhang; Robert Powers; William Oliver; Young David

2013-01-01

A meta-analysis was performed to determine response of stand basal area growth to competing vegetation control (CVC) in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) plantations grown at 29 sites across northern California. These studies were installed during the last 50 years on site indices from 11 to 35 m at 50 years and often included other treatments...

Rewinding the process of mammalian extinction.

PubMed

Saragusty, Joseph; Diecke, Sebastian; Drukker, Micha; Durrant, Barbara; Friedrich Ben-Nun, Inbar; Galli, Cesare; Göritz, Frank; Hayashi, Katsuhiko; Hermes, Robert; Holtze, Susanne; Johnson, Stacey; Lazzari, Giovanna; Loi, Pasqualino; Loring, Jeanne F; Okita, Keisuke; Renfree, Marilyn B; Seet, Steven; Voracek, Thomas; Stejskal, Jan; Ryder, Oliver A; Hildebrandt, Thomas B

2016-07-01

With only three living individuals left on this planet, the northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) could be considered doomed for extinction. It might still be possible, however, to rescue the (sub)species by combining novel stem cell and assisted reproductive technologies. To discuss the various practical options available to us, we convened a multidisciplinary meeting under the name "Conservation by Cellular Technologies." The outcome of this meeting and the proposed road map that, if successfully implemented, would ultimately lead to a self-sustaining population of an extremely endangered species are outlined here. The ideas discussed here, while centered on the northern white rhinoceros, are equally applicable, after proper adjustments, to other mammals on the brink of extinction. Through implementation of these ideas we hope to establish the foundation for reversal of some of the effects of what has been termed the sixth mass extinction event in the history of Earth, and the first anthropogenic one. Zoo Biol. 35:280-292, 2016. © 2016 The Authors. Zoo Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 The Authors. Zoo Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Paleo­geographic implications of molluscan assemblages in the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Pigeon Point Formation, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Elder, William P.; Saul, LouElla

1993-01-01

The Pigeon Point Formation crops out along the San Mateo County coastline in a northern and southern sequence of folded and faulted strata. Correlation of the two sequences remains somewhat equivocal, although on the basis of biostratigraphy and a reversed magnetic interval both appear to have been deposited during the early to middle Campanian. Sedimentary structures suggest that the northern sequence was deposited by turbidity currents in a continental rise setting, whereas the southern sequence primarily reflects deposition in shelf and slope environments . Right-lateral offset on the San Andreas and subsidiary faults to the east of the Pigeon Point Formation can account for 100's of km of northward transport since its deposition. However, Champion and others (1984) suggested 2500 km of northward transport from a tropical setting of about 21°N. Molluscan assemblages in the formation argue strongly for a less tropical site of deposition. Relative abundances of warm and temperate taxa and the presence or absence of key species are similar to those of the Santa Ana Mountains Cretaceous section, and are indicative of a war

Effects of experimental removal of barred owls on population demography of northern spotted owls in Washington and Oregon—2015 progress report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wiens, J. David; Dugger, Katie M.; Lewicki, Krista E.; Simon, David C.

2016-03-14

Evidence indicates that competition with newly established barred owls (Strix varia) is causing rapid declines in populations of northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina), and that the longterm persistence of spotted owls may be in question without additional management intervention. A pilot study in California showed that lethal removal of barred owls in combination with habitat conservation may be able to slow or even reverse population declines of spotted owls at local scales, but it remains unknown whether similar results can be obtained in larger areas with different forest conditions and where barred owls are more abundant. In 2015, we implemented a before-after-controlimpact (BACI) experimental design on two study areas in Oregon and Washington with at least 20 years of pre-treatment demographic data on spotted owls to determine if removal of barred owls can improve population trends of spatially associated spotted owls. Here we provide an overview of our research accomplishments and preliminary results in Oregon and Washington in 2015.

Effects of experimental removal of barred owls on population demography of northern spotted owls in Washington and Oregon—2016 progress report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wiens, J. David; Dugger, Katie M.; Lewicki, Krista E.; Simon, David C.

2017-04-13

Evidence indicates that competition with invasive barred owls (Strix varia) is causing rapid declines in populations of northern spotted owls (S. occidentalis caurina), and that the long-term persistence of spotted owls may be in question without additional management intervention. A pilot study in California showed that removal of barred owls in combination with habitat conservation may be able to slow or even reverse population declines of spotted owls at local scales, but it remains unknown whether similar results can be obtained in areas with different forest conditions and a greater density of barred owls. In 2015, we implemented a before-after-control-impact (BACI) experimental design on three study areas in Oregon and Washington with at least 20 years of pre-treatment demographic data on spotted owls to determine if removal of barred owls can improve localized population trends of spotted owls. Here, we report on research accomplishments and preliminary results from the first 21 months (March 2015–December 2016) of the planned 5-year experiment.

Interactions and reversal-field memory in complex magnetic nanowire arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rotaru, Aurelian; Lim, Jin-Hee; Lenormand, Denny; Diaconu, Andrei; Wiley, John. B.; Postolache, Petronel; Stancu, Alexandru; Spinu, Leonard

2011-10-01

Interactions and magnetization reversal of Ni nanowire arrays have been investigated by the first-order reversal curve (FORC) method. Several series of samples with controlled spatial distribution were considered including simple wires of different lengths and diameters (70 and 110 nm) and complex wires with a single modulated diameter along their length. Subtle features of magnetic interactions are revealed through a quantitative analysis of the local interaction field profile distributions obtained from the FORC method. In addition, the FORC analysis indicates that the nanowire systems with a mean diameter of 70 nm appear to be organized in symmetric clusters indicative of a reversal-field memory effect.

Operation, Modeling and Analysis of the Reverse Water Gas Shift Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitlow, Jonathan E.

2001-01-01

The Reverse Water Gas Shift process is a candidate technology for water and oxygen production on Mars under the In-Situ Propellant Production project. This report focuses on the operation and analysis of the Reverse Water Gas Shift (RWGS) process, which has been constructed at Kennedy Space Center. A summary of results from the initial operation of the RWGS, process along with an analysis of these results is included in this report. In addition an evaluation of a material balance model developed from the work performed previously under the summer program is included along with recommendations for further experimental work.

An Analysis of the Logistics Requisition Process

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington • U. S. West Territories - American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern, Guam, Johnston Atoll , Marianas...U.S. Pacific Territories - Includes American Samoa (supported by FISC Norfolk), Atoll , Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands, Guam, Johnston

Marine reptiles from the Late Cretaceous of northern Patagonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasparini, Z.; Casadio, S.; Fernández, M.; Salgado, L.

2001-04-01

During the Campanian-Maastrichtian, Patagonia was flooded by the Atlantic and reduced to an archipelago. Several localities of northern Patagonia have yielded marine reptiles. Analysis of several assemblages suggests that the diversity and abundance of pelagic marine reptiles in northern Patagonia was higher by the end of the Cretaceous than previously thought. Several plesiosaurids, including Aristonectes parvidens and the polycotylid Sulcusuchus, and the first remains of mosasaurinae have been found. The Cretaceous marine reptile record from South America is scanty. Nevertheless, materials described here suggest that Tethyan and Weddelian forms converged in northern Patagonia, as seen with invertebrates.

A new digitized reverse correction method for hypoid gears based on a one-dimensional probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Tianxing; Li, Jubo; Deng, Xiaozhong; Yang, Jianjun; Li, Genggeng; Ma, Wensuo

2017-12-01

In order to improve the tooth surface geometric accuracy and transmission quality of hypoid gears, a new digitized reverse correction method is proposed based on the measurement data from a one-dimensional probe. The minimization of tooth surface geometrical deviations is realized from the perspective of mathematical analysis and reverse engineering. Combining the analysis of complex tooth surface generation principles and the measurement mechanism of one-dimensional probes, the mathematical relationship between the theoretical designed tooth surface, the actual machined tooth surface and the deviation tooth surface is established, the mapping relation between machine-tool settings and tooth surface deviations is derived, and the essential connection between the accurate calculation of tooth surface deviations and the reverse correction method of machine-tool settings is revealed. Furthermore, a reverse correction model of machine-tool settings is built, a reverse correction strategy is planned, and the minimization of tooth surface deviations is achieved by means of the method of numerical iterative reverse solution. On this basis, a digitized reverse correction system for hypoid gears is developed by the organic combination of numerical control generation, accurate measurement, computer numerical processing, and digitized correction. Finally, the correctness and practicability of the digitized reverse correction method are proved through a reverse correction experiment. The experimental results show that the tooth surface geometric deviations meet the engineering requirements after two trial cuts and one correction.

[Correlation between four properties of traditional Chinese medicine and function of reversing multidrug resistance of tumor cells].

PubMed

Tang, Tao; Liao, Zheng-Gen; Dong, Wei; Zhang, Jing; Zhao, Guo-Wei; Guan, Xue-Jing; Liang, Xin-Li

2017-02-01

To study the correlation of four properties of traditional Chinese medicine and the function of reversing multidrug resistance (MDR) of tumor cells, with 580 herbs in Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2015 version as the research objects. CNKI, CBA, Wanfang, VIP, and PubMed were searched to screen the documents related to the reversal of MDR for collection, summarizing and analysis. The results of the research showed that a total of 114 species Chinese herbs had been reported to be associated with reversal of MDR in tumor cells. Among 15 Chinese herbs with heat nature, 7 herbs had the function of reversing MDR in tumor cells, accounting for 46.7%. Among the 48 herbs with cool nature, 12 herbs had the function of reversing MDR, accounting for 25%. Among the 211 herbs with cold nature, 46 herbs had the function of reversing MDR, accounting for 21.8%. Among the 179 herbs with warm nature, 34 herbs had the function of reversing MDR, accounting for 19%. Among the 127 herbs with neutral nature, 15 herbs had the function of reversing MDR, accounting for 11.8%. Through the analysis on the relationship between four properties of 114 kinds of traditional Chinese medicines and reversing multidrug resistance of tumor cells, this paper speculated that there was a certain correlation between four properties of traditional Chinese medicine and the function of reversing multidrug resistance of tumor cells. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Facts and myths about seasonal variation in suicide.

PubMed

Voracek, Martin; Tran, Ulrich S; Sonneck, Gernot

2007-06-01

The prevalence of suicide presents a universal seasonal pattern. In the Northern hemisphere, suicides peak during spring and early summer and the trough occurs during winter. This peculiar pattern might be counterintuitive for everyday reasoning. Data from 1,093 medical and psychology undergraduates from Austria (382 men and 711 women; M age 25.0 yr., SD=6.6) indicated an almost perfectly reversed pattern of beliefs about suicide seasonality compared with the actual seasonal distribution. The vast majority of respondents believed the peak to be located in late autumn and early winter and the trough occurring in late spring and the summer months. Implications for education and practice are discussed.

The criterion for time symmetry of probabilistic theories and the reversibility of quantum mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holster, A. T.

2003-10-01

Physicists routinely claim that the fundamental laws of physics are 'time symmetric' or 'time reversal invariant' or 'reversible'. In particular, it is claimed that the theory of quantum mechanics is time symmetric. But it is shown in this paper that the orthodox analysis suffers from a fatal conceptual error, because the logical criterion for judging the time symmetry of probabilistic theories has been incorrectly formulated. The correct criterion requires symmetry between future-directed laws and past-directed laws. This criterion is formulated and proved in detail. The orthodox claim that quantum mechanics is reversible is re-evaluated. The property demonstrated in the orthodox analysis is shown to be quite distinct from time reversal invariance. The view of Satosi Watanabe that quantum mechanics is time asymmetric is verified, as well as his view that this feature does not merely show a de facto or 'contingent' asymmetry, as commonly supposed, but implies a genuine failure of time reversal invariance of the laws of quantum mechanics. The laws of quantum mechanics would be incompatible with a time-reversed version of our universe.

A possible cause of the AO polarity reversal from winter to summer in 2010 and its relation to hemispheric extreme summer weather

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otomi, Yuriko; Tachibana, Yoshihiro; Nakamura, Tetsu

2013-04-01

In 2010, the Northern Hemisphere, in particular Russia and Japan, experienced an abnormally hot summer characterized by record-breaking warm temperatures and associated with a strongly positive Arctic Oscillation (AO), that is, low pressure in the Arctic and high pressure in the midlatitudes. In contrast, the AO index the previous winter and spring (2009/2010) was record-breaking negative. The AO polarity reversal that began in summer 2010 can explain the abnormally hot summer. The winter sea surface temperatures (SST) in the North Atlantic Ocean showed a tripolar anomaly pattern—warm SST anomalies over the tropics and high latitudes and cold SST anomalies over the midlatitudes—under the influence of the negative AO. The warm SST anomalies continued into summer 2010 because of the large oceanic heat capacity. A model simulation strongly suggested that the AO-related summertime North Atlantic oceanic warm temperature anomalies remotely caused blocking highs to form over Europe, which amplified the positive summertime AO. Thus, a possible cause of the AO polarity reversal might be the "memory" of the negative winter AO in the North Atlantic Ocean, suggesting an interseasonal linkage of the AO in which the oceanic memory of a wintertime negative AO induces a positive AO in the following summer. Understanding of this interseasonal linkage may aid in the long-term prediction of such abnormal summer events.

A possible cause of the AO polarity reversal from winter to summer in 2010 and its relation to hemispheric extreme hot summer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tachibana, Yoshihiro; Otomi, Yuriko; Nakamura, Tetsu

2013-04-01

In 2010, the Northern Hemisphere, in particular Russia and Japan, experienced an abnormally hot summer characterized by record-breaking warm temperatures and associated with a strongly positive Arctic Oscillation (AO), that is, low pressure in the Arctic and high pressure in the midlatitudes. In contrast, the AO index the previous winter and spring (2009/2010) was record-breaking negative. The AO polarity reversal that began in summer 2010 can explain the abnormally hot summer. The winter sea surface temperatures (SST) in the North Atlantic Ocean showed a tripolar anomaly pattern—warm SST anomalies over the tropics and high latitudes and cold SST anomalies over the midlatitudes—under the influence of the negative AO. The warm SST anomalies continued into summer 2010 because of the large oceanic heat capacity. A model simulation strongly suggested that the AO-related summertime North Atlantic oceanic warm temperature anomalies remotely caused blocking highs to form over Europe, which amplified the positive summertime AO. Thus, a possible cause of the AO polarity reversal might be the "memory" of the negative winter AO in the North Atlantic Ocean, suggesting an interseasonal linkage of the AO in which the oceanic memory of a wintertime negative AO induces a positive AO in the following summer. Understanding of this interseasonal linkage may aid in the long-term prediction of such abnormal summer events.

Lower genetic variability of HIV-1 and antiretroviral drug resistance in pregnant women from the state of Pará, Brazil.

PubMed

Machado, Luiz Fernando Almeida; Costa, Iran Barros; Folha, Maria Nazaré; da Luz, Anderson Levy Bessa; Vallinoto, Antonio Carlos Rosário; Ishak, Ricardo; Ishak, Marluisa Oliveira Guimarães

2017-04-12

The present study aimed to describe the genetic diversity of HIV-1, as well as the resistance profile of the viruses identified in HIV-1 infected pregnant women under antiretroviral therapy in the state of Pará, Northern Brazil. Blood samples were collected from 45 HIV-1 infected pregnant to determine the virus subtypes according to the HIV-1 protease (PR) gene and part of the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) gene by sequencing the nucleotides of these regions. Drug resistance mutations and susceptibility to antiretroviral drugs were analyzed by the Stanford HIV Drug Resistance Database. Out of 45 samples, only 34 could be amplified for PR and 30 for RT. Regarding the PR gene, subtypes B (97.1%) and C (2.9%) were identified; for the RT gene, subtypes B (90.0%), F (6.7%), and C (3.3%) were detected. Resistance to protease inhibitors (PI) was identified in 5.8% of the pregnant, and mutations conferring resistance to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors were found in 3.3%, while mutations conferring resistance to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors were found in 3.3%. These results showed a low frequency of strains resistant to antiretroviral drugs, the prevalence of subtypes B and F, and the persistent low transmission of subtype C in pregnant of the state of Pará, Brazil.

Reverse left ventricular remodeling after acute myocardial infarction: the prognostic impact of left ventricular global torsion.

PubMed

Spinelli, Letizia; Morisco, Carmine; Assante di Panzillo, Emiliano; Izzo, Raffaele; Trimarco, Bruno

2013-04-01

Reverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling (>10 % reduction in LV end-systolic volume) may occur in patients recovering for acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), undergoing percutaneous revascularization of infarct-related coronary artery (PCI). To detect whether LV global torsion obtained by two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography was predictive of reverse LV remodeling, 75 patients with first anterior wall STEMI were studied before (T1) and after PCI (T2) and at 6-month follow-up. Two-year clinical follow-up was also accomplished. LV volumes and both LV sphericity index and conic index were obtained by three-dimensional echocardiography. Reverse remodeling was observed in 25 patients (33 %). By multivariate analysis, independent predictors of reverse LV remodeling were: LV conic index, T2 LV torsion and Δ torsion (difference between T2 and T1 LV torsion expressed as percentage of this latter). According to receiver operating characteristic analysis, 1.34°/cm for T2 LV torsion (sensitivity 88 % and specificity 80 %) and 54 % for Δ torsion (sensitivity 92 % and specificity 82 %) were the optimal cutoff values in predicting reverse LV remodeling. In up to 24 month follow-up, 4 non-fatal re-infarction, 7 hospitalization for heart failure and 4 cardiac deaths occurred. By multivariate Cox analysis, the best variable significantly associated with event-free survival rate was reverse LV remodeling with a hazard ratio = 9.9 (95 % confidence interval, 7.9-31.4, p < 0.01). In conclusion, reverse LV remodeling occurring after anterior wall STEMI is associated with favorable long-term outcome. The improvement of global LV torsion following coronary artery revascularization is the major predictor of reverse LV remodeling.

An assessment of invasive plant species monitored by the Northern Research Station Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, 2005 through 2010

Treesearch

Cassandra M. Kurtz

2013-01-01

Invasive plant species are a worldwide concern due to the high ecological and economic costs associated with their presence. This document describes the plant characteristics and regional distribution of the 50 invasive plant species monitored from 2005 through 2010 on forested Phase 2 (P2) Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots in the 24 states of the Northern...

Using X-Ray Image Analysis to Assess the Viability of Northern Red Oak Acorns: Implications for Seed Handlers

Treesearch

Rosa C. Goodman; Douglass F. Jacobs; Robert P. Karrfalt

2006-01-01

This paper discusses the potential to use X-ray image analysis as a rapid and nondestructive test of viability of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) acorns and the methodology to do so. Acorns are sensitive to desiccation and lose viability as moisture content (MC) decreases, so we examined X-ray images for cotyledon damage in dried acorns to...

Evaluating elevated levels of crown dieback among northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) trees in Maine and Michigan: a summary of evaluation monitoring

Treesearch

KaDonna Randolph; William A. Bechtold; Randall S. Morin; Stanley J. Zarnoch

2012-01-01

Analysis of crown condition data for the 2006 national technical report of the Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) Program of the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, exposed clusters of phase 3 plots (by the Forest Inventory and Analysis [FIA] Program of the Forest Service) with northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) crown dieback...

Fine scale habitat use by age-1 stocked muskellunge and wild northern pike in an upper St. Lawrence River bay

USGS Publications Warehouse

Farrell, John M.; Kapuscinski, Kevin L.; Underwood, Harold

2014-01-01

Radio telemetry of stocked muskellunge (n = 6) and wild northern pike (n = 6) was used to track late summer and fall movements from a common release point in a known shared nursery bay to test the hypothesis that age-1 northern pike and stocked muskellunge segregate and have different habitat affinities. Water depth, temperature, substrate and aquatic vegetation variables were estimated for each muskellunge (n = 103) and northern pike (n = 131) position and nested ANOVA comparisons by species indicated differences in habitat use. Muskellunge exhibited a greater displacement from the release point and used habitat in shallower water depths (mean = 0.85 m, SE = 0.10) than northern pike (mean = 1.45 m, SE = 0.08). Both principal components analysis (PCA) and principal components ordination (PCO) were used to interpret underlying gradients relative to fish positions in two-dimensional space. Our analysis indicated that a separation of age-1 northern pike and muskellunge occurred 7 d post-release. This first principal component explained 48% of the variation in habitat use. Northern pike locations were associated with deeper habitats that generally had softer silt substrates and dense submersed vegetation. Muskellunge locations post-acclimation showed greater association with shallower habitats containing firmer sandy and clay substrates and emergent vegetation. The observed differences in habitat use suggest that fine-scale ecological separation occurred between these stocked muskellunge and wild northern pike, but small sample sizes and potential for individual variation limit extension of these conclusions. Further research is needed to determine if these patterns exist between larger samples of fishes over a greater range of habitats.

Factors affecting fluoride and natural organic matter (NOM) removal from natural waters in Tanzania by nanofiltration/reverse osmosis.

PubMed

Shen, Junjie; Schäfer, Andrea I

2015-09-15

This study examined the feasibility of nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) in treating challenging natural tropical waters containing high fluoride and natural organic matter (NOM). A total of 166 water samples were collected from 120 sources within northern Tanzania over a period of 16 months. Chemical analysis showed that 81% of the samples have fluoride levels exceeding the WHO drinking guideline of 1.5mg/L. The highest fluoride levels were detected in waters characterized by high ionic strength, high inorganic carbon and on some occasions high total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations. Bench-scale experiments with 22 representative waters (selected based on fluoride concentration, salinity, origin and in some instances organic matter) and 6 NF/RO membranes revealed that ionic strength and recovery affected fluoride retention and permeate flux. This is predominantly due to osmotic pressure and hence the variation of diffusion/convection contributes to fluoride transport. Different membranes had distinct fluoride removal capacities, showing different raw water concentration treatability limits regarding the WHO guideline compliance. BW30, BW30-LE and NF90 membranes had a feed concentration limit of 30-40 mg/L at 50% recovery. NOM retention was independent of water matrices but is governed predominantly by size exclusion. NOM was observed to have a positive impact on fluoride removal. Several mechanisms could contribute but further studies are required before a conclusion could be drawn. In summary, NF/RO membranes were proved to remove both fluoride and NOM reliably even from the most challenging Tanzanian waters, increasing the available drinking water sources. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Oxygen at Nanomolar Levels Reversibly Suppresses Process Rates and Gene Expression in Anammox and Denitrification in the Oxygen Minimum Zone off Northern Chile

PubMed Central

Stewart, Frank J.; Thamdrup, Bo; De Brabandere, Loreto; Revsbech, Niels Peter; Ulloa, Osvaldo; Canfield, Don E.; DeLong, Edward F.

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT A major percentage (20 to 40%) of global marine fixed-nitrogen loss occurs in oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). Concentrations of O2 and the sensitivity of the anaerobic N2-producing processes of anammox and denitrification determine where this loss occurs. We studied experimentally how O2 at nanomolar levels affects anammox and denitrification rates and the transcription of nitrogen cycle genes in the anoxic OMZ off Chile. Rates of anammox and denitrification were reversibly suppressed, most likely at the enzyme level. Fifty percent inhibition of N2 and N2O production by denitrification was achieved at 205 and 297 nM O2, respectively, whereas anammox was 50% inhibited at 886 nM O2. Coupled metatranscriptomic analysis revealed that transcripts encoding nitrous oxide reductase (nosZ), nitrite reductase (nirS), and nitric oxide reductase (norB) decreased in relative abundance above 200 nM O2. This O2 concentration did not suppress the transcription of other dissimilatory nitrogen cycle genes, including nitrate reductase (narG), hydrazine oxidoreductase (hzo), and nitrite reductase (nirK). However, taxonomic characterization of transcripts suggested inhibition of narG transcription in gammaproteobacteria, whereas the transcription of anammox narG, whose gene product is likely used to oxidatively replenish electrons for carbon fixation, was not inhibited. The taxonomic composition of transcripts differed among denitrification enzymes, suggesting that distinct groups of microorganisms mediate different steps of denitrification. Sulfide addition (1 µM) did not affect anammox or O2 inhibition kinetics but strongly stimulated N2O production by denitrification. These results identify new O2 thresholds for delimiting marine nitrogen loss and highlight the utility of integrating biogeochemical and metatranscriptomic analyses. PMID:25352619

Transcriptome Analysis of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Roots during Development of the Prepenetration Apparatus1[W

PubMed Central

Siciliano, Valeria; Genre, Andrea; Balestrini, Raffaella; Cappellazzo, Gilda; deWit, Pierre J.G.M.; Bonfante, Paola

2007-01-01

Information on changes in the plant transcriptome during early interaction with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is still limited since infections are usually not synchronized and plant markers for early stages of colonization are not yet available. A prepenetration apparatus (PPA), organized in epidermal cells during appressorium development, has been reported to be responsible for assembling a trans-cellular tunnel to accommodate the invading fungus. Here, we used PPAs as markers for cell responsiveness to fungal contact to investigate gene expression at this early stage of infection with minimal transcript dilution. PPAs were identified by confocal microscopy in transformed roots of Medicago truncatula expressing green fluorescent protein-HDEL, colonized by the AM fungus Gigaspora margarita. A PPA-targeted suppressive-subtractive cDNA library was built, the cDNAs were cloned and sequenced, and, consequently, 107 putative interaction-specific genes were identified. The expression of a subset of 15 genes, selected by reverse northern dot blot screening, and five additional genes, potentially involved in PPA formation, was analyzed by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and compared with an infection stage, 48 h after the onset of the PPA. Comparison of the expression profile of G. margarita-inoculated wild type and the mycorrhiza-defective dmi3-1 mutant of M. truncatula revealed that an expansin-like gene, expressed in wild-type epidermis during PPA development, can be regarded as an early host marker for successful mycorrhization. A putative Avr9/Cf-9 rapidly elicited gene, found to be up-regulated in the mutant, suggests novel regulatory roles for the DMI3 protein in the early mycorrhization process. PMID:17468219

Characterization of the synthesis and expression of the GTA-kinase from transformed and normal rodent cells.

PubMed

Kerr, M; Fischer, J E; Purushotham, K R; Gao, D; Nakagawa, Y; Maeda, N; Ghanta, V; Hiramoto, R; Chegini, N; Humphreys-Beher, M G

1994-08-02

The murine transformed cell line YC-8 and beta-adrenergic receptor agonist (isoproternol) treated rat and mouse parotid gland acinar cells ectopically express cell surface beta 1-4 galactosyltransferase during active proliferation. This activity is dependent upon the expression of the GTA-kinase (p58) in these cells. Using total RNA, cDNA clones for the protein coding region of the kinase were isolated by reverse transcriptase-PCR cloning. DNA sequence analysis failed to show sequence differences with the normal homolog from mouse cells although Southern blot analysis of YC-8, and a second cell line KI81, indicated changes in the restriction enzyme digestion profile relative to murine cell lines which do not express cell surface galactosyltransferase. The rat cDNA clone from isoproterenol-treated salivary glands showed a high degree of protein and nucleic acid sequence homology to the GTA-kinase from both murine and human sources. Northern blot analysis of YC-8 and a control cell line LSTRA revealed the synthesis of a major 3.0 kb mRNA from both cell lines plus the unique expression of a 4.5 kb mRNA in the YC-8 cells. Reverse transcriptase-PCR of LSTRA and YC-8 confirmed the increased steady state levels of the GTA-kinase mRNA in YC-8. In the mouse, induction of cell proliferation by isoproterenol resulted in a 50-fold increase in steady state mRNA levels for the kinase over the low level of expression in quiescent cells. Expression of the rat 3' untranslated region in rat parotid cells in vitro led to an increased rate of DNA synthesis, cell number an ectopic expression of cell surface galactosyltransferase in the sense orientation. Antisense expression or vector alone did not alter growth characteristics of acinar cells. A polyclonal antibody monospecific to a murine amino terminal peptide sequence revealed a uniform distribution of GTA-kinase over the cytoplasm of acinar and duct cells of control mouse parotid glands. However, upon growth stimulation, kinase was detected primarily in a perinuclear and nuclear immunostaining pattern. Western blot analysis confirmed a translocation from a cytoplasmic localization in both LSTRA and quiescent salivary cells to a membrane-associated localization in YC-8 and proliferating salivary cells.

Taking apart the Big Pine fault: Redefining a major structural feature in southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Onderdonk, N.W.; Minor, S.A.; Kellogg, K.S.

2005-01-01

New mapping along the Big Pine fault trend in southern California indicates that this structural alignment is actually three separate faults, which exhibit different geometries, slip histories, and senses of offset since Miocene time. The easternmost fault, along the north side of Lockwood Valley, exhibits left-lateral reverse Quaternary displacement but was a north dipping normal fault in late Oligocene to early Miocene time. The eastern Big Pine fault that bounds the southern edge of the Cuyama Badlands is a south dipping reverse fault that is continuous with the San Guillermo fault. The western segment of the Big Pine fault trend is a north dipping thrust fault continuous with the Pine Mountain fault and delineates the northern boundary of the rotated western Transverse Ranges terrane. This redefinition of the Big Pine fault differs greatly from the previous interpretation and significantly alters regional tectonic models and seismic risk estimates. The outcome of this study also demonstrates that basic geologic mapping is still needed to support the development of geologic models. Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union.

Gram-scale purification of aconitine and identification of lappaconitine in Aconitum karacolicum.

PubMed

Tarbe, M; de Pomyers, H; Mugnier, L; Bertin, D; Ibragimov, T; Gigmes, D; Mabrouk, K

2017-07-01

Aconitum karacolicum from northern Kyrgyzstan (Alatau area) contains about 0.8-1% aconitine as well as other aconite derivatives that have already been identified. In this paper, we compare several methods for the further purification of an Aconitum karacolicum extract initially containing 80% of aconitine. Reverse-phase flash chromatography, reverse-phase semi-preparative HPLC, centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) and recrystallization techniques were evaluated regarding first their efficiency to get the highest purity of aconitine (over 96%) and secondly their applicability in a semi-industrial scale purification process (in our case, 150g of plant extract). Even if the CPC technique shows the highest purification yield (63%), the recrystallization remains the method of choice to purify a large amount of aconitine as i) it can be easily carried out in safe conditions; ii) an aprotic solvent is used, avoiding aconitine degradation. Moreover, this study led us to the identification of lappaconitine in Aconitum karacolicum, a well-known alkaloid never found in this Aconitum species. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Accommodation by Varying Strain Regimes along the Northern Luzon Arc (Coastal Range, Taiwan) - Insights from Focal Mechanism Strain Inversions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Hara, D.; Lee, J.; Lewis, J. C.; Rau, R.

2013-12-01

Taiwan is the product of modern subduction polarity reversal coupled with arc-continent collision. The NW-moving Philippine Sea plate (PSP) subducts beneath the Eurasian plate (EUR) to the northeast of Taiwan at the Ryukyu trench, while overriding EUR south of Taiwan at the Manila trench, bringing the Luzon volcanic arc into collision with the deforming sediments of the Eurasian passive margin. The obliquity between the N-S trending Luzon Arc (LA) and NE-SW trending passive margin is causing the southward, temporal propagation of collision since ~6 Ma. The collided forearc and clastic sediments accreted by the advancing arc created the Coastal Range (CR), whose western-most extent lies at the suture zone between the two plates, the NNE-SSW trending Longitudinal Valley Fault (LVF). In order to understand the change in stress along the northern LA as it docks onto EUR, we inverted over 1900 relocated earthquake focal mechanism solutions within the on-land CR and offshore LA regions for spatial strain tensors. The focal mechanisms cover seismicity from 1991-2013, ranging in depths 0-112 km and magnitudes 2.22-6.92. For our analyses, we grouped the focal mechanisms based on 15' Latitudinal intervals along the study area and inverted the data for best-fit strain tensors using a micropolar continuum model of crustal deformation. Results suggest dominant compression in all regions with accommodation occurring through oblique reverse faults of varying dips. Trends of σ1 rotate clockwise (CW) from 100° in the south to 155° in the north. This CW rotation is also observed in the preferred nodal plane slip vector trends - from E-W orientation in the south to NW-SE in the north. The rotation of σ1 and slip vector trends creates varying degrees of obliquity with the direction normal (DN) to CR (112°). The trends in the southern part of the study area show obliquity counterclockwise (CCW) to DN; trends in the central part are near parallel to DN; and trends in the northern part show obliquity CW to DN. GPS vectors from 2008-2012 using an ITRF reference frame show similar changes in obliquity with GPS velocity trends oblique CCW and CW to DN in the southern and northern areas, respectively, and near parallel to DN in the central area. Our results suggest the accommodation of three varying strain regimes along the northern LA (CR) system - (1) strain partitioning within the Manila forearc basin due to the obliquity between N-S trending LA and NW trending convergence vector; (2) convergence-related strain in the central LVF and CR along NNE trending major thrust faults with a small oblique component due to the obliquity between DN and the convergence vector; and (3) strain partitioning along the Ryukyu trench and forearc basin due to the obliquity between northward subducting plate along the WNW- ESE trending Ryukyu trench and NW convergence vector. As a result, the different subducting characteristics of strain regimes correspond to the different stages of arc accretion/collision, from south to north: pre-collision, present collision, waning collision, and subduction.

Analysis of the capabilities and operations of the Northern Virginia Traffic Management System.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-01-01

This report describes research to determine how the Northern Virginia Traffic Management System (TMS) operations may be improved by making modifications to the existing system. This study was completed during the period of June through September, 199...

Analysis of Rail Defect Data from the Burlington Northern Railroad and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1984-07-01

Rail descriptive and defect occurrence information from the Burlington Northern and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroads is given and analyzed. Track data includes information on track type, when laid, maintenance schedules, etc.

Two-step ion-exchange chromatographic purification combined with reversed-phase chromatography to isolate C-peptide for mass spectrometric analysis.

PubMed

Kabytaev, Kuanysh; Durairaj, Anita; Shin, Dmitriy; Rohlfing, Curt L; Connolly, Shawn; Little, Randie R; Stoyanov, Alexander V

2016-02-01

A liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry on-line platform that includes the orthogonal techniques of ion exchange and reversed phase chromatography is applied for C-peptide analysis. Additional improvement is achieved by the subsequent application of cation- and anion-exchange purification steps that allow for isolating components that have their isoelectric points in a narrow pH range before final reversed-phase mass spectrometry analysis. The utility of this approach for isolating fractions in the desired "pI window" for profiling complex mixtures is discussed. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Biogeochemical and ecological impacts of boundary currents in the Indian Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hood, Raleigh R.; Beckley, Lynnath E.; Wiggert, Jerry D.

2017-08-01

Monsoon forcing and the unique geomorphology of the Indian Ocean basin result in complex boundary currents, which are unique in many respects. In the northern Indian Ocean, several boundary current systems reverse seasonally. For example, upwelling coincident with northward-flowing currents along the coast of Oman during the Southwest Monsoon gives rise to high productivity which also alters nutrient stoichiometry and therefore, the species composition of the resulting phytoplankton blooms. During the Northeast Monsoon most of the northern Indian Ocean boundary currents reverse and favor downwelling. Higher trophic level species have evolved behavioral responses to these seasonally changing conditions. Examples from the western Arabian Sea include vertical feeding migrations of a copepod (Calanoides carinatus) and the reproductive cycle of a large pelagic fish (Scomberomorus commerson). The impacts of these seasonal current reversals and changes in upwelling and downwelling circulations are also manifested in West Indian coastal waters, where they influence dissolved oxygen concentrations and have been implicated in massive fish kills. The winds and boundary currents reverse seasonally in the Bay of Bengal, though the associated changes in upwelling and productivity are less pronounced. Nonetheless, their effects are observed on the East Indian shelf as, for example, seasonal changes in copepod abundance and zooplankton community structure. In contrast, south of Sri Lanka seasonal reversals in the boundary currents are associated with dramatic changes in the intensity of coastal upwelling, chlorophyll concentration, and catch per unit effort of fishes. Off the coast of Java, monsoon-driven changes in the currents and upwelling strongly impact chlorophyll concentrations, seasonal vertical migrations of zooplankton, and sardine catch in Bali Strait. In the southern hemisphere the Leeuwin is a downwelling-favorable current that flows southward along western Australia, though local wind forcing can lead to transient near shore current reversals and localized coastal upwelling. The poleward direction of this eastern boundary current is unique. Due to its high kinetic energy the Leeuwin Current sheds anomalous, relatively high chlorophyll, warm-core, downwelling eddies that transport coastal diatom communities westward into open ocean waters. Variations in the Leeuwin transport and eddy generation impact many higher trophic level species including the recruitment and fate of rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus) larvae. In contrast, the transport of the Agulhas Current is very large, with sources derived from the Mozambique Channel, the East Madagascar Current and the southwest Indian Ocean sub-gyre. Dynamically, the Agulhas Current is upwelling favorable; however, the spatial distribution of prominent surface manifestations of upwelling is controlled by local wind and topographic forcing. Meanders and eddies in the Agulhas Current propagate alongshore and interact with seasonal changes in the winds and topographic features. These give rise to seasonally variable localized upwelling and downwelling circulations with commensurate changes in primary production and higher trophic level responses. Due to the strong influence of the Agulhas Current, many neritic fish species in southeast Africa coastal waters have evolved highly selective behaviors and reproductive patterns for successful retention of planktonic eggs and larvae. For example, part of the Southern African sardine (Sardinops sagax) stock undergoes a remarkable northward migration enhanced by transient cyclonic eddies in the shoreward boundary of the Agulhas Current. There is evidence from the paleoceanographic record that these currents and their biogeochemical and ecological impacts have changed significantly over glacial to interglacial timescales. These changes are explored as a means of providing insight into the potential impacts of climate change in the Indian Ocean.

Thrust reverser analysis for implementation in the Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-06-01

This letter report presents an updated implementation for thrust reversers in AEDT. Currently, thrust reverser is applied to all STANDARD approach profiles in the Integrated Noise Mode (lNM) as 60% of the max rated thrust for jets and 40% for props o...

Saltmarsh pool and tidal creek morphodynamics: Dynamic equilibrium of northern latitude saltmarshes?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, Carol A.; Hughes, Zoe J.; FitzGerald, Duncan M.; Hopkinson, Charles S.; Valentine, Vinton; Kolker, Alexander S.

2014-05-01

Many saltmarsh platforms in New England and other northern climates (e.g. Canada, northern Europe) exhibit poor drainage, creating waterlogged regions where short-form Spartina alterniflora dominates and stagnant pools that experience tidal exchange only during spring tides and storm-induced flooding events. The processes related to pool formation and tidal creek incision (via headward erosion) that may eventually drain these features are poorly understood, however it has been suggested that an increase in pool occurrence in recent decades is due to waterlogging stress from sea-level rise. We present evidence here that saltmarshes in Plum Island Estuary of Massachusetts are keeping pace with sea-level rise, and that the recent increase in saltmarsh pool area coincides with changes in drainage density from a legacy of anthropogenic ditching (reversion to natural drainage conditions). Gradients, in addition to elevation and hydroperiod, are critical for saltmarsh pool formation. Additionally, elevation and vegetative changes associated with pool formation, creek incision, subsequent drainage of pools, and recolonization by S. alterniflora are quantified. Pool and creek dynamics were found to be cyclic in nature, and represent platform elevation in dynamic equilibrium with sea level whereby saltmarsh elevation may be lowered (due to degradation of organic matter and formation of a pool), however may be regained on short timescales (101-2 yr) with creek incision into pools and restoration of tidal exchange. Rapid vertical accretion is associated with sedimentation and S. alterniflora plant recolonization.

Historical early stem development of northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) in Maine

Treesearch

Philip V. Hofmeyer; Laura S. Kenefic; Robert S. Seymour

2010-01-01

We used stem analysis to quantify early height and diameter growth rates of 80 northern white-cedar trees (17.4-55.0 cm dbh) harvested in 2005 and 2006 in central and northern Maine. It took an average of 42 years (range, 9-86 years) for sampled trees to grow from stump height to sapling size, 96 years to grow to pole size (range, 28-171), 140 years to grow to...

A Bayesian Analysis of the Flood Frequency Hydrology Concept

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-01

located in northern Austria . It not only underscores attributes of the method as applied to the Kamp at Zwettl but also discusses ways in which the...hydrology concept originally performed by Viglione et al. (2013) for the 622 km2 Kamp at Zwettl river basin located in northern Austria . Eight primary...parts of the example originally profiled by Viglione et al. (2013) for the 622 km2 Kamp at Zwettl river basin located in northern Austria . A Bayesian

GIA induced intraplate seismicity in northern Central Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandes, Christian; Steffen, Holger; Steffen, Rebekka; Wu, Patrick

2015-04-01

Though northern Central Europe is regarded as a low seismicity area (Leydecker and Kopera, 1999), several historic earthquakes with intensities of up to VII affected the area in the last 1200 years (Leydecker, 2011). The trigger for these seismic events is not sufficiently investigated yet. Based on the combination of historic earthquake epicentres with the most recent fault maps we show that the historic seismicity concentrated at major reverse faults. There is no evidence for significant historic earthquakes along normal faults in northern Central Europe. The spatial and temporal distribution of earthquakes (clusters that shift from time to time) implies that northern Central Europe behaves like a typical intraplate tectonic region as demonstrated for other intraplate settings (Liu et al., 2000) We utilized Finite Element models that describe the process of glacial isostatic adjustment to analyse the fault behaviour. We use the change in Coulomb Failure Stress (dCFS) to represent the minimum stress required to reach faulting. A negative dCFS value indicates that the fault is stable, while a positive value means that GIA stress is potentially available to induce faulting or cause fault instability or failure unless released temporarily by an earthquake. The results imply that many faults in Central Europe are postglacial faults, though they developed outside the glaciated area. This is supported by the characteristics of the dCFS graphs, which indicate the likelihood that an earthquake is related to GIA. Almost all graphs show a change from negative to positive values during the deglaciation phase. This observation sheds new light on the distribution of post-glacial faults in general. Based on field data and the numerical simulations we developed the first consistent model that can explain the occurrence of deglaciation seismicity and more recent historic earthquakes in northern Central Europe. Based on our model, the historic seismicity in northern Central Europe can be regarded as a kind of aftershock sequence of the GIA induced-seismicity. References Leydecker, G. and Kopera, J.R. Seismological hazard assessment for a site in Northern Germany, an area of low seismicity. Engineering Geology 52, 293-304 (1999). Leydecker, G. Erdbebenkatalog für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland mit Randgebieten für die Jahre 800-2008. Geologisches Jahrbuch Reihe E, 198 pp., (2011) Liu, M., Stein, S. and Wang, H. 2000 years of migrating earthquakes in north China: How earthquakes in midcontinents differ from those at plate boundaries. Lithosphere 3, 128-132, (2011).

Leukotriene B4 catabolism: quantitation of leukotriene B4 and its omega-oxidation products by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Shak, S

1987-01-01

LTB4 and its omega-oxidation products may be rapidly, sensitively, and specifically quantitated by the methods of solid-phase extraction and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which are described in this chapter. Although other techniques, such as radioimmunoassay or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, may be utilized for quantitative analysis of the lipoxygenase products of arachidonic acid, only the technique of reversed-phase HPLC can quantitate as many as 10 metabolites in a single analysis, without prior derivatization. In this chapter, we also reviewed the chromatographic theory which we utilized in order to optimize reversed-phase HPLC analysis of LTB4 and its omega-oxidation products. With this information and a gradient HPLC system, it is possible for any investigator to develop a powerful assay for the potent inflammatory mediator, LTB4, or for any other lipoxygenase product of arachidonic acid.

Identifying the readiness of patients in implementing telemedicine in northern Louisiana for an oncology practice.

PubMed

Gurupur, Varadraj; Shettian, Kruparaj; Xu, Peixin; Hines, Scott; Desselles, Mitzi; Dhawan, Manish; Wan, Thomas Th; Raffenaud, Amanda; Anderson, Lindsey

2017-09-01

This study identified the readiness factors that may create challenges in the use of telemedicine among patients in northern Louisiana with cancer. To identify these readiness factors, the team of investigators developed 19 survey questions that were provided to the patients or to their caregivers. The team collected responses from 147 respondents from rural and urban residential backgrounds. These responses were used to identify the individuals' readiness for utilising telemedicine through factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha reliability test, analysis of variance and ordinary least squares regression. The analysis results indicated that the favourable factor (positive readiness item) had a mean value of 3.47, whereas the unfavourable factor (negative readiness item) had a mean value of 2.76. Cronbach's alpha reliability test provided an alpha value of 0.79. Overall, our study indicated a positive attitude towards the use of telemedicine in northern Louisiana.

Gap junction communications influence upon fibroblast synthesis of Type I collagen and fibronectin.

PubMed

Ehrlich, H Paul; Sun, Bonnie; Saggers, Gregory C; Kromath, Fatuma

2006-07-01

In rats polyvinyl alcohol sponge subcutaneous implants treated with gap junctional intercellular communications (GJIC) uncouplers showed reduced deposition of connective tissue. Do uncouplers inhibit the synthesis and deposition of a new connective tissue by fibroblasts? Confluent human dermal fibroblasts in serum-free medium received either endosulfan or oleamide, GJIC uncouplers. Collected media were subjected to Dot Blot analysis for native Type I collagen and fibronectin. Uncoupler-treated fibroblasts released less Type I collagen, while there was no change in fibronectin release. Collagen synthesis was restored to normal, when the uncouplers were removed, showing that these uncouplers were reversible and not toxic to cells. Northern blot analysis revealed procollagen alpha1 (I) mRNA was minimally affected by endosulfan. Oleamide-treated 17-day chick embryo calvaria explants were incubated with Type I collagen antibody, frozen, cryosectioned, and then subjected to rhodamine (Rh) tagged anti-mouse-IgG antibody, to detect newly deposited Type I collagen. Fluorescent antibody-collagen complexes were localized on the periphery of cells in control calvaria, but absent around cells in oleamide-treated calvaria. GJIC optimize collagen synthesis but not fibronectin synthesis. The lack of connective tissue deposited in granulation tissues treated with uncouplers appears related to the inhibition of collagen synthesis. These findings suggest that altering GJIC might control collagen deposition in scarring. 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Cloning and expression analysis of a novel G-protein-coupled receptor selectively expressed on granulocytes.

PubMed

Yousefi, S; Cooper, P R; Potter, S L; Mueck, B; Jarai, G

2001-06-01

The migration of neutrophils into sites of acute and chronic inflammation is mediated by chemokines. We used degenerate-primer reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to analyze chemokine receptor expression in neutrophils and identify novel receptors. RNA was isolated from human peripheral blood neutrophils and from neutrophils that had been stimulated for 5 h with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor or by coculturing with primary human bronchial epithelial cells. Amplification products were cloned, and clone redundancy was determined. Seven known G-protein-coupled receptors were identified among 38 clones-CCR1, CCR4, CXCR1, CXCR2, CXCR4, HM63, and FPR1-as well as a novel gene, EX33. The full-length EX33 clone was obtained, and an in silico approach was used to identify the putative murine homologue. The EX33 gene encodes a 396-amino-acid protein with limited sequence identity to known receptors. Expression studies of several known chemokine receptors and EX33 revealed that resting neutrophils expressed higher levels of CXCRs and EX33 compared with activated neutrophils. Northern blot experiments revealed that EX33 is expressed mainly in bone marrow, lung, and peripheral blood leukocytes. Using RT-PCR analysis, we showed more abundant expression of EX33 in neutrophils and eosinophils, in comparison with that in T- or B-lymphocytes, indicating cell-specific expression among leukocytes.

Directional change during a Miocene R-N geomagnetic polarity reversal recorded by mafic lava flows, Sheep Creek Range, north central Nevada, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogue, S. W.; Glen, J. M. G.; Jarboe, N. A.

2017-09-01

Recurring transitional field directions during three Miocene geomagnetic reversals provide evidence that lateral inhomogeneity of the lower mantle affects flow in the outer core. We compare new paleomagnetic results from a composite sequence of 15.2 Ma lava flows in north central Nevada (Sheep Creek Range; 40.7°N, 243.2°E), erupted during a polarity reversal, to published data from Steens Mountain (250 km to the northwest in Oregon) and the Newberry Mountains (650 km to the south in California) that document reversals occurring millions of years and many polarity switches earlier. Alternating field demagnetization, followed by thermal demagnetization in half the samples, clearly isolated the primary thermoremanent magnetization of Sheep Creek Range flows. We correlated results from our three sampled sections to produce a composite record that begins with a single virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) at low latitude in the Atlantic, followed by two VGPs situated near latitude 30°N in NE Africa. After jumping to 83°N (one VGP), the pole moves to equatorial South America (one VGP), back to NE Africa (three VGPs), to high southern latitudes (two VGPs), back to equatorial South America (three VGPs), and finally to high northern latitudes (nine VGPs). The repeated visits of the transitional VGP to positions in South America and near NE Africa, as well as the similar behavior recorded at Steens Mountain and the Newberry Mountains, suggest that lower mantle or core-mantle boundary features localize core flow structures, thereby imparting a discernible regional structure on the transitional geomagnetic field that persists for millions of years.

Theoretical test of Jarzynski's equality for reversible volume-switching processes of an ideal gas system.

PubMed

Sung, Jaeyoung

2007-07-01

We present an exact theoretical test of Jarzynski's equality (JE) for reversible volume-switching processes of an ideal gas system. The exact analysis shows that the prediction of JE for the free energy difference is the same as the work done on the gas system during the reversible process that is dependent on the shape of path of the reversible volume-switching process.

An interactive governance and fish chain approach to fisheries rebuilding: a case study of the Northern Gulf cod in eastern Canada.

PubMed

Khan, Ahmed; Chuenpagdee, Ratana

2014-09-01

Rebuilding collapsed fisheries is a multifaceted problem, requiring a holistic governance approach rather than technical management fixes. Using the Northern Gulf cod case study in eastern Canada, we illustrate how a "fish chain" framework, drawn from the interactive governance perspective, is particularly helpful in analyzing rebuilding challenges. The analysis demonstrates that factors limiting rebuilding exist along the entire fish chain, i.e., the pre-harvest, harvest, and post-harvest stages. These challenges are embedded in both the ecological and social systems associated with the Northern Gulf cod fisheries, as well as in the governing systems. A comparative analysis of the pre- and post-collapse of the cod fisheries also reveals governance opportunities in rebuilding, which lie in policy interventions such as integrated and ecosystem-based management, livelihood transitional programs, and cross-scale institutional arrangements. Lessons from the Northern Gulf cod case study, especially the missed opportunities to explore alternative governing options during the transition, are valuable for rebuilding other collapsed fisheries.

14 CFR 23.933 - Reversing systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... analysis and testing completed by the engine and propeller manufacturers. [Doc. No. 26344, 58 FR 18971, Apr... only must be designed so that, during any reversal in flight, the engine will produce no more than... engine from producing more than idle thrust when the reversing system malfunctions; except that it may...

14 CFR 23.933 - Reversing systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... analysis and testing completed by the engine and propeller manufacturers. [Doc. No. 26344, 58 FR 18971, Apr... only must be designed so that, during any reversal in flight, the engine will produce no more than... engine from producing more than idle thrust when the reversing system malfunctions; except that it may...

14 CFR 23.933 - Reversing systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... analysis and testing completed by the engine and propeller manufacturers. [Doc. No. 26344, 58 FR 18971, Apr... only must be designed so that, during any reversal in flight, the engine will produce no more than... engine from producing more than idle thrust when the reversing system malfunctions; except that it may...

14 CFR 23.933 - Reversing systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... analysis and testing completed by the engine and propeller manufacturers. [Doc. No. 26344, 58 FR 18971, Apr... only must be designed so that, during any reversal in flight, the engine will produce no more than... engine from producing more than idle thrust when the reversing system malfunctions; except that it may...

14 CFR 23.933 - Reversing systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... analysis and testing completed by the engine and propeller manufacturers. [Doc. No. 26344, 58 FR 18971, Apr... only must be designed so that, during any reversal in flight, the engine will produce no more than... engine from producing more than idle thrust when the reversing system malfunctions; except that it may...

Late-Variscan Tectonic Inheritance and Salt Tectonics Interplay in the Central Lusitanian Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nogueira, Carlos R.; Marques, Fernando O.

2017-04-01

Tectonic inheritance and salt structures can play an important role in the tectono-sedimentary evolution of basins. The Alpine regional stress field in west Iberia had a horizontal maximum compressive stress striking approximately NNW-SSE, related to the Late Miocene inversion event. However, this stress field cannot produce a great deal of the observed and mapped structures in the Lusitanian Basin. Moreover, many observed structures show a trend similar to well-known basement fault systems. The Central Lusitanian basin shows an interesting tectonic structure, the Montejunto structure, generally assigned to this inversion event. Therefore, special attention was paid to: (1) basement control of important observed structures; and (2) diapir tectonics (vertical maximum compressive stress), which can be responsible for significant vertical movements. Based on fieldwork, tectonic analysis and interpretation of geological maps (Portuguese Geological Survey, 1:50000 scale) and geophysical data, our work shows: (1) the Montejunto structure is a composite structure comprising an antiform with a curved hinge and middle Jurassic core, and bounding main faults; (2) the antiform can be divided into three main segments: (i) a northern segment with NNE-SSW trend showing W-dipping bedding bounded at the eastern border by a NNE-SSW striking fault, (ii) a curved central segment, showing the highest topography, with a middle Jurassic core and radial dipping bedding, (iii) a western segment with ENE-WSW trend comprising an antiform with a steeper northern limb and periclinal termination towards WSW, bounded to the south by ENE-WSW reverse faulting, (3) both fold and fault trends at the northern and western segments are parallel to well-known basement faults related to late-Variscan strike-slip systems with NNE-SSW and ENE-WSW trends; (4) given the orientation of Alpine maximum compressive stress, the northern segment border fault should be mostly sinistral strike-slip and the western segment border fault should be a pure thrust; (5) uplift along the northern and central segments may point out to the presence of a salt diapir at depth, aiding vertical movement and local uplift of the structure; (6) geometry of seismic units of the neighboring basins is consistent with halokinesis related to the antiform growth during the Jurassic; (7) sedimentary filling of the neighbouring basins shows relationship to antiform development and growth into a structural high before the Late Miocene Alpine event. These data suggest that: (1) pre-existing basement faults and their reactivation played important role on the development of Montejunto complex tectonic structure; (2) important vertical movements occurred as the result of regional and local (diapir) tectonics; (3) subsidence in neighbouring basins may have promoted maturation, and possible targets with strong potential for hydrocarbon trapping and accumulation may have also developed; (4) diapir tectonics initiated before the Cretaceous; (5) given the topography, and the geometry and inferred kinematics of all segments, it seems that the Montejunto structure formed in a restraining bend controlled by inherited late-Variscan basement faults.

Phylogeography of the antilopine wallaroo (Macropus antilopinus) across tropical northern Australia.

PubMed

Wadley, Jessica J; Fordham, Damien A; Thomson, Vicki A; Ritchie, Euan G; Austin, Jeremy J

2016-11-01

The distribution of antilopine wallaroo, Macropus antilopinus , is marked by a break in the species' range between Queensland and the Northern Territory, coinciding with the Carpentarian barrier. Previous work on M. antilopinus revealed limited genetic differentiation between the Northern Territory and Queensland M. antilopinus populations across this barrier. The study also identified a number of divergent lineages in the Northern Territory, but was unable to elucidate any geographic structure. Here, we re-examine these results to (1) determine phylogeographic patterns across the range of M. antilopinus and (2) infer the biogeographic barriers associated with these patterns. The tropical savannahs of northern Australia: from the Cape York Peninsula in the east, to the Kimberley in the west. We examined phylogeographic patterns in M. antilopinus using a larger number of samples and three mtDNA genes: NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2, cytochrome b, and the control region. Two datasets were generated and analyzed: (1) a subset of samples with all three mtDNA regions concatenated together and (2) all samples for just control region sequences that included samples from the previous study. Analysis included generating phylogenetic trees based on Bayesian analysis and intraspecific median-joining networks. The contemporary spatial structure of M. antilopinus mtDNA lineages revealed five shallow clades and a sixth, divergent lineage. The genetic differences that we found between Queensland and Northern Territory M. antilopinus samples confirmed the split in the geographic distribution of the species. We also found weak genetic differentiation between Northern Territory samples and those from the Kimberley region of Western Australia, possibly due to the Kimberley Plateau-Arnhem Land barrier. Within the Northern Territory, two clades appear to be parapatric in the west, while another two clades are broadly sympatric across the Northern Territory. MtDNA diversity of M. antilopinus revealed an unexpectedly complex evolutionary history involving multiple sympatric and parapatric mtDNA clades across northern Australia. These phylogeographic patterns highlight the importance of investigating genetic variation across distributions of species and integrating this information into biodiversity conservation.

Natural aging and reversion behavior of Al-Cu-Li-Ag-Mg alloy Weldalite (tm) 049

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gayle, Frank W.; Heubaum, Frank H.; Pickens, Joseph R.

1991-01-01

This study was initiated to understand the natural aging and reversion behavior of Weldalite (trademark) 049 in tempers without cold work. Of particular interest are: (1) the microstructural basis for the high strength in the T4 condition; (2) an explanation of the reversion phenomenon; and (3) the effect of re-aging at room temperature after a reversion treatment. Mechanical properties were measured and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis performed at various stages of microstructural development during aging, reversion, and subsequent re-aging.

Mutations in a novel gene with transmembrane domains underlie Usher syndrome type 3.

PubMed

Joensuu, T; Hämäläinen, R; Yuan, B; Johnson, C; Tegelberg, S; Gasparini, P; Zelante, L; Pirvola, U; Pakarinen, L; Lehesjoki, A E; de la Chapelle, A; Sankila, E M

2001-10-01

Usher syndrome type 3 (USH3) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by progressive hearing loss, severe retinal degeneration, and variably present vestibular dysfunction, assigned to 3q21-q25. Here, we report on the positional cloning of the USH3 gene. By haplotype and linkage-disequilibrium analyses in Finnish carriers of a putative founder mutation, the critical region was narrowed to 250 kb, of which we sequenced, assembled, and annotated 207 kb. Two novel genes-NOPAR and UCRP-and one previously identified gene-H963-were excluded as USH3, on the basis of mutational analysis. USH3, the candidate gene that we identified, encodes a 120-amino-acid protein. Fifty-two Finnish patients were homozygous for a termination mutation, Y100X; patients in two Finnish families were compound heterozygous for Y100X and for a missense mutation, M44K, whereas patients in an Italian family were homozygous for a 3-bp deletion leading to an amino acid deletion and substitution. USH3 has two predicted transmembrane domains, and it shows no homology to known genes. As revealed by northern blotting and reverse-transcriptase PCR, it is expressed in many tissues, including the retina.

Analysis of amino acids in nectar from pitchers of Sarracenia purpurea (Sarraceniaceae).

PubMed

Dress, W; Newell, S; Nastase, A; Ford, J

1997-12-01

Sarracenia purpurea L. (northern pitcher plant) is an insectivorous plant with extrafloral nectar that attracts insects to a water-filled pitfall trap. We identified and quantified the amino acids in extrafloral nectar produced by pitchers of S. purpurea. Nectar samples were collected from 32 pitchers using a wick-sampling technique. Samples were analyzed for amino acids with reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with phenylisothiocyanate derivatization. Detectable amounts of amino acids were found in each of the 32 nectar samples tested. Mean number of amino acids in a nectar sample was 9 (SD = 2.2). No amino acid was detected in all 32 samples. Mean amount of amino acids in a nectar sample (i.e., amount per wick) was 351.4 ng (SD = 113.2). Nine amino acids occurred in 20 of the 32 samples (aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, hydroxyproline, methionine, serine, valine) averaging 263.4 ng (SD = 94.9), and accounting for ~75% of the total amino acid content. Nectar production may constitute a significant cost of carnivory since the nectar contains amino acids. However, some insects prefer nectar with amino acids and presence of amino acids may increase visitation and capture of insect prey.

Physical characteristics of the Bahia Blanca estuary (Argentina)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piccolo, Maria Cintia; Perillo, Gerardo M. E.

1990-09-01

Based on temperature, salinity and current velocity and direction data, the physical characteristics of the Bahia Blanca estuary are described. Data were gathered in vertical profiles made in longitudinal as well as in hourly surveys. Freshwater runoff averages 2 m 3 s -1; however, peak floods may reach 10-50 m 3 s -1. The temperature distribution is quite homogeneous in the estuary. Based on the salinity distribution, the estuary can be divided into two sectors: an inner one showing partially mixed characteristics with a strong tendency to become sectionally homogeneous during runoff conditions similar to the historical averages, and an outer sector which is sectionally homogeneous. Salinity values in the inner sector may be larger than those observed in the inner continental shelf. This is initiated by the restricted circulation in the inner estuary and added to by the tidal washing of back-estuary salt flats and by evaporation processes. Analysis of the residual circulation shows a marked difference in the direction of mass transport. In the deeper regions of the sections (northern flank) the flow reverses with depth, being headward near the bottom. However, net transport is landward in the shallower parts.

Structure and kinematics of a major tectonic contact, Michipicoten greenstone belt, Ontario

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgill, George E.

1992-01-01

The Michipicoten greenstone belt, Ontario, experienced a complex history of folding, faulting, and fabric development. Near Wawa, a major east-west contact, here named the Steep Hill Falls (SHF) contact, extends entirely across the belt. The SHF contact is both an angular unconformity and a fault and is interpreted to be a regionally significant tectonic contact separating distinct northern and southern terranes, both of which include volcanic rocks of probable island-arc origin. The amount of horizontal transport involved in bringing the two terranes together along the SHF contact is not known. Mapping and structural analysis suggest that regionally significant horizontal displacements took place, with movement vectors that changed with time. Early faults, folds, and fabrics imply north-south to northeast-southwest (with respect to present directions) convergence, with a vergence reversal occurring during this complex event. The most likely models infer early south vergence and later north vergence. Transecting the earliest structures are younger (but still Archean) northeast-striking steep cleavages with associated upright folds that may relate to northwest-southeast assembly of the Superior Province craton. The craton assembly event thus involved a transport direction at a high angle to that inferred for the earlier assembly of the Michipicoten greenstone belt.

Isolation and characterization of 21 novel expressed DNA sequences from the distal region of human chromosome 4p

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

Ishida, Yoshikazu; Hadano, Shinji; Nagayama, Tomiko

1994-07-15

The authors have established an approach to the isolation of expressed DNA sequences from a defined region of the human chromosome. The method relies on the direct screening of cDNA libraries using pooled single-copy microclones generated by a laser chromosome microdissection in conjunction with a single unique primer polymerase chain reaction (SUP-PCR) procedure. They applied this method to the distal region of human chromosome 4p (4p15-4pter), which contains the Huntington disease (HD) and the Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) loci. Twenty-one nonoverlapping and region-specific cDNA clones encoding novel genes were isolated in this manner. Ten of 21 clones were subregionally assigned tomore » 4p16.1-4pter, and the remainder mapped to the region proximal to 4p16.1. Northern blot and reverse transcription followed by the PCR (RT-PCR) analysis revealed that 16 of these 21 clones detected transcripts in total RNA from human tissues. The method is applicable to other chromosomal regions and is a powerful approach to the isolation of region-specific cDNA clones. 44 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs.« less

Socio-hydrological resilience of an arid aquifer system, subject to changing climate and inadequate agricultural management: A case study from the Valley of Santo Domingo, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wurl, Jobst; Gámez, Alba E.; Ivanova, Antonina; Imaz Lamadrid, Miguel A.; Hernández-Morales, Pablo

2018-04-01

Mismanagement has caused the overexploitation of one third of the major aquifers in Mexico, mainly due to excessive water extraction for agricultural irrigation. Santo Domingo (Baja California Sur, in northern Mexico, where agriculture absorbs nearly 80% of water) is the only aquifer in the Mexico where, after a period of overexploitation, equality between extraction and recharge rates was achieved, although this has not meant the securement of long-term water availability. This paper offers an analysis of hydrological resilience of a water-limited arid ecosystem under future extraction scenarios and changing climate conditions. A regional groundwater flow model is proposed using MODFLOW software. Then, different indicators were modeled as outcomes of coupled human-water systems to predict water trajectories under different human impacts. The aim was to recognize water insecurity scenarios and define appropriate actions to a more sustainable use of this scarce resource in the region. Thus, although runoff derived from extreme floods may favor infiltration, the involvement of local stakeholders and decision makers to reverse the adverse impacts of current water management and climate change is imperative if water availability and better quality are to be secured.

Length of unemployment and health-related outcomes: a life-course analysis.

PubMed

Janlert, Urban; Winefield, Anthony H; Hammarström, Anne

2015-08-01

Most previous studies on the effects of length of unemployment on health have focused on the duration of continuous spells of unemployment rather than on the cumulative length of intermittent spells. This study analysed the relationship between the cumulative length of intermittent spells of unemployment and different health-related outcomes using data from a longitudinal study of school leavers. All pupils who completed compulsory schooling in 1981 in a medium-sized town in northern Sweden (N = 1083) were followed for 14 years with repeated questionnaires including questions about unemployment, health and health behaviour. Men tended to react with a steady state or a levelling off of health symptoms with increased unemployment, whereas women showed deteriorating health symptoms. For health behaviour the reverse occurred. Women's health behaviour was less connected with increased unemployment while men's health behaviour tended to deteriorate. Cumulative length of unemployment is correlated with deteriorated health and health behaviour. Long-term unemployment, even as a result of cumulated shorter employment spells over a number of years should be an urgent target for policy makers. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Rheumatologists' judgements about the efficacy of anti-TNF therapy in two neighbouring regions.

PubMed

Kee, F; Sheehy, N; O'Hare, L; Bane, C; Bell, A; Dempster, M; FitzGerald, O

2005-11-01

The requirement in Northern Ireland to prescribe biological agents according to National Institute for Clinical Excellence/British Society for Rheumatology (NICE/BSR) guidelines and within a fixed budget has created a waiting list for treatment that has no parallel in the Republic of Ireland. The study investigated the bearing this situation may have had on consultants' judgements in the respective areas. Seventy-eight case vignettes created from the data on real patients with RA treated with biologicals in the north and south of Ireland were appraised by nine southern and eight northern consultants, who judged the clinical benefit and significance of the patients' condition after a trial of therapy. Quantitative (clinical judgement analysis) and qualitative (focus groups) techniques were used. Northern consultants perceived a slightly greater degree of clinical benefit after a trial of therapy than southern consultants. Judgement models of northern and southern consultants were broadly comparable. The latter tended to be more uniform in their judgements than the southern group. Focus group discussions with consultants largely validated the findings of the quantitative analysis but revealed how clinical judgement analysis might be misled by gaming strategies. Despite the absence of overt rationing in the south of Ireland, as far as the judgement of therapeutic benefit from biologicals was concerned, the clinical judgement policies of practitioners were very similar to those in the north. The adoption of NICE/BSR guidelines in the north may have improved the uniformity of clinical practice in Northern Ireland.

First high-resolution near-seafloor survey of magnetic anomalies of the South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, J.; Xu, X.; Li, C.; Sun, Z.; Zhu, J.; Zhou, Z.; Qiu, N.

2013-12-01

We successfully conducted the first high-resolution near-seafloor magnetic survey of the Central, Southwest, and Northern Central Basins of the South China Sea (SCS) during two cruises on board Chinese R/V HaiYangLiuHao in October-November 2012 and March-April 2013, respectively. Measurements of magnetic field were made along four long survey lines, including (1) a NW-SE across-isochron profile transecting the Southwest Basin and covering all ages of the oceanic crust (Line CD); (2) a N-S across-isochron profile transecting the Central Basin (Line AB); and (3) two sub-parallel NE-SW across-isochron profiles transecting the Northern Central Basin of the SCS (Lines D and E). A three-axis magnetometer was mounted on a deep-tow vehicle, flying within 0.6 km above the seafloor. The position of the tow vehicle was provided by an ultra-short baseline navigation system along Lines D and E, while was estimated using shipboard GPS along Lines AB and CD. To investigate crustal magnetization, we first removed the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) of 2010 from the measured magnetic data, and then downward continued the resultant magnetic field data to a horizontal plane at a water depth of 4.5 km to correct for variation due to the fishing depth of the deep-tow vehicle. Finally, we calculated magnetic anomalies at various water depths after reduction-to-the-pole corrections. We also constructed polarity reversal block (PRB) models of crustal magnetization by matching peaks and troughs of the observed magnetic field anomaly. Our analysis yielded the following results: (1) The near-bottom magnetic anomaly showed peak-to-trough amplitudes of more than 2,500 nT, which are several times of the anomaly amplitudes at the sea surface, illustrating that deep-tow measurements acquired much higher spatial resolutions. (2) The deep-tow data revealed several distinctive magnetic anomalies with wavelengths of 5-15 km and amplitudes of several hundred nT. These short-wavelength anomalies were unrecognized in sea surface measurements. (3) Preliminary results showed that the study regions might have experienced several episodes of magnetic reversal events that were not recognized in existing models. (4) We are currently investigating the geomagnetic timing of these relatively short-duration events to determine the detailed spreading history of the sub-basins of the SCS. These high-resolution near-seafloor magnetic survey lines are located close to the planned drilling sites of IODP Expedition 349 scheduled for January-March 2014.

Relationship of epithermal gold deposits to large-scale fractures in northern Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ponce, D.A.; Glen, J.M.G.

2002-01-01

Geophysical maps of northern Nevada reveal at least three and possibly six large-scale arcuate features, one of which corresponds to the northern Nevada rift that possibly extends more than 1,000 km from the Oregon- Idaho border to southern Nevada. These features may reflect deep discontinuities within the earth's crust, possibly related to the impact of the Yellowstone hot spot. Because mid-Miocene epithermal gold deposits have been shown to correlate with the northern Nevada rift, we investigate the association of other epithermal gold deposits to other similar arcuate features in northern Nevada. Mid-Miocene and younger epithermal gold- silver deposits also occur along two prominent aeromagnetic anomalies west of the northern Nevada rift. Here, we speculate that mid-Miocene deposits formed along deep fractures in association with mid-Miocene rift- related magmatism and that younger deposits preferentially followed these preexisting features. Statistical analysis of the proximity of epithermal gold deposits to these features suggests that epithermal gold deposits in northern Nevada are spatially associated with large-scale crustal features interpreted from geophysical data.

Analysis of Ten Reverse Engineering Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koskinen, Jussi; Lehmonen, Tero

Reverse engineering tools can be used in satisfying the information needs of software maintainers. Especially in case of maintaining large-scale legacy systems tool support is essential. Reverse engineering tools provide various kinds of capabilities to provide the needed information to the tool user. In this paper we analyze the provided capabilities in terms of four aspects: provided data structures, visualization mechanisms, information request specification mechanisms, and navigation features. We provide a compact analysis of ten representative reverse engineering tools for supporting C, C++ or Java: Eclipse Java Development Tools, Wind River Workbench (for C and C++), Understand (for C++), Imagix 4D, Creole, Javadoc, Javasrc, Source Navigator, Doxygen, and HyperSoft. The results of the study supplement the earlier findings in this important area.

Pulse power applications of silicon diodes in EML capacitive pulsers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dethlefsen, Rolf; McNab, Ian; Dobbie, Clyde; Bernhardt, Tom; Puterbaugh, Robert; Levine, Frank; Coradeschi, Tom; Rinaldi, Vito

1993-01-01

Crowbar diodes are used for increasing the energy transfer from capacitive pulse forming networks. They also prevent voltage reversal on the energy storage capacitors. 52 mm diameter diodes with a 5 kV reverse blocking voltage, rated 40 kA were successfully used for the 32 MJ SSG rail gun. An uprated diode with increased current capability and a 15 kV reverse blocking voltage has been developed. Transient thermal analysis has predicted the current ratings for different pulse length. Analysis verification is obtained from destructive testing.

Crustal Structure of Northern Grenada Basin Call into Question the Origin of Arc Migration in the Lesser Antilles: Preliminary Results from GARANTI Cruise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jean-Frederic, L.; Lallemand, S.; Marcaillou, B.; Klingelhoefer, F.; Agranier, A.; Arcay, D.; Audemard, F. A.; Bassetti, M. A.; Beslier, M. O.; Boucard, M.; Cornée, J. J.; Fabre, M.; Gay, A.; Graindorge, D.; Heuret, A.; Laigle, M.; Léticée, J. L.; Malengros, D.; Mercier de Lepinay, B.; Morena, P.; Münch, P.; Oliot, E.; Oregioni, D.; Padron, C.; Philippon, M. M.; Quillevere, F.; Ratzov, G.; Schenini, L.; Yates, B.; Zami, F.

2017-12-01

The Grenada Basin, a crescent-shape basin forming a back-arc relative to the Lesser Antilles arc, separate Aves Ridge, a remnant early paleogene arc, from Eocene-Oligocene and Late Miocene - actual Lesser Antilles arcs. In its northern part the shallowness and rough topography of the basin basement call into questioned the relevance of opening of a back arc basin for the northern Grenada Basin. During the GARANTI survey (May-June 2017 french R/V L'Atalante), we acquired two transversal (EW) and one basin parallel (NS), ca. 300km long, combined wide-angle seismic (WAS) and multichannel seismic reflection (MCS) lines, plus ca. 3500km of MCS together with multibeam bathymetric data and dredged 14 sites across Grenada basin. Part of these profiles are located in the northern Grenada Basin, north and south of Saba Bank carbonate plateform. South of Saba Bank, the existence of buried crustal faults extending across Aves Ridge and the basin suggest continuity of inherited structures between the two domains. Preliminary modeling of the WAS data along the northern line shows an about 35km thick crust across the Lesser Antilles arc and in the Grenada basin at that latitude, suggesting no or only little extension in the back arc. Along the western side of Saba Bank the north trending Aves Ridge is cut at low angle by steeply dipping reverse faults that vanish southward. North of Saba Bank our data merged with seismic profiles from the AntiTheSis project reveal transpressive deformation south of the Anegada passage, trending N40° to N110° extending toward the Lesser Antilles Eo-Oligocene outer-arc. Only few N90° trending faults extend toward the active arc. These faults trend at high angle with N140-160° intra-arc fault system observed further south. Dredge samples from transpressive ridges west of the outer arc provided mix arc volcanic rocks in foraminifers rich carbonate limestones of possibly mid-Cenozoic age. Our new data call into question the mechanisms that led to arc migration in the Lesser Antilles during mid Cenozoic.

Integrated geographic information systems (IGIS) analysis and definition of the tectonic framework of northern Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez Pina, Carlos Manuel

Crustal rupture structures reactivated in the course of the tectonic history of northern Mexico are the surface expressions of planes of weakness, in the form of simple or composite rectilinear features or slightly curved, defined as lineaments. Unless otherwise defined as strike-slip faults, lineaments are part of parallel and sub-parallel oblique convergent or oblique divergent tectonic zones cross cutting the Sierra Madre Occidental and northern Mexico, in a NW trend. These shear zones are the response to the oblique subduction of the Farallon plate beneath North America. Kinematic analysis of five selected sites in northern Mexico, three basins and two compressional shear zones, proved possible a combination of shear mechanism diagram and models from analogue materials, with satellite imagery and geographic information systems, as an aid to define strike-slip fault motion. This was done using a reverse engineering process by comparing geometries. One of the sites assessed, involving the Parras Basin, Coahuila Block (CB), San Marcos fault, a postulated PBF-1 fault, allowed for palinpastic reconstruction of the CB that corroborated the results of the vector motion defined, in addition to an extension of ˜25% in a northwest southeast direction. A GIS-based compilation and georeferenced regional structural studies by several researchers were used as ground control areas (GCA); their interpolation and interpretation, resulted in a tectonic framework map of northern Mexico. In addition, shaded relief models overlaid by the lineaments / fault layer allowed structural analyses of basins related to these major structures. Two important results were obtained from this study: the Tepehuanes-San Luis-fault (TSL) and the Guadalupe fault, named herein, displaces the Villa de Reyes graben, and the Aguascalientes graben, respectively, to the SE, confirming their left lateral vector motion; afterwards TSL was displaced south by the right lateral strike slip Taxco-San Miguel de Allende fault. The second result refers to the hypothesis that the Mesa Central was brought to its present location by a subduction zone located to the north. This subduction zone coincides with several researchers who postulated the idea. The compressional zones refer to segments of the Sinforosa and a postulated Aquinquari fault located in the stratotectonic Guerrero Terrane regarded as a highly mineralized zone. Negative anomalies near -200 milligals are strongly suggestive of a cratonic block identified in western Chihuahua, it being named the Western Chihuahua Cratonic Block (WCCB). In the southwestern portion of the North American craton the age provinces are well documented, but the block versus mobile belt idea has not been put forth or emphasized. The present study combines data of several types, sedimentological, structural, igneous geochemistry, and geochronologic data to evaluate this behavior in SW NA, and the proposed block is tested against these data. The presence of the WCCB is supported by a wide variety of data. Basins, troughs, aulacogens, bimodal volcanism, and other rift and rift shoulder features, characterize the spatially constrained mobile belts. Mobile belts surrounding the WCCB contain geologic records of the events going back to 1.4 Ga, with different aspects being dominant over geologic time. Mobile belts will participate in compression,(subduction), extension (rifting), and transform (lateral) faulting. The WCCB may have been derived from closely, adjacent, North American craton by mobile belt action. This study has shown that integration of data is essential, because allows detection of differences in hypotheses for the same event in the same area. This integration capability is what makes integrated geographic information systems a powerful tool, not only for their synergy, but because they can be combined with specific techniques that provide data before going to conduct fieldwork. Whether the issue of defining the tectonic framework of northern Mexico can be resolved or not, depends on the viability of integrating volumes of data from research, hypotheses, or maps, and put together under the same geographic frame.

Dialog detection in narrative video by shot and face analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kroon, B.; Nesvadba, J.; Hanjalic, A.

2007-01-01

The proliferation of captured personal and broadcast content in personal consumer archives necessitates comfortable access to stored audiovisual content. Intuitive retrieval and navigation solutions require however a semantic level that cannot be reached by generic multimedia content analysis alone. A fusion with film grammar rules can help to boost the reliability significantly. The current paper describes the fusion of low-level content analysis cues including face parameters and inter-shot similarities to segment commercial content into film grammar rule-based entities and subsequently classify those sequences into so-called shot reverse shots, i.e. dialog sequences. Moreover shot reverse shot specific mid-level cues are analyzed augmenting the shot reverse shot information with dialog specific descriptions.

Industrial Water Analysis Program: A Critical Study.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-09-01

Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio UMAMUION lTATEMNT A APtO.6UPbhtd3WJ 83 11 04 014’ X. .. . INDUSTRIAL WATER ANALYSIS PROGRAM: A CRITICAL STUDY Dennis C...Twhoo-17 (ATC) Wright-FPafewon AFB O 44 3 1S. KEY WORDS (Continue on reverse aide if necessary and identify by block number) Industrial Water Analysis ...Boiler Water Analysis Preservation Procedures Air Force Industrial Water Stabilization Procedures 20. ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse side it necessary and

Northern Blot Detection of Virus-Derived Small Interfering RNAs in Caenorhabditis elegans Using Nonradioactive Oligo Probes.

PubMed

Long, Tianyun; Lu, Rui

2017-01-01

Northern blot analysis has been widely used as a tool for detection and characterization of specific RNA molecules. When coupled with radioactive probe northern blot allows for robust detection and characterization of small RNA molecules of trace amount. Here, we describe the detection and size characterization of virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs) in C. elegans using nonradioactive DNA oligo probes in northern blotting. Our protocol allows for the detection and characterization of not only primary vsiRNAs but also secondary vsiRNAs, a class of single-stranded vsiRNAs that has distinct migration pattern, and can be easily adapted to the detection of vsiRNAs in other organisms.

Reversible and non-reversible thermal denaturation of lysozyme with varying pH at low ionic strength.

PubMed

Blumlein, Alice; McManus, Jennifer J

2013-10-01

DSC analysis has been used to quantify the reversibility of unfolding following thermal denaturation of lysozyme. Since the temperature at which protein unfolding occurs, Tm, varies with different solution conditions, the effect on the melting temperature and the degree of refolding after thermal denaturation in low ionic strength sodium phosphate buffers (5-1000mM) over a range of pH (5-9) in the presence/absence of disaccharides is examined. This study compares the enthalpies of unfolding during successive heating cycles to quantify reversibility following thermal denaturation. The disaccharides, trehalose and maltose were used to assess if the disaccharide induced increase in Tm is reflected in the reversibility of thermally induced denaturation. There was extensive overlap between the Tm values where non-reversible and reversible thermal denaturation occurred. Indeed, for pH6, at the highest and lowest Tm, no refolding was observed whereas refolding was observed for intermediate values, but with similar Tm values having different proportions of refolded protein. We established a method to measure the degree of reversible unfolding following thermal denaturation and hence indirectly, the degree to which protein is lost to irreversible aggregation, and show that solution conditions which increase melt transition temperatures do not automatically confer an increase in reversibility. This type of analysis may prove useful in assessing the stability of proteins in both the biopharmaceutical and food industries. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stable Isotopic Constraints on Abiogenic Hydrocarbon gas Contributions to Thermogenic Natural gas Resources in the Northern Appalachian Basin, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burruss, R. C.; Laughrey, C. D.

2006-05-01

The generation of abiogenic methane by serpentinization or by graphite-water reactions in high-grade metamorphic rocks is well documented by isotopic, fluid inclusion, and petrographic studies. However, geochemical evidence is equivocal for abiogenic generation of higher hydrocarbon gases (ethane through pentane) in economic resources. Thermogenic hydrocarbon gases, generated by thermal cracking of sedimentary organic matter of biological origin, are progressively enriched in 13C as a function of increasing number of carbon atoms in the molecule. The isotopic composition is controlled by the kinetic isotope effect (KIE) during carbon-carbon bond breaking with the largest KIE for methane. Published work on gases in Precambrian rocks in Canada and South Africa suggest that some were generated by abiogenic Fischer-Tropsch type reactions that produced gases with carbon isotopic compositions that are reversed from the thermogenic trend. We have documented reversed isotopic compositions in natural gas accumulations in lower Paleozoic reservoirs of the Appalachian basin regionally from West Virginia and eastern Ohio through Pennsylvania to central New York. The regional accumulation in lower Silurian age strata shows progressive enhancement of the isotopic reversal with increasing depth in the basin. Multivariate analysis of the molecular and isotopic data define an end-member in the deep basin with an approximate composition of 98 mol % CH4, 1-2 mol % C2H6, << 1 mol % C3H8, and δ13C (CH4) = -27 ‰, δ13C (C2H6) = -40 ‰, δ13C (C3H8) = - 41‰. The nominal similarity of isotopic reversals in the gases from Precambrian rocks to those in the lower Paleozoic rocks of the Appalachian basin suggests that abiogenic F-T reactions may have generated some fraction of the gases in the deep basin. Comparison of molecular and hydrogen isotopic compositions show that the gases of putative abiogenic F-T origin are significantly different from Appalachian basin gases. All the Precambrian gases have extremely light hydrogen isotopic compositions of CH4 (δ2H < -300‰) and are depleted in CH4 (Canada gases C1/C2+ < 10, S. Africa gases C1/C2+ < 60) compared to gases in lower Paleozoic reservoirs of the Appalachian basin (δ2H (CH4) > -150‰, C1/C2+ up to 220). New isotopic studies of gas accumulations, gases in fluid inclusions, and of sedimentary organic matter in the Appalachian basin are in progress to constrain the possible contribution of abiogenic hydrocarbon generation to gas accumulations in this basin.

Rapid economic analysis of northern hardwood stand improvement options

Treesearch

William B. Leak

1980-01-01

Data and methodology are provided for projecting basal area, diameter, volumes, and values by product for northern hardwood stands, and for determining the rate of return on stand improvement investments. The method is rapid, requires a minimum amount of information, and should prove useful for on-the-ground economic analyses.

Summary and Synthesis

Treesearch

Stephen R. Shifley; Francisco X. Aguilar; Nianfu Song; Susan I. Stewart; David J. Nowak; Dale D. Gormanson; W. Keith Moser; Sherri Wormstead; Eric J. Greenfield

2012-01-01

This chapter discusses some of the interrelationships, interactions, and drivers of change that affect northern forests. The content addresses some of the threats and opportunities identified by Dietzman et al. (2011), and it also addresses findings that emerged from the analysis of conditions and trends. The many issues affecting northern forests are interrelated and...

Kinematic evolution of the Maacama Fault Zone, Northern California Coast Ranges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schroeder, Rick D.

The Maacama Fault Zone (MFZ) is a major component of the Pacific-North American transform boundary in northern California, and its distribution of deformation and kinematic evolution defines that of a young continental transform boundary. The USGS Quaternary database (2010) currently defines the MFZ as a relatively narrow fault zone; however, a cluster analysis of microearthquakes beneath the MFZ defines a wider fault zone, composed of multiple seismogenically active faults. The surface projection of best-fit tabular zones through foci clusters correlates with previously interpreted faults that were assumed inactive. New investigations further delineate faults within the MFZ based on geomorphic features and shallow resistivity surveys, and these faults are interpreted to be part of several active pull-apart fault systems. The location of faults and changes in their geometry in relation to geomorphic features, indicate >8 km of cumulative dextral displacement across the eastern portion of the MFZ at Little Lake Valley, which includes other smaller offsets on fault strands in the valley. Some faults within the MFZ have geometries consistent with reactivated subduction-related reverse faults, and project near outcrops of pre-existing faults, filled with mechanically weak minerals. The mechanical behavior of fault zones is influenced by the spatial distribution and abundance of mechanically weak lithologies and mineralogies within the heterogeneous Franciscan melange that the MFZ displaces. This heterogeneity is characterized near Little Lake Valley (LLV) using remotely sensed data, field mapping, and wellbore data, and is composed of 2--5 km diameter disk-shaped coherent blocks that can be competent and resist deformation. Coherent blocks and the melange that surrounds them are the source for altered minerals that fill portions of fault zones. Mechanically weak minerals in pre-existing fault zones, identified by X-ray diffraction and electron microprobe analyses, are interpreted as a major reason for complex configurations of clusters of microearthquakes and zones of aseismic creep along the MFZ. Analysis of the kinematics of the MFZ and the distribution of its deformation is important because it improves the understanding of young stages of transform system evolution, which has implications that affect issues ranging from seismic hazard to petroleum and minerals exploration around the world.

Kinetic analysis of enzyme systems with suicide substrate in the presence of a reversible competitive inhibitor, tested by simulated progress curves.

PubMed

Moruno-Dávila, M A; Garrido-del Solo, C; García-Moreno, M; Havsteen, B H; Garcia-Sevilla, F; Garcia-Cánovas, F; Varón, R

2001-02-01

The use of suicide substrates remains a very important and useful method in enzymology for studying enzyme mechanisms and designing potential drugs. Suicide substrates act as modified substrates for the target enzymes and bind to the active site. Therefore the presence of a competitive reversible inhibitor decreases the rate of substrate-induced inactivation and protects the enzyme from this inactivation. This lowering on the inactivation rate has evident physiological advantages, since it allows the easy acquisition of experimental data and facilitates kinetic data analysis by providing another variable (inhibitor concentration). However despite the importance of the simultaneous action of a suicide substrate and a competitive reversible inhibition, to date no corresponding kinetic analysis has been carried out. Therefore we present a general kinetic analysis of a Michaelis-Menten reaction mechanism with double inhibition caused by both, a suicide substrate and a competitive reversible inhibitor. We assume rapid equilibrium of the reversible reaction steps involved, while the time course equations for the reaction product have been derived with the assumption of a limiting enzyme. The goodness of the analytical solutions has been tested by comparison with the simulated curves obtained by numerical integration. A kinetic data analysis to determine the corresponding kinetic parameters from the time progress curve of the product is suggested. In conclusion, we present a complete kinetic analysis of an enzyme reaction mechanism as described above in an attempt to fill a gap in the theoretical treatment of this type of system.

Evidence for cryptic northern refugia in the last glacial period in Cryptomeria japonica

PubMed Central

Kimura, Megumi K.; Uchiyama, Kentaro; Nakao, Katsuhiro; Moriguchi, Yoshinari; San Jose-Maldia, Lerma; Tsumura, Yoshihiko

2014-01-01

Background and Aims Distribution shifts and natural selection during past climatic changes are important factors in determining the genetic structure of forest species. In particular, climatic fluctuations during the Quaternary appear to have caused changes in the distribution ranges of plants, and thus strongly affected their genetic structure. This study was undertaken to identify the responses of the conifer Cryptomeria japonica, endemic to the Japanese Archipelago, to past climatic changes using a combination of phylogeography and species distribution modelling (SDM) methods. Specifically, this study focused on the locations of refugia during the last glacial maximum (LGM). Methods Genetic diversity and structure were examined using 20 microsatellite markers in 37 populations of C. japonica. The locations of glacial refugia were assessed using STRUCTURE analysis, and potential habitats under current and past climate conditions were predicted using SDM. The process of genetic divergence was also examined using the approximate Bayesian computation procedure (ABC) in DIY ABC to test the divergence time between the gene pools detected by the STRUCTURE analysis. Key Results STRUCTURE analysis identified four gene pools: northern Tohoku district; from Chubu to Chugoku district; from Tohoku to Shikoku district on the Pacific Ocean side of the Archipelago; and Yakushima Island. DIY ABC analysis indicated that the four gene pools diverged at the same time before the LGM. SDM also indicated potential northern cryptic refugia. Conclusions The combined evidence from microsatellites and SDM clearly indicates that climatic changes have shaped the genetic structure of C. japonica. The gene pool detected in northern Tohoku district is likely to have been established by cryptic northern refugia on the coast of the Japan Sea to the west of the Archipelago. The gene pool in Yakushima Island can probably be explained simply by long-term isolation from the other gene pools since the LGM. These results are supported by those of SDM and the predicted divergence time determined using ABC analysis. PMID:25355521

Cost-Effectiveness of the Third-Agent Class in Treatment-Naive Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients in Portugal

PubMed Central

Aragão, Filipa; Vera, José; Vaz Pinto, Inês

2012-01-01

Introduction Current Portuguese HIV treatment guidelines recommend initiating antiretroviral therapy with a regimen composed of two Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors plus one Non-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor (2NRTI+NNRTI) or two Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors plus one boosted protease inhibitor (2NRTI+PI/r). Given the lower daily cost of NNRTI as the third agent when compared to the average daily costs of PI/r, it is relevant to estimate the long term impact of each treatment option in the Portuguese context. Methods We developed a microsimulation discrete events model for cost-effectiveness analysis of HIV treatment, simulating individual paths from ART initiation to death. Four driving forces determine the course of events: CD4+ cell count, viral load, resistance and adherence. Distributions of time to event are conditional to individuals’ characteristics and past history. Time to event was modeled using parametric survival analysis using Stata 11®. Disease progression was structured according to therapy lines and the model was parameterized with cohort Portuguese observational data. All resources were valued at 2009 prices. The National Health Service’s perspective was assumed considering a lifetime horizon and a 5% annual discount rate. Results In this analysis, initiating therapy with two Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors plus one Non-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor reduces the average number of switches by 17%, saves 19.573€ per individual and increases life expectancy by 1.7 months showing to be a dominant strategy in 57% of the simulations when compared to two Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors plus one boosted protease inhibitor. Conclusion This study suggests that, when clinically valid, initiating therapy with two Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors plus one Non-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor is a cost-saving strategy and equally effective when compared to two Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors plus one boosted protease inhibitor as the first regimen. PMID:23028618

X-Prolyl Dipeptidyl Aminopeptidase Gene (pepX) Is Part of the glnRA Operon in Lactobacillus rhamnosus

PubMed Central

Varmanen, Pekka; Savijoki, Kirsi; Åvall, Silja; Palva, Airi; Tynkkynen, Soile

2000-01-01

A peptidase gene expressing X-prolyl dipeptidyl aminopeptidase (PepX) activity was cloned from Lactobacillus rhamnosus 1/6 by using the chromogenic substrate l-glycyl-l-prolyl-β-naphthylamide for screening of a genomic library in Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequence of a 3.5-kb HindIII fragment expressing the peptidase activity revealed one complete open reading frame (ORF) of 2,391 nucleotides. The 797-amino-acid protein encoded by this ORF was shown to be 40, 39, and 36% identical with PepXs from Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, and Lactococcus lactis, respectively. By Northern analysis with a pepX-specific probe, transcripts of 4.5 and 7.0 kb were detected, indicating that pepX is part of a polycistronic operon in L. rhamnosus. Cloning and sequencing of the upstream region of pepX revealed the presence of two ORFs of 360 and 1,338 bp that were shown to be able to encode proteins with high homology to GlnR and GlnA proteins, respectively. By multiple primer extension analyses, the only functional promoter in the pepX region was located 25 nucleotides upstream of glnR. Northern analysis with glnA- and pepX-specific probes indicated that transcription from glnR promoter results in a 2.0-kb dicistronic glnR-glnA transcript and also in a longer read-through polycistronic transcript of 7.0 kb that was detected with both probes in samples from cells in exponential growth phase. The glnA gene was disrupted by a single-crossover recombinant event using a nonreplicative plasmid carrying an internal part of glnA. In the disruption mutant, glnRA-specific transcription was derepressed 10-fold compared to the wild type, but the 7.0-kb transcript was no longer detectable with either the glnA- or pepX-specific probe, demonstrating that pepX is indeed part of glnRA operon in L. rhamnosus. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis further supported this operon structure. An extended stem-loop structure was identified immediately upstream of pepX in the glnA-pepX intergenic region, a sequence that showed homology to a 23S-5S intergenic spacer and to several other L. rhamnosus-related entries in data banks. PMID:10613874

X-prolyl dipeptidyl aminopeptidase gene (pepX) is part of the glnRA operon in Lactobacillus rhamnosus.

PubMed

Varmanen, P; Savijoki, K; Avall, S; Palva, A; Tynkkynen, S

2000-01-01

A peptidase gene expressing X-prolyl dipeptidyl aminopeptidase (PepX) activity was cloned from Lactobacillus rhamnosus 1/6 by using the chromogenic substrate L-glycyl-L-prolyl-beta-naphthylamide for screening of a genomic library in Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequence of a 3.5-kb HindIII fragment expressing the peptidase activity revealed one complete open reading frame (ORF) of 2,391 nucleotides. The 797-amino-acid protein encoded by this ORF was shown to be 40, 39, and 36% identical with PepXs from Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, and Lactococcus lactis, respectively. By Northern analysis with a pepX-specific probe, transcripts of 4.5 and 7.0 kb were detected, indicating that pepX is part of a polycistronic operon in L. rhamnosus. Cloning and sequencing of the upstream region of pepX revealed the presence of two ORFs of 360 and 1,338 bp that were shown to be able to encode proteins with high homology to GlnR and GlnA proteins, respectively. By multiple primer extension analyses, the only functional promoter in the pepX region was located 25 nucleotides upstream of glnR. Northern analysis with glnA- and pepX-specific probes indicated that transcription from glnR promoter results in a 2.0-kb dicistronic glnR-glnA transcript and also in a longer read-through polycistronic transcript of 7.0 kb that was detected with both probes in samples from cells in exponential growth phase. The glnA gene was disrupted by a single-crossover recombinant event using a nonreplicative plasmid carrying an internal part of glnA. In the disruption mutant, glnRA-specific transcription was derepressed 10-fold compared to the wild type, but the 7.0-kb transcript was no longer detectable with either the glnA- or pepX-specific probe, demonstrating that pepX is indeed part of glnRA operon in L. rhamnosus. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis further supported this operon structure. An extended stem-loop structure was identified immediately upstream of pepX in the glnA-pepX intergenic region, a sequence that showed homology to a 23S-5S intergenic spacer and to several other L. rhamnosus-related entries in data banks.

Genetic population structure of the lionfish Pterois miles (Scorpaenidae, Pteroinae) in the Gulf of Aqaba and northern Red Sea.

PubMed

Kochzius, Marc; Blohm, Dietmar

2005-03-14

The aim of this study is to reveal gene flow between populations of the coral reef dwelling lionfish Pterois miles in the Gulf of Aqaba and northern Red Sea. Due to the fjord-like hydrography and topology of the Gulf of Aqaba, isolation of populations might be possible. Analysis of 5' mitochondrial control region sequences from 94 P. miles specimens detected 32 polymorphic sites, yielding 38 haplotypes. Sequence divergence among different haplotypes ranged from 0.6% to 9.9% and genetic diversity was high (h=0.85, pi=1.9%). AMOVA indicates panmixia between the Gulf of Aqaba and northern Red Sea, but analysis of migration pattern shows an almost unidirectional migration originating from the Red Sea.

Reinventing the ames test as a quantitative lab that connects classical and molecular genetics.

PubMed

Goodson-Gregg, Nathan; De Stasio, Elizabeth A

2009-01-01

While many institutions use a version of the Ames test in the undergraduate genetics laboratory, students typically are not exposed to techniques or procedures beyond qualitative analysis of phenotypic reversion, thereby seriously limiting the scope of learning. We have extended the Ames test to include both quantitative analysis of reversion frequency and molecular analysis of revertant gene sequences. By giving students a role in designing their quantitative methods and analyses, students practice and apply quantitative skills. To help students connect classical and molecular genetic concepts and techniques, we report here procedures for characterizing the molecular lesions that confer a revertant phenotype. We suggest undertaking reversion of both missense and frameshift mutants to allow a more sophisticated molecular genetic analysis. These modifications and additions broaden the educational content of the traditional Ames test teaching laboratory, while simultaneously enhancing students' skills in experimental design, quantitative analysis, and data interpretation.

Reversible Aptamer-Au Plasmon Rulers for Secreted Single Molecules

DOE PAGES

Lee, Somin Eunice; Chen, Qian; Bhat, Ramray; ...

2015-06-03

Plasmon rulers, consisting of pairs of gold nanoparticles, allow single-molecule analysis without photobleaching or blinking; however, current plasmon rulers are irreversible, restricting detection to only single events. Here, we present a reversible plasmon ruler, comprised of coupled gold nanoparticles linked by a single aptamer, capable of binding individual secreted molecules with high specificity. We show that the binding of target secreted molecules to the reversible plasmon ruler is characterized by single-molecule sensitivity, high specificity, and reversibility. Lastly, such reversible plasmon rulers should enable dynamic and adaptive live-cell measurement of secreted single molecules in their local microenvironment.

Application of Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data to estimate the amount of old growth forest and snag density in the Northern Region of the National Forest System

Treesearch

Raymond L. Czaplewski

2004-01-01

This report discusses valid use of data produced by the Forest Service?s Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and used by the Northern Region of the National Forest System to analyze the compliance of individual National Forests with their Standards and Guidelines. It emphasizes use of FIA data on snag density and the percentage of forest area that meets the...

Structural complexity at and around the Triassic-Jurassic GSSP at Kuhjoch, Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palotai, M.; Pálfy, J.; Sasvári, Á.

2017-10-01

One of the key requirements for a Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) is the absence of tectonic disturbance. The GSSP for the Triassic-Jurassic system boundary was recently defined at Kuhjoch, Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria. New field observations in the area of the Triassic-Jurassic boundary GSSP site demonstrate that the overturned, tight, and almost upright Karwendel syncline was formed at semibrittle deformation conditions, confirmed by axial planar foliation. Tight to isoclinal folds at various scales were related to a tectonic transport to the north. Brittle faulting occurred before and after folding as confirmed by tilt tests (the rotation of structural data by the average bedding). Foliation is ubiquitous in the incompetent units, including the Kendlbach Formation at the GSSP. A reverse fault (inferred to be formed as a normal fault before folding) crosscuts the GSSP sections, results in the partial tectonic omission of the Schattwald Beds, and thus makes it impossible to measure a complete and continuous stratigraphic section across the whole Kendlbach Formation. Based on these observations, the Kuhjoch sections do not fulfil the specific requirement for a GSSP regarding the absence of tectonic disturbances near boundary level.

Simultaneous detection of wheat dwarf virus, northern cereal mosaic virus, barley yellow striate mosaic virus and rice black-streaked dwarf virus in wheat by multiplex RT-PCR.

PubMed

Zhang, Peipei; Liu, Yan; Liu, Wenwen; Massart, Sebastien; Wang, Xifeng

2017-11-01

Wheat dwarf virus (WDV), barley yellow striate mosaic virus (BYSMV), rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) and northern cereal mosaic virus (NCMV) are four viruses infecting wheat and causing similar symptoms. In this paper, a multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (m-RT-PCR) method has been developed for the simultaneous detection and discrimination of these viruses. The protocol uses specific primer set for each virus and produces four distinct fragments (273, 565, 783 and 1296bp), detecting the presence of RBSDV, BYSMV, WDV and NCMV, respectively. Annealing temperature, concentrations of dNTP, Taq polymerase and Mg 2+ were optimized for the m-RT-PCR. The detection limit of the assay was up to 10 -2 dilution. The amplification specificity of these primers was tested against a range of field samples from different regions of China, where RBSDV, BYSMV, WDV have been detected. This study fulfills the need for a rapid and specific wheat virus detection that also has the potential for investigating the epidemiology of these new viral diseases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of experimental removal of Barred Owls on population demography of Northern Spotted Owls in Washington and Oregon—2017 progress report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wiens, J. David; Dugger, Katie M.; Lesmeister, Damon B.; Dilione, Krista E.; Simon, David C.

2018-05-21

Populations of Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina; hereinafter referred to as Spotted Owl) are declining throughout this subspecies’ geographic range. Evidence indicates that competition with invading populations of Barred Owls (S. varia) has contributed significantly to those declines. A pilot study in California showed that localized removal of Barred Owls coupled with conservation of suitable forest conditions can slow or even reverse population declines of Spotted Owls. It remains unknown, however, whether similar results can be obtained in areas with different forest conditions, greater densities of Barred Owls, and fewer remaining Spotted Owls. During 2015–17, we initiated a before-after-control-impact (BACI) experiment at three study areas in Oregon and Washington to determine if removal of Barred Owls can improve population trends of Spotted Owls. Each study area had at least 20 years of pre-treatment demographic data on Spotted Owls, and represented different forest conditions occupied by the two owl species in the Pacific Northwest. This report describes research accomplishments and preliminary results from the first 2.5 years (March 2015–August 2017) of the planned 5-year experiment.

Climate-driven flushing of pore water in peatlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siegel, D. I.; Reeve, A. S.; Glaser, P. H.; Romanowicz, E. A.

1995-04-01

NORTHERN peatlands can act as either important sources or sinks for atmospheric carbon1,2. It is therefore important to understand how carbon cycling in these regions will respond to a changing climate. Existing carbon balance models for peatlands assume that fluid flow and advective mass transport are negligible at depth3,4, and that the effects of climate change should be essentially limited to the near-surface. Here we report the response of groundwater flow and porewater chemistry in the Glacial Lake Agassiz peat-lands of northern Minnesota to the regional drought cycle. Comparison of field observations and numerical simulations indicates that climate fluctuations of short duration may temporarily reverse the vertical direction of fluid flow through the peat, although this has little effect on water chemistry5. On the other hand, periods of drought persisting for at least 3-5 years produce striking changes in the chemistry of the pore water. These longer-term changes in hydrology influence the flux of nutrients and dissolved organic matter through the deeper peat, and therefore affect directly the rates of fermentation and methanogenesis, and the export of dissolved carbon compounds from the peatland.

Return to Beringia: parasites reveal cryptic biogeographic history of North American pikas.

PubMed

Galbreath, Kurt E; Hoberg, Eric P

2012-01-22

Traditional concepts of the Bering Land Bridge as a zone of predominantly eastward expansion from Eurasia and a staging area for subsequent colonization of lower latitudes in North America led to early inferences regarding biogeographic histories of North American faunas, many of which remain untested. Here we apply a host-parasite comparative phylogeographical (HPCP) approach to evaluate one such history, by testing competing biogeographic hypotheses for five lineages of host-specific parasites shared by the collared pika (Ochotona collaris) and American pika (Ochotona princeps) of North America. We determine whether the southern host species (O. princeps) was descended from a northern ancestor or vice versa. Three parasite phylogenies revealed patterns consistent with the hypothesis of a southern origin, which is corroborated by four additional parasite lineages restricted to O. princeps. This finding reverses the traditional narrative for the origins of North American pikas and highlights the role of dispersal from temperate North America into Beringia in structuring northern diversity considerably prior to the Holocene. By evaluating multiple parasite lineages simultaneously, the study demonstrates the power of HPCP for resolving complex biogeographic histories that are not revealed by characteristics of the host alone.

On the applicability of low-dimensional models for convective flow reversals at extreme Prandtl numbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mannattil, Manu; Pandey, Ambrish; Verma, Mahendra K.; Chakraborty, Sagar

2017-12-01

Constructing simpler models, either stochastic or deterministic, for exploring the phenomenon of flow reversals in fluid systems is in vogue across disciplines. Using direct numerical simulations and nonlinear time series analysis, we illustrate that the basic nature of flow reversals in convecting fluids can depend on the dimensionless parameters describing the system. Specifically, we find evidence of low-dimensional behavior in flow reversals occurring at zero Prandtl number, whereas we fail to find such signatures for reversals at infinite Prandtl number. Thus, even in a single system, as one varies the system parameters, one can encounter reversals that are fundamentally different in nature. Consequently, we conclude that a single general low-dimensional deterministic model cannot faithfully characterize flow reversals for every set of parameter values.

Collision processes at the northern margin of the Black Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gobarenko, V. S.; Murovskaya, A. V.; Yegorova, T. P.; Sheremet, E. E.

2016-07-01

Extended along the Crimea-Caucasus coast of the Black Sea, the Crimean Seismic Zone (CSZ) is an evidence of active tectonic processes at the junction of the Scythian Plate and Black Sea Microplate. A relocation procedure applied to weak earthquakes (mb ≤ 3) recorded by ten local stations during 1970-2013 helped to determine more accurately the parameters of hypocenters in the CSZ. The Kerch-Taman, Sudak, Yuzhnoberezhnaya (South Coast), and Sevastopol subzones have also been recognized. Generalization of the focal mechanisms of 31 strong earthquakes during 1927-2013 has demonstrated the predominance of reverse and reverse-normal-faulting deformation regimes. This ongoing tectonic process occurs under the settings of compression and transpression. The earthquake foci with strike-slip component mechanisms concentrate in the west of the CSZ. Comparison of deformation modes in the western and eastern Crimean Mountains according to tectonophysical data has demonstrated that the western part is dominated by strike-slip and normal- faulting, while in the eastern part, reverse-fault and strike-slip deformation regimes prevail. Comparison of the seismicity and gravity field and modes of deformation suggests underthusting of the East Black Sea Microplate with thin suboceanic crust under the Scythian Plate. In the Yuzhnoberezhnaya Subzone, this process is complicated by the East Black Sea Microplate frontal part wedging into the marginal part of the Scythian Plate crust. The indentation mechanism explains the strong gravity anomaly in the Crimean Mountains and their uplift.

Multiplex nucleic acid sequence-based amplification for simultaneous detection of several enteric viruses in model ready-to-eat foods.

PubMed

Jean, Julie; D'Souza, Doris H; Jaykus, Lee-Ann

2004-11-01

Human enteric viruses are currently recognized as one of the most important causes of food-borne disease. Implication of enteric viruses in food-borne outbreaks can be difficult to confirm due to the inadequacy of the detection methods available. In this study, a nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) method was developed in a multiplex format for the specific, simultaneous, and rapid detection of epidemiologically relevant human enteric viruses. Three previously reported primer sets were used in a single reaction for the amplification of RNA target fragments of 474, 371, and 165 nucleotides for the detection of hepatitis A virus and genogroup I and genogroup II noroviruses, respectively. Amplicons were detected by agarose gel electrophoresis and confirmed by electrochemiluminescence and Northern hybridization. Endpoint detection sensitivity for the multiplex NASBA assay was approximately 10(-1) reverse transcription-PCR-detectable units (or PFU, as appropriate) per reaction. When representative ready-to-eat foods (deli sliced turkey and lettuce) were inoculated with various concentrations of each virus and processed for virus detection with the multiplex NASBA method, all three human enteric viruses were simultaneously detected at initial inoculum levels of 10(0) to 10(2) reverse transcription-PCR-detectable units (or PFU)/9 cm2 in both food commodities. The multiplex NASBA system provides rapid and simultaneous detection of clinically relevant food-borne viruses in a single reaction tube and may be a promising alternative to reverse transcription-PCR for the detection of viral contamination of foods.

Survey of northern informal and formal mental health practitioners

PubMed Central

O'Neill, Linda; George, Serena; Sebok, Stefanie

2013-01-01

Background This survey is part of a multi-year research study on informal and formal mental health support in northern Canada involving the use of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods in an effort to better understand mental health in a northern context. Objective The main objective of the 3-year study was to document the situation of formal and informal helpers in providing mental health support in isolated northern communities in northern British Columbia, northern Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The intent of developing a survey was to include more participants in the research and access those working in small communities who would be concerned regarding confidentiality and anonymity due to their high profile within smaller populations. Design Based on the in-depth interviews from the qualitative phase of the project, the research team developed a survey that reflected the main themes found in the initial qualitative analysis. The on-line survey consisted of 26 questions, looking at basic demographic information and presenting lists of possible challenges, supports and client mental health issues for participants to prioritise. Results Thirty-two participants identified various challenges, supports and client issues relevant to their mental health support work. A vast majority of the respondents felt prepared for northern practice and had some level of formal education. Supports for longevity included team collaboration, knowledgeable supervisors, managers, leaders and more opportunities for formal education, specific training and continuity of care to support clients. Conclusion For northern-based research in small communities, the development of a survey allowed more participants to join the larger study in a way that protected their identity and confidentiality. The results from the survey emphasise the need for team collaboration, interdisciplinary practice and working with community strengths as a way to sustain mental health support workers in the North. PMID:23984276

``Low-cost Electronic nose evaluated on Thai-herb of Northern-Thailand samples using multivariate analysis methods''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

na ayudhaya, Paisarn Daungjak; Klinbumrung, Arrak; Jaroensutasinee, Krisanadej; Pratontep, Sirapat; Kerdcharoen, Teerakiat

2009-05-01

In case of species of natural and aromatic plant originated from the northern Thailand, sensory characteristics, especially odours, have unique identifiers of herbs. The instruments sensory analysis have performed by several of differential of sensing, so call `electronic nose', to be a significantly and rapidly for chemometrics. The signal responses of the low cost electronic nose were evaluated by principal component analysis (PCA). The aims of this paper evaluated various of Thai-herbs grown in Northern of Thailand as data preprocessing tools of the Low-cost electronic nose (enNU-PYO1). The essential oil groups of Thai herbs such as Garlic, Lemongrass, Shallot (potato onion), Onion, Zanthoxylum limonella (Dennst.) Alston (Thai name is Makaen), and Kaffir lime leaf were compared volatilized from selected fresh herbs. Principal component analysis of the original sensor responses did clearly distinguish either all samples. In all cases more than 97% for cross-validated group were classified correctly. The results demonstrated that it was possible to develop in a model to construct a low-cost electronic nose to provide measurement of odoriferous herbs.

Selected geohydrologic data from a regional aquifer-system analysis of the Northern Rocky Mountains intermontane basins in Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stone, M.A.; Parliman, D.J.; Schaefer, J.L.

1996-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey began a regional aquifer-system analysis of the Northern Rocky Mountains of northern and central Idaho and western Montana in 1990. The analysis helped establish a regional framework of information for aquifers in about 70 ntermontane basins in an area of 80,000 square miles. In many areas, ground water is the only suitable source of supply, yet little information is available about this resource. Selected geohydrologic data from 1,004 wells in 19 intermontane basins in Idaho were compiled as part of the regional analysis. Data consist of basin name and well number, altitude of land surface, date of well construction, geologic unit, depth of well, diameter of casing, type of finish, top of open interval, primary use of water, date of water level measurement, water level, discharge, specific capacity, source of discharge data, type of log available, date of water-quality constituent measurement, specific conductance, pH, and temperature. A similar report for intermontane basins in Montana has been published by the U.S. Geologcial Survey in Montana. (USGS)

Reversal of Gender Differences in Educational Attainment: An Historical Analysis of the West German Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becker, Rolf

2014-01-01

Background information: During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, West Germany witnessed a reversal of gender differences in educational attainment, as females began to outperform males. Purpose: The main objective was to analyse which processes were behind the reversal of gender differences in educational attainment after 1945. The theoretical…

Protocol vulnerability detection based on network traffic analysis and binary reverse engineering.

PubMed

Wen, Shameng; Meng, Qingkun; Feng, Chao; Tang, Chaojing

2017-01-01

Network protocol vulnerability detection plays an important role in many domains, including protocol security analysis, application security, and network intrusion detection. In this study, by analyzing the general fuzzing method of network protocols, we propose a novel approach that combines network traffic analysis with the binary reverse engineering method. For network traffic analysis, the block-based protocol description language is introduced to construct test scripts, while the binary reverse engineering method employs the genetic algorithm with a fitness function designed to focus on code coverage. This combination leads to a substantial improvement in fuzz testing for network protocols. We build a prototype system and use it to test several real-world network protocol implementations. The experimental results show that the proposed approach detects vulnerabilities more efficiently and effectively than general fuzzing methods such as SPIKE.

Personal characteristics and experiences of long-term allied health professionals in rural and northern British Columbia.

PubMed

Manahan, Candice M; Hardy, Cindy L; MacLeod, Martha L P

2009-01-01

Health sciences programs are being designed to attract students who are likely to stay and practice in rural and northern Canada. Consequently, student recruitment and screening are increasingly including assessment of suitability for rural practice. Although retention factors among rural physicians and nurses have been investigated, little is known about factors that contribute to the retention of other healthcare professionals who work in rural areas. The primary objective of this project was to identify the personal characteristics and experiences of allied health professionals who have worked long term in northern British Columbia (BC), Canada. The study used a qualitative descriptive approach. Six speech language pathologists, four psychologists, four occupational therapists, eight social workers, and four physiotherapists practicing long term in northern BC were recruited, using a convenience sample and the snowball technique, to participate in semi-structured telephone interviews. The interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. A thematic content analysis identified the motivations for their decision to begin or stay working in northern communities, the reasons for choosing rural or northern education and key themes concerning personal characteristics and experiences. A process of member checking and an external audit validated the analysis and findings. There were two major themes for choosing rural and northern education. For some, selection of rural or northern training was based on accessibility to health education programs; all participants who chose rural and northern education had already decided that they were going to practice rurally. Generally, participants identified past positive experiences and rural background as influencing their practice location decision. Participants named the community's need for healthcare professionals, career advancement opportunities, welcoming employers, peer support, as well as promises of continuing education and interprofessional teamwork as key to their decision. Professional preferences for variety, challenges, and trying new aspects of the job such as teaching also impacted their decision. Also identified were individual factors and personal preferences such as the need for adventure, wilderness, and outdoor recreation, and community factors (eg people's friendliness and the slow pace). Such factors also influenced retention; however, retention was also affected by factors such as job satisfaction, and some community factors were only associated with retention. The analysis revealed a number of personal characteristics and experiences shared by long-term healthcare professionals, and that there is not one particular factor that determines duration of practice in rural and northern communities. The findings imply a combination of varying personal values impact the decision to come or stay in rural and northern communities. Personal characteristics and experiences help to shape these personal values. Over time and depending on stage of life, personal values change. Age and stage of life, rural background, and location of family members also have bearing on personal values, which in turn impact recruitment and retention. An explicit identification of values that have emerged out of personal characteristics and experiences may be useful in the selection of students for rural health education programs, as well as the recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in rural and northern areas.

Podoconiosis in East and West Gojam Zones, Northern Ethiopia

PubMed Central

Molla, Yordanos B.; Tomczyk, Sara; Amberbir, Tsige; Tamiru, Abreham; Davey, Gail

2012-01-01

Background Podoconiosis is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that is prevalent in red clay soil-covered highlands of tropical Africa, Central and South America, and northern India. It is estimated that up to one million cases exist in Ethiopia. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of podoconiosis in East and West Gojam Zones of Amhara Region in northern Ethiopia. Methodology/Principal Findings A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in Debre Eliyas and Dembecha woredas (districts) in East and West Gojam Zones, respectively. The survey covered all 17,553 households in 20 kebeles (administrative subunits) randomly selected from the two woredas. A detailed structured interview was conducted on 1,704 cases of podoconiosis identified in the survey. Results The prevalence of podoconiosis in the population aged 15 years and above was found to be 3.3% (95% CI, 3.2% to 3.6%). 87% of cases were in the economically active age group (15–64 years). On average, patients sought treatment five years after the start of the leg swelling. Most subjects had second (42.7%) or third (36.1%) clinical stage disease, 97.9% had mossy lesions, and 53% had open wounds. On average, patients had five episodes of acute adenolymphangitis (ALA) per year and spent a total of 90 days per year with ALA. The median age of first use of shoes and socks were 22 and 23 years, respectively. More men than women owned more than one pair of shoes (61.1% vs. 50.5%; χ2 = 11.6 p = 0.001). At the time of interview, 23.6% of the respondents were barefoot, of whom about two-thirds were women. Conclusions This study showed high prevalence of podoconiosis and associated morbidities such as ALA, mossy lesions and open wounds in northern Ethiopia. Predominance of cases at early clinical stage of podoconiosis indicates the potential for reversing the swelling and calls for disease prevention interventions. PMID:22816005

Eocene tectonic compression in Northern Zealandia: Magneto-biostratigraphic constraints from the sedimentary records of New Caledonia (Southwest Pacific Ocean)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dallanave, E.; Agnini, C.; Pascher, K. M.; Maurizot, P.; Bachtadse, V.; Hollis, C. J.; Dickens, G. R.; Collot, J.; Sevin, B.; Strogen, D.; Monesi, E.

2017-12-01

Published seismic profiles acquired from the Tasman Sea and northern Zealandia area (southwest Pacific) point to a widespread Eocene convergent deformation of oceanic and continental crust, with reverse faults and uplift (Tectonic Event of the Cenozoic in the Tasman Area; TECTA). The TECTA is interpreted as the precursor of the Tonga-Kermadec subduction initiation. Grande Terre is the main island of the New Caledonia archipelago and the largest emergent portion of northern Norfolk Ridge (part of northern Zealandia). Eocene sedimentary records exposed in Grande Terre contain a transition from pelagic micrite to terrigenous-rich calciturbidites, marking a shift from passive margin to convergent tectonic regime. This could represent the local expression of the convergence inception observed on a regional scale. We conducted an integrated magneto-biostratigraphic study, based on calcareous nannofossil and radiolaria, of two early-middle Eocene records cropping out near Noumea (southwest Grande Terre) and Koumac (northwest Grande Terre). The natural remanent magnetization of the sediments is complicated by multiple vector components, likely related to the late Eocene obduction, but a characteristic remanent magnetization has been successfully isolated. Overall the record spans from magnetic polarity Chron C23n to C18n, i.e. from 51 to 39 Ma. In this robust magnetic polarity-based chronological frame, the pelagic micrite to terrigenous-rich calciturbidites occurred near the top of Chron C21n and is dated 46 Ma. Furthermore, the magnetic mineral assemblage within part of the calciturbidites consists of hematite associated with maghemite. This association indicates emergent land as source of the terrigenous, suggesting a considerable uplift. Because 94% of the Zealandia continent is submerged, ocean drilling is needed to gauge the full extent and timing of Eocene compressive deformation revealed by the seismic profiles acquired in the Tasman area. This is a primary aim of International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 371 (27th July - 26th September 2017).

Geologic map of the Strawberry Butte 7.5’ quadrangle, Meagher County, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reynolds, Mitchell W.; Brandt, Theodore R.

2017-06-19

The 7.5′ Strawberry Butte quadrangle in Meagher County, Montana near the southwest margin of the Little Belt Mountains, encompasses two sharply different geologic terranes.  The northern three-quarters of the quadrangle are underlain mainly by Paleoproterozoic granite gneiss, across which Middle Cambrian sedimentary rocks rest unconformably.  An ancestral valley of probable late Eocene age, eroded northwest across the granite gneiss terrane, is filled with Oligocene basalt and overlying Miocene and Oligocene sandstone, siltstone, tuffaceous siltstone, and conglomerate.  The southern quarter of the quadrangle is underlain principally by deformed Mesoproterozoic sedimentary rocks of the Newland Formation, which are intruded by Eocene biotite hornblende dacite dikes.  In this southern terrane, Tertiary strata are exposed only in a limited area near the southeast margin of the quadrangle.  The distinct terranes are juxtaposed along the Volcano Valley fault zone—a zone of recurrent crustal movement beginning possibly in Mesoproterozoic time and certainly established from Neoproterozoic–Early Cambrian to late Tertiary time.  Movement along the fault zone has included normal faulting, the southern terrane faulted down relative to the northern terrane, some reverse faulting as the southern terrane later moved up against the northern terrane, and lateral movement during which the southern terrane likely moved west relative to the northern terrane.  Near the eastern margin of the quadrangle, the Newland Formation is locally the host of stratabound sulfide mineralization adjacent to the fault zone; west along the fault zone across the remainder of the quadrangle are significant areas and bands of hematite and iron-silicate mineral concentrations related to apparent alteration of iron sulfides.  The map defines the distribution of a variety of surficial deposits, including the distribution of hematite-rich colluvium and iron-silicate boulders.  The southeast corner of the quadrangle is the site of active exploration and potential development for copper from the sulfide-bearing strata of the Newland Formation.

Dynamic HIV-1 genetic recombination and genotypic drug resistance among treatment-experienced adults in northern Ghana.

PubMed

Nii-Trebi, Nicholas Israel; Brandful, James Ashun Mensah; Ibe, Shiro; Sugiura, Wataru; Barnor, Jacob Samson; Bampoh, Patrick Owiredu; Yamaoka, Shoji; Matano, Tetsuro; Yoshimura, Kazuhisa; Ishikawa, Koichi; Ampofo, William Kwabena

2017-11-01

There have been hardly any reports on the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) drug-resistance profile from northern Ghana since antiretroviral therapy (ART) was introduced over a decade ago. This study investigated prevailing HIV-1 subtypes and examined the occurrence of drug resistance in ART-experienced patients in Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region of Ghana. A cross-sectional study was carried out on HIV-infected adult patients receiving first-line ART. HIV viral load (VL) and CD4 + T-cell counts were measured. The pol gene sequences were analysed for genotypic resistance by an in-house HIV-1 drug-resistance test; the prevailing HIV-1 subtypes were analysed in detail.Results/Key findings. A total of 33 subjects were studied. Participants comprised 11 males (33.3 %) and 22 (66.7 %) females, with a median age of 34.5 years [interquartile range (IQR) 30.0-40.3]. The median duration on ART was 12 months (IQR 8.0-24). Of the 24 subjects successfully genotyped, 10 (41.7 %) viruses possessed at least one mutation conferring resistance to nucleoside or non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs/NNRTIs). Two-class drug resistance to NRTI and NNRTI was mostly detected (25 %, 6/24). The most frequent mutations were lamivudine-resistance M184V and efavirenz/nevirapine-resistance K103N. HIV-1 subtype CRF02_AG was predominant (79.2 %). Other HIV-1 subtypes detected were G (8.3 %), A3 (4.2 %) and importantly two (8.3 %) unique HIV-1 recombinant forms with CRF02_AG/A3 mosaic. HIV-1 shows high genetic diversity and on-going viral genetic recombination in the study region. Nearly 42 % of the patients studied harboured a drug-resistant virus. The study underscores the need for continued surveillance of HIV-1 subtype diversity; and of drug-resistance patterns to guide selection of second-line regimens in northern Ghana.

Effects of nuclear radiation on a high-reliability silicon power diode. 4: Analysis of reverse bias characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Been, J. F.

1973-01-01

The effects of nuclear radiation on the reverse bias electrical characteristics of one hundred silicon power diodes were investigated. On a percentage basis, the changes in reverse currents were large but, due to very low initial values, this electrical characteristic was not the limiting factor in use of these diodes. These changes were interpreted in terms of decreasing minority carrier lifetimes as related to generation-recombination currents. The magnitudes of reverse voltage breakdown were unaffected by irradiation.

Efficacy and safety of sugammadex compared to neostigmine for reversal of neuromuscular blockade: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PubMed

Carron, Michele; Zarantonello, Francesco; Tellaroli, Paola; Ori, Carlo

2016-12-01

Sugammadex has been introduced for reversal of rocuronium (or vecuronium)-induced neuromuscular blockade (NMB). Although its efficacy has been established, data are conflicting whether it is safer than neostigmine traditionally used for reversing NMB. Meta-analysis of data about effectiveness and safety of sugammadex compared to neostigmine for reversing NMB in adults was performed using the PRISMA methodology. University medical hospital. A comprehensive search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library electronic databases to identify English-language randomized controlled trials. Two reviewers independently selected the trials; extracted data on reversal times, incomplete reversals of NMB, and adverse events (AEs); and assessed the trials' methodological quality and evidence level. Only AEs that were related to study drug by a blinded safety assessor were considered for meta-analysis. A total of 1384 patients from 13 articles were included in this meta-analysis. Compared to neostigmine, sugammadex was faster in reversing NMB (P<.0001) and more likely to be associated with higher train-of-four ratio values at extubation (mean difference, 0.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.14-0.22; P<.0001) and lower risk of postoperative residual curarization after extubation (odds ratio [OR], 0.05; 95% CI, 0.01-0.43; P=.0068). Compared to neostigmine, sugammadex was associated with a significantly lower likelihood of global AEs (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.34-0.66; P<.0001), respiratory AEs (OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.14-0.95; P=.0386), cardiovascular AEs (OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.08-0.61; P=.0036), and postoperative weakness (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.21-0.97; P=.0409). Sugammadex and neostigmine were associated with a similar likelihood of postoperative nausea and vomiting (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.70-2.15; P=.4719), pain (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.15-7.36; P=.9559), neurologic AEs (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 0.52-4.17; P=.4699), general AEs (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.47-1.21; P=.2448), and changes in laboratory tests' values (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.18-1.78; P=.3368). Results from this meta-analysis suggest that sugammadex is superior to neostigmine, as it reverses NMB faster and more reliably, with a lower risk of AEs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rural telemedicine project in northern New Mexico

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

Zink, S.; Hahn, H.; Rudnick, J.

A virtual electronic medical record system is being deployed over the Internet with security in northern New Mexico using TeleMed, a multimedia medical records management system that uses CORBA-based client-server technology and distributed database architecture. The goal of the NNM Rural Telemedicine Project is to implement TeleMed into fifteen rural clinics and two hospitals within a 25,000 square mile area of northern New Mexico. Evaluation of the project consists of three components: job task analysis, audit of immunized children, and time motion studies. Preliminary results of the evaluation components are presented.

An assessment of multiflora rose in northern U.S. forests

Treesearch

Cassandra M. Kurtz; Mark H. Hansen

2013-01-01

This publication provides an overview of multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) on forest land across the 24 states of the midwestern and northeastern United States based on an extensive systematic network of plots measured by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station (NRS).

Impact of Non-Formal Primary Education Programs: A Case Study of Northern Ghana.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mfum-Mensah, Obed

A study assessed the impact of the Shepherd School program, a nonformal basic education program in rural northern Ghana implemented by a nongovernmental organization. Data were gathered through observation; document analysis; and interviews with 42 children, parents, community members, chiefs, school staff, NGO members, and assemblymen in 2…

The establishment and development of oak forests in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas

Treesearch

Rick D. Soucy; Eric Heitzman; Martin A. Spetich

2005-01-01

The disturbance history of six mature white oak (Quercus alba L.) - northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) - hickory (Carya spp.) stands in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas were reconstructed using tree-ring and fire-scar analysis. Results indicate that all six stands originated in the early 1900s following...

A Grammar of Northern and Southern Gumuz

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahland, Colleen Anne

2012-01-01

Gumuz is a Nilo-Saharan dialect cluster spoken in the river valleys of northwestern Ethiopia and the southeastern part of the Republic of the Sudan. There are approximately 200,000 speakers, the majority of which reside in Ethiopia. This study is a phonological and grammatical analysis of two main dialects/languages: Northern Gumuz and Southern…

Youth in Northern Ireland: Introduction to the Special Issue.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Percy, Andrew

2000-01-01

Introduces a collection of articles that represent some of the research and policy analysis of key issues affecting the lives of young people currently living in Northern Ireland, which is in the midst of an unparalleled political and social transformation. The articles focus on crime, drug use, criminal justice, families, divorce, and youth…

Quantitative classification of a historic northern Wisconsin (U.S.A.) landscape: mapping forests at regional scales

Treesearch

Lisa A. Schulte; David J. Mladenoff; Erik V. Nordheim

2002-01-01

We developed a quantitative and replicable classification system to improve understanding of historical composition and structure within northern Wisconsin's forests. The classification system was based on statistical cluster analysis and two forest metrics, relative dominance (% basal area) and relative importance (mean of relative dominance and relative density...

Along-strike variation in deformation style inferred from kinematic reconstruction and strain rate analysis: A case study of the Ethiopian Rift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muluneh, Ameha A.; Cuffaro, Marco; Kidane, Tesfaye

2017-09-01

In this paper we combine kinematic reconstruction and seismic strain rate analysis to understand the along-strike variation in strain accommodation in the Ethiopian Rift (ER) evolution. The reconstruction poles close the southern and central ER at 19 and 15 Myr, respectively whereas there is 34 ± 14 km overlap in the northern ER at 11 Myr. Using Kostrov summation, seismic strain rates of 6.81 ×10-9 yr-1 and 0.06 × 10-9 yr-1 are obtained for the south-central and northern ER, respectively. Comparison of the seismic and geodetic strain rates shows that seismic deformation dominates the south and central ER contrary to the northern ER that deforms aseismically. The results obtained indicate that Nubia/Somalia plate reconstructions together with information on the onset of rifting overestimate the kinematics of the northern ER. We argue that magmatic processes play significant role in accommodating the ∼ 2 Myr opening of the rift. Our findings agree well with previous geophysical and geological studies in the Ethiopian Rift.

Vertical-Axis Rotations Within Columbia River Basalt Flows Define a Sharp Eastern Boundary of the Coast Range Block with Potentially Increased Seismic Risk for Portland, Oregon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagstrum, J. T.; Wells, R. E.; Evarts, R. C.; Blakely, R. J.; Beeson, M. H.

2006-12-01

Paleomagnetic analysis of the Miocene Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) in the northern Willamette Valley of Oregon was undertaken as part of a larger mapping and hydrogeologic investigation of the CRBG's internal stratigraphy and structure. Differences in paleomagnetic directions between flows due to geomagnetic reversals and paleosecular variation, in combination with geochemical data, provide the most reliable means of flow identification. In addition, vertical-axis rotations between CRBG sites in the Portland area and sampling localities within the same flow units on the relatively stable Columbia Plateau were calculated. Clockwise rotations for sites within the northern Willamette Valley are remarkably consistent and have a weighted mean of 29°±3° (N=94). Available paleomagnetic data from CRBG sites along the Oregon coast at Cape Lookout (19°±22°, N=4) and Cape Foulweather (29°±18°, N=4) show similar results. East of the Portland Hills fault zone along the Columbia River Gorge, however, clockwise rotations are much less averaging 12°±3° (N=15). North of Portland, the CRBG rotational values drop abruptly from ~29° to 6°±17° (N=3) across an unnamed fault near Woodland, WA, identified using aeromagnetic data; to the south, the values drop from ~29° to 18°±3° (N=6) across the Mt. Angel-Gales Creek fault zone east of Salem, OR. The eastern boundary of the Oregon Coast Range block is thus defined by three offset NW-trending fault segments, with the offsets corresponding to the Portland and Willamette pull-apart basins. North of the Coast Range block's northern boundary, which is roughly coincident with the Columbia River, CRBG rotations also are about half that (15°±3°, N=15) found within the block. Northward movement and clockwise rotation of the Oregon Coast Range block have previously been modeled as decreasing continuously eastward to the Columbia Plateau. Our new paleomagnetic data indicate an abrupt step down of rotational values by half in the vicinity of the Portland metropolitan area, and that the Portland Hills-Clackamas River and other parallel structural zones could be the loci of larger and more dangerous strike-slip earthquakes than previously thought.

Seismic Activity offshore Martinique and Dominique islands (Lesser Antilles subduction zone)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz Fernandez, Mario; Galve, Audrey; Monfret, Tony; Charvis, Philippe; Laigle, Mireille; Flueh, Ernst; Gallart, Josep; Hello, Yann

2010-05-01

In the framework of the European project Thales was Right, two seismic surveys (Sismantilles II and Obsantilles) were carried out to better constrain the lithospheric structure of the Lesser Antilles subduction zone, its seismic activity and to evaluate the associated seismic hazards. Sismantilles II experiment was conducted in January, 2007 onboard R/V Atalante (IFREMER). A total of 90 OBS belonging to Géoazur, INSU-CNRS and IFM-Geomar were deployed on a regular grid, offshore Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominique and Martinique islands. During the active part of the survey, more than 2500 km of multichannel seismic profiles were shot along the grid lines. Then the OBS remained on the seafloor continuously recording for the seismic activity for approximately 4 months. On April 2007 Obsantilles experiment, carried out onboard R/V Antea (IRD), was focused on the recovery of those OBS and the redeployment of 28 instruments (Géoazur OBS) off Martinique and Dominica Islands for 4 additional months of continuous recording of the seismicity. This work focuses on the analysis of the seismological data recorded in the southern sector of the study area, offshore Martinique and Dominique. During the two recording periods, extending from January to the end of August 2007, more than 3300 seismic events were detected in this area. Approximately 1100 earthquakes had enough quality to be correctly located. Station corrections, obtained from multichannel seismic profiles, were introduced to each OBS to take in to account the sedimentary cover and better constrain the hypocentral determinations. Results show events located at shallower depths in the northern sector of the array, close to the Tiburon Ridge, where the seismic activity is mainly located between 20 to 40 km depth. In the southern sector, offshore Martinique, hypocenters become deeper, ranging to 60 km depth and dipping to the west. Focal solutions have also been obtained using the P wave polarities of the best azimuthally constrained earthquakes (Gap smaller than 90°). Focal mechanisms also reveal some differences between the northern and southern sector of the array. Whereas in the southern sector most of the analysed events show purely reverse fault solutions, in the northern area events present strike slip and normal fault solutions and could be related to intraplate deformation.

Allelic clustering and ancestry-dependent frequencies of rs6232, rs6234, and rs6235 PCSK1 SNPs in a Northern Ontario population sample.

PubMed

Sirois, Francine; Kaefer, Nadine; Currie, Krista A; Chrétien, Michel; Nkongolo, Kabwe K; Mbikay, Majambu

2012-10-01

The PCSK1 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1) locus encodes proprotein convertase 1/3, an endoprotease that converts prohormones and proneuropeptides to their active forms. Spontaneous loss-of-function mutations in the coding sequence of its gene have been linked to obesity in humans. Minor alleles of two common non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs6232 (T > C, N221D) and rs6235 (C > G, S690T), have been associated with increased risk of obesity in European populations. In this study, we compared the frequencies of the rs6232 and rs6234 (G > C, Q665E) SNPs in Aboriginal and Caucasian populations of Northern Ontario. The two SNPs were all relatively less frequent in Aboriginals: The minor allele frequency of the rs6232 SNP was 0.01 in Aboriginals and 0.08 in Caucasians (P < 4.10(-6)); for the rs6234 SNP, it was 0.20 and 0.32, respectively (P < 0.001). Resequencing revealed that the rs6234 SNP variation was tightly linked to that of the rs6235 SNP, as previously reported. Most interestingly, all carriers of the rs6232 SNP variation also carried the rs6234/rs6235 SNP clustered variations, but not the reverse, suggesting the former occurred later on an allele already carrying the latter. These data indicate that, in Northern Ontario Aboriginals, the triple-variant PCSK1 allele is relatively rare and might be of lesser significance for obesity risk in this population.

Discovering the Complexity of Capable Faults in Northern Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez, G.; del Río, I. A.; Rojas Orrego, C., Sr.; Astudillo, L. A., Sr.

2017-12-01

Great crustal earthquakes (Mw >7.0) in the upper plate of subduction zones are relatively uncommon and less well documented. We hypothesize that crustal earthquakes are poorly represented in the instrumental record because they have long recurrence intervals. In northern Chile, the extreme long-term aridity permits extraordinary preservation of landforms related to fault activity, making this region a primary target to understand how upper plate faults work at subduction zones. To understand how these faults relate to crustal seismicity in the long-term, we have conducted a detailed palaeoseismological study. We performed a palaeoseismological survey integrating trench logging and photogrammetry based on UAVs. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) age determinations were practiced for dating deposits linked to faulting. In this contribution we present the study case of two primary faults located in the Coastal Cordillera of northern Chile between Iquique (21ºS) and Antofagasta (24ºS). We estimate the maximum moment magnitude of earthquakes generated in these upper plate faults, their recurrence interval and the fault-slip rate. We conclude that the studied upper plate faults show a complex kinematics on geological timescales. Faults seem to change their kinematics from normal (extension) to reverse (compression) or from normal to transcurrent (compression) according to the stage of subduction earthquake cycle. Normal displacement is related to coseismic stages and compression is linked to interseismic period. As result this complex interaction these faults are capable of generating Mw 7.0 earthquakes, with recurrence times on the order of thousands of years during every stage of the subduction earthquake cycle.

Early Miocene Tectonic Activity in the western Ross Sea (Antarctica)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauli, C.; Sorlien, C. C.; Busetti, M.; Geletti, R.; De Santis, L.

2012-12-01

In the framework of the Rossmap Italian PNRA work objectives to compile extended and revised digital maps of the main unconformities in Ross Sea, Antarctica, much additional seismic reflection data, that were not available to previous ANTOSTRAT compilation, were incorporated into a new ROSSMAP interpretation. The correlation across almost all of Ross Sea, from DSDP Site 270 and Site 272 in Eastern Basin to northern Victoria Land Basin, of additional early Miocene and late Oligocene horizons that were not part of ANTOSTRAT allows interpretations to be made of fault activity and glacial erosion or deposition at a finer time resolution. New conclusions include that extensional or transtensional fault activity within the zone between Victoria Land Basin and Northern Basin, initiated by 23 Ma or earlier, and continued after 18 Ma. Steep parallel-striking faults in southern Victoria Land Basin display both reverse and normal separation of 17.5 Ma (from Cape Roberts Program-core 1) and post-16 Ma horizons, suggesting an important strike-slip component. This result may be compared with published papers that proposed post-17 Ma extension in southern Victoria Land Basin, 16-17 Ma extension in the AdareTrough, north of the Ross Sea continental shelf, but no Miocene extension affecting the Northern Basin (Granot et al., 2010). Thus, our evidence for extension through the early Miocene is significant to post-spreading tectonic models. Reference Granot R., Cande S. C., Stock J. M., Davey F. J. and Clayton R. W. (2010) Postspreading rifting in the Adare Basin, Antarctica: Regional tectonic consequences. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 8, Q08005, doi:10.1029/2010GC003105.

HIV-1 genetic diversity and antiretroviral drug resistance among individuals from Roraima state, northern Brazil

PubMed Central

Leão, Renato Augusto Carvalho; Granja, Fabiana; Naveca, Felipe Gomes

2017-01-01

The HIV-1 epidemic in Brazil has spread towards the Northern country region, but little is known about HIV-1 subtypes and prevalence of HIV strains with resistance mutations to antiretrovirals in some of the Northern states. HIV-1 protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase (RT) sequences were obtained from 73 treatment-naive and -experienced subjects followed between 2013 and 2014 at a public health reference unit from Roraima, the northernmost Brazilian state. The most prevalent HIV-1 clade observed in the study population was the subtype B (91%), followed by subtype C (9%). Among 12 HIV-1 strains from treatment-naïve patients, only one had a transmitted drug resistance mutation for NNRTI. Among 59 treatment-experienced patients, 12 (20%) harbored HIV-1 strains with acquired drug resistance mutations (ADRM) that reduce the susceptibility to two classes of antiretroviral drugs (NRTI and NNRTI or NRTI and PI), and five (8%) harbored HIV-1 strains with ADRM that reduced susceptibility to only one class of antiretroviral drugs (NNRTI or PI). No patients harboring HIV strains with reduced susceptibility to all three classes of antiretroviral drugs were detected. A substantial fraction of treatment-experienced patients with (63%) and without (70%) ADRM had undetectable plasma viral loads (<40 copies/ml) at the time of sampling. Among treatment-experienced with plasma viral loads above 2,000 copies/ml, 44% displayed no ADRM. This data showed that the HIV-1 epidemic in Roraima displayed a much lower level of genetic diversity and a lower prevalence of ADRM than that described in other Brazilian states. PMID:28301548

Fine-particle pH for Beijing winter haze as inferred from different thermodynamic equilibrium models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Shaojie; Gao, Meng; Xu, Weiqi; Shao, Jingyuan; Shi, Guoliang; Wang, Shuxiao; Wang, Yuxuan; Sun, Yele; McElroy, Michael B.

2018-05-01

pH is an important property of aerosol particles but is difficult to measure directly. Several studies have estimated the pH values for fine particles in northern China winter haze using thermodynamic models (i.e., E-AIM and ISORROPIA) and ambient measurements. The reported pH values differ widely, ranging from close to 0 (highly acidic) to as high as 7 (neutral). In order to understand the reason for this discrepancy, we calculated pH values using these models with different assumptions with regard to model inputs and particle phase states. We find that the large discrepancy is due primarily to differences in the model assumptions adopted in previous studies. Calculations using only aerosol-phase composition as inputs (i.e., reverse mode) are sensitive to the measurement errors of ionic species, and inferred pH values exhibit a bimodal distribution, with peaks between -2 and 2 and between 7 and 10, depending on whether anions or cations are in excess. Calculations using total (gas plus aerosol phase) measurements as inputs (i.e., forward mode) are affected much less by these measurement errors. In future studies, the reverse mode should be avoided whereas the forward mode should be used. Forward-mode calculations in this and previous studies collectively indicate a moderately acidic condition (pH from about 4 to about 5) for fine particles in northern China winter haze, indicating further that ammonia plays an important role in determining this property. The assumed particle phase state, either stable (solid plus liquid) or metastable (only liquid), does not significantly impact pH predictions. The unrealistic pH values of about 7 in a few previous studies (using the standard ISORROPIA model and stable state assumption) resulted from coding errors in the model, which have been identified and fixed in this study.

Basic and Advanced EMS Providers Are Equally Effective in Naloxone Administration for Opioid Overdose in Northern New England.

PubMed

Gulec, Nazey; Lahey, Joseph; Suozzi, James C; Sholl, Matthew; MacLean, Charles D; Wolfson, Daniel L

2018-01-01

Overdose mortality from illicit and prescription opioids has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, especially in rural areas. Naloxone is a safe and effective agent that has been shown to successfully reverse the effects of opioid overdose in the prehospital setting. The National EMS Scope of Practice Model currently only recommends advanced life support (ALS) providers to administer naloxone; however, some individual states have expanded this scope of practice to include intranasal (IN) administration of naloxone by basic life support (BLS) providers, including the Northern New England states. This study compares the effectiveness and appropriateness of naloxone administration between BLS and ALS providers. All Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine EMS patient encounters between April 1, 2014 and December 31, 2016 where naloxone was administered were examined and 3,219 patients were identified. The proportion of successful reversals of opioid overdose, based on improvement in the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), respiratory rate (RR), and provider global assessment (GA) of response to medication was compared between BLS and ALS providers using a Chi-Squared statistic, Fisher's exact or Wilcoxon rank-sum test. There was no significant difference in the percent improvement in GCS between BLS and ALS (64% and 64% P = 0.94). There was no significant difference in the percentage of improvement in RR between BLS and ALS (45% and 48% P = 0.43). There was a significant difference in the percentage of improvement of GA between BLS and ALS (80% and 67% P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in determining appropriate cases to administer naloxone where RR < 12 and GCS < 15 between BLS and ALS (42% and 43% P = 0.94). BLS providers were as effective as ALS providers in improving patient outcome measures after naloxone administration and in identifying patients for whom administration of naloxone is appropriate. These findings support expanding the National EMS Scope of Practice Model to include BLS administration of intranasal naloxone for suspected opioid overdoses.

Tuff of Bridge Spring: A mid-Miocene ash-flow tuff, northern Colorado River extensional corridor, Nevada and Arizona

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

Smith, E.I.; Morikawa, S.A.; Martin, M.W.

1993-04-01

The Tuff of Bridge Spring (TBS) (15.19[+-]0.02 Ma; Gans, 1991) is a compositionally variable dacite to rhyolite ash-flow tuff that crops out over 1800 sq. km in the northern Colorado River extensional corridor. The TBS varies in composition from 59.5 to 74 wt. % SiO[sub 2] and typically contains phenocrysts of sanidine, plagioclase, biotite, clinopyroxene, [+-] sphene, [+-] apatite, [+-] zircon, and [+-] hornblende. The TBS is thickest and displays its greatest compositional range in the center of its area of exposure. The McCullough Range section contains at least three chemically distinct flow units that vary in composition from dacitemore » to rhyolite. The basal and uppermost units are normally zoned and the middle unit is reversely zoned. The complex chemical zonation and zoning reversals in the TBS indicate that it erupted from a magma chamber that was periodically injected by both mafic and felsic magmas. Sections at the edge of the exposure area are thin, contain only one or two chemically definable flow units and have a limited compositional range. To the west at Sheep Mountain, TBS is 2.9 m thick and ranges from 70.2--71.7 wt % SiO[sub 2]. To the east in the White Hills, TBS is 14 m thick and ranges from 59.5--65.3 wt % SiO[sub 2]. This chemical and field data indicate that although the TBS is regionally extensive, individual flow units are not. Isotopic data and chemistry suggest that all sections of the TBS are cogenetic. Comparisons of chemical, geochronological and isotopic data between the TBS and nearby coeval plutons indicate that the Aztec Wash (Eldorado Mts., Nevada) and Mt. Perkins (Black Mountain, Arizona) plutons are possible source for the TBS. Both plutons exhibit ample evidence of magma mixing and commingling, processes that may produce compositional zonation such as that observed in the TBS.« less

Higher reproductive success of small males and greater recruitment of large females may explain strong reversed sexual dimorphism (RSD) in the northern goshawk.

PubMed

Pérez-Camacho, L; García-Salgado, G; Rebollo, S; Martínez-Hesterkamp, S; Fernández-Pereira, J M

2015-02-01

Reversed sexual dimorphism (RSD), which occurs when the female of a species is larger than the male, is the rule for most birds of prey but the exception among other bird and mammal species. The selective pressures that favour RSD are an intriguing issue in animal ecology. Despite the large number of hypotheses proposed to explain the evolution of RSD, there is still no consensus about the mechanisms involved and whether they act on one or both sexes, mainly because few intrapopulation studies have been undertaken and few raptor species have been investigated. Using the strongly size-dimorphic northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis L.) as a model, we studied a population with one of the highest densities of breeding pairs reported in the literature in order to understand selective pressures that may favour RSD. We evaluated life-history processes, including recruitment of adult breeders and reproductive success, and we explored the mechanisms thought to act on each sex, including hunting efficiency, diet, body condition and mate choice. We found that smaller males produced more fledglings than larger ones, but there was no relationship between size and reproductive success for females. The mean body size of female breeders was larger than that of female fledglings, but male fledglings and breeders did not differ in size. Male body size was related to the type but not to the amount of prey captured during the nestling stage. We conclude that RSD may be favoured in this goshawk population because small males tend to enjoy higher reproductive success and large females greater recruitment. Our results do not support the hypotheses that evolutionary reduction in male size is driven by hunting efficiency, at least during the nestling stage, or the hypotheses that it is driven by greater recruitment. Our findings also suggest that increase in female size is driven by recruitment, rather than by reproductive success as previously postulated.

Successive reactivation of older structures under variable heat flow conditions evidenced by K-Ar fault gouge dating in Sierra de Ambato, northern Argentine broken foreland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nóbile, Julieta C.; Collo, Gilda; Dávila, Federico M.; Martina, Federico; Wemmer, Klaus

2015-12-01

The Argentine broken foreland has been the subject of continuous research to determine the uplift and exhumation history of the region. High-elevation mountains are the result of N-S reverse faults that disrupted a W-E Miocene Andean foreland basin. In the Sierra de Ambato (northern Argentine broken foreland) the reverse faults offset Neogene sedimentary rocks (Aconquija Fm., ˜9 Ma) and affect the basement comprising Paleozoic metamorphic rocks that have been dated at ˜477-470 Ma. In order to establish a chronology of these faults affecting the previous continuous basin we date the formation age of clay minerals associated with fault gouge using the K-Ar dating technique. Clay mineral formation is a fundamental process in the evolution of faults under the brittle regime (<<300 °C). K-Ar ages (9 fractions from 3 samples collected along a transect in the Sierra de Ambato) vary from Late Devonian to Late Triassic (˜360-220 Ma). This age distribution can be explained by a long lasting brittle deformation history with a minimum age of ˜360 Ma and a last clay minerals forming event at ˜220 Ma. Moreover, given the progression of apparent ages decreasing from coarse to fine size fractions (˜360-311 Ma for 2-1 μm grain size fraction, ˜326-286 Ma for 1-0.2 μm and ˜291-219 Ma of <0.2 μm), we modeled discrete deformation events at ˜417 Ma (ending of the Famatinian cycle), ˜317-326 Ma (end of Gondwanic orogeny), and ˜194-279 Ma (Early Permian - Jurassic deformation). According to our data, the Neogene reactivation would not have affected the K-Ar system neither generated a significant clay minerals crystallization in the fault gouge, although an exhumation of more than 2 Km is recorded in this period from stratigraphic data.

Spatial Variation in Transpiration Within a Small Forest Patch in Hoa Binh, Northern Vietnam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giambelluca, T. W.; Ziegler, A. D.; Nullet, M. A.; Dao, T. M.

2001-12-01

We conducted measurements of small-scale variations in microclimate and sapflow within and near a small forest patch in Ban Tat Hamlet, Hoa Binh, northern Vietnam. Our observations provide evidence of the influences of surrounding clearings on forest patch microclimate and transpiration. The effects of proximity to the forest edge can be seen in the gradients in temperature, humidity, wind, and soil moisture content. Sapflow measurements in sample trees strongly indicate that transpiration rates are higher near the edge of the patch (edge effect). This effect is seen in the averages for the whole study period, despite infrequent wind flow into the instrumented edge of the patch. Edge effect is observed during both dry and wet periods, but is most apparent on days when solar and net radiation are high, relative humidity is low, or wind direction is from the clearing into the forest edge. These conditions are conducive to high positive heat advection from the clearing to the forest edge. Transpiration in both edge and interior trees is highly correlated with conditions in the clearing. Our results suggest that greater land-cover fragmentation tends to increase regional evaporative flux, i.e. fragmentation of remaining forested areas partly reverses the reduction in regional evaporation due to deforestation. We can infer from the distance-to-edge dependency of transpiration that the magnitude of this regional effect depends on the size, shape, and spatial distribution of landscape patches. It is also likely that the replacement land cover and moisture status of the clearings affect this process. Although we found slightly greater edge effect during the dry period of our observations, it is possible that under more prolonged or severe dry conditions, the soil moisture storage at the forest edge would become depleted leading to a reversal the transpiration pattern. >http://webdata.soc.hawaii.edu/climate/Frags/Frags.html

Centennial and millennial-scale hydroclimate changes in northwestern Patagonia since 16,000 yr BP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno, Patricio I.; Videla, Javiera

2016-10-01

We examine hydroclimate changes at centennial/millennial timescales since 16,000 yr BP in northwestern Patagonia based on the pollen and charcoal record from Lago El Salto, a small closed-basin lake located in the Chilean Lake District (41°38‧48.02″S, 73° 5‧48.42″W). We observe cold/wet conditions between 14,500-16,000 yr BP, followed by further cooling with increased precipitation until 13,000 yr BP, enhanced precipitation seasonality and/or variability between 11,600-13,000 yr BP, and an extended warm-and-dry interval between 7600 and 11,300 yr BP with peak paleofire activity. Colder-and-wetter than present conditions and muted paleofire activity prevail between 5300 and 7600 yr BP, followed by alternating cold/wet and centennial-scale warm/dry phases starting at 5300 yr BP with three conspicuous megadroughts since 2500 yr BP. The most recent megadrought occurred during the Medieval Climate Anomaly. We identify a cold reversal that spans the Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR) and the Younger Dryas (YD) chrons with stronger-than-present westerly influence during the former and enhanced variability during the latter. These results extend the northern limit of strong cooling and increase in precipitation during the ACR and the southern limit of influence of strong hydrologic variations during the YD in terrestrial environments, suggesting an overlap in the spheres of influence of processes originating from southern and northern polar latitudes. An extended warm southern westerly wind (SWW)-minimum interval is evident between 7600 and 11,300 yr BP, followed by a rapid shift to cool-moist conditions between 5300 and 7600 yr BP brought by a mid-Holocene SWW maximum. Since then we observe centennial-scale hydroclimate variability, which has driven biodiversity and fire-regime shifts of evergreen temperate rainforests.

Implications of multi-scale sea level and climate variability for coastal resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Karamperidou, Christina; Engel, Victor; Lall, Upmanu; Stabenau, Erik; Smith, Thomas J.

2013-01-01

While secular changes in regional sea levels and their implications for coastal zone management have been studied extensively, less attention is being paid to natural fluctuations in sea levels, whose interaction with a higher mean level could have significant impacts on low-lying areas, such as wetlands. Here, the long record of sea level at Key West, FL is studied in terms of both the secular trend and the multi-scale sea level variations. This analysis is then used to explore implications for the Everglades National Park (ENP), which is recognized internationally for its ecological significance, and is the site of the largest wetland restoration project in the world. Very shallow topographic gradients (3–6 cm per km) make the region susceptible to small changes in sea level. Observations of surface water levels from a monitoring network within ENP exhibit both the long-term trends and the interannual-to-(multi)decadal variability that are observed in the Key West record. Water levels recorded at four long-term monitoring stations within ENP exhibit increasing trends approximately equal to or larger than the long-term trend at Key West. Time- and frequency-domain analyses highlight the potential influence of climate mechanisms, such as the El Niño/Southern Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), on Key West sea levels and marsh water levels, and the potential modulation of their influence by the background state of the North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperatures. In particular, the Key West sea levels are found to be positively correlated with the NAO index, while the two series exhibit high spectral power during the transition to a cold Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). The correlation between the Key West sea levels and the NINO3 Index reverses its sign in coincidence with a reversal of the AMO phase. Water levels in ENP are also influenced by precipitation and freshwater releases from the northern boundary of the Park. The analysis of both climate variability and climate change in such wetlands is needed to inform management practices in coastal wetland zones around the world.

Explaining mental health inequalities in Northern Sweden: a decomposition analysis

PubMed Central

Amroussia, Nada; Gustafsson, Per E.; Mosquera, Paola A.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: There has been a substantial increase of income inequalities in Sweden over the last 20 years, which also could be reflected in health inequalities, including mental health inequalities. Despite the growing body of literature focusing on health inequalities in Sweden, income-related inequalities in mental health have received little attention. Particularly scarce are research from Northern Sweden and examinations of the social determinants of health inequalities. Objectives: The present study seeks to provide evidence regarding inequalities in mental health in Northern Sweden. The specific aims were to (1) quantify the income-related inequality in mental health in Northern Sweden, and (2) determine the contribution of social determinants to the inequality. Methods: The study population comprised 25,646 participants of the 2014 Health on Equal Terms survey in the four northernmost counties of Sweden, aged 16 to 84 years old. Income-related inequalities in mental health were quantified by the concentration index and further decomposed by applying Wagstaff-type decomposition analysis. Results: The overall concentration index of mental health in Northern Sweden was −0.15 (95% CI: −0.17 to −0.13), indicating income inequalities in mental health disfavoring the less affluent population. The decomposition analysis results revealed that socio-economic conditions, including employment status (31%), income (22.6%), and cash margin (14%), made the largest contribution to the pro-rich inequalities in mental health. The second-largest contribution came from demographic factors, mainly age (11.3%) and gender (6%). Psychosocial factors were of smaller importance, with perceived discrimination (8%) and emotional support (3.4%) making moderate contributions to the health inequalities. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates substantial income-related mental health inequalities in Northern Sweden, and provides insights into their underpinnings. These findings suggest that addressing the root causes is essential for promoting mental health equity in this region. PMID:28562191

Spin-orbit torque induced magnetic vortex polarity reversal utilizing spin-Hall effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Cheng; Cai, Li; Liu, Baojun; Yang, Xiaokuo; Cui, Huanqing; Wang, Sen; Wei, Bo

2018-05-01

We propose an effective magnetic vortex polarity reversal scheme that makes use of spin-orbit torque introduced by spin-Hall effect in heavy-metal/ferromagnet multilayers structure, which can result in subnanosecond polarity reversal without endangering the structural stability. Micromagnetic simulations are performed to investigate the spin-Hall effect driven dynamics evolution of magnetic vortex. The mechanism of magnetic vortex polarity reversal is uncovered by a quantitative analysis of exchange energy density, magnetostatic energy density, and their total energy density. The simulation results indicate that the magnetic vortex polarity is reversed through the nucleation-annihilation process of topological vortex-antivortex pair. This scheme is an attractive option for ultra-fast magnetic vortex polarity reversal, which can be used as the guidelines for the choice of polarity reversal scheme in vortex-based random access memory.

Role of a Ferredoxin Gene Cotranscribed with the nifHDK Operon in N2 Fixation and Nitrogenase “Switch-Off” of Azoarcus sp. Strain BH72

PubMed Central

Egener, Tanja; Martin, Dietmar E.; Sarkar, Abhijit; Reinhold-Hurek, Barbara

2001-01-01

The endophytic diazotroph Azoarcus sp. strain BH72 is capable of infecting rice roots and of expressing the nitrogenase (nif) genes there. In order to study the genetic background for nitrogen fixation in strain BH72, the structural genes of nitrogenase (nifHDK) were cloned and sequenced. The sequence analysis revealed an unusual gene organization: downstream of nifHDK, a ferredoxin gene (fdxN; 59% amino acid sequence identity to R. capsulatus FdxN) and open reading frames showing 52 and 36% amino acid sequence identity to nifY of Pseudomonas stutzeri A15 and ORF1 of Azotobacter vinelandii were located. Northern blot analysis, reverse transcriptase PCR and primer extension analysis revealed that these six genes are located on one transcript transcribed from a ς54-type promoter. Shorter transcripts sequentially missing genes of the 3′ part of the full-length mRNA were more abundantly detected. Mutational analyses suggested that FdxN is an important but not the essential electron donor for dinitrogenase reductase. An in-frame deletion of fdxN resulted in reduced growth rates (59% ± 9%) and nitrogenase activities (81%) in nitrogen-fixing pure cultures in comparison to the wild type. Nitrogenase activity was fully complemented in an fdxN mutant which carried a nifH promoter-driven fdxN gene in trans. Also, in coculture with the ascomycete Acremonium alternatum, where strain BH72 develops intracytoplasmic membrane stacks, the nitrogenase activity in the fdxN deletion mutant was decreased to 56% of the wild-type level. Surprisingly, the fdxN deletion also had an effect on the rapid “switch-off” of nitrogenase activity in response to ammonium. Wild-type strain BH72 and the deletion mutant complemented with fdxN in trans showed a rapid reversible inactivation of acetylene reduction, while the deletion mutant did not cease to reduce acetylene. In concordance with the hypothesis that changes in the redox state of NifH or electron flux towards nitrogenase may be involved in the mechanism of physiological nitrogenase switch-off, our results suggest that the ferredoxin may be a component involved in this process. PMID:11371540

Syn- and post-sedimentary controls on clay mineral assemblages in a tectonically active basin, Andean Argentinean foreland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Do Campo, Margarita; Nieto, Fernando; del Papa, Cecilia; Hongn, Fernando

2014-07-01

In the northern part of the Calchaquí Valley (NW Argentina), Palaeogene Andean foreland sediments are represented by a 1400-metre-thick continental succession (QLC: Quebrada de Los Colorados Formation) consisting of claystones, siltstones, sandstones, and conglomerates representing sedimentation in fluvial-alluvial plains and alluvial fan settings. To understand the main syn- and postsedimentary variables controlling the clay mineral assemblages of this succession, we have studied the fine-grained clastic sediments by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy, along with a detailed sedimentary facies analysis, for two representative sections. In the northern section, the whole succession was sampled and analysed by XRD, whereas in the second section, a control point 15 km to the south, only the basal levels were analysed. The XRD study revealed a strong contrast in clay mineral assemblages between these two sections as well as with sections in the central Calchaquí Valley studied previously. In the northernmost part of the study area, a complete evolution from smectite at the top to R3 illite/smectite mixed-layers plus authigenic kaolinite at the bottom, through R1-type mixed-layers in between, has been recognized, indicating the attainment of late diagenesis. In contrast, the clay mineral assemblages of equivalent foreland sediments cropping out only 15 km to the south contain abundant smectite and micas, subordinate kaolinite and chlorite, and no I/S mixed-layers to the bottom of the sequence. Early diagenetic conditions were also inferred in a previous study for equivalent sediments of the QLC Formation cropping out to the south, in the central Calchaquí Valley, as smectite occurs in basal strata. Burial depths of approximately 3000 m were estimated for the QLC Formation in the central and northern Calchaquí Valley; in addition, an intermediate to slightly low geothermal gradient can be considered likely for both areas as foreland basins are regarded as hypothermal basins. Consequently, the attainment of late diagenesis in the northernmost study area cannot be explained by significant differences in burial depth nor in geothermal gradient in relation to the section 15 km to the south nor with the central Calchaquí Valley. The formation of R3 mixed-layer I/S and authigenic kaolinite in the northern study area was most likely controlled by the circulation of hot, deep fluids along the reverse faults that bounded the Calchaquí valley. These faults were active during the Cenozoic, as evidenced by the syndepositional deformation features preserved in the studied sediments. Stress could also have been a driving force in burial diagenesis at the R3 mixed-layer I/S stage in these young continental sediments.

Structural and lithographic study of northern coast ranges and Sacramento Valley, California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rich, E. I. (Principal Investigator)

1973-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. The analysis of the ERTS data has disclosed three potentially important linear systems within the northern coast ranges and Sacramento Valley, California. A preliminary geomorphic analysis of the northern coast ranges discloses that the geomorphic characteristics of the area underlain by the Coastal system are much different from those associated with the Central system in the core of the Coast Ranges. Within the Coastal system, or Coastal belt, the drainage networks are moderately fine-textured and have moderately high density. The area associated with the Central system seems to be underlain by an heterogeneous assemblage of rock types which vary in their resistance to erosion. The boundary between the Coastal and Central geomorphic regions is poorly defined and, in a few places, the two regions can be separated only approximately.

Timing of volcanism and initiation of rifting in the Omo-Turkana depression, southwest Ethiopia: Evidence from paleomagnetism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erbello, Asfaw; Kidane, Tesfaye

2018-03-01

Lava flows of the Gombe Group basalt cover the base of the Omo-Turkana rift in southwestern Ethiopia and northern Kenya. Paleomagnetic study results on these basalts are integrated with previous geochronologic data to better constrain the timing of volcanism and rifting in the area. A total of 80 drilled core samples were collected from nine sites. Experimental methods of Alternating Field (AF) demagnetization, Thermal (TH) demagnetization and Isothermal Remanent Magnetization (IRM) experiments are performed to unravel components of magnetizations. Two components of Natural Remnant Magnetization (NRM) directions are identified; the first one considered as Viscous Remanent Magnetization (VRM) is removed by 5-25 mT AF or a temperature of 120 °C-250 °C, the second component isolated after these steps defined a straight-line segment directed towards the origin and is interpreted as the Characteristic Remanent Magnetization (ChRM). In the IRM Acquisition experiment all analyzed samples showed a sharp rise in acquisition and reached to their saturation magnetization by an applied field of 300 mT. This together with the AF demagnetization and TH demagnetization behaviors suggest pseudo single domain titanomagnetite as a dominant magnetic carrier of the remanence. From a total of nine sites, six sites are reversed polarity, two sites are normal polarity and pass the reversal test of McFadden and McElhinny (1990) while one site is of erratic behavior probably due to lightning strike. The mean direction for the reversed polarity is DS = 186.1°, IS = -1.9° (N = 2, KS = 38.8, α95 = 10.9°) and that for the normal polarity is DS = 348.4°, IS = 4.6° (N = 6, K = 378.9, α95 = 12.9°). The overall mean direction DS = 1.7°, IS = 2.6° (N = 8, KS = 34.2, α95 = 9.6°), is statistically identical to the expected mean direction Ds = 2.1°, Is = 7.8° (N = 26, α95 = 2.3) obtained from the African Apparent Polar Waner Path (APWP) curve of African plate for a mean age of 4.25 Ma (Besse and Courtillot, 1991, 2003). Considering the upper age control of Moiti tuff (3.98 Ma) and Naibar tuff (4.02 Ma) which have not been intruded by the Gombe Group basalts; with the obtained paleomagnetic result the Gombe Group basalts are correlable with the late Gilbert Chron of Cande and Kent (1995) specifically at and just above the Cochiti normal sub-Chron (4.18 Ma-4.29 Ma) consistent with paleomagnetic study from the basal members of the Shungura Formation (Kidane et al., 2014). Petrographically and geochemically similar basalts (Haileab et al., 2004) in northern Kenya are reported to have the same polarity. This suggests the longitudinally distributed lava flows (Gombe Group) in Northern Kenya and southwestern Ethiopia probably had erupted in a short period between 4.18 Ma-4.29 Ma. This similarity indicates that the present architecture of the basin might have been attained soon after the emplacement of the Gombe Group basalt.

Crustal structure of the Southern Rio Grande rift determined from seismic refraction profiling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sinno, Y. A.; Keller, G. R.; Harder, S. H.; Daggett, P. H.; Morgan, P.

1986-01-01

As part of a major cooperative seismic experiment, a series of seismic refraction profiles have been recorded in south-central New Mexico with the goal of determining the crustal structure in the southern Rio Grande rift. The data gathered greatly expand the seismic data base in the area, and consist of three interlocking regional profiles: a reversed E-W line across the rift, an unreversed N-S axial line, and an unreversed SW-SE line. The reversed E-W line shows no significant dip along the Moho (32 km thick crust) and a 7.7 km/s Pn velocity. Results from the N-S axial line and the NW-SE line indicate an apparent Pn velocity of 7.95 km/s and significant dip along the Moho with crustal thinning toward the south and southeast. When interpreted together, these data indicate a crustal thinning in the southern rift of 4-6 km with respect to the northern rift and the adjacent Basin and Range province, and establish the regional Pn velocity to be approximately 7.7 km/s. These results suggest that the Rio Grande rift can be identified as a crustal feature separate and distinct from the Basin and Range province.

Millennial-scale northern Hemisphere Atlantic-Pacific climate teleconnections in the earliest Middle Pleistocene.

PubMed

Hyodo, Masayuki; Bradák, Balázs; Okada, Makoto; Katoh, Shigehiro; Kitaba, Ikuko; Dettman, David L; Hayashi, Hiroki; Kumazawa, Koyo; Hirose, Kotaro; Kazaoka, Osamu; Shikoku, Kizuku; Kitamura, Akihisa

2017-08-30

Suborbital-scale climate variations, possibly caused by solar activity, are observed in the Holocene and last-glacial climates. Recently published bicentennial-resolution paleoceanic environmental records reveal millennial-scale high-amplitude oscillations postdating the last geomagnetic reversal in the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 19 interglacial. These oscillations, together with decoupling of post-reversal warming from maximum sea-level highstand in mid-latitudes, are key features for understanding the climate system of MIS 19 and the following Middle Pleistocene. It is unclear whether the oscillations are synchronous, or have the same driver as Holocene cycles. Here we present a high resolution record of western North Pacific submarine anoxia and sea surface bioproductivity from the Chiba Section, central Japan. The record reveals many oxic events in MIS 19, coincident with cold intervals, or with combined cold and sea-level fall events. This allows detailed correlations with paleoceanic records from the mid-latitude North Atlantic and Osaka Bay, southwest Japan. We find that the millennial-scale oscillations are synchronous between East and West hemispheres. In addition, during the two warmest intervals, bioproductivity follows the same pattern of change modulated by bicentennial cycles that are possibly related to solar activity.

Treatment of reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate by the combined Fe/Cu/air and Fenton process (1stFe/Cu/air-Fenton-2ndFe/Cu/air).

PubMed

Ren, Yi; Yuan, Yue; Lai, Bo; Zhou, Yuexi; Wang, Juling

2016-01-25

To decompose or transform the toxic and refractory reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate and improve the biodegradability, 1stFe/Cu/air-Fenton-2ndFe/Cu/air were developed to treat RO concentrate obtained from an amino acid production plant in northern China. First, their operating conditions were optimized thoroughly. Furthermore, 5 control experiments were setup to confirm the superiority of 1stFe/Cu/air-Fenton-2ndFe/Cu/air and synergistic reaction between Fe/Cu/air and Fenton. The results suggest that the developed method could obtain high COD removal (65.1%) and BOD5/COD ratio (0.26) due to the synergistic reaction between Fe/Cu/air and Fenton. Under the optimal conditions, the influent and effluent of 1stFe/Cu/air-Fenton-2ndFe/Cu/air and 5 control experiments were analyzed by using UV, FTIR, EEM and LC, which confirm the superiority of 1stFe/Cu/air-Fenton-2ndFe/Cu/air. Therefore, the developed method in this study is a promising process for treatment of RO concentrate. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Retrospective Propensity Score-Matched Early Thromboembolic Event Analysis of Prothrombin Complex Concentrate vs Fresh Frozen Plasma for Warfarin Reversal Prior to Emergency Neurosurgical Procedures.

PubMed

Agarwal, Prateek; Abdullah, Kalil G; Ramayya, Ashwin G; Nayak, Nikhil R; Lucas, Timothy H

2017-06-29

Reversal of therapeutic anticoagulation prior to emergency neurosurgical procedures is required in the setting of intracranial hemorrhage. Multifactor prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) promises rapid efficacy but may increase the probability of thrombotic complications compared to fresh frozen plasma (FFP). To compare the rate of thrombotic complications in patients treated with PCC or FFP to reverse therapeutic anticoagulation prior to emergency neurosurgical procedures in the setting of intracranial hemorrhage at a level I trauma center. Sixty-three consecutive patients on warfarin therapy presenting with intracranial hemorrhage who received anticoagulation reversal prior to emergency neurosurgical procedures were retrospectively identified between 2007 and 2016. They were divided into 2 cohorts based on reversal agent, either PCC (n = 28) or FFP (n = 35). The thrombotic complications rates within 72 h of reversal were compared using the χ 2 test. A multivariate propensity score matching analysis was used to limit the threat to interval validity from selection bias arising from differences in demographics, laboratory values, history, and clinical status. Thrombotic complications were uncommon in this neurosurgical population, occurring in 1.59% (1/63) of treated patients. There was no significant difference in the thrombotic complication rate between groups, 3.57% (1/28; PCC group) vs 0% (0/35; FFP group). Propensity score matching analysis validated this finding after controlling for any selection bias. In this limited sample, thrombotic complication rates were similar between use of PCC and FFP for anticoagulation reversal in the management of intracranial hemorrhage prior to emergency neurosurgical procedures. Copyright © 2017 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons

Inter-lead correlation analysis for automated detection of cable reversals in 12/16-lead ECG.

PubMed

Jekova, Irena; Krasteva, Vessela; Leber, Remo; Schmid, Ramun; Twerenbold, Raphael; Müller, Christian; Reichlin, Tobias; Abächerli, Roger

2016-10-01

A crucial factor for proper electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation is the correct electrode placement in standard 12-lead ECG and extended 16-lead ECG for accurate diagnosis of acute myocardial infarctions. In the context of optimal patient care, we present and evaluate a new method for automated detection of reversals in peripheral and precordial (standard, right and posterior) leads, based on simple rules with inter-lead correlation dependencies. The algorithm for analysis of cable reversals relies on scoring of inter-lead correlations estimated over 4s snapshots with time-coherent data from multiple ECG leads. Peripheral cable reversals are detected by assessment of nine correlation coefficients, comparing V6 to limb leads: (I, II, III, -I, -II, -III, -aVR, -aVL, -aVF). Precordial lead reversals are detected by analysis of the ECG pattern cross-correlation progression within lead sets (V1-V6), (V4R, V3R, V3, V4), and (V4, V5, V6, V8, V9). Disturbed progression identifies the swapped leads. A test-set, including 2239 ECGs from three independent sources-public 12-lead (PTB, CSE) and proprietary 16-lead (Basel University Hospital) databases-is used for algorithm validation, reporting specificity (Sp) and sensitivity (Se) as true negative and true positive detection of simulated lead swaps. Reversals of limb leads are detected with Se = 95.5-96.9% and 100% when right leg is involved in the reversal. Among all 15 possible pairwise reversals in standard precordial leads, adjacent lead reversals are detected with Se = 93.8% (V5-V6), 95.6% (V2-V3), 95.9% (V3-V4), 97.1% (V1-V2), and 97.8% (V4-V5), increasing to 97.8-99.8% for reversals of anatomically more distant electrodes. The pairwise reversals in the four extra precordial leads are detected with Se = 74.7% (right-sided V4R-V3R), 91.4% (posterior V8-V9), 93.7% (V4R-V9), and 97.7% (V4R-V8, V3R-V9, V3R-V8). Higher true negative rate is achieved with Sp > 99% (standard 12-lead ECG), 81.9% (V4R-V3R), 91.4% (V8-V9), and 100% (V4R-V9, V4R-V8, V3R-V9, V3R-V8), which is reasonable considering the low prevalence of lead swaps in clinical environment. Inter-lead correlation analysis is able to provide robust detection of cable reversals in standard 12-lead ECG, effectively extended to 16-lead ECG applications that have not previously been addressed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Croton megalobotrys Müll Arg. traditional medicine in HIV/AIDS management: Documentation of patient use, in vitro activation of latent HIV-1 provirus, and isolation of active phorbol esters.

PubMed

Tietjen, Ian; Ngwenya, Barbara N; Fotso, Ghislain; Williams, David E; Simonambango, Sundana; Ngadjui, Bonaventure T; Andersen, Raymond J; Brockman, Mark A; Brumme, Zabrina L; Andrae-Marobela, Kerstin

2018-01-30

Current HIV therapies do not act on latent cellular HIV reservoirs; hence they are not curative. While experimental latency reversal agents (LRAs) can promote HIV expression in these cells, thereby exposing them to immune recognition, existing LRAs exhibit limited clinical efficacy and high toxicity. We previously described a traditional 3-step medicinal plant regimen used for HIV/AIDS management in Northern Botswana that inhibits HIV replication in vitro. Here we describe use of one component of the regimen that additionally contains novel phorbol esters possessing HIV latency-reversal properties. We sought to document experiences of traditional medicine users, assess the ability of traditional medicine components to reverse HIV latency in vitro, and identify pure compounds that conferred these activities. Experiences of two HIV-positive traditional medicine users (patients) were documented using qualitative interview techniques. Latency reversal activity was assessed using a cell-based model (J-Lat, clone 9.2). Crude plant extracts were fractionated by open column chromatography and reverse-phase HPLC. Compound structures were elucidated using NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Patients using the 3-step regimen reported improved health over several years despite no reported use of standard HIV therapies. Crude extracts from Croton megalobotrys Müll Arg. ("Mukungulu"), the third component of the 3-step regimen, induced HIV expression in J-lat cells to levels comparable to the known LRA prostratin. Co-incubation with known LRAs and pharmacological inhibitors indicated that the active agent(s) in C. megalobotrys were likely to be protein kinase C (PKC) activator(s). Consistent with these results, two novel phorbol esters (Namushen 1 and 2) were isolated as abundant components of C. megalobotrys and were sufficient to confer HIV latency reversal in vitro. We have identified novel LRAs of the phorbol ester class from a medicinal plant used in HIV/AIDS management. These data, combined with self-reported health effects and previously-described in vitro anti-HIV activities of this traditional 3-step regimen, support the utility of longitudinal observational studies of patients undergoing this regimen to quantify its effects on plasma viral loads and HIV reservoir size in vivo. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantitative Analysis of Color Differences within High Contrast, Low Power Reversible Electrophoretic Displays

DOE PAGES

Giera, Brian; Bukosky, Scott; Lee, Elaine; ...

2018-01-23

Here, quantitative color analysis is performed on videos of high contrast, low power reversible electrophoretic deposition (EPD)-based displays operated under different applied voltages. This analysis is coded in an open-source software, relies on a color differentiation metric, ΔE * 00, derived from digital video, and provides an intuitive relationship between the operating conditions of the devices and their performance. Time-dependent ΔE * 00 color analysis reveals color relaxation behavior, recoverability for different voltage sequences, and operating conditions that can lead to optimal performance.

Quantitative Analysis of Color Differences within High Contrast, Low Power Reversible Electrophoretic Displays

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

Giera, Brian; Bukosky, Scott; Lee, Elaine

Here, quantitative color analysis is performed on videos of high contrast, low power reversible electrophoretic deposition (EPD)-based displays operated under different applied voltages. This analysis is coded in an open-source software, relies on a color differentiation metric, ΔE * 00, derived from digital video, and provides an intuitive relationship between the operating conditions of the devices and their performance. Time-dependent ΔE * 00 color analysis reveals color relaxation behavior, recoverability for different voltage sequences, and operating conditions that can lead to optimal performance.

Framing the issues affecting northern forests

Treesearch

Stephen R. Shifley; Francisco X. Aguilar; Nianfu Song; Susan I. Stewart; David J. Nowak; Dale D. Gormanson; W. Keith Moser; Sherri Wormstead; Eric J. Greenfield

2012-01-01

People in the North are concerned about forests, especially the forests near to them. Concerns reflect their diverse connections to forests and the many ways that rural and urban forests affect their quality of life. A recent analysis by Dietzman et al. (2011) summarized more than 700 comments about issues facing northern forests. The comments came from 74 print and...

Observations of northern flying squirrel feeding behavior: use of non-truffle food items.

Treesearch

D.R. Thysell; L.J. Villa; A.B. Carey

1997-01-01

In the Pacific Northwest, the northern flying squirrel, Glaucomys sabrinus, sumes sporocarps of a wide variety of hypogeous mycorrhizal fungi(truffles). Numerous other foods are also consumed but are not well characterized by fecal pellet analysis either because they are more fully digested (seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetation) or because of the...

The Fallibility of High Stakes "11-Plus" Testing in Northern Ireland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, John; Cowan, Pamela

2005-01-01

This paper sets out the findings from a large-scale analysis of the Northern Ireland Transfer Procedure Tests, used to select pupils for grammar schools. As it was not possible to get completed test scripts from government agencies, over 3000 practice scripts were completed in simulated conditions and were analysed to establish whether the tests…

A meta-analysis of forest age and structure effects on northern flying squirrel densities

Treesearch

Gillian L. Holloway; Winston P. Smith

2011-01-01

Research on the impact of clearcut logging and partial harvesting practices on northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) has shown inconsistent and contrary results, limiting the use of this species as a management indicator species. Much of this variability in study results is due to the labor intensive nature of studying flying squirrels,...

Northern Indian California Education Project; An Analysis of Responses by Practicing School Psychologists on a Pre-Questionaire.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tarbet, Don; Miles, Marilyn

School psychologists (13) representing the 6 counties served by the Northern Indian California Education Project (Title III, Elementary and Secondary Education Act) attended a workshop on January 14, 1972, at Humboldt State College. Also attending were Humboldt State personnel from the fields of education and psychology. The workshop was intended…

You are what you eat: stable isotope ecology of owl diets in Alberta, Canada

Treesearch

James M. Duxbury; Geoffery L. Holroyd

1997-01-01

Stable isotope ratio analysis (SIRA) was used to analyze the trophic level of the diets of three owl species: Barred Owl (Strix varia), Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula) and Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). Barred Owl and Northern Hawk Owl had diets from a similar trophic level. Both the Barred Owl and...

Assessing the accuracy of a regional land cover classification

Treesearch

William Clerke; Raymond Czaplewski; Jeff Campbell; Janet Fahringer

1996-01-01

The Southern Region USDA Forest Service recently completed the Southern Appalachian Assessment (SAA). The Assessment is a broad scale interagency analysis and sharing of existing information relative to the natural and human resources of the region. The SAA encompasses over 36 million acres extending from Northern Virginia to Northern Alabama. It was clear early in the...

Networking in Education: From Concept to Action--An Analytical View on the Educational Territories of Priority Intervention (TEIP) in Northern Portugal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silva, Marisa; da Silva, Sofia Marques; Araújo, Helena C

2017-01-01

This article presents an analysis of school principals' perspectives on networking concerning schools and school clusters from areas of social vulnerability (Educational Territories of Priority Intervention (TEIP)) in Northern Portugal. The meanings, purpose, benefits and difficulties of networking in education are examined, based on interviews…

Extent of Kentucky bluegrass and its effect on native plant species diversity and ecosystem services in the Northern Great Plains of the USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The geographic spread of Kentucky bluegrass in rangelands of the USA has increased significantly over the past decades. Preliminary analysis of National Resources Inventory data indicates that Kentucky bluegrass occupies a majority of ecological sites across the Northern Great Plains. Despite its fa...

Fire effects assessment using FIA data in the northern and central Rocky Mountains

Treesearch

Theresa B. Jain; Ralph Their; Wilson Michael

2003-01-01

Wildfires of 2000 and 2001 burned thousands of hectares in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Within the fire parameters, 162 Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots burned in Idaho and Montana where pre-wildfire information on forest structure, vegetation composition, soil productivity, and surface fuels was documented; thus providing a unique opportunity to assess...

University Patenting in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: A Comparative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beale, Andrew; Blackaby, David; Mainwaring, Lynn

2008-01-01

Using data on the patent portfolios of UK universities, the paper compares the levels of patenting activity (filings), success (grants) and quality (patents with commercial co-assignees and patent citations) at Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish institutions. Patent activity, per researcher, in Wales is on a par with that in Scotland and about…

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands' forest resources, 2004

Treesearch

Joseph A. Donnegan; Sarah L. Butler; Olaf Kuegler; Bruce A. Hiserote

2011-01-01

The Forest Inventory and Analysis program collected, analyzed, and summarized field data on 37 field plots on the islands of Rota, Tinian, and Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Estimates of forest area, tree stem volume and biomass, the numbers of trees, tree damages, and the distribution of tree sizes were summarized for this...

75 FR 62516 - Northern Illinois Hydropower, LLC; Notice of Application Ready for Environmental Analysis and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-12

...: Northern Illinois Hydropower, LLC. e. Name of Project: Dresden Island Project. f. Location: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Dresden Island Lock and Dam on the Illinois River, in the Town of Morris, Grundy County... Description: The Dresden Island Project would utilize the Corps of Engineers' existing Dresden Island Lock and...

Extent of Kentucky bluegrass and its effect on native plant species diversity and ecosystem services in the Northern Great Plains of the USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The geographic spread of Kentucky bluegrass in rangelands of the USA has increased significantly over the past 3 decades. Preliminary analysis indicates that Kentucky bluegrass occupies over half of all ecological sites across the Northern Great Plains. Kentucky bluegrass has served as nutritious fo...

Genomic analysis of bluetongue virus episystems in Australia and Indonesia.

PubMed

Firth, Cadhla; Blasdell, Kim R; Amos-Ritchie, Rachel; Sendow, Indrawati; Agnihotri, Kalpana; Boyle, David B; Daniels, Peter; Kirkland, Peter D; Walker, Peter J

2017-11-23

The distribution of bluetongue viruses (BTV) in Australia is represented by two distinct and interconnected epidemiological systems (episystems)-one distributed primarily in the north and one in the east. The northern episystem is characterised by substantially greater antigenic diversity than the eastern episystem; yet the forces that act to limit the diversity present in the east remain unclear. Previous work has indicated that the northern episystem is linked to that of island South East Asia and Melanesia, and that BTV present in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor, may act as source populations for new serotypes and genotypes of BTV to enter Australia's north. In this study, the genomes of 49 bluetongue viruses from the eastern episystem and 13 from Indonesia were sequenced and analysed along with 27 previously published genome sequences from the northern Australian episystem. The results of this analysis confirm that the Australian BTV population has its origins in the South East Asian/Melanesian episystem, and that incursions into northern Australia occur with some regularity. In addition, the presence of limited genetic diversity in the eastern episystem relative to that found in the north supports the presence of substantial, but not complete, barriers to gene flow between the northern and eastern Australian episystems. Genetic bottlenecks between each successive episystem are evident, and appear to be responsible for the reduction in BTV genetic diversity observed in the north to south-east direction.

Impacts of snow on soil temperature observed across the circumpolar north

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yu; Sherstiukov, Artem B.; Qian, Budong; Kokelj, Steven V.; Lantz, Trevor C.

2018-04-01

Climate warming has significant impacts on permafrost, infrastructure and soil organic carbon at the northern high latitudes. These impacts are mainly driven by changes in soil temperature (TS). Snow insulation can cause significant differences between TS and air temperature (TA), and our understanding about this effect through space and time is currently limited. In this study, we compiled soil and air temperature observations (measured at about 0.2 m depth and 2 m height, respectively) at 588 sites from climate stations and boreholes across the northern high latitudes. Analysis of this circumpolar dataset demonstrates the large offset between mean TS and TA in the low arctic and northern boreal regions. The offset decreases both northward and southward due to changes in snow conditions. Correlation analysis shows that the coupling between annual TS and TA is weaker, and the response of annual TS to changes in TA is smaller in boreal regions than in the arctic and the northern temperate regions. Consequently, the inter-annual variation and the increasing trends of annual TS are smaller than that of TA in boreal regions. The systematic and significant differences in the relationship between TS and TA across the circumpolar north is important for understanding and assessing the impacts of climate change and for reconstruction of historical climate based on ground temperature profiles for the northern high latitudes.

Clinical and Radiographic Mid-Term Outcomes After Total Shoulder Replacement: A Retrospective Study Protocol Including 400 Anatomical and Reverse Prosthetic Implants

PubMed Central

Merolla, Giovanni; Tartarone, Antonio; Porcellini, Giuseppe

2016-01-01

Objectives: To obtain outcomes data on anatomical and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty by analysis of clinical scores and standard radiographs. Subject selection and enrollment: 400 consecutive series of patients replaced with anatomical and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (minimum 3 years follow-up). Study Design: retrospective monocenter. Preoperative assessment: Demographics, clinical scores (Constant-Murley) as available, shoulder X-ray (AP, outlet and axillary views) . Last follow-up: Postoperative radiographhs and clinical scores. Adverse events and complications to be reported as occurred since implantation. Statistical analysis: Data collected will be summarized and analyzed for statistical significance. PMID:27326389

Does a History of Unintended Pregnancy Lessen the Likelihood of Desire for Sterilization Reversal?

PubMed Central

Grady, Cynthia D.; Schwarz, Eleanor Bimla; Emeremni, Chetachi A.; Yabes, Jonathan; Akers, Aletha; Zite, Nikki

2013-01-01

Abstract Background Unintended pregnancy has been significantly associated with subsequent female sterilization. Whether women who are sterilized after experiencing an unintended pregnancy are less likely to express desire for sterilization reversal is unknown. Methods This study used national, cross-sectional data collected by the 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth. The study sample included women ages 15–44 who were surgically sterile from a tubal sterilization at the time of interview. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between a history of unintended pregnancy and desire for sterilization reversal while controlling for potential confounders. Results In this nationally representative sample of 1,418 women who were sterile from a tubal sterilization, 78% had a history of at least one unintended pregnancy and 28% expressed a desire to have their sterilization reversed. In unadjusted analysis, having a prior unintended pregnancy was associated with higher odds of expressing desire for sterilization reversal (odds ratio [OR]: 1.80; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15–2.79). In adjusted analysis controlling for sociodemographic factors, unintended pregnancy was no longer significantly associated with desire for reversal (OR: 1.46; 95% CI: 0.91–2.34). Conclusion Among women who had undergone tubal sterilization, a prior history of unintended pregnancy did not decrease desire for sterilization reversal. PMID:23621776

Dynamic evolution and biogenesis of small RNAs during sex reversal.

PubMed

Liu, Jie; Luo, Majing; Sheng, Yue; Hong, Qiang; Cheng, Hanhua; Zhou, Rongjia

2015-05-06

Understanding origin, evolution and functions of small RNA (sRNA) genes has been a great challenge in the past decade. Molecular mechanisms underlying sexual reversal in vertebrates, particularly sRNAs involved in this process, are largely unknown. By deep-sequencing of small RNA transcriptomes in combination with genomic analysis, we identified a large amount of piRNAs and miRNAs including over 1,000 novel miRNAs, which were differentially expressed during gonad reversal from ovary to testis via ovotesis. Biogenesis and expressions of miRNAs were dynamically changed during the reversal. Notably, phylogenetic analysis revealed dynamic expansions of miRNAs in vertebrates and an evolutionary trajectory of conserved miR-17-92 cluster in the Eukarya. We showed that the miR-17-92 cluster in vertebrates was generated through multiple duplications from ancestor miR-92 in invertebrates Tetranychus urticae and Daphnia pulex from the Chelicerata around 580 Mya. Moreover, we identified the sexual regulator Dmrt1 as a direct target of the members miR-19a and -19b in the cluster. These data suggested dynamic biogenesis and expressions of small RNAs during sex reversal and revealed multiple expansions and evolutionary trajectory of miRNAs from invertebrates to vertebrates, which implicate small RNAs in sexual reversal and provide new insight into evolutionary and molecular mechanisms underlying sexual reversal.

Transcriptional Analysis of the vanC Cluster from Enterococcus gallinarum Strains with Constitutive and Inducible Vancomycin Resistance

PubMed Central

Panesso, Diana; Abadía-Patiño, Lorena; Vanegas, Natasha; Reynolds, Peter E.; Courvalin, Patrice; Arias, Cesar A.

2005-01-01

The vanC glycopeptide resistance gene cluster encodes enzymes required for synthesis of peptidoglycan precursors ending in d-Ala-d-Ser. Enterococcus gallinarum BM4174 and SC1 are constitutively and inducibly resistant to vancomycin, respectively. Analysis of peptidoglycan precursors in both strains indicated that UDP-MurNAc-tetrapeptide and UDP-MurNAc-pentapeptide[d-Ser] were synthesized in E. gallinarum SC1 only in the presence of vancomycin (4 μg/ml), whereas the “resistance” precursors accumulated in the cytoplasm of BM4174 cells under both inducing and noninducing conditions. Northern hybridization and reverse transcription-PCR experiments revealed that all the genes from the cluster, vanC-1, vanXYC, vanT, vanRC, and vanSC, were transcribed from a single promoter. In the inducible SC1 isolate, transcriptional regulation appeared to be responsible for inducible expression of resistance. Promoter mapping in E. gallinarum BM4174 revealed that the transcriptional start site was located 30 nucleotides upstream from vanC-1 and that the −10 promoter consensus sequence had high identity with that of the vanA cluster. Comparison of the deduced sequence of the vanSC genes from isolates with constitutive and inducible resistance revealed several amino acid substitutions located in the X box (R200L) and in the region between the F and G2 boxes (D312N, D312A, and G320S) of the putative sensor kinase proteins from isolates with constitutive resistance. PMID:15728903

Ionospheric response to the 17-18 March 2015 geomagnetic storm as seen from multiple TEC and NmF2 measurements along 100°E

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhuyan, Pradip; Yokoyama, Tatsuhiro; Kalita, Bitap Raj; Seemala, G. K.; Hazarika, Rumajyoti; Komolmis, Tharadol; Yatini, Clara; Chakrabarty, Dibyendu; Supnithi, Pornchai

2016-07-01

The response of the ionosphere along 100°E to the strong geomagnetic storm of 17-18 March 2015 has been investigated combining TEC and NmF2 data from multiple stations spanning low latitudes in the northern and southern hemispheres to the equator. The GPS TEC data measured over Dibrugarh (27.4°N, 95°E), Kohima (25.6°N, 94.1°E) and Ahmedabad (23.0°N, 72.5°E) and NmF2 measured along a chain of ionosonde stations Dibrugarh (27.5°N, 95°E), Chiang Mai (18.76ºN, 98.93ºE), Chumphon (10.72ºN,99.37ºE), Kototabang (0.2ºS,100.32ºE) and Cocos Island (12.2ºS,96.8ºE ) were used to examine the signature of the storm around the low-mid latitude ionosphere in this sector. Nearly similar TEC variation has been observed over Dibrugarh and Kohima located at the northern edge of the EIA. The maximum TEC on 18 March over Dibrugarh and Kohima was reduced by more than ~80 TECU compared to that on the geomagnetically quiet day of 16 March 2015. In contrast to the substantial reduction in TEC over ~100°E TEC from the ~75°E longitude station Ahmedabad showed insignificant variations on the same day. Strong reduction in NmF2 at the crest of the anomaly in both northern and southern hemisphere (Dibrugarh, Ching Mai and Cocos Island) and enhancement near the equator (Cumphon and Kototbang) has been observed. The O/N2 ratio as obtained from the TIMED/GUVI reduced substantially along 100°E on 18 March compared to other longitude sectors. Equatorward meridional winds depleted the ionization at the crest region and enhanced the same near the equator. No L band scintillation was observed in the evening of 17 March at Dibrugarh and Kohima indicating absence of F region irregularity along this longitude while strong scintillations were observed at 75°E. The reversal of the IMF Bz from southward to northward direction in the dusk to evening sector inhibited the growth of the irregularity due to reversal of the PPEF at 100°E while the PPEF favoured generation and growth of Spread F at 75°E.

Longitudinal analysis reveals characteristically high proportions of bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria and temporal variability of vaginal microbiota in northern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina).

PubMed

Zhu, Lin; Lei, Ai-Hua; Zheng, Hong-Yi; Lyu, Long-Bao; Zhang, Zhi-Gang; Zheng, Yong-Tang

2015-09-18

The complex and dynamic vaginal microbial ecosystem is critical to both health and disease of the host. Studies focusing on how vaginal microbiota influences HIV-1 infection may face limitations in selecting proper animal models. Given that northern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina) are susceptible to HIV-1 infection, they may be an optimal animal model for elucidating the mechanisms by which vaginal microbiota contributes to resistance and susceptibility to HIV-1 infection. However, little is known about the composition and temporal variability of vaginal microbiota of the northern pig-tailed macaque. Here, we present a comprehensive catalog of the composition and temporal dynamics of vaginal microbiota of two healthy northern pig-tailed macaques over 19 weeks using 454-pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes. We found remarkably high proportions of a diverse array of anaerobic bacteria associated with bacterial vaginosis. Atopobium and Sneathia were dominant genera, and interestingly, we demonstrated the presence of Lactobacillus-dominated vaginal microbiota. Moreover, longitudinal analysis demonstrated that the temporal dynamics of the vaginal microbiota were considerably individualized. Finally, network analysis revealed that vaginal pH may influence the temporal dynamics of the vaginal microbiota, suggesting that inter-subject variability of vaginal bacterial communities could be mirrored in inter-subject variation in correlation profiles of species with each other and with vaginal pH over time. Our results suggest that the northern pig-tailed macaque could be an ideal animal model for prospective investigation of the mechanisms by which vaginal microbiota influence susceptibility and resistance to HIV-1 infection in the context of highly polymicrobial and Lactobacillus-dominated states.

Landsat-based trend analysis of lake dynamics across northern permafrost regions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nitze, Ingmar; Grosse, Guido; Jones, Benjamin M.; Arp, Christopher D.; Ulrich, Mathias; Federov, Alexander; Veremeeva, Alexandra

2017-01-01

Lakes are a ubiquitous landscape feature in northern permafrost regions. They have a strong impact on carbon, energy and water fluxes and can be quite responsive to climate change. The monitoring of lake change in northern high latitudes, at a sufficiently accurate spatial and temporal resolution, is crucial for understanding the underlying processes driving lake change. To date, lake change studies in permafrost regions were based on a variety of different sources, image acquisition periods and single snapshots, and localized analysis, which hinders the comparison of different regions. Here we present, a methodology based on machine-learning based classification of robust trends of multi-spectral indices of Landsat data (TM,ETM+, OLI) and object-based lake detection, to analyze and compare the individual, local and regional lake dynamics of four different study sites (Alaska North Slope, Western Alaska, Central Yakutia, Kolyma Lowland) in the northern permafrost zone from 1999 to 2014. Regional patterns of lake area change on the Alaska North Slope (-0.69%), Western Alaska (-2.82%), and Kolyma Lowland (-0.51%) largely include increases due to thermokarst lake expansion, but more dominant lake area losses due to catastrophic lake drainage events. In contrast, Central Yakutia showed a remarkable increase in lake area of 48.48%, likely resulting from warmer and wetter climate conditions over the latter half of the study period. Within all study regions, variability in lake dynamics was associated with differences in permafrost characteristics, landscape position (i.e. upland vs. lowland), and surface geology. With the global availability of Landsat data and a consistent methodology for processing the input data derived from robust trends of multi-spectral indices, we demonstrate a transferability, scalability and consistency of lake change analysis within the northern permafrost region.

Static performance and noise tests on a thrust reverser for an augmentor wing aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harkonen, D. L.; Marrs, C. C.; Okeefe, J. V.

1974-01-01

A 1/3 scale model static test program was conducted to measure the noise levels and reverse thrust performance characteristics of wing-mounted thrust reverser that could be used on an advanced augmentor wing airplane. The configuration tested represents only the most fundamental designs where installation and packaging restraints are not considered. The thrust reverser performance is presented in terms of horizontal, vertical, and resultant effectiveness ratios and the reverser noise is compared on the basis of peak perceived noise level (PNL) and one-third octave band data (OASPL). From an analysis of the model force and acoustic data, an assessment is made on the stopping distance versus noise for a 90,900 kg (200,000 lb) airplane using this type of thrust reverser.

Paleomagnetism and tectonics of the Crescent Formation, northern Olympic Mountains, Washington

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Warnock, Andrew C.; Burmester, Russell F.; Engebretson, David C.

1993-01-01

Results are presented of a paleomagnetic analysis of the Crescent Formation basalts of the northern Olympic Mountains, carried out with the purpose of constraining the emplacement and deformation history of the rocks of the northern Coast Range. It was found that (1) the stable remanent magnetization measured within the Crescent Formation appears to be early, predating significant deformation, and probably is primary; (2) a correction for bedding rotations about strike within four different structural domains produces a circular distribution of virtual geomagnetic poles; and (3) the Crescent Formation, where sampled in the north, records no significant net rotation or displacement.

Study of the marine environment of the northern Gulf of California. [seasonal variations in oceanography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hendrickson, J. R. (Principal Investigator)

1973-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Results of studies of the oceanography of the northern Gulf of California (Mexico) are reported. A remote, instrumented buoy measuring and telemetering oceanographic data by ERTS-1 satellite was designed, constructed, deployed, and tested. Regular cruises by a research ship on a pattern of 47 oceanographic stations collected data which are analyzed and referenced to analysis of ERTS-1 satellite imagery. A thermal dynamic model of current patterns in the northern Gulf of California is proposed. Findings are examined in relation to the model.

Phylogenetic analysis of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase sequences from 382 patients recruited in JJ Hospital of Mumbai, India, between 2002 and 2008.

PubMed

Deshpande, Alaka; Jauvin, Valerie; Pinson, Patricia; Jeannot, Anne Cecile; Fleury, Herve J

2009-06-01

Analysis of reverse transcriptase (RT) sequences of 382 HIV-1 isolates from untreated and treated patients recruited in JJ Hospital (Mumbai, India) between 2002 and 2008 shows that subtype C is largely predominant (98%) and that non-C sequences cluster with A1, B, CRF01_AE, and CRF06_cpx.

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF REVERSE OSMOSIS MEMBRANE AND XAD RESIN ADSORPTION CONCENTRATES OF WATER DISINFECTED BY CHLORINATION OR OZONATION/CHLORINATION PROCESSES

EPA Science Inventory

Chemical Analysis of Reverse Osmosis Membrane and XAD Resin Adsorption Concentrates of Water Disinfected by Chlorination or Ozonation/Chlorination Processes.

J. E. Simmons1, S.D. Richardson2, K.M. Schenck3, T. F. Speth3, R. J. Miltner3 and A. D. Thruston2

1 NHEE...

Quantitative graphical analysis of simultaneous dynamic PET/MRI for assessment of prostate cancer.

PubMed

Rosenkrantz, Andrew B; Koesters, Thomas; Vahle, Anne-Kristin; Friedman, Kent; Bartlett, Rachel M; Taneja, Samir S; Ding, Yu-Shin; Logan, Jean

2015-04-01

Dynamic FDG imaging for prostate cancer characterization is limited by generally small size and low uptake in prostate tumors. Our aim in this pilot study was to explore feasibility of simultaneous PET/MRI to guide localization of prostate lesions for dynamic FDG analysis using a graphical approach. Three patients with biopsy-proven prostate cancer underwent simultaneous FDG PET/MRI, incorporating dynamic prostate imaging. Histology and multiparametric MRI findings were used to localize tumors, which in turn guided identification of tumors on FDG images. Regions of interest were manually placed on tumor and benign prostate tissue. Blood activity was extracted from a region of interest placed on the femoral artery on PET images. FDG data were analyzed by graphical analysis using the influx constant Ki (Patlak analysis) when FDG binding seemed irreversible and distribution volume VT (reversible graphical analysis) when FDG binding seemed reversible given the presence of washout. Given inherent coregistration, simultaneous acquisition facilitated use of MRI data to localize small lesions on PET and subsequent graphical analysis in all cases. In 2 cases with irreversible binding, tumor had higher Ki than benign using Patlak analysis (0.023 vs 0.006 and 0.019 vs 0.008 mL/cm3 per minute). In 1 case appearing reversible, tumor had higher VT than benign using reversible graphical analysis (0.68 vs 0.52 mL/cm3). Simultaneous PET/MRI allows localization of small prostate tumors for dynamic PET analysis. By taking advantage of inclusion of the femoral arteries in the FOV, we applied advanced PET data analysis methods beyond conventional static measures and without blood sampling.

Vegetation productivity patterns at high northern latitudes: a multi-sensor satellite data assessment.

PubMed

Guay, Kevin C; Beck, Pieter S A; Berner, Logan T; Goetz, Scott J; Baccini, Alessandro; Buermann, Wolfgang

2014-10-01

Satellite-derived indices of photosynthetic activity are the primary data source used to study changes in global vegetation productivity over recent decades. Creating coherent, long-term records of vegetation activity from legacy satellite data sets requires addressing many factors that introduce uncertainties into vegetation index time series. We compared long-term changes in vegetation productivity at high northern latitudes (>50°N), estimated as trends in growing season NDVI derived from the most widely used global NDVI data sets. The comparison included the AVHRR-based GIMMS-NDVI version G (GIMMSg ) series, and its recent successor version 3g (GIMMS3g ), as well as the shorter NDVI records generated from the more modern sensors, SeaWiFS, SPOT-VGT, and MODIS. The data sets from the latter two sensors were provided in a form that reduces the effects of surface reflectance associated with solar and view angles. Our analysis revealed large geographic areas, totaling 40% of the study area, where all data sets indicated similar changes in vegetation productivity over their common temporal record, as well as areas where data sets showed conflicting patterns. The newer, GIMMS3g data set showed statistically significant (α = 0.05) increases in vegetation productivity (greening) in over 15% of the study area, not seen in its predecessor (GIMMSg ), whereas the reverse was rare (<3%). The latter has implications for earlier reports on changes in vegetation activity based on GIMMSg , particularly in Eurasia where greening is especially pronounced in the GIMMS3g data. Our findings highlight both critical uncertainties and areas of confidence in the assessment of ecosystem-response to climate change using satellite-derived indices of photosynthetic activity. Broader efforts are required to evaluate NDVI time series against field measurements of vegetation growth, primary productivity, recruitment, mortality, and other biological processes in order to better understand ecosystem responses to environmental change over large areas. © 2014 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Vegetation productivity patterns at high northern latitudes: a multi-sensor satellite data assessment

PubMed Central

Guay, Kevin C; Beck, Pieter S A; Berner, Logan T; Goetz, Scott J; Baccini, Alessandro; Buermann, Wolfgang

2014-01-01

Satellite-derived indices of photosynthetic activity are the primary data source used to study changes in global vegetation productivity over recent decades. Creating coherent, long-term records of vegetation activity from legacy satellite data sets requires addressing many factors that introduce uncertainties into vegetation index time series. We compared long-term changes in vegetation productivity at high northern latitudes (>50°N), estimated as trends in growing season NDVI derived from the most widely used global NDVI data sets. The comparison included the AVHRR-based GIMMS-NDVI version G (GIMMSg) series, and its recent successor version 3g (GIMMS3g), as well as the shorter NDVI records generated from the more modern sensors, SeaWiFS, SPOT-VGT, and MODIS. The data sets from the latter two sensors were provided in a form that reduces the effects of surface reflectance associated with solar and view angles. Our analysis revealed large geographic areas, totaling 40% of the study area, where all data sets indicated similar changes in vegetation productivity over their common temporal record, as well as areas where data sets showed conflicting patterns. The newer, GIMMS3g data set showed statistically significant (α = 0.05) increases in vegetation productivity (greening) in over 15% of the study area, not seen in its predecessor (GIMMSg), whereas the reverse was rare (<3%). The latter has implications for earlier reports on changes in vegetation activity based on GIMMSg, particularly in Eurasia where greening is especially pronounced in the GIMMS3g data. Our findings highlight both critical uncertainties and areas of confidence in the assessment of ecosystem-response to climate change using satellite-derived indices of photosynthetic activity. Broader efforts are required to evaluate NDVI time series against field measurements of vegetation growth, primary productivity, recruitment, mortality, and other biological processes in order to better understand ecosystem responses to environmental change over large areas. PMID:24890614

Monitoring West Nile virus (WNV) infection in wild birds in Serbia during 2012: first isolation and characterisation of WNV strains from Serbia.

PubMed

Petrović, T; Blazquez, A B; Lupulović, D; Lazić, G; Escribano-Romero, E; Fabijan, D; Kapetanov, M; Lazić, S; Saiz, Jc

2013-10-31

West Nile virus (WNV), a neurovirulent mosquito-transmissible zoonotic virus, has caused recent outbreaks in Europe, including Serbia from August until October 2012. Although humans can be infected, birds are the main natural WNV reservoir. To assess WNV circulation in northern Serbia, 133 wild birds were investigated. These comprised resident and migratory birds, collected between January and September 2012 in the Vojvodina province. The birds belonged to 45 species within 27 families. Blood sera (n=92) and pooled tissues from respective birds (n=81) were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), plaque reduction neutralisation test (PRNT) and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). WNV antibodies were detected in seven (8%) sera: four from Mute Swans (Cygnus olor), two from White-tailed Eagles (Haliaeetus albicillas), and one from a Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus). Five sera neutralised WNV but not Usutu virus. For the first time in Serbia, WNV RNA was detected by RT-qPCR in pooled tissue samples of eight respective birds. WNV RNA was also derived from an additional bird, after a serum sample resulted infective in cell culture. The total nine WNV RNA positive birds included three Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis), two White-tailed Eagles, one Legged Gull (Larus michahelis), one Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix), one Bearded Parrot-bill (Panarus biramicus), and one Common Pheasant. Phylogenetic analysis of partial E region sequences showed the presence of, at least, two lineage 2 Serbian clusters closely related to those responsible for recent human and animal outbreaks in Greece, Hungary and Italy. Full genomic sequence from a goshawk isolate corroborated this data. These results confirm WNV circulation in Serbia and highlight the risk of infection for humans and horses, pointing to the need for implementing WNV surveillance programmes.

Novel insect-specific flavivirus isolated from northern Europe

PubMed Central

Huhtamo, Eili; Moureau, Gregory; Cook, Shelley; Julkunen, Ora; Putkuri, Niina; Kurkela, Satu; Uzcátegui, Nathalie Y.; Harbach, Ralph E.; Gould, Ernest A.; Vapalahti, Olli; de Lamballerie, Xavier

2012-01-01

Mosquitoes collected in Finland were screened for flaviviral RNA leading to the discovery and isolation of a novel flavivirus designated Hanko virus (HANKV). Virus characterization, including phylogenetic analysis of the complete coding sequence, confirmed HANKV as a member of the “insect-specific” flavivirus (ISF) group. HANKV is the first member of this group isolated from northern Europe, and therefore the first northern European ISF for which the complete coding sequence has been determined. HANKV was not transcribed as DNA in mosquito cell culture, which appears atypical for an ISF. HANKV shared highest sequence homology with the partial NS5 sequence available for the recently discovered Spanish Ochlerotatus flavivirus (SOcFV). Retrospective analysis of mitochondrial sequences from the virus-positive mosquito pool suggested an Ochlerotatus mosquito species as the most likely host for HANKV. HANKV and SOcFV may therefore represent a novel group of Ochlerotatus-hosted insect-specific flaviviruses in Europe and further afield. PMID:22999256

High-resolution melting analysis for prenatal diagnosis of beta-thalassemia in northern Thailand.

PubMed

Charoenkwan, Pimlak; Sirichotiyakul, Supatra; Phusua, Arunee; Suanta, Sudjai; Fanhchaksai, Kanda; Sae-Tung, Rattika; Sanguansermsri, Torpong

2017-12-01

High-resolution melting (HRM) analysis is a rapid mutation analysis which assesses the pattern of reduction of fluorescence signal after subjecting the amplified PCR product with saturated fluorescence dye to an increasing temperature. We used HRM analysis for prenatal diagnosis of beta-thalassemia disease in northern Thailand. Five PCR-HRM protocols were used to detect point mutations in five different segments of the beta-globin gene, and one protocol to detect the 3.4 kb beta-globin deletion. We sought to characterize the mutations in carriers and to enable prenatal diagnosis in 126 couples at risk of having a fetus with beta-thalassemia disease. The protocols identified 18 common mutations causing beta-thalassemia, including the rare codon 132 (A-T) mutation. Each mutation showed a specific HRM pattern and all results were in concordance with those from direct DNA sequencing or gap-PCR methods. In cases of beta-thalassemia disease resulting from homozygosity for a mutation or compound heterozygosity for two mutations on the same amplified segment, the HRM patterns were different to those of a single mutation and were specific for each combination. HRM analysis is a simple and useful method for mutation identification in beta-thalassemia carriers and prenatal diagnosis of beta-thalassemia in northern Thailand.

Maximizing RNA yield from archival renal tumors and optimizing gene expression analysis.

PubMed

Glenn, Sean T; Head, Karen L; Teh, Bin T; Gross, Kenneth W; Kim, Hyung L

2010-01-01

Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues are widely available for gene expression analysis using TaqMan PCR. Five methods, including 4 commercial kits, for recovering RNA from paraffin-embedded renal tumor tissue were compared. The MasterPure kit from Epicentre produced the highest RNA yield. However, the difference in RNA yield between the kit from Epicenter and Invitrogen's TRIzol method was not significant. Using the top 3 RNA isolation methods, the manufacturers' protocols were modified to include an overnight Proteinase K digestion. Overnight protein digestion resulted in a significant increase in RNA yield. To optimize the reverse transcription reaction, conventional reverse transcription with random oligonucleotide primers was compared to reverse transcription using primers specific for genes of interest. Reverse transcription using gene-specific primers significantly increased the quantity of cDNA detectable by TaqMan PCR. Therefore, expression profiling of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue using TaqMan qPCR can be optimized by using the MasterPure RNA isolation kit modified to include an overnight Proteinase K digestion and gene-specific primers during the reverse transcription.

A New Synthetic Route to N-Benzyl Carboxamides through the Reverse Reaction of N-Substituted Formamide Deformylase

PubMed Central

Hashimoto, Yoshiteru; Sakashita, Toshihide; Fukatsu, Hiroshi; Sato, Hiroyoshi

2014-01-01

Previously, we isolated a new enzyme, N-substituted formamide deformylase, that catalyzes the hydrolysis of N-substituted formamide to the corresponding amine and formate (H. Fukatsu, Y. Hashimoto, M. Goda, H. Higashibata, and M. Kobayashi, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 101:13726–13731, 2004, doi:10.1073/pnas.0405082101). Here, we discovered that this enzyme catalyzed the reverse reaction, synthesizing N-benzylformamide (NBFA) from benzylamine and formate. The reverse reaction proceeded only in the presence of high substrate concentrations. The effects of pH and inhibitors on the reverse reaction were almost the same as those on the forward reaction, suggesting that the forward and reverse reactions are both catalyzed at the same catalytic site. Bisubstrate kinetic analysis using formate and benzylamine and dead-end inhibition studies using a benzylamine analogue, aniline, revealed that the reverse reaction of this enzyme proceeds via an ordered two-substrate, two-product (bi-bi) mechanism in which formate binds first to the enzyme active site, followed by benzylamine binding and the subsequent release of NBFA. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the reverse reaction of an amine-forming deformylase. Surprisingly, analysis of the substrate specificity for acids demonstrated that not only formate, but also acetate and propionate (namely, acids with numbers of carbon atoms ranging from C1 to C3), were active as acid substrates for the reverse reaction. Through this reaction, N-substituted carboxamides, such as NBFA, N-benzylacetamide, and N-benzylpropionamide, were synthesized from benzylamine and the corresponding acid substrates. PMID:24123742

A complex structure in the mRNA of Tf1 is recognized and cleaved to generate the primer of reverse transcription.

PubMed

Lin, J H; Levin, H L

1997-01-15

All retroviruses and LTR-containing retrotransposons are thought to require specific tRNA molecules to serve as primers of reverse transcription. An exception is the LTR-containing retrotransposon Tf1, isolated from Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Instead of requiring a tRNA, the reverse transcriptase of Tf1 uses the first 11 bases of the Tf1 transcript as the primer for reverse transcription. The primer is generated by a cleavage that occurs between bases 11 and 12 of the Tf1 mRNA. Sequence analysis of the 5' untranslated region of the Tf1 mRNA resulted in the identification of a region with the potential to form an RNA structure of 89 bases that included the primer binding site and the first 11 bases of the Tf1 mRNA. Systematic mutagenesis of this region revealed 34 single-point mutants in the structure that resulted in reduced transposition activity. The defects in transposition correlated with reduced level of Tf1 reverse transcripts as determined by DNA blot analysis. Evidence that the RNA structure did form in vivo included the result that strains with second site mutations that restored complementarity resulted in increased levels of reverse transcripts and Tf1 transposition. The majority of the mutants defective for reverse transcription were unable to cleave the Tf1 mRNA between bases 11 and 12. These data indicate that formation of an extensive RNA structure was required for the cleavage reaction that generated the primer for Tf1 reverse transcription.

A landscape inventory framework: scenic analyses of the Northern Great Plains

Treesearch

Litton R. Burton Jr.; Robert J. Tetlow

1978-01-01

A set of four visual inventories are proposed. They are designed to document scenic resources for varied scales of application, from regional and general to local and specific. The Northern Great Plains is used as a case study. Scenic analysis and identification of criteria extend earlier work. The inventory is based on (1) study of previously developed landscape...

An assessment of autumn olive in northern U.S. forests

Treesearch

Cassandra M. Kurtz; Mark H. Hansen

2016-01-01

This publication is part of a series of research notes that provide an overview of the invasive plant species monitored on an extensive systematic network of plots measured by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station (NRS). Each research note features one of the invasive plants monitored on forested plots by...

Thunderstorm analysis in the northern Rocky Mountains

Treesearch

DeVer Colson

1957-01-01

Lightning-caused fires are a continuing serious threat to forests in the northern Rocky Mountain area. More than 70 percent of all forest fires in this area are caused by lightning. In one 10-day period in July 1940 the all-time record of 1,488 lightning fires started on the national forests in Region l of the U.S. Forest Service.

An assessment of nonnative bush honeysuckle in northern U.S. forests

Treesearch

Cassandra Kurtz; M.H. Hansen

2015-01-01

This publication is part of a series that provides an overview of the presence of invasive plant species monitored on an extensive systematic network of plots measured by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station (NRS). Each research note features one of the invasive plants monitored on forested plots by NRS...

An assessment of Japanese stiltgrass in northern U.S. forests

Treesearch

Cassandra M. Kurtz; Mark H. Hansen

2017-01-01

This publication is part of a series of research notes that provides an overview of the presence of invasive plant species monitored on an extensive systematic network of plots measured by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station (NRS). Each research note features one of the invasive plants monitored on...

Modeling Analysis of Multi-Decadal Trends in Ozone and Precursor Species across the Northern Hemisphere and the United States

EPA Science Inventory

The WRF-CMAQ modeling system was applied over a domain encompassing the northern hemisphere and a nested domain over the U.S. Model simulations for the 1990-2010 were performed to examine trends in various air pollutant concentrations. Trends in O3 mixing ratios over the U.S. are...

An assessment of common buckthorn in northern U.S. forests

Treesearch

Cassandra M. Kurtz; Mark H. Hansen

2018-01-01

This publication is part of a series of that provides an overview of the presence of invasive plant species monitored on an extensive systematic network of plots measured by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station (NRS). Each research note features one of the invasive plants monitored on forested plots by...

Understanding the leisure constraints of Hispanic-Americans in Northern Virginia: an exploratory analysis of constraints, socioeconomic status and acculturation

Treesearch

Edward F, II Byrne; Ellen B. Drogin Rodgers

2003-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the constraints to use of outdoor recreation resources and participation in leisure activities among Hispanic restaurant workers in Northern Virginia; specifically, the relationship of socioeconomic status and acculturation to leisure constraints. The dramatic rate of increase of Hispanic-Americans, the group's low...

Spatial and temporal drivers of wildfire occurrence in the context of rural development in northern Wisconsin, USA

Treesearch

Brian R Miranda; Brian R Sturtevant; Susan I Stewart; Roger B. Hammer

2012-01-01

Most drivers underlying wildfire are dynamic, but at different spatial and temporal scales. We quantified temporal and spatial trends in wildfire patterns over two spatial extents in northern Wisconsin to identify drivers and their change through time. We used spatial point pattern analysis to quantify the spatial pattern of wildfire occurrences, and linear regression...

Modeling the impacts of hemlock woolly adelgid infestation and presalvage harvesting on carbon stocks in northern hemlock forests

Treesearch

Jeffrey Krebs; Jennifer Pontius; Paul G. Schaberg

2017-01-01

To better understand the potential impact of the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA, Adelges tsugae Annand) and presalvage activities on carbon (C) dynamics in northern stands of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.), we used the Forest Vegetation Simulator and Forest Inventory and Analysis data to model C storage and...

Microfaunal analysis of late Quaternary deposits of the northern Bering Sea.

USGS Publications Warehouse

McDougall, K.

1982-01-01

Holocene microfaunal associations and distribution patterns define three inner-shelf (1-20m) biofacies in Norton Sound, northern Bering Sea. The Holocene facies relations are the basis for interpreting early Holocene and late Pleistocene environmental conditions in the NE Bering Sea area. Norton Sound cores provide evidence of two marine transgressions and a varying river input.-from Author

Assessing Factors That Influence the Recruitment of Majors from Introductory Geology Classes at Northern Arizona University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoisch, Thomas D.; Bowie, James I.

2010-01-01

In order to guide the formulation of strategies for recruiting undergraduates into the geology program at Northern Arizona University, we surveyed 783 students in introductory geology classes and 23 geology majors in their junior and senior years. Our analysis shows that ~7% of students in the introductory classes are possible candidates for…

An assessment of Japanese honeysuckle in northern U.S. forests

Treesearch

Cassandra M. Kurtz; Mark H. Hansen

2015-01-01

This publication is part of a series that provides an overview of the presence of invasive plant species monitored on an extensive systematic network of plots measured by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station (NRS). Each research note features one of the invasive plants monitored on forested plots by NRS...

A Comparative Analysis of Athletes and Non-Athletes Academic Achievement in a Northern New Jersey High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cirillo, Joseph John

2014-01-01

This mixed-methods study with a narrative component explored the effect athletic participation played on the academic achievement of senior student-athletes and non-athlete in a public school in Northern New Jersey. The motivation for the study was the conflicting perceptions and research as related to the impact athletic participation had on…

An assessment of garlic mustard in northern U.S. forests

Treesearch

Cassandra M. Kurtz; Mark H. Hansen

2014-01-01

This publication is part of a series that provides an overview of the presence of invasive plant species monitored on an extensive systematic network of plots measured by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station (NRS). Each research note features one of the invasive plants monitored on forested plots by FIA...

A Qualitative Study of the Lived Experiences of Disabled Post-Transition Students in Higher Education Institutions in Northern Ireland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redpath, Jennifer; Kearney, Patricia; Nicholl, Peter; Mulvenna, Maurice; Wallace, Jonathan; Martin, Suzanne

2013-01-01

This article provides a systematic analysis of 13 in-depth interviews of disabled students from universities in Northern Ireland. Undertaken as part of the Uni4U initiative, the findings presented describe barriers experienced by students with disabilities to participation in higher education. The students provided comments concerning their…

Examining the Impact of ABRACADABRA on Early Literacy in Northern Australia: An Implementation Fidelity Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolgemuth, Jennifer R.; Abrami, Philip C.; Helmer, Janet; Savage, Robert; Harper, Helen; Lea, Tess

2014-01-01

To address students' poor literacy outcomes, an intervention using a computer-based literacy tool, ABRACADABRA, was implemented in 6 Northern Australia primary schools. A pretest, posttest parallel group, single blind multisite randomized controlled trial was conducted with 308 students between the ages of 4 and 8 years old (M age = 5.8 years, SD…

Defending Identity and Ethos: An Analysis of Teacher Perceptions of School Collaboration in Northern Ireland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donnelly, Caitlin

2012-01-01

The purpose of this article is to examine the process of collaborative working between teachers located in separate faith-based schools in Northern Ireland. Drawing on theories of intergroup relations, and with reference to in-depth interviews with teachers in post-primary schools, the article shows that despite earlier research which identified a…

Spatial assessment and source identification of heavy metals pollution in surface water using several chemometric techniques.

PubMed

Ismail, Azimah; Toriman, Mohd Ekhwan; Juahir, Hafizan; Zain, Sharifuddin Md; Habir, Nur Liyana Abdul; Retnam, Ananthy; Kamaruddin, Mohd Khairul Amri; Umar, Roslan; Azid, Azman

2016-05-15

This study presents the determination of the spatial variation and source identification of heavy metal pollution in surface water along the Straits of Malacca using several chemometric techniques. Clustering and discrimination of heavy metal compounds in surface water into two groups (northern and southern regions) are observed according to level of concentrations via the application of chemometric techniques. Principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrates that Cu and Cr dominate the source apportionment in northern region with a total variance of 57.62% and is identified with mining and shipping activities. These are the major contamination contributors in the Straits. Land-based pollution originating from vehicular emission with a total variance of 59.43% is attributed to the high level of Pb concentration in the southern region. The results revealed that one state representing each cluster (northern and southern regions) is significant as the main location for investigating heavy metal concentration in the Straits of Malacca which would save monitoring cost and time. The monitoring of spatial variation and source of heavy metals pollution at the northern and southern regions of the Straits of Malacca, Malaysia, using chemometric analysis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Autophagy Impairment Is Associated With Increased Inflammasome Activation and Reversal Reaction Development in Multibacillary Leprosy

PubMed Central

de Mattos Barbosa, Mayara Garcia; de Andrade Silva, Bruno Jorge; Assis, Tayná Quintella; da Silva Prata, Rhana Berto; Ferreira, Helen; Andrade, Priscila Ribeiro; da Paixão de Oliveira, Jéssica Araújo; Sperandio da Silva, Gilberto Marcelo; da Costa Nery, José Augusto; Sarno, Euzenir Nunes; Pinheiro, Roberta Olmo

2018-01-01

Leprosy reactions are responsible for incapacities in leprosy and represent the major cause of permanent neuropathy. The identification of biomarkers able to identify patients more prone to develop reaction could contribute to adequate clinical management and the prevention of disability. Reversal reaction may occur in unstable borderline patients and also in lepromatous patients. To identify biomarker signature profiles related with the reversal reaction onset, multibacillary patients were recruited and classified accordingly the occurrence or not of reversal reaction during or after multidrugtherapy. Analysis of skin lesion cells at diagnosis of multibacillary leprosy demonstrated that in the group that developed reaction (T1R) in the future there was a downregulation of autophagy associated with the overexpression of TLR2 and MLST8. The autophagy impairment in T1R group was associated with increased expression of NLRP3, caspase-1 (p10) and IL-1β production. In addition, analysis of IL-1β production in serum from multibacillary patients demonstrated that patients who developed reversal reaction have significantly increased concentrations of IL-1β at diagnosis, suggesting that the pattern of innate immune responses could predict the reactional episode outcome. In vitro analysis demonstrated that the blockade of autophagy with 3-methyladenine (3-MA) in Mycobacterium leprae-stimulated human primary monocytes increased the assembly of NLRP3 specks assembly, and it was associated with an increase of IL-1β and IL-6 production. Together, our data suggest an important role for autophagy in multibacillary leprosy patients to avoid exacerbated inflammasome activation and the onset of reversal reaction.

Some Results Bearing on the Value of Improvements of Membranes for Reverse Osmosis

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

Lamont, A

2006-03-08

This analysis evaluates the potential economic benefits that could result from the improvements in the permeability of membranes for reverse osmosis. The discussion provides a simple model of the operation of a reverse osmosis plant. It examines the change in the operation that might result from improvements in the membrane and computes the cost of water as a function of the membrane permeability.

On Calculating the Zero-Gravity Surface Figure of a Mirror

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloemhof, Eric E.

2010-01-01

An analysis of the classical method of calculating the zero-gravity surface figure of a mirror from surface-figure measurements in the presence of gravity has led to improved understanding of conditions under which the calculations are valid. In this method, one measures the surface figure in two or more gravity- reversed configurations, then calculates the zero-gravity surface figure as the average of the surface figures determined from these measurements. It is now understood that gravity reversal is not, by itself, sufficient to ensure validity of the calculations: It is also necessary to reverse mounting forces, for which purpose one must ensure that mountingfixture/ mirror contacts are located either at the same places or else sufficiently close to the same places in both gravity-reversed configurations. It is usually not practical to locate the contacts at the same places, raising the question of how close is sufficiently close. The criterion for sufficient closeness is embodied in the St. Venant principle, which, in the present context, translates to a requirement that the distance between corresponding gravity-reversed mounting positions be small in comparison to their distances to the optical surface of the mirror. The necessity of reversing mount forces is apparent in the behavior of the equations familiar from finite element analysis (FEA) that govern deformation of the mirror.

Tectonic Implications of Changes in the Paleogene Paleodrainage Network in the West-Central Part of the San Luis Basin, Northern Rio Grande Rift, New Mexico and Colorado, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, R. A.; Turner, K. J.; Cosca, M. A.; Drenth, B.

2016-12-01

The San Luis Basin is the largest of extensional basins in the northern Rio Grande rift (>11,400 km2). The modern basin configuration is the result of Neogene deformation that has been the focus of numerous studies. In contrast, Paleogene extensional deformation is relatively little studied owing to a fragmentary or poorly exposed stratigraphic record in most areas. However, volcanic and volcaniclastic deposits exposed along the western margin of the basin provide the spatial and temporal framework for interpretation of paleodrainage patterns that changed in direct response to Oligocene basin subsidence and the migration of centers of Tertiary volcanism. The early Oligocene (34 to 30 Ma) drainage pattern that originated in the volcanic highlands of the San Juan Mountains flowed south into the northern Tusas Mountains. A structural and topographic high composed of Proterozoic rocks in the Tusas Mountains directed flow to the southeast at least as late as 29 Ma, as ash-flow tuffs sourced in the southeast San Juan Mountains are restricted to the north side of the paleohigh. Construction of volcanic highlands in the San Luis Hills between 30 and 28.5 Ma provided an abundant source of volcanic debris that combined with volcanic detritus sourced in the southeast San Juan Mountains and was deposited (Los Pinos Formation) throughout the northern Tusas Mountains progressively onlapping the paleotopographic high. By 29 Ma, subsidence of the Las Mesitas graben, a structural sub-basin, between the San Luis Hills and the southeast San Juan and northern Tusas Mountains is reflected by thick deposits of Los Pinos Formation beneath 26.5 Ma basalts. Regional tectonism responsible for the formation of the graben may have also lowered the topographic and structural high in the Tusas Mountains, which allowed development of a southwest-flowing paleodrainage that likely flowed onto the Colorado Plateau. Tholeiitic basalt flows erupted in the San Luis Hills at 25.8 Ma, that presently cap dip-slope surfaces 600 m above the basin floor, flowed southwest at least 50 km utilizing the paleodrainage. After emplacement of 20.5 Ma basalts along the margin of the southeast San Juan Mountains, uplift along the western margin of the basin reversed paleodrainage directions eastward into the incipient San Luis Basin.

Towards a Holistic Model for the Tectonic Evolution of the North China Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusky, T. M.; Polat, A.; Windley, B. F.; Wang, J.; Deng, H.

2016-12-01

The North China Craton (NCC) consists of distinctly different tectonic elements assembled during the late Archean - early Proterozoic. We propose a new tectonic evolution of the NCC. The Eastern Block (EB) consists of small microblocks that resemble a collage of accreted arc-rocks from a sutured archipelago similar to the SW Pacific, accreted between 2.6 and 2.7 Ga. An Atlantic-type margin developed on the western side of the EB by 2.5 Ga, and a >1,300 km long arc/accretionary prism collided with this passive margin at 2.5 Ga, obducting ophiolites and ophiolitic mélanges, and forming a foreland basin. This was followed by arc-polarity reversal, and injection of mantle wedge-derived melts. By 2.43 Ga, the ocean behind the accreted arc closed through the collision of an oceanic plateau. Rifting of the amalgamated craton followed at 2.4-2.35 Ga, with a failed rift arm preserved in the center of the craton, and two that successfully made an ocean along the northern margin. By 2.3 Ga an arc built on older cratonic material collided with this passive margin which soon converted to an Andean-type margin. Andean margin tectonics affected much of the craton from 2.3-1.9 Ga, forming a broad E-W swath of continental margin magmas, and retro-arc sedimentary basins including a superimposed basin over the passive margin on the northern margin. From 1.88-1.79 Ga the craton experienced a craton-wide granulite facies metamorphism and basement reactivation event with high-pressure granulites and eclogites in the north, and medium-pressure granulites across the craton. Early Proterozoic granulites and anatectic melts were generated by high-grade metamorphism and partial melting at mid-crustal levels beneath a collisionally-thickened plateau. This collision of the NCC on its northern margin was with the Columbia (Nuna) Continent. The NCC broke out in the period 1753-1673 Ma, as indicated by the formation of a suite of anorthosite, mangerite, charnockite, and alkali-feldspar granites in an ENE-striking belt across the northern margin of the craton, followed by the development of rifts and graben, intrusion of mafic dike swarms, and formation of shelf sediments on the northern passive margin of the craton, which signaled the beginning of a long period of quiescence for the NCC until the Paleozoic.

Unsteady RANS/DES analysis of flow around helicopter rotor blades at forword flight conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhenyu; Qian, Yaoru

2018-05-01

In this paper, the complex flows around forward-flying helicopter blades are numerically investigated. Both the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and the Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) methods are used for the analysis of characteristics like local dynamic flow separation, effects of radial sweeping and reversed flow. The flow was solved by a highly efficient finite volume solver with multi-block structured grids. Focusing upon the complexity of the advance ratio effects, above properties are fully recognized. The current results showed significant agreements between both RANS and DES methods at phases with attached flow phases. Detailed information of separating flow near the withdrawal phases are given by DES results. The flow analysis of these blades under reversed flow reveals a significant interaction between the reversed flow and the span-wise sweeping.

Multiplex Nucleic Acid Sequence-Based Amplification for Simultaneous Detection of Several Enteric Viruses in Model Ready-To-Eat Foods†

PubMed Central

Jean, Julie; D'Souza, Doris H.; Jaykus, Lee-Ann

2004-01-01

Human enteric viruses are currently recognized as one of the most important causes of food-borne disease. Implication of enteric viruses in food-borne outbreaks can be difficult to confirm due to the inadequacy of the detection methods available. In this study, a nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) method was developed in a multiplex format for the specific, simultaneous, and rapid detection of epidemiologically relevant human enteric viruses. Three previously reported primer sets were used in a single reaction for the amplification of RNA target fragments of 474, 371, and 165 nucleotides for the detection of hepatitis A virus and genogroup I and genogroup II noroviruses, respectively. Amplicons were detected by agarose gel electrophoresis and confirmed by electrochemiluminescence and Northern hybridization. Endpoint detection sensitivity for the multiplex NASBA assay was approximately 10−1 reverse transcription-PCR-detectable units (or PFU, as appropriate) per reaction. When representative ready-to-eat foods (deli sliced turkey and lettuce) were inoculated with various concentrations of each virus and processed for virus detection with the multiplex NASBA method, all three human enteric viruses were simultaneously detected at initial inoculum levels of 100 to 102 reverse transcription-PCR-detectable units (or PFU)/9 cm2 in both food commodities. The multiplex NASBA system provides rapid and simultaneous detection of clinically relevant food-borne viruses in a single reaction tube and may be a promising alternative to reverse transcription-PCR for the detection of viral contamination of foods. PMID:15528524

Intelligent acoustic data fusion technique for information security analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Ying; Tang, Yize; Lu, Wenda; Wang, Zhongfeng; Wang, Zepeng; Zhang, Luming

2017-08-01

Tone is an essential component of word formation in all tonal languages, and it plays an important role in the transmission of information in speech communication. Therefore, tones characteristics study can be applied into security analysis of acoustic signal by the means of language identification, etc. In speech processing, fundamental frequency (F0) is often viewed as representing tones by researchers of speech synthesis. However, regular F0 values may lead to low naturalness in synthesized speech. Moreover, F0 and tone are not equivalent linguistically; F0 is just a representation of a tone. Therefore, the Electroglottography (EGG) signal is collected for deeper tones characteristics study. In this paper, focusing on the Northern Kam language, which has nine tonal contours and five level tone types, we first collected EGG and speech signals from six natural male speakers of the Northern Kam language, and then achieved the clustering distributions of the tone curves. After summarizing the main characteristics of tones of Northern Kam, we analyzed the relationship between EGG and speech signal parameters, and laid the foundation for further security analysis of acoustic signal.

Analyzing Whitebark Pine Distribution in the Northern Rocky Mountains in Support of Grizzly Bear Recovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawrence, R.; Landenburger, L.; Jewett, J.

2007-12-01

Whitebark pine seeds have long been identified as the most significant vegetative food source for grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) and, hence, a crucial element of suitable grizzly bear habitat. The overall health and status of whitebark pine in the GYE is currently threatened by mountain pine beetle infestations and the spread of whitepine blister rust. Whitebark pine distribution (presence/absence) was mapped for the GYE using Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) imagery and topographic data as part of a long-term inter-agency monitoring program. Logistic regression was compared with classification tree analysis (CTA) with and without boosting. Overall comparative classification accuracies for the central portion of the GYE covering three ETM+ images along a single path ranged from 91.6% using logistic regression to 95.8% with See5's CTA algorithm with the maximum 99 boosts. The analysis is being extended to the entire northern Rocky Mountain Ecosystem and extended over decadal time scales. The analysis is being extended to the entire northern Rocky Mountain Ecosystem and extended over decadal time scales.

Dynamical analysis of a satellite-observed anticyclonic eddy in the northern Bering Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yineng; Li, Xiaofeng; Wang, Jia; Peng, Shiqiu

2016-05-01

The characteristics and evolution of a satellite-observed anticyclonic eddy in the northern Bering Sea during March and April 1999 are investigated using a three-dimensional Princeton Ocean Model (POM). The anticyclonic-like current pattern and asymmetric feature of the eddy were clearly seen in the synthetic aperture radar (SAR), sea surface temperature, and ocean color images in April 1999. The results from model simulation reveal the three-dimensional structure of the anticyclonic eddy, its movement, and dissipation. Energy analysis indicates that the barotropic instability (BTI) is the main energy source for the growth of the anticyclonic eddy. The momentum analysis further reveals that the larger magnitude of the barotropic pressure gradient in the meridional direction causes the asymmetry of the anticyclonic eddy in the zonal and meridional directions, while the different magnitudes of the meridional baroclinic pressure gradient are responsible for the different intensity of currents between the northern and southern parts of the anticyclonic eddy. This article was corrected on 23 JUL 2016. See the end of the full text for details.

Late Cretaceous to Cenozoic deformation and exhumation of the Chilean Frontal Cordillera (28°-29°S), Central Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez, Fernando; Parra, Mauricio; Arriagada, César; Mora, Andrés; Bascuñan, Sebastián; Peña, Matías

2017-11-01

The Frontal Cordillera in northern Chile is located over the flat-slab subduction segment of the Central Andes. This tectonic province is characterized by a thick-skinned structural style showing evidence of tectonic inversion and basement-involved compressive structures. Field data, U-Pb geochronological and apatite fission track data were used to unravel partially the tectonic history of the area. Previous U-Pb ages of synorogenic deposits exposed on the flanks of basement-core anticlines indicate that Andean deformation started probably during Late Cretaceous with the tectonic inversion of Triassic and Jurassic half-grabens. New U-Pb ages of the synorogenic Quebrada Seca Formation suggest that this deformation continued during Paleocene (66-60 Ma) with the reverse faulting of pre-rift basement blocks. The analysis of new apatite fission-track data shows that a rapid and coeval cooling related to exhumation of the pre-rift basement blocks occurred during Eocene times. This exhumation event is interpreted for first time in the Chilean Frontal Cordillera and it could have occurred simultaneously with the propagation of basement-involved structures. The age of this exhumation event coincides with the Incaic orogenic phase, which is interpreted as the most important to the Central Andes in terms of shortening, uplift and exhumation.

Multiple tropical Andean glaciations during a period of late Pliocene warmth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, Nicholas J.; Barendregt, René W.; Clague, John J.

2017-02-01

The extent and behaviour of glaciers during the mid-Piacenzian warm period illustrate the sensitivity of the cryosphere to atmospheric CO2 concentrations above pre-industrial levels. Knowledge of glaciation during this period is restricted to globally or regionally averaged records from marine sediments and to sparse terrestrial glacial deposits in mid-to-high latitudes. Here we expand the Pliocene glacial record to the tropics by reporting recurrent large-scale glaciation in the Bolivian Andes based on stratigraphic and paleomagnetic analysis of a 95-m sequence of glacial sediments underlying the 2.74-Ma Chijini Tuff. Paleosols and polarity reversals separate eight glacial diamictons, which we link to cold periods in the benthic oxygen isotope record. The glaciations appear to coincide with the earliest glacial activity at high northern latitudes and with events in Antarctica, including the strong M2 cold peak and terminal Pliocene climate deterioration. This concordance suggests inter-hemispheric climate linkages during the late Pliocene and requires that the Central Andes were at least as high in the late Pliocene as today. Our record fills a critical gap in knowledge of Earth systems during the globally warm mid-Piacenzian and suggests a possible driver of faunal migration preceding the large-scale biotic interchange in the Americas during the earliest Pleistocene.

Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is a new natural host of Hop stunt viroid.

PubMed

Elleuch, Amine; Hamdi, Imen; Ellouze, Olfa; Ghrab, Mohamed; Fkahfakh, Hatem; Drira, Noureddine

2013-10-01

Besides hop, Hop stunt viroid (HpSVd) infects many woody species including grapevine, citrus, peach, plum, apricot, almond, pomegranate, mulberry and jujube. Here, we report the first detection of HpSVd in pistachio (Pistacia vera L.). Samples corresponding to 16 pistachio cultivars were obtained from a nearby almond collection. From these samples, low molecular weight RNAs were extracted for double polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, northern-blot analysis and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays. HpSVd was detected in 4 of the 16 pistachio cultivars in the first year and in 6 in the second, being also detected in the almond collection. Examination of the nucleotide sequences of pistachio and almond isolates revealed 13 new sequence variants. Sequences from pistachio shared 92-96 % similarity with the first reported HpSVd sequence (GenBank X00009), and multiple alignment and phylogenetic analyses showed that one pistachio isolate (HpSVdPis67Jabari) clustered with the plum group, whereas all the others clustered with the hop, and the recombinants plum-citrus and plum-Hop/cit3 groups. By identifying pistachio as a new natural host, we confirm that HpSVd is an ubiquitous and genetically variable viroid that infects many different fruit trees cultivated worldwide.

Chimeric calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase in tobacco: differential regulation by calmodulin isoforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Z.; Xia, M.; Poovaiah, B. W.

1998-01-01

cDNA clones of chimeric Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CCaMK) from tobacco (TCCaMK-1 and TCCaMK-2) were isolated and characterized. The polypeptides encoded by TCCaMK-1 and TCCaMK-2 have 15 different amino acid substitutions, yet they both contain a total of 517 amino acids. Northern analysis revealed that CCaMK is expressed in a stage-specific manner during anther development. Messenger RNA was detected when tobacco bud sizes were between 0.5 cm and 1.0 cm. The appearance of mRNA coincided with meiosis and became undetectable at later stages of anther development. The reverse polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification assay using isoform-specific primers showed that both of the CCaMK mRNAs were expressed in anther with similar expression patterns. The CCaMK protein expressed in Escherichia coli showed Ca2+-dependent autophosphorylation and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent substrate phosphorylation. Calmodulin isoforms (PCM1 and PCM6) had differential effects on the regulation of autophosphorylation and substrate phosphorylation of tobacco CCaMK, but not lily CCaMK. The evolutionary tree of plant serine/threonine protein kinases revealed that calmodulin-dependent kinases form one subgroup that is distinctly different from Ca2+-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) and other serine/threonine kinases in plants.

From Cells to Virus Particles: Quantitative Methods to Monitor RNA Packaging

PubMed Central

Ferrer, Mireia; Henriet, Simon; Chamontin, Célia; Lainé, Sébastien; Mougel, Marylène

2016-01-01

In cells, positive strand RNA viruses, such as Retroviridae, must selectively recognize their full-length RNA genome among abundant cellular RNAs to assemble and release particles. How viruses coordinate the intracellular trafficking of both RNA and protein components to the assembly sites of infectious particles at the cell surface remains a long-standing question. The mechanisms ensuring packaging of genomic RNA are essential for viral infectivity. Since RNA packaging impacts on several essential functions of retroviral replication such as RNA dimerization, translation and recombination events, there are many studies that require the determination of RNA packaging efficiency and/or RNA packaging ability. Studies of RNA encapsidation rely upon techniques for the identification and quantification of RNA species packaged by the virus. This review focuses on the different approaches available to monitor RNA packaging: Northern blot analysis, ribonuclease protection assay and quantitative reverse transcriptase-coupled polymerase chain reaction as well as the most recent RNA imaging and sequencing technologies. Advantages, disadvantages and limitations of these approaches will be discussed in order to help the investigator to choose the most appropriate technique. Although the review was written with the prototypic simple murine leukemia virus (MLV) and complex human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in mind, the techniques were described in order to benefit to a larger community. PMID:27556480

Influence of gold nanoparticles of varying size in improving the lipase activity within cationic reverse micelles.

PubMed

Maiti, Subhabrata; Das, Dibyendu; Shome, Anshupriya; Das, Prasanta Kumar

2010-02-08

Herein, we report the effect of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in enhancing lipase activity in reverse micelles of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/water/isooctane/n-hexanol. The size and concentration of the nanoparticles were varied and their specific roles were assessed in detail. An overall enhancement of activity was observed in the GNP-doped CTAB reverse micelles. The improvement in activity becomes more prominent with increasing concentration and size of the GNPs (0-52 microM and ca. 3-30 nm, respectively). The observed highest lipase activity (k(2)=1070+/-12 cm(3) g(-1) s(-1)) in GNP-doped CTAB reverse micelles ([GNP]: 52 microm, ca. 20 nm) is 2.5-fold higher than in CTAB reverse micelles without GNPs. Improvement in the lipase activity is only specific to the GNP-doped reverse micellar media, whereas GNP deactivates and structurally deforms the enzyme in aqueous media. The reason for this activation is probably due to the formation of larger-sized reverse micelles in which the GNP acts as a polar core and the surfactants aggregate around the nanoparticle ('GNP pool') instead of only water. Lipase at the augmented interface of the GNP-doped reverse micelle showed improved activity because of enhancement in both the substrate and enzyme concentrations and increased flexibility in the lipase conformation. The extent of the activation is greater in the case of the larger-sized GNPs. A correlation has been established between the activity of lipase and its secondary structure by using circular dichroism and FTIR spectroscopic analysis. The generalized influence of GNP is verified in the reverse micelles of another surfactant, namely, cetyltripropylammonium bromide (CTPAB). TEM, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and UV/Vis spectroscopic analysis were utilized to characterize the GNPs and the organized aggregates. For the first time, CTAB-based reverse micelles have been found to be an excellent host for lipase simply by doping with appropriately sized GNPs.

Moment tensor solutions for the Iberian-Maghreb region during the IberArray deployment (2009-2013)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martín, R.; Stich, D.; Morales, J.; Mancilla, F.

2015-11-01

We perform regional moment tensor inversion for 84 earthquakes that occurred in the Iberian-Maghreb region during the second and third leg of IberArray deployment (2009-2013). During this period around 300 seismic broadband stations were operating in the area, reducing the interstation spacing to ~ 50 km over extended areas. We use the established processing sequence of the IAG moment tensor catalogue, increasing to 309 solutions with this update. New moment tensor solutions present magnitudes ranging from Mw 3.2 to 6.3 and source depths from 2 to 620 km. Most solutions correspond to Northern Algeria, where a compressive deformation pattern is consolidated. The Betic-Rif sector shows a progression of faulting styles from mainly shear faulting in the east via predominantly extension in the central sector to reverse and strike-slip faulting in the west. At the SW Iberia margin, the predominance of strike-slip and reverse faulting agrees with the expected transpressive character of the Eurasian-Nubia plate boundary. New strike-slip and oblique reverse solutions in the Trans-Alboran Shear Zone reflect its left-lateral regime. The most significant improvement corresponds to the Atlas Mountains and the surroundings of the Gibraltar Arc with scarce previous solutions. Reverse and strike-slip faulting solutions in the Atlas System display the accommodation of plate convergence by shortening in the belt. At the Gibraltar Arc, several new solutions were obtained at lower crustal and subcrustal depths. These mechanisms show substantial heterogeneity, covering the full range of faulting styles with highly variable orientations of principal stress axes, including opposite strike slip faulting solutions at short distance. The observations are not straightforward to explain by a simple geodynamic scenario and suggest the interplay of different processes, among them plate convergence in old oceanic lithospheric with large brittle thickness at the SW Iberia margin, as well as delamination of thickened continental lithosphere beneath the Betic-Rif arc.

Flow characteristics of rivers in northern Australia: Implications for development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petheram, Cuan; McMahon, Thomas A.; Peel, Murray C.

2008-07-01

SummaryAnnual, monthly and daily streamflows from 99 unregulated rivers across northern Australia were analysed to assess the general surface water resources of the region and their implications for development. The potential for carry-over storages was assessed using the Gould-Dincer Gamma method, which utilises the mean, standard deviation, skewness and lag-one serial correlation coefficient of annual flows. Runs Analysis was used to describe the characteristics of drought in northern Australia and the potential for 'active' water harvesting was evaluated by Base Flow Separation, Flow Duration Curves and Spells Analysis. These parameters for northern Australia were compared with data from southern Australia and data for similar Köppen class from around the world. Notably, the variability and seasonality of annual streamflow across northern Australia were observed to be high compared with that of similar Köppen classes from the rest of the world (RoW). The high inter-annual variability of runoff means that carry-over storages in northern Australia will need to be considerably larger than for rivers from the RoW (assuming similar mean annual runoff, yield and reliability). For example, in the three major Köppen zones across the North, it was possible (theoretically) to only exploit approximately 33% (Köppen Aw; n = 6), 25% (Köppen BSh; n = 12) and 13% (Köppen BWh; n = 11) of mean annual streamflow (assuming a hypothetical storage size equal to the mean annual flow). Over 90% of north Australian rivers had a Base Flow Index of less than 0.4, 72% had negative annual lag-one autocorrelation values and in half the rivers sampled greater than 80% of the total flow occurred during the 3-month peak period. These data confirm that flow in the rivers of northern Australia is largely event driven and that the north Australian environment has limited natural storage capacity. Hence, there is relatively little opportunity in many northern rivers to actively harvest water for on-farm storage, particularly under environmental flow rules that stipulate that water can only be extracted during the falling limb of a hydrograph. Streamflow drought severity, the product of drought length and magnitude, was found to be greater in northern Australia than in similar climatic regions of the RoW, due to higher inter-annual variability increasing the drought magnitude over the course of normal drought lengths. The high likelihood of severe drought means that agriculturalists seeking to irrigate from rivers in northern Australia should have especially well developed drought contingency plans.

Effect of Reverse Bias Stress on Leakage Currents and Breakdown Voltages of Solid Tantalum Capacitors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Teverovsky, Alexander A.

2011-01-01

The majority of solid tantalum capacitors are produced by high-temperature sintering of a fine tantalum powder around a tantalum wire followed by electrolytic anodization that forms a thin amorphous Ta2O5 dielectric layer and pyrolysis of manganese nitrite on the oxide to create a conductive manganese dioxide electrode. A contact to tantalum wire is used as anode terminal and to the manganese layer as a cathode terminal of the device. This process results in formation of an asymmetric Ta -- Ta2O5 -- MnO2 capacitor that has different characteristics at forward (positive bias applied to tantalum) and reverse (positive bias applied to manganese cathode) voltages. Reverse bias currents might be several orders of magnitude larger than forward leakage currents so I-V characteristics of tantalum capacitors resemble characteristics of semiconductor rectifiers. Asymmetric I-V characteristics of Ta -- anodic Ta2O5 systems have been observed at different top electrode materials including metals, electrolytes, conductive polymers, and manganese oxide thus indicating that this phenomenon is likely related to the specifics of the Ta -- Ta2O5 interface. There have been multiple attempts to explain rectifying characteristics of capacitors employing anodic tantalum pentoxide dielectrics. A brief review of works related to reverse bias (RB) behavior of tantalum capacitors shows that the mechanism of conduction in Ta -- Ta2O5 systems is still not clear and more testing and analysis is necessary to understand the processes involved. If tantalum capacitors behave just as rectifiers, then the assessment of the safe reverse bias operating conditions would be a relatively simple task. Unfortunately, these parts can degrade with time under reverse bias significantly, and this further complicates analysis of the I-V characteristics and establishing safe operating areas of the parts. On other hand, time dependence of reverse currents might provide additional information for investigation of the processes under reverse bias conditions. In practice, there were instances when, due to unforeseen events, the system operated at conditions when capacitors experience periodically a relatively small reverse bias for some time followed by normal, forward bias conditions. In such a case an assessment should be made on the degree to which these capacitors are degraded by application of low-voltage reverse bias, and whether this degradation can be reversed by normal operating conditions. In this study, reverse currents in different types of tantalum capacitors were monitored at different reverse voltages below 15%VR and temperatures in the range from room to 145 C for up to 150 hours to get better understanding of the degradation process and determine conditions favorable to the unstable mode of operation. The reversibility of RB degradation has been evaluated after operation of the capacitors at forward bias conditions. The effect of reverse bias stress (RBS) on reliability at normal operating conditions was evaluated using highly accelerated life testing at voltages of 1.5VR and 2 VR and by analysis of changes in distributions of breakdown voltages. Possible mechanisms of RB degradation are discussed.

Sugammadex for reversal of neuromuscular blockade: a retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness in a single center.

PubMed

Carron, Michele; Baratto, Fabio; Zarantonello, Francesco; Ori, Carlo

2016-01-01

The aim of the study is to evaluate the clinical and economic impact of introducing a rocuronium-neostigmine-sugammadex strategy into a cisatracurium-neostigmine regimen for neuromuscular block (NMB) management. We conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness in five operating rooms at University Hospital of Padova. A clinical outcome evaluation after sugammadex administration as first-choice reversal drug in selected patients (rocuronium-sugammadex) and as rescue therapy after neostigmine reversal (rocuronium-neostigmine-sugammadex) compared to control was performed. A cost-analysis of NMB management accompanying the introduction of a rocuronium-neostigmine-sugammadex strategy into a cisatracurium-neostigmine regimen was carried out. To such purpose, two periods were compared: 2011-2012, without sugammadex available; 2013-2014, with sugammadex available. A subsequent analysis was performed to evaluate if sugammadex replacing neostigmine as first choice reversal drug is cost-effective. The introduction of a rocuronium-neostigmine-sugammadex strategy into a cisatracurium-neostigmine regimen reduced the average cost of NMB management by 36%, from €20.8/case to €13.3/case. Patients receiving sugammadex as a first-choice reversal drug (3%) exhibited significantly better train-of-four ratios at extubation (P<0.001) and were discharged to the surgical ward (P<0.001) more rapidly than controls. The cost-saving of sugammadex as first-choice reversal drug has been estimated to be €2.9/case. Patients receiving sugammadex as rescue therapy after neostigmine reversal (3.2%) showed no difference in time to discharge to the surgical ward (P=0.44) compared to controls. No unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admissions with rocuronium-neostigmine-sugammadex strategy were observed. The potential economic benefit in avoiding postoperative residual curarization (PORC)-related ICU admission in the 2013-2014 period was estimated at an average value of €13,548 (€9,316-€23,845). Sugammadex eliminated PORC and associated morbidities. In our center, sugammadex reduced the costs of NMB management and promoted rapid turnover of patients in operating rooms, with total cost-effectiveness that counteracts the disadvantages of its high cost.

Molecular and immunogenetic analysis of major histocompatibility haplotypes in Northern Bobwhite enable direct identification of corresponding haplotypes in an endangered subspecies, the Masked Bobwhite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Drake, B.M.; Goto, R.M.; Miller, M.M.; Gee, G.F.; Briles, W.E.

1999-01-01

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a group of genetic loci coding for haplotypes that have been associated with fitness traits in mammals and birds. Such associations suggest that MHC diversity may be an indicator of overall genetic fitness of endangered or threatened species. The MHC haplotypes of a captive population of 12 families of northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) were identified using a combination of immunogenetic and molecular techniques. Alloantisera were produced within families of northern bobwhites and were then tested for differential agglutination of erythrocytes of all members of each family. The pattern of reactions determined from testing these alloantisera identified a single genetic system of alloantigens in the northern bobwhites, resulting in the assignment of a tentative genotype to each individual within the quail families. Restriction fragment patterns of the DNA of each bird were determined using the chicken MHC B-G cDNA probe bg11. The concordance between the restriction fragment patterns and the alloantisera reactions showed that the alloantisera had identified the MHC of the northern bobwhite and supported the tentative genotype assignments, identifying at least 12 northern bobwhite MHC haplotypes.

North of the 46° parallel: Obstacles and challenges to recycling in Ontario's rural and northern communities.

PubMed

Lakhan, Calvin

2015-10-01

This study examines the economic challenges of recycling in Ontario's rural and northern areas. Specifically, this study quantifies the economic and diversion impact of operating recycling programs in these regions. Using a systems based cost model, focus is placed on analyzing: (1) What would happen to provincial recycling costs and diversion levels if recycling programs were eliminated in "high cost" northern and rural communities? (2) Is it possible to increase the provincial recycling rate by focusing investments in low cost, high performance regions (while simultaneously eliminating recycling programs in rural and northern areas)? (3) How would the mix of material recovered change if recycling programs were eliminated in rural and northern areas? The results of this analysis show that eliminating recycling programs in high cost regions significantly decreased system costs without negatively impacting overall recycling rates. This study also found that it was possible to increase the provincial recycling rate while simultaneously reducing program costs by targeting specific regions for recovery. The findings of this study suggest that Ontario reevaluate whether rural and northern municipalities be legislatively required to operate household recycling programs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reversible perspective and splitting in time.

PubMed

Hart, Helen Schoenhals

2012-01-01

The element of time--the experience of it and the defensive use of it--is explored in conjunction with the use of reversible perspective as a psychotic defense. Clinical material from a long analysis illustrates how a psychotic patient used the reversible perspective, with its static splitting, to abolish the experience of time. When he improved and the reversible perspective became less effective for him, he replaced it with a more dynamic splitting mechanism using time gaps. With further improvement, the patient began to experience the passage of time, and along with it the excruciating pain of separation, envy, and loss.

Exhumation of the Deylaman fault trend and its effects on the deformation style of the western Alborz belt in Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hakimi Asiabar, Saeid; Bagheriyan, Siyamak

2018-03-01

The Alborz range in northern Iran stretches along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs northeast and merges into the Pamir mountains in Afghanistan. Alborz mountain belt is a doubly vergent orogen formed along the northern edge of the Iranian plateau in response to the closure of the Neo-Tethys ocean and continental collision between Arabia and Eurasia. The south Caspian depression—the Alborz basin of Mesozoic age (with W-E trend) in northern Iran—inverted in response to the Arabia-Eurasia collision. Pre-existing extensional faults of the south Caspian-Alborz system preferentially reactivated as contractional faults because of tectonic inversion. These contractional structures tend to run parallel to the trends of pre-existing extensional faults and acquire W and WNW-ESE orientations across the previous accommodation zones that were imposed by the reactivation of adjacent extensional faults with different directions. The NNE to N dipping faults show evidences of reactivation. The Deylaman fault is one of the important faults of western Alborz in Iran and is an example of inversion tectonic style of deformation in the western Alborz mountain range. The Deylaman fault, with an E-W trend, contains three discontinuous fault segments in the area under investigation. These fault segments have evidence of oblique right-lateral reverse motion and links eastward to the dextral Kandavan thrust. The importance of this fault is due to its effect on sedimentation of several rock units from the Jurassic to Neogene in western Alborz; the rock facies on each side of this fault are very different and illustrate different parts of tectonic history.

Repeated large-magnitude earthquakes in a tectonically active, low-strain continental interior: The northern Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landgraf, A.; Dzhumabaeva, A.; Abdrakhmatov, K. E.; Strecker, M. R.; Macaulay, E. A.; Arrowsmith, Jr.; Sudhaus, H.; Preusser, F.; Rugel, G.; Merchel, S.

2016-05-01

The northern Tien Shan of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan has been affected by a series of major earthquakes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. To assess the significance of such a pulse of strain release in a continental interior, it is important to analyze and quantify strain release over multiple time scales. We have undertaken paleoseismological investigations at two geomorphically distinct sites (Panfilovkoe and Rot Front) near the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. Although located near the historic epicenters, both sites were not affected by these earthquakes. Trenching was accompanied by dating stratigraphy and offset surfaces using luminescence, radiocarbon, and 10Be terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide methods. At Rot Front, trenching of a small scarp did not reveal evidence for surface rupture during the last 5000 years. The scarp rather resembles an extensive debris-flow lobe. At Panfilovkoe, we estimate a Late Pleistocene minimum slip rate of 0.2 ± 0.1 mm/a, averaged over at least two, probably three earthquake cycles. Dip-slip reverse motion along segmented, moderately steep faults resulted in hanging wall collapse scarps during different events. The most recent earthquake occurred around 3.6 ± 1.3 kyr ago (1σ), with dip-slip offsets between 1.2 and 1.4 m. We calculate a probabilistic paleomagnitude to be between 6.7 and 7.2, which is in agreement with regional data from the Kyrgyz range. The morphotectonic signals in the northern Tien Shan are a prime example of deformation in a tectonically active intracontinental mountain belt and as such can help understand the longer-term coevolution of topography and seismogenic processes in similar structural settings worldwide.

Gradual unlocking of plate boundary controlled initiation of the 2014 Iquique earthquake.

PubMed

Schurr, Bernd; Asch, Günter; Hainzl, Sebastian; Bedford, Jonathan; Hoechner, Andreas; Palo, Mauro; Wang, Rongjiang; Moreno, Marcos; Bartsch, Mitja; Zhang, Yong; Oncken, Onno; Tilmann, Frederik; Dahm, Torsten; Victor, Pia; Barrientos, Sergio; Vilotte, Jean-Pierre

2014-08-21

On 1 April 2014, Northern Chile was struck by a magnitude 8.1 earthquake following a protracted series of foreshocks. The Integrated Plate Boundary Observatory Chile monitored the entire sequence of events, providing unprecedented resolution of the build-up to the main event and its rupture evolution. Here we show that the Iquique earthquake broke a central fraction of the so-called northern Chile seismic gap, the last major segment of the South American plate boundary that had not ruptured in the past century. Since July 2013 three seismic clusters, each lasting a few weeks, hit this part of the plate boundary with earthquakes of increasing peak magnitudes. Starting with the second cluster, geodetic observations show surface displacements that can be associated with slip on the plate interface. These seismic clusters and their slip transients occupied a part of the plate interface that was transitional between a fully locked and a creeping portion. Leading up to this earthquake, the b value of the foreshocks gradually decreased during the years before the earthquake, reversing its trend a few days before the Iquique earthquake. The mainshock finally nucleated at the northern end of the foreshock area, which skirted a locked patch, and ruptured mainly downdip towards higher locking. Peak slip was attained immediately downdip of the foreshock region and at the margin of the locked patch. We conclude that gradual weakening of the central part of the seismic gap accentuated by the foreshock activity in a zone of intermediate seismic coupling was instrumental in causing final failure, distinguishing the Iquique earthquake from most great earthquakes. Finally, only one-third of the gap was broken and the remaining locked segments now pose a significant, increased seismic hazard with the potential to host an earthquake with a magnitude of >8.5.

Quantifying uncertainties of seismic Bayesian inversion of Northern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, C.; Lekic, V.

2017-12-01

Elastic waves excited by earthquakes are the fundamental observations of the seismological studies. Seismologists measure information such as travel time, amplitude, and polarization to infer the properties of earthquake source, seismic wave propagation, and subsurface structure. Across numerous applications, seismic imaging has been able to take advantage of complimentary seismic observables to constrain profiles and lateral variations of Earth's elastic properties. Moreover, seismic imaging plays a unique role in multidisciplinary studies of geoscience by providing direct constraints on the unreachable interior of the Earth. Accurate quantification of uncertainties of inferences made from seismic observations is of paramount importance for interpreting seismic images and testing geological hypotheses. However, such quantification remains challenging and subjective due to the non-linearity and non-uniqueness of geophysical inverse problem. In this project, we apply a reverse jump Markov chain Monte Carlo (rjMcMC) algorithm for a transdimensional Bayesian inversion of continental lithosphere structure. Such inversion allows us to quantify the uncertainties of inversion results by inverting for an ensemble solution. It also yields an adaptive parameterization that enables simultaneous inversion of different elastic properties without imposing strong prior information on the relationship between them. We present retrieved profiles of shear velocity (Vs) and radial anisotropy in Northern Great Plains using measurements from USArray stations. We use both seismic surface wave dispersion and receiver function data due to their complementary constraints of lithosphere structure. Furthermore, we analyze the uncertainties of both individual and joint inversion of those two data types to quantify the benefit of doing joint inversion. As an application, we infer the variation of Moho depths and crustal layering across the northern Great Plains.

Geochemistry and depositional environments of Paleocene-Eocene phosphorites: Metlaoui Group, Tunisia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garnit, Hechmi; Bouhlel, Salah; Jarvis, Ian

2017-10-01

The Late Paleocene-Early Eocene phosphorites of the Metlaoui Group in Tunisia are a world-class phosphate resource. We review the characteristics of phosphorites deposited in three areas: the Northern Basins; Eastern Basins; and Gafsa-Metlaoui Basin. Comprehensive new bulk rock elemental data are presented, together with complementary mineralogical and mineral chemical results. Carbonate fluorapatite (francolite) constitutes the dominant mineral phase in the deposits. Phosphorite samples are enriched in Cd, Sr, U, rare-earth elements and Y, together with environmentally diagnostic trace elements that provide detrital (Cr, Zr), productivity (Cu, Ni, Zn) and redox (Mo, V) proxies. Suboxic bottom-water conditions predominated, with suboxic to anoxic porewaters accompanying francolite precipitation. Phosphorite deposition occurred under increasingly arid climate conditions, accompanying global Paleocene-Eocene warming. The Northern Basins show the strongest Tethys Ocean influence, with surface seawater rare-earth element signatures consistently developed in the phosphorites. Bed-scale compositional variation indicates relatively unstable environmental conditions and episodes of sediment redeposition, with varying detrital supply and a relatively wet local climate. Glauconitic facies in the Northern Basins and the more isolated evaporite-associated phosphorites in the dryer Eastern Basins display the greatest diagenetic influences. The phosphorite - organic-rich marl - diatom-bearing porcelanite facies association in the Gafsa-Metlaoui Basin represents the classic coastal upwelling trinity. Modified Tethyan waters occurred within the Basin during phosphorite deposition, with decreasing marine productivity from NW to SE evidenced by systematically falling enrichment factors for Cu, Ni, Cd and Zn in the phosphorites. Productivity declined in concert with increasing basin isolation during the deposition of the commercial phosphorite beds in the latest Paleocene to earliest Eocene. This isolation trend was temporarily reversed during an episode of maximum flooding associated with the earliest Eocene Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM).

The Role of Sea Ice in 2 x CO2 Climate Model Sensitivity. Part 2; Hemispheric Dependencies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rind, D.; Healy, R.; Parkinson, C.; Martinson, D.

1997-01-01

How sensitive are doubled CO2 simulations to GCM control-run sea ice thickness and extent? This issue is examined in a series of 10 control-run simulations with different sea ice and corresponding doubled CO2 simulations. Results show that with increased control-run sea ice coverage in the Southern Hemisphere, temperature sensitivity with climate change is enhanced, while there is little effect on temperature sensitivity of (reasonable) variations in control-run sea ice thickness. In the Northern Hemisphere the situation is reversed: sea ice thickness is the key parameter, while (reasonable) variations in control-run sea ice coverage are of less importance. In both cases, the quantity of sea ice that can be removed in the warmer climate is the determining factor. Overall, the Southern Hemisphere sea ice coverage change had a larger impact on global temperature, because Northern Hemisphere sea ice was sufficiently thick to limit its response to doubled CO2, and sea ice changes generally occurred at higher latitudes, reducing the sea ice-albedo feedback. In both these experiments and earlier ones in which sea ice was not allowed to change, the model displayed a sensitivity of -0.02 C global warming per percent change in Southern Hemisphere sea ice coverage.

The coastal ocean response to the global warming acceleration and hiatus

PubMed Central

Liao, Enhui; Lu, Wenfang; Yan, Xiao-Hai; Jiang, Yuwu; Kidwell, Autumn

2015-01-01

Coastlines are fundamental to humans for habitation, commerce, and natural resources. Many coastal ecosystem disasters, caused by extreme sea surface temperature (SST), were reported when the global climate shifted from global warming to global surface warming hiatus after 1998. The task of understanding the coastal SST variations within the global context is an urgent matter. Our study on the global coastal SST from 1982 to 2013 revealed a significant cooling trend in the low and mid latitudes (31.4% of the global coastlines) after 1998, while 17.9% of the global coastlines changed from a cooling trend to a warming trend concurrently. The trend reversals in the Northern Pacific and Atlantic coincided with the phase shift of Pacific Decadal Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation, respectively. These coastal SST changes are larger than the changes of the global mean and open ocean, resulting in a fast increase of extremely hot/cold days, and thus extremely hot/cold events. Meanwhile, a continuous increase of SST was detected for a considerable portion of coastlines (46.7%) with a strengthened warming along the coastlines in the high northern latitudes. This suggests the warming still continued and strengthened in some regions after 1998, but with a weaker pattern in the low and mid latitudes. PMID:26568024

Tectonic reversal of the western Doruneh Fault System: Implications for Central Asian tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Javadi, Hamid Reza; Esterabi Ashtiani, Marzieh; Guest, Bernard; Yassaghi, Ali; Ghassemi, Mohammad Reza; Shahpasandzadeh, Majid; Naeimi, Amir

2015-10-01

The left-lateral Doruneh Fault System (DFS) bounds the north margin of the Central Iranian microplate and has played an important role in the structural evolution of the Turkish-Iranian plateau. The western termination of the DFS is a sinistral synthetic branch fault array that shows clear kinematic evidence of having undergone recent slip sense inversion from a dextral array to a sinistral array in the latest Neogene or earliest Quaternary. Similarly, kinematic evidence from the Anarak Metamorphic complex suggests that this complex initially developed at a transpressive left-stepping termination of the DFS and that it was inverted in the latest Neogene to a transtensional fault termination. The recognition that the DFS and other faults in NE Iran were inverted from dextral to sinistral strike slip in the latest Neogene and the likely connection between the DFS and the Herat Fault of Afghanistan suggests that prior to the latest Miocene, all of the north Iranian and northern Afghan ranges were part of a distributed dextral fault network that extended from the west Himalayan syntaxes to the western Alborz. Also, the recognition that regional slip sense inversion occurred across northern and northeastern Iran after the latest Miocene invalidates tectonic models that extrapolate Pleistocene to recent fault slip kinematics and rates back beyond this time.

The coastal ocean response to the global warming acceleration and hiatus.

PubMed

Liao, Enhui; Lu, Wenfang; Yan, Xiao-Hai; Jiang, Yuwu; Kidwell, Autumn

2015-11-16

Coastlines are fundamental to humans for habitation, commerce, and natural resources. Many coastal ecosystem disasters, caused by extreme sea surface temperature (SST), were reported when the global climate shifted from global warming to global surface warming hiatus after 1998. The task of understanding the coastal SST variations within the global context is an urgent matter. Our study on the global coastal SST from 1982 to 2013 revealed a significant cooling trend in the low and mid latitudes (31.4% of the global coastlines) after 1998, while 17.9% of the global coastlines changed from a cooling trend to a warming trend concurrently. The trend reversals in the Northern Pacific and Atlantic coincided with the phase shift of Pacific Decadal Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation, respectively. These coastal SST changes are larger than the changes of the global mean and open ocean, resulting in a fast increase of extremely hot/cold days, and thus extremely hot/cold events. Meanwhile, a continuous increase of SST was detected for a considerable portion of coastlines (46.7%) with a strengthened warming along the coastlines in the high northern latitudes. This suggests the warming still continued and strengthened in some regions after 1998, but with a weaker pattern in the low and mid latitudes.

Piecing together the biogeographic history of Chenopodium vulvaria L. using botanical literature and collections

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

This study demonstrates the value of legacy literature and historic collections as a source of data on environmental history. Chenopodium vulvaria L. has declined in northern Europe and is of conservation concern in several countries, whereas in other countries outside Europe it has naturalised and is considered an alien weed. In its European range it is considered native in the south, but the northern boundary of its native range is unknown. It is hypothesised that much of its former distribution in northern Europe was the result of repeated introductions from southern Europe and that its decline in northern Europe is the result of habitat change and a reduction in the number of propagules imported to the north. A historical analysis of its ecology and distribution was conducted by mining legacy literature and historical botanical collections. Text analysis of habitat descriptions written on specimens and published in botanical literature covering a period of more than 200 years indicate that the habitat and introduction pathways of C. vulvaria have changed with time. Using the non-European naturalised range in a climate niche model, it is possible to project the range in Europe. By comparing this predicted model with a similar model created from all observations, it is clear that there is a large discrepancy between the realized and predicted distributions. This is discussed together with the social, technological and economic changes that have occurred in northern Europe, with respect to their influence on C. vulvaria. PMID:25653906

Photonic Breast Tomography and Tumor Aggressiveness Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-01

similar to the time-reversal matrix used in the general area of array processing for acoustic and radar time-reversal imaging [9]. Both OIPCA and TROT...iterative time-reversal process: analysis of the convergence,” J. Acoust . Soc. Am. 97, 62 (1995). 10. N. Kroman, J. Wohlfahrt, H. T. Mouridsen, and M...Gayen1 1The Institute for Ultrafast Spectroscopy and Lasers, Physics Department The City College and the Graduate Centre of The City University of

Using habit reversal to decrease filled pauses in public speaking.

PubMed

Mancuso, Carolyn; Miltenberger, Raymond G

2016-03-01

This study evaluated the effectiveness of simplified habit reversal in reducing filled pauses that occur during public speaking. Filled pauses consist of "uh," "um," or "er"; clicking sounds; and misuse of the word "like." After baseline, participants received habit reversal training that consisted of awareness training and competing response training. During postintervention assessments, all 6 participants exhibited an immediate decrease in filled pauses. © 2015 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Quasisecular cyclicity in the climate of the Earth's Northern Hemisphere and its possible relation to solar activity variations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogurtsov, M. G.; Jungner, H.; Lindholm, M.; Helama, S.; Dergachev, V. A.

2009-12-01

Paleoclimatological reconstructions of temperature of the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere for the last thousand years have been studied using the up-to-date methods of statistical analysis. It has bee indicated that the quasisecular (a period of 60-130 years) cyclicity, which is observed in the climate of the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, has a bimodal structure, i.e., being composed of the 60-85 and 85-130 year periodicities. The possible relation of the quasisecular climatic rhythm to the corresponding Gleissberg solar cycle has been studied using the solar activity reconstructions performed with the help of the solar paleoastrophysics methods.

Adjoint analysis of the source and path sensitivities of basin-guided waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Day, Steven M.; Roten, Daniel; Olsen, Kim B.

2012-05-01

Simulations of earthquake rupture on the southern San Andreas Fault (SAF) reveal large amplifications in the San Gabriel and Los Angeles Basins (SGB and LAB) apparently associated with long-range path effects. Geometrically similar excitation patterns can be recognized repeatedly in different SAF simulations (e.g. Love wave-like energy with predominant period around 4 s, channelled southwestwardly from the SGB into LAB), yet the amplitudes with which these distinctive wavefield patterns are excited change, depending upon source details (slip distribution, direction and velocity of rupture). We describe a method for rapid calculation of the sensitivity of such predicted wavefield features to perturbations of the source kinematics, using a time-reversed (adjoint) wavefield simulation. The calculations are analogous to those done in adjoint tomography, and the same time-reversed calculation also yields path-sensitivity kernels that give further insight into the excitation mechanism. For rupture on the southernmost 300 km of SAF, LAB excitation is greatest for slip concentrated between the northern Coachella Valley and the transverse ranges, propagating to the NE and with rupture velocities between 3250 and 3500 m s-1 along that fault segment; that is, within or slightly above the velocity range (between Rayleigh and S velocities) that is energetically precluded in the limit of a sharp rupture front, highlighting the potential value of imposing physical constraints (such as from spontaneous rupture models) on source parametrizations. LAB excitation is weak for rupture to the SW and for ruptures in either direction located north of the transverse transverse ranges, whereas Ventura Basin (VTB) is preferentially excited by NE ruptures situated north of the transverse ranges. Path kernels show that LAB excitation is mediated by surface waves deflected by the velocity contrast along the southern margin of the transverse ranges, having most of their energy in basement rock until they impinge on the eastern edge of SGB, through which they are then funnelled into LAB. VTB amplification is enhanced by a similar waveguide effect.

Reverse polarity magnetized melt rocks from the Chicxulub impact structure, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urrutia-Fucugauchi, Jaime; Marin, Luis E.; Sharpton, Virgil L.; Quezada, Juan Manuel

1993-03-01

Further paleomagnetic data for core samples of melt rock recovered in the Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) exploratory wells within the Chicxulub structure, northern Yucatan peninsula, Mexico are reported. A previous report by Sharpton showed that the rocks studied contain high iridium levels and shocked breccia clasts, and an Ar-40/Ar-39 age of 65.2 plus or minus 0.4 Ma. The geomagnetic polarity determined for two samples is reverse (R) and was correlated with chron 29R that includes the K/T boundary. Our present analysis is based on two samples from each of three clasts of the melt rock from PEMEX well Y6-N17 (1295 to 1299 m b.s.l.). This study concentrates on the vectorial nature and stability of the remanence (NRM), the magnetic mineralogy and remanence carriers (i.e., the reliability and origin of the record), and on the implications (correlation with expected paleolatitude and polarity). The relative orientation of the drill core samples with respect to the horizontal is known. Samples were stable under alternating field (AF) and thermal treatments, and after removal of a small component they exhibited single-vectorial behavior. The characteristic remanence inclinations show small dispersion and a mean value (-43 deg) in close agreement with the expected inclination and paleolatitude (derived from the North American apparent polar wander path). Isothermal remenence (IRM) acquisition experiments, Lowrie-Fuller tests, coercivity and unblocking temperature spectra of NRM and saturation IRM, susceptibility and Q-coefficient analyses, and the single-component nature indicate a dominant mineralogy of iron-rich titanomagnetites with single or pseduo-single domain states. The stable characteristic magnetization may be interpreted as a result of shock heating of the rock at the time of formation of the inpact structure and its polarity, age, and paleolatitude are consistent with a time about the K/T boundary.

Estimation of vertical slip rate in an active fault-propagation fold from the analysis of a progressive unconformity at the NE segment of the Carrascoy Fault (SE Iberia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin-Banda, Raquel; Insua-Arevalo, Juan Miguel; Garcia-Mayordomo, Julian

2017-04-01

Many studies have dealt with the calculation of fault-propagation fold growth rates considering a variety of kinematics models, from limb rotation to hinge migration models. In most cases, the different geometrical and numeric growth models are based on horizontal pre-growth strata architecture and a constant known slip rate. Here, we present the estimation of the vertical slip rate of the NE Segment of the Carrascoy Fault (SE Iberian Peninsula) from the geometrical modeling of a progressive unconformity developed on alluvial fan sediments with a high depositional slope. The NE Segment of the Carrascoy Fault is a left-lateral strike slip fault with reverse component belonging to the Eastern Betic Shear Zone, a major structure that accommodates most of the convergence between Iberian and Nubian tectonics plates in Southern Spain. The proximity of this major fault to the city of Murcia encourages the importance of carrying out paleosismological studies in order to determinate the Quaternary slip rate of the fault, a key geological parameter for seismic hazard calculations. This segment is formed by a narrow fault zone that articulates abruptly the northern edge of the Carrascoy Range with the Guadalentin Depression through high slope, short alluvial fans Upper-Middle Pleistocene in age. An outcrop in a quarry at the foot of this front reveals a progressive unconformity developed on these alluvial fan deposits, showing the important reverse component of the fault. The architecture of this unconformity is marked by well-developed calcretes on the top some of the alluvial deposits. We have determined the age of several of these calcretes by the Uranium-series disequilibrium dating method. The results obtained are consistent with recent published studies on the SW segment of the Carrascoy Fault that together with offset canals observed at a few locations suggest a net slip rate close to 1 m/ka.

Paleoceanographic insights on oxygen minimum zone expansion: Lessons from the most recent deglaciation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moffitt, S. E.; Moffitt, R.; Sauthoff, W.; Davis, C. V.; Hewett, K.; Hill, T. M.

2013-12-01

The expansion of low oxygen hydrographic zones in the modern ocean, known as Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZ), has the potential to deteriorate ecosystems, alter ocean nutrient cycling and inflict mass mortality events upon benthic and pelagic communities. During the last deglaciation (18-10 ka), large, climate-driven changes in the oxygen content of the upper ocean occurred. We propose that previous climate-driven OMZ expansions are data-rich events with which to characterize the spatial scales of OMZ hydrographic perturbation, and the temporal scales of natural OMZ variability. Here we synthesize a global compilation of marine sediment records from modern OMZ regions to investigate deglacial changes in the vertical extent, intensity, and surface area impingements of hypoxic waters upon continental margins. We surveyed sediment core records within water depths of 183-3,296 meters below sea level (mbsl) and took advantage of cores with geochemical, sedimentary or microfossil oxygenation proxies to reconstruct the timing, depth and intensity of seafloor hypoxia. OMZ maximum vertical extent during the deglaciation was variable by region: Subarctic Pacific (~600-2,900 mbsl), California Current (~330-1,500 mbsl), Baja and Mexico (~330-830 mbsl), and Equatorial Pacific and Humboldt Current (~110-3,100 mbsl). Expansion timing is regionally coherent but not globally synchronous, such that Subarctic Pacific and California Current marginal areas exhibit tight correlation and oxygenation reversals with Northern Hemisphere deglacial events (Termination 1A, Bølling-Allerød, Younger Dryas and Termination 1B). Southern regions (Baja and Mexico, and the Equatorial Pacific and Humboldt Current) exhibit hypoxia expansion prior to Termination 1A (~16 ka), and no oxygenation reversals. Our analysis provides new evidence for the geospatially coherent and temporally rapid expansion of OMZs during the last deglaciation, and reveals the extreme shallowness of the upper hypoxic boundary in coastal waters during events of global-scale warming.

Determination of gallic acid with rhodanine by reverse flow injection analysis using simplex optimization.

PubMed

Phakthong, Wilaiwan; Liawruangrath, Boonsom; Liawruangrath, Saisunee

2014-12-01

A reversed flow injection (rFI) system was designed and constructed for gallic acid determination. Gallic acid was determined based on the formation of chromogen between gallic acid and rhodanine, resulting in a colored product with a λmax at 520 nm. The optimum conditions for determining gallic acid were also investigated. Optimizations of the experimental conditions were carried out based on the so-call univariate method. The conditions obtained were 0.6% (w/v) rhodanine, 70% (v/v) ethanol, 0.9 mol L(-1) NaOH, 2.0 mL min(-1) flow rate, 75 μL injection loop and 600 cm mixing tubing length, respectively. Comparative optimizations of the experimental conditions were also carried out by multivariate or simplex optimization method. The conditions obtained were 1.2% (w/v) rhodanine, 70% (v/v) ethanol, 1.2 mol L(-1) NaOH, flow rate 2.5 mL min(-1), 75 μL injection loop and 600 cm mixing tubing length, respectively. It was found that the optimum conditions obtained by the former optimization method were mostly similar to those obtained by the latter method. The linear relationship between peak height and the concentration of gallic acid was obtained over the range of 0.1-35.0 mg L(-1) with the detection limit 0.081 mg L(-1). The relative standard deviations were found to be in the ranges 0.46-1.96% for 1, 10, 30 mg L(-1) of gallic acid (n=11). The method has the advantages of simplicity extremely high selectivity and high precision. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of gallic acid in longan samples without interferent effects from other common phenolic compounds that might be present in the longan samples collected in northern Thailand. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reverse polarity magnetized melt rocks from the Chicxulub impact structure, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Urrutia-Fucugauchi, Jaime; Marin, Luis E.; Sharpton, Virgil L.; Quezada, Juan Manuel

1993-01-01

Further paleomagnetic data for core samples of melt rock recovered in the Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) exploratory wells within the Chicxulub structure, northern Yucatan peninsula, Mexico are reported. A previous report by Sharpton showed that the rocks studied contain high iridium levels and shocked breccia clasts, and an Ar-40/Ar-39 age of 65.2 plus or minus 0.4 Ma. The geomagnetic polarity determined for two samples is reverse (R) and was correlated with chron 29R that includes the K/T boundary. Our present analysis is based on two samples from each of three clasts of the melt rock from PEMEX well Y6-N17 (1295 to 1299 m b.s.l.). This study concentrates on the vectorial nature and stability of the remanence (NRM), the magnetic mineralogy and remanence carriers (i.e., the reliability and origin of the record), and on the implications (correlation with expected paleolatitude and polarity). The relative orientation of the drill core samples with respect to the horizontal is known. Samples were stable under alternating field (AF) and thermal treatments, and after removal of a small component they exhibited single-vectorial behavior. The characteristic remanence inclinations show small dispersion and a mean value (-43 deg) in close agreement with the expected inclination and paleolatitude (derived from the North American apparent polar wander path). Isothermal remenence (IRM) acquisition experiments, Lowrie-Fuller tests, coercivity and unblocking temperature spectra of NRM and saturation IRM, susceptibility and Q-coefficient analyses, and the single-component nature indicate a dominant mineralogy of iron-rich titanomagnetites with single or pseduo-single domain states. The stable characteristic magnetization may be interpreted as a result of shock heating of the rock at the time of formation of the inpact structure and its polarity, age, and paleolatitude are consistent with a time about the K/T boundary.

Chromosome rearrangements in canine fibrosarcomas.

PubMed

Sargan, D R; Milne, B S; Hernandez, J Aguirre; O'Brien, P C M; Ferguson-Smith, M A; Hoather, T; Dobson, J M

2005-01-01

We have previously reported the use of six- and seven-color paint sets in the analysis of canine soft tissue sarcomas. Here we combine this technique with flow sorting of translocation chromosomes, reverse painting, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of the gene content of the reverse paint in order to provide a more detailed analysis of cytogenetic abnormalities in canine tumors. We examine two fibrosarcomas, both from female Labrador retrievers, and show abnormalities in chromosomes 11 and 30 in both cases. Evidence of involvement of TGFBR1 is presented for one tumor.

Multi-season climate synchronized historical fires in dry forests (1650-1900), Northern Rockies, USA

Treesearch

Emily K. Heyerdahl; Penelope Morgan; James P. Riser

2008-01-01

Our objective was to infer the climate drivers of regionally synchronous fire years in dry forests of the U.S. northern Rockies in Idaho and western Montana. During our analysis period (1650-­1900), we reconstructed fires from 9245 fire scars on 576 trees (mostly ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa P. & C. Lawson) at 21 sites and compared them to...

A comparative analysis of forest cover and catchment water yield relationships in northern China

Treesearch

Shuai Wang; Bo-Jie Fu; Chan-Sheng He; Ge Sun; Guang-Yao Gao

2011-01-01

During the past few decades, China has implemented several large-scale forestation programs that have increased forest cover from 16.0% in the 1980s to 20.4% in 2009. In northern China, water is the most sensitive and limiting ecological factor. Understanding the dynamic interactions between forest ecosystems and water in different regions is essential for maximizing...

An analysis of the larval instars of the walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis, in northern California black walnut, Juglans hindsii, and a new host record for Hylocurus hirtellus

Treesearch

Paul.L. Dallara; Mary.L. Flint; Steven. J. Seybold

2012-01-01

By measuring and analyzing larval head capsule widths, we determined that a northern California population of the walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), has three larval instars. We also developed rules to classify P. juglandis larval instars. Overlap in the ranges of widths among...

Sampling forest regeneration across northern U.S. forests: filling a void in regeneration model input

Treesearch

William H. McWilliams; Charles D. Canham; Randall S. Morin; Katherine Johnson; Paul Roth; James A. Westfall

2012-01-01

The Forest Inventory and Analysis Program of the Northern Research Station (NRS-FIA) has implemented new Advance Tree Seedling Regeneration (ATSR) protocols that include measurements of seedlings down to 2 inches in height. The addition of ATSR protocols is part of an evaluation of NRS-FIA Phase 3 indicator variables to increase sampling intensity from 1/96,000 acres...

Conservation implications of a multi-scale study of Flammulated Owl (Otus flammeolus) habitat use in the Northern Rocky Mountains, USA

Treesearch

Vita Wright; Sallie J. Hejl; Richard L. Hutto

1997-01-01

Our multi-scale analysis of Flammulated Owl (Otus flammeolus) habitat use in the northern Rocky Mountains indicates some landscapes may be unsuitable for this species. As a result, there may be less habitat available for Flammulated Owls than thought based on the results of microhabitat studies. Thus, we suggest Flammulated Owl habitat conservation...

Estimating site index of ponderosa pine in Northern California...standard curves, soil series, stem analysis

Treesearch

Robert F. Powers

1972-01-01

Four sets of standard site index curves based on statewide or regionwide averages were compared with data on natural growth from nine young stands of ponderosa pine in northern California. The curves tested were by Meyer; Dunning; Dunning and Reineke; and Arvanitis, Lindquist, and Palley. The effects of soils on height growth were also studied. Among the curves tested...

Graduate Employment and Training in SMEs in Northern Ireland: An Overview Using the 2000 Labour Force Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Richard; Reid, Renee S.

2005-01-01

Using the UK Labour Force Survey, this paper considers whether graduate employment is more important in the small and medium-size enterprise (SME) sector in Northern Ireland than in other regions of the UK. The authors disaggregate their analysis by gender, occupation and industry to provide a detailed breakdown. The issue of whether graduates are…

Mapping the occurrence of tree damage in the forests of the northern United States

Treesearch

Randall S. Morin; Scott A. Pugh; Jim. Steinman

2016-01-01

The U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis Program uses visual inspections of trees from bottom to top to record damage that is likely to prevent survival, reduce growth, or hinder capability to produce marketable products. This report describes the types of damage and occurrence as measured across the 24-state northern region between 2009 and 2013....

The use of fingerprints available on the web in false identity documents: Analysis from a forensic intelligence perspective.

PubMed

Girelli, Carlos Magno Alves

2016-05-01

Fingerprints present in false identity documents were found on the web. In some cases, laterally reversed (mirrored) images of a same fingerprint were observed in different documents. In the present work, 100 fingerprints images downloaded from the web, as well as their reversals obtained by image editing, were compared between themselves and against the database of the Brazilian Federal Police AFIS, in order to better understand trends about this kind of forgery in Brazil. Some image editing effects were observed in the analyzed fingerprints: addition of artifacts (such as watermarks), image rotation, image stylization, lateral reversal and tonal reversal. Discussion about lateral reversals' detection is presented in this article, as well as suggestion to reduce errors due to missed HIT decisions between reversed fingerprints. The present work aims to highlight the importance of the fingerprints' analysis when performing document examination, especially when only copies of documents are available, something very common in Brazil. Besides the intrinsic features of the fingermarks considered in three levels of details by ACE-V methodology, some visual features of the fingerprints images can be helpful to identify sources of forgeries and modus operandi, such as: limits and image contours, fails in the friction ridges caused by excess or lack of inking and presence of watermarks and artifacts arising from the background. Based on the agreement of such features in fingerprints present in different identity documents and also on the analysis of the time and location where the documents were seized, it is possible to highlight potential links between apparently unconnected crimes. Therefore, fingerprints have potential to reduce linkage blindness and the present work suggests the analysis of fingerprints when profiling false identity documents, as well as the inclusion of fingerprints features in the profile of the documents. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatio-temporal analysis of gyres in oriented lakes on the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska based on remotely sensed images

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zhan, Shengan; Beck, Richard A.; Hinkel, Kenneth M.; Liu, Hongxing; Jones, Benjamin M.

2014-01-01

The formation of oriented thermokarst lakes on the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska has been the subject of debate for more than half a century. The striking elongation of the lakes perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction has led to the development of a preferred wind-generated gyre hypothesis, while other hypotheses include a combination of sun angle, topographic aspect, and/or antecedent conditions. A spatio-temporal analysis of oriented thermokarst lake gyres with recent (Landsat 8) and historical (Landsat 4, 5, 7 and ASTER) satellite imagery of the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska indicates that wind-generated gyres are both frequent and regionally extensive. Gyres are most common in lakes located near the Arctic coast after several days of sustained winds from a single direction, typically the northeast, and decrease in number landward with decreasing wind energy. This analysis indicates that the conditions necessary for the Carson and Hussey (1962) wind-generated gyre for oriented thermokarst lake formation are common temporally and regionally and correspond spatially with the geographic distribution of oriented lakes on the Arctic Coastal Plain. Given an increase in the ice-free season for lakes as well as strengthening of the wind regime, the frequency and distribution of lake gyres may increase. This increase has implications for changes in northern high latitude aquatic ecosystems, particularly if wind-generated gyres promote permafrost degradation and thermokarst lake expansion.

P. berghei Telomerase Subunit TERT is Essential for Parasite Survival

PubMed Central

Religa, Agnieszka A.; Ramesar, Jai; Janse, Chris J.; Scherf, Artur; Waters, Andrew P.

2014-01-01

Telomeres define the ends of chromosomes protecting eukaryotic cells from chromosome instability and eventual cell death. The complex regulation of telomeres involves various proteins including telomerase, which is a specialized ribonucleoprotein responsible for telomere maintenance. Telomeres of chromosomes of malaria parasites are kept at a constant length during blood stage proliferation. The 7-bp telomere repeat sequence is universal across different Plasmodium species (GGGTTT/CA), though the average telomere length varies. The catalytic subunit of telomerase, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), is present in all sequenced Plasmodium species and is approximately three times larger than other eukaryotic TERTs. The Plasmodium RNA component of TERT has recently been identified in silico. A strategy to delete the gene encoding TERT via double cross-over (DXO) homologous recombination was undertaken to study the telomerase function in P. berghei. Expression of both TERT and the RNA component (TR) in P. berghei blood stages was analysed by Western blotting and Northern analysis. Average telomere length was measured in several Plasmodium species using Telomere Restriction Fragment (TRF) analysis. TERT and TR were detected in blood stages and an average telomere length of ∼950 bp established. Deletion of the tert gene was performed using standard transfection methodologies and we show the presence of tert − mutants in the transfected parasite populations. Cloning of tert- mutants has been attempted multiple times without success. Thorough analysis of the transfected parasite populations and the parasite obtained from extensive parasite cloning from these populations provide evidence for a so called delayed death phenotype as observed in different organisms lacking TERT. The findings indicate that TERT is essential for P. berghei cell survival. The study extends our current knowledge on telomere biology in malaria parasites and validates further investigations to identify telomerase inhibitors to induce parasite cell death. PMID:25275500

Genome-wide discovery of novel and conserved microRNAs in white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei).

PubMed

Xi, Qian-Yun; Xiong, Yuan-Yan; Wang, Yuan-Mei; Cheng, Xiao; Qi, Qi-En; Shu, Gang; Wang, Song-Bo; Wang, Li-Na; Gao, Ping; Zhu, Xiao-Tong; Jiang, Qing-Yan; Zhang, Yong-Liang; Liu, Li

2015-01-01

Of late years, a large amount of conserved and species-specific microRNAs (miRNAs) have been performed on identification from species which are economically important but lack a full genome sequence. In this study, Solexa deep sequencing and cross-species miRNA microarray were used to detect miRNAs in white shrimp. We identified 239 conserved miRNAs, 14 miRNA* sequences and 20 novel miRNAs by bioinformatics analysis from 7,561,406 high-quality reads representing 325,370 distinct sequences. The all 20 novel miRNAs were species-specific in white shrimp and not homologous in other species. Using the conserved miRNAs from the miRBase database as a query set to search for homologs from shrimp expressed sequence tags (ESTs), 32 conserved computationally predicted miRNAs were discovered in shrimp. In addition, using microarray analysis in the shrimp fed with Panax ginseng polysaccharide complex, 151 conserved miRNAs were identified, 18 of which were significant up-expression, while 49 miRNAs were significant down-expression. In particular, qRT-PCR analysis was also performed for nine miRNAs in three shrimp tissues such as muscle, gill and hepatopancreas. Results showed that these miRNAs expression are tissue specific. Combining results of the three methods, we detected 20 novel and 394 conserved miRNAs. Verification with quantitative reverse transcription (qRT-PCR) and Northern blot showed a high confidentiality of data. The study provides the first comprehensive specific miRNA profile of white shrimp, which includes useful information for future investigations into the function of miRNAs in regulation of shrimp development and immunology.

Light regulation of the abundance of mRNA encoding a nucleolin-like protein localized in the nucleoli of pea nuclei.

PubMed Central

Tong, C G; Reichler, S; Blumenthal, S; Balk, J; Hsieh, H L; Roux, S J

1997-01-01

A cDNA encoding a nucleolar protein was selected from a pea (Pisum sativum) plumule library, cloned, and sequenced. The translated sequence of the cDNA has significant percent identity to Xenopus laevis nucleolin (31%), the alfalfa (Medicago sativa) nucleolin homolog (66%), and the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) nucleolin homolog (NSR1) (28%). It also has sequence patterns in its primary structure that are characteristic of all nucleolins, including an N-terminal acidic motif, RNA recognition motifs, and a C-terminal Gly- and Arg-rich domain. By immunoblot analysis, the polyclonal antibodies used to select the cDNA bind selectively to a 90-kD protein in purified pea nuclei and nucleoli and to an 88-kD protein in extracts of Escherichia coli expressing the cDNA. In immunolocalization assays of pea plumule cells, the antibodies stained primarily a region surrounding the fibrillar center of nucleoli, where animal nucleolins are typically found. Southern analysis indicated that the pea nucleolin-like protein is encoded by a single gene, and northern analysis showed that the labeled cDNA binds to a single band of RNA, approximately the same size and the cDNA. After irradiation of etiolated pea seedlings by red light, the mRNA level in plumules decreased during the 1st hour and then increased to a peak of six times the 0-h level at 12 h. Far-red light reversed this effect of red light, and the mRNA accumulation from red/far-red light irradiation was equal to that found in the dark control. This indicates that phytochrome may regulate the expression of this gene. PMID:9193096

Reversal of hepatorenal syndrome type 1 with terlipressin plus albumin vs. placebo plus albumin in a pooled analysis of the OT-0401 and REVERSE randomised clinical studies.

PubMed

Sanyal, A J; Boyer, T D; Frederick, R T; Wong, F; Rossaro, L; Araya, V; Vargas, H E; Reddy, K R; Pappas, S C; Teuber, P; Escalante, S; Jamil, K

2017-06-01

The goal of hepatorenal syndrome type 1 (HRS-1) treatment is to improve renal function. Terlipressin, a synthetic vasopressin analogue, is a systemic vasoconstrictor used for the treatment of HRS-1, where it is available. To compare the efficacy of terlipressin plus albumin vs. placebo plus albumin in patients with HRS-1. Pooled patient-level data from two large phase 3, randomised, placebo-controlled studies were analysed for HRS reversal [serum creatinine (SCr) value ≤133 μmol/L], 90-day survival, need for renal replacement therapy and predictors of HRS reversal. Patients received intravenous terlipressin 1-2 mg every 6 hours plus albumin or placebo plus albumin up to 14 days. The pooled analysis comprised 308 patients (terlipressin: n = 153; placebo: n = 155). HRS reversal was significantly more frequent with terlipressin vs. placebo (27% vs. 14%; P = 0.004). Terlipressin was associated with a more significant improvement in renal function from baseline until end of treatment, with a mean between-group difference in SCr concentration of -53.0 μmol/L (P < 0.0001). Lower SCr, lower mean arterial pressure and lower total bilirubin and absence of known precipitating factors for HRS were independent predictors of HRS reversal and longer survival in terlipressin-treated patients. Terlipressin plus albumin resulted in a significantly higher rate of HRS reversal vs. albumin alone in patients with HRS-1. Terlipressin treatment is associated with improved renal function. (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: OT-0401, NCT00089570; REVERSE, NCT01143246). © 2017 The Authors. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Proteome and Transcriptome Analysis of Ovary, Intersex Gonads, and Testis Reveals Potential Key Sex Reversal/Differentiation Genes and Mechanism in Scallop Chlamys nobilis.

PubMed

Shi, Yu; Liu, Wenguang; He, Maoxian

2018-04-01

Bivalve mollusks exhibit hermaphroditism and sex reversal/differentiation. Studies generally focus on transcriptional profiling and specific genes related to sex determination and differentiation. Few studies on sex reversal/differentiation have been reported. A combination analysis of gonad proteomics and transcriptomics was conducted on Chlamys nobilis to provide a systematic understanding of sex reversal/differentiation in bivalves. We obtained 4258 unique peptides and 93,731 unigenes with good correlation between messenger RNA and protein levels. Candidate genes in sex reversal/differentiation were found: 15 genes differentially expressed between sexes were identified and 12 had obvious sexual functions. Three novel genes (foxl2, β-catenin, and sry) were expressed highly in intersex individuals and were likely involved in the control of gonadal sex in C. nobilis. High expression of foxl2 or β-catenin may inhibit sry and activate 5-HT receptor and vitellogenin to maintain female development. High expression of sry may inhibit foxl2 and β-catenin and activate dmrt2, fem-1, sfp2, sa6, Amy-1, APCP4, and PLK to maintain male function. High expression of sry, foxl2, and β-catenin in C. nobilis may be involved in promoting and maintaining sex reversal/differentiation. The downstream regulator may not be dimorphic expressed genes, but genes expressed in intersex individuals, males and females. Different expression patterns of sex-related genes and gonadal histological characteristics suggested that C. nobilis may change its sex from male to female. These findings suggest highly conserved sex reversal/differentiation with diverged regulatory pathways during C. nobilis evolution. This study provides valuable genetic resources for understanding sex reversal/differentiation (intersex) mechanisms and pathways underlying bivalve reproductive regulation.

Reverse Dynamization

PubMed Central

Glatt, Vaida; Bartnikowski, Nicole; Quirk, Nicholas; Schuetz, Michael; Evans, Christopher

2016-01-01

Background: Reverse dynamization is a technology for enhancing the healing of osseous defects. With use of an external fixator, the axial stiffness across the defect is initially set low and subsequently increased. The purpose of the study described in this paper was to explore the efficacy of reverse dynamization under different conditions. Methods: Rat femoral defects were stabilized with external fixators that allowed the stiffness to be modulated on living animals. Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) was implanted into the defects on a collagen sponge. Following a dose-response experiment, 5.5 μg of rhBMP-2 was placed into the defect under conditions of very low (25.4-N/mm), low (114-N/mm), medium (185-N/mm), or high (254-N/mm) stiffness. Reverse dynamization was evaluated with 2 different starting stiffnesses: low (114 N/mm) and very low (25.4 N/mm). In both cases, high stiffness (254 N/mm) was imposed after 2 weeks. Healing was assessed with radiographs, micro-computed tomography (μCT), histological analysis, and mechanical testing. Results: In the absence of dynamization, the medium-stiffness fixators provided the best healing. Reverse dynamization starting with very low stiffness was detrimental to healing. However, with low initial stiffness, reverse dynamization considerably improved healing with minimal residual cartilage, enhanced cortication, increased mechanical strength, and smaller callus. Histological analysis suggested that, in all cases, healing provoked by rhBMP-2 occurred by endochondral ossification. Conclusions: These data confirm the potential utility of reverse dynamization as a way of improving bone healing but indicate that the stiffness parameters need to be selected carefully. Clinical Relevance: Reverse dynamization may reduce the amount of rhBMP-2 needed to induce healing of recalcitrant osseous lesions, reduce the time to union, and decrease the need for prolonged external fixation. PMID:27098327

Carcinogens induce reversion of the mouse pink-eyed unstable mutation

PubMed Central

Schiestl, Robert H.; Aubrecht, Jiri; Khogali, Fathia; Carls, Nicholas

1997-01-01

Deletions and other genome rearrangements are associated with carcinogenesis and inheritable diseases. The pink-eyed unstable (pun) mutation in the mouse is caused by duplication of a 70-kb internal fragment of the p gene. Spontaneous reversion events in homozygous pun/pun mice occur through deletion of a duplicated sequence. Reversion events in premelanocytes in the mouse embryo detected as black spots on the gray fur of the offspring were inducible by the carcinogen x-rays, ethyl methanesulfonate, methyl methanesulfonate, ethyl nitrosourea, benzo[a]pyrene, trichloroethylene, benzene, and sodium arsenate. The latter three carcinogens are not detectable with several in vitro or in vivo mutagenesis assays. We studied the molecular mechanism of the carcinogen-induced reversion events by cDNA analysis using reverse transcriptase–PCR method and identified the induced reversion events as deletions. DNA deletion assays may be sensitive indicators for carcinogen exposure. PMID:9114032

Human Promoters Are Intrinsically Directional

PubMed Central

Duttke, Sascha H.C.; Lacadie, Scott A.; Ibrahim, Mahmoud M.; Glass, Christopher K.; Corcoran, David L.; Benner, Christopher; Heinz, Sven; Kadonaga, James T.; Ohler, Uwe

2015-01-01

Divergent transcription, in which reverse-oriented transcripts occur upstream of eukaryotic promoters in regions devoid of annotated genes, has been suggested to be a general property of active promoters. Here we show that the human basal RNA polymerase II transcriptional machinery and core promoter are inherently unidirectional, and that reverse-oriented transcripts originate from their own cognate reverse-directed core promoters. In vitro transcription analysis and mapping of nascent transcripts in cells revealed that sequences at reverse start sites are similar to those of their forward counterparts. The use of DNase I accessibility to define proximal promoter borders revealed that up to half of promoters are unidirectional and that unidirectional promoters are depleted at their upstream edges of reverse core promoter sequences and their associated chromatin features. Divergent transcription is thus not an inherent property of the transcription process, but rather the consequence of the presence of both forward- and reverse-directed core promoters. PMID:25639469

Evidence for an east-west regional gravity trend in northern Tunisia: Insight into the structural evolution of northern Tunisian Atlas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jallouli, Chokri; Mogren, Saad; Mickus, Kevin; Turki, Mohamed Moncef

2013-11-01

The Atlas orogeny in northern Algeria and Tunisia led to the destruction of Tethys oceanic lithosphere and cumulated in a collision of microplates rifted off the European margin with the North African continental margin. The location of the boundary between African plate and Kabylian microplate is expressed in northern Algeria by a crustal wedge with double vergence of thrust sheets, whereas in northern Tunisia the geologic environment is more complex and the location of the plate boundary is ambiguous. In this study, we analyzed gravity data to constrain the crustal structure along the northern margin of Tunisia. The analysis includes a separation of regional and residual gravity anomalies and the application of gradient operators to locate density contrast boundaries. The horizontal gradient magnitude and directional gradient highlight a prominent regional E-W gravity gradient in the northern Tunisian Atlas interpreted as a deep fault (active since at least the Early Mesozoic) having a variable kinematic activity depending on the tectonic regime in the region. The main E-W gravity gradient separates two blocks having different gravitational and seismic responses. The southern block has numerous gravity lineaments trending in different directions implying several density variations within the crust, whereas the northern block shows a long-wavelength negative gravity anomaly with a few lineaments. Taking into account the geologic context of the Western Mediterranean region, we consider the E-W prominent feature as the boundary between African plate and Kabylian microplate in northern Tunisia that rifted off Europe. This hypothesis fits most previous geological and geophysical studies and has an important impact on the petroleum and mineral resource prospection as these two blocks were separated by an ocean and they did not belong to the same margin.

Is Downtown Seattle on the Hanging Wall of the Seattle Fault?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pratt, T. L.

2008-12-01

The Seattle fault is an ~80-km-long thrust or reverse fault that trends east-west beneath the Puget Lowland of western Washington State, and is interpreted to extend beneath the Seattle urban area just south of the downtown area. The fault ruptured about A.D. 930 in a large earthquake that uplifted parts of the Puget Sound shoreline as much as 7 m, caused a tsunami in Puget Sound and extensive landslides throughout the area. Seismic reflection profiles indicate that the fault has 3 or more fault splays that together form the Seattle fault zone. Models for the Seattle fault zone vary considerably, but most models place the northern edge of the Seattle fault zone south of the downtown area. These interpretations require that the fault zone shifts about 2 km to the south in the Seattle area relative to its location to the east (Bellevue) and west (Bainbridge Island). Potential field anomalies, particularly prominent magnetic highs associated with dipping, shallow conglomerate layers, are not continuous in the downtown Seattle area as observed to the east and west. Compilation and re-interpretation of all the existing seismic profiles in the area indicate that the northern strand of the Seattle fault, specifically a fold associated with the northernmost, blind fault strand, lies beneath the northern part of downtown Seattle, about 1.5 to 2 km farther north than has previously been interpreted. This study focuses on one previously unpublished seismic profile in central Puget Sound that shows a remarkable image of the Seattle fault, with shallow subhorizontal layers disrupted or folded by at least two thrust faults and several shallow backthrusts. These apparently Holocene layers are arched gently upwards, with the peak of the anticline in line with Alki and Restoration Points on the east and west sides of Puget Sound, respectively. The profile shows that the shallow part of the northern fault strand dips to the south at about 35 degrees, consistent with the 35 to 40 degree dip previously interpreted from tomography data. A second fault strand about 2 km south of the northern strand causes gentle folding of the Holocene strata. Two prominent backthrusts occur on the south side of the anticline, with the southern backthrust on strike with a prominent scarp on the eastern shoreline. A large erosional paleochannel beneath west Seattle and the Duwamish waterway extends beneath Elliot Bay and obscures potential field anomalies and seismic reflection evidence for the fault strands. However, hints of fault-related features on the profiles in Elliot Bay, and clear images in Lake Washington, indicate that the fault strands extend beneath the city of Seattle in the downtown area. If indeed the northern strand of the Seattle fault lies beneath the northern part of downtown Seattle, the downtown area may experience ground deformation during a major Seattle fault earthquake and that focusing of energy in the fault zone may occur farther north than previously estimated.

Temporal genetic analysis of the endangered tidewater goby: extinction-colonization dynamics or drift in isolation?

PubMed

Kinziger, Andrew P; Hellmair, Michael; McCraney, W Tyler; Jacobs, David K; Goldsmith, Greg

2015-11-01

Extinction and colonization dynamics are critical to understanding the evolution and conservation of metapopulations. However, traditional field studies of extinction-colonization are potentially fraught with detection bias and have rarely been validated. Here, we provide a comparison of molecular and field-based approaches for assessment of the extinction-colonization dynamics of tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi) in northern California. Our analysis of temporal genetic variation across 14 northern California tidewater goby populations failed to recover genetic change expected with extinction-colonization cycles. Similarly, analysis of site occupancy data from field studies (94 sites) indicated that extinction and colonization are very infrequent for our study populations. Comparison of the approaches indicated field data were subject to imperfect detection, and falsely implied extinction-colonization cycles in several instances. For northern California populations of tidewater goby, we interpret the strong genetic differentiation between populations and high degree of within-site temporal stability as consistent with a model of drift in the absence of migration, at least over the past 20-30 years. Our findings show that tidewater goby exhibit different population structures across their geographic range (extinction-colonization dynamics in the south vs. drift in isolation in the north). For northern populations, natural dispersal is too infrequent to be considered a viable approach for recolonizing extirpated populations, suggesting that species recovery will likely depend on artificial translocation in this region. More broadly, this work illustrates that temporal genetic analysis can be used in combination with field data to strengthen inference of extinction-colonization dynamics or as a stand-alone tool when field data are lacking. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reversible elementary cellular automaton with rule number 150 and periodic boundary conditions over 𝔽p

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martín Del Rey, A.; Rodríguez Sánchez, G.

2015-03-01

The study of the reversibility of elementary cellular automata with rule number 150 over the finite state set 𝔽p and endowed with periodic boundary conditions is done. The dynamic of such discrete dynamical systems is characterized by means of characteristic circulant matrices, and their analysis allows us to state that the reversibility depends on the number of cells of the cellular space and to explicitly compute the corresponding inverse cellular automata.

Prostaglandin E2 to diagnose between reversible and irreversible pulpitis.

PubMed

Petrini, M; Ferrante, M; Ciavarelli, L; Brunetti, L; Vacca, M; Spoto, G

2012-01-01

The aim of this work is to verify a correlation between the grade of inflammation and the concentration of PGE2 in human dental pulp. A total of 25 human dental pulps were examined by histological analysis and radioimmunologic dosage of PGE2. The pulps used in this experiment were from healthy and symptomatic teeth; the first ones were collected from teeth destined to be extracted for orthodontic reasons. An increase was observed of PGE2 in reversible pulpitis compared with healthy pulps and with the irreversible pulpitis and the clear decrease of these when NSAIDs are taken. This study demonstrates that PGE2 level is correlated to histological analysis thus allowing to distinguish symptomatic teeth in reversible and irreversible pulpitis.

Phase structures and morphologies of tempered CA6NM stainless steel welded by hybrid laser-arc process

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

Mirakhorli, F., E-mail: Fatemeh.mirakhorli.1@ens.e

The post-weld tempered microstructure of hybrid laser-arc welded CA6NM, a cast low carbon martensitic stainless steel, was investigated. The microstructural evolutions from the fusion zone to the base metal were characterized in detail using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and microhardness techniques. The fusion zone, in its post-weld tempered condition, consisted of tempered lath martensite, residual delta-ferrite with various morphologies, reversed austenite and chromium carbides. The reversed austenite, which can be detected through both EBSD and XRD techniques, was found to be finely dispersed along the martensite lath boundaries, particularly at triplemore » junctions. Based on the EBSD analysis, the orientation relationship between the reversed austenite and the adjacent martensite laths seemed to follow the Kurdjumov-Sachs (K-S) model. The results also revealed the presence of the reversed austenite in the different regions of the heat affected zone after post-weld tempering. The microindentation hardness distribution was measured, and correlated to the evolution of the corresponding microstructure across the welds. - Highlights: •The EBSD analysis was performed on hybrid laser-arc welded CA6NM. •The FZ consisted of tempered lath martensite, reversed austenite, carbides and δ ferrite after tempering. •The reversed γ was formed along the α′ lath boundaries, particularly at triple junctions.« less