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Understanding the mind of the elite athlete
Can sports sharpen the body and mind?
|By Michelle W. Voss
iStock/Ana Abejon
As a tennis fan, I marvel at Roger Federer's ability to gracefully execute some of the most difficult shots I've ever seen. Other sports have their greats: Lebron James on the basketball court, Michael Phelps in the pool and Lance Armstrong on the road. These are just a few of the athletes that continually wow us with their agility and uncanny power and strength. We know them for what they can do from the neck down. But what about their minds?
Over the last few decades science has started to look inside the mind of the athlete. What they have found is a brain not only finely tuned for the demands of their particular sport, but one that may also carry a mental advantage to situations beyond the sports field. This research also provides a unique context for studying novel and important questions about the human mind, such as how the mind and body work together to rewire brain circuits over years of practice. With increasingly sophisticated brain imaging techniques, we can also start to actually see what the brain is capable of at the highest level of physical and mental expertise. In turn we can see how the mind of elite athletes from distinct sports may compare to expert musicians, dancers, artists, yoga masters, or highly skilled video gamers. All this leads to a better understanding of just how flexible our brains are, and perhaps why we excel at some activities and not others.
For a long time, research on the athlete's mind focused on studying the athlete in the context of their sport. For example, we know that elite athletes are faster and more accurate at remembering and later recalling meaningful play formations from their own sport. They are also quicker and more efficient at searching a visual scene containing sport-specific information, especially when the target is something relevant to their sport, such as soccer players searching for the ball in a realistic soccer scene.
Research has also shown that expert athletes are better at anticipating the actions of their opponents and the consequences of those actions, based on sport-specifi |
Why Calcium Improves a High-Temperature Superconductor
Jun 08, 2004 UPTON, NY - Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have found evidence to prove why adding a small amount of calcium to a common high-temperature superconductor significantly increases the amount of electric current the material can carry. This research may be a first step toward developing commercial applications for high-temperature superconducting materials. The results appear in the May 15, 2004 issue of Physical Review Letters.
“Many materials classified as high-temperature superconductors exhibit good properties only in single-crystal form and are actually unsuitable for practical applications, such as high-efficiency electrical wire, because their bulk composition – individual crystalline grains – disrupts the flow of electrons,” said Yimei Zhu, a Brookhaven physicist who led the research. “But for practical applications in which large electric currents need to be transported, such as power cables, the polycrystalline forms must be used. These polycrystalline materials carry a very low current compared to their single-crystal counterparts,” he said. This is due to the problem of grain boundaries – the interfaces created between adjacent grains. At grain boundaries, incoming electrons slow down or change direction, thus losing momentum and releasing the lost energy as heat. This results in low electron flow across the boundaries – exactly the opposite of “good” superconductor behavior. Researchers theorized that electric voltage barriers at the grain boundaries are the cause of this problem. Now, the Brookhaven scientists have found evidence to support this theory. “We discovered why grain boundaries are the predominant factor that limits the current flow in these materials,” said Brookhaven physicist Marvin Schofield, the paper’s principle author. “By understanding grain boundary behavior, we can engineer grain boundaries with improved properties. This is a major challenge in superconductor research, which may lead to the commercialization of high-temperature superconducting materials that could revolutionize our daily lives in the near future.” Scientists worldwide have studied YBCO, a high-temperature superconductor named for the elements it contains – yttrium, barium, copper, and oxygen. They know that it conducts significantly better when it is “doped” with calcium, but have not known, until now, why this is true. The Brookhaven scientists determined this by comparing calcium-doped YBCO to undoped YBCO. The evidence lies in the areas within grain boundaries in which adjacent grains are most mismatched. To visualize this, picture a centimeter-based ruler next to an inch-based one, where the tick marks on each ruler represent the positions of atoms in the crystal structure of two adjacent, slightly different grains. The marks will match in some cases, nearly match in others, and misalign completely in the rest. In undoped YBCO, the scientists found, the electrons encounter the most electrical resistance at the most misaligned regions, where the voltage barrier is wide and high. Doping YBCO with calcium causes these regions to shrink, both in width and height. As a result, Schofield and his colleagues determined that calcium doping increases the current across the grain boundary by 35 percent. To perform the research, the Brookhaven scientists used a YBCO “bicrystal,” a type of crystal grown to contain just one grain boundary, much like two very large grains merged together. The electromagnetic properties of bicrystals are well characterized, allowing the researchers to pinpoint what happens to the electrons at the boundary upon calcium doping, using the results as a model for the overall material. Bicrystals eliminate the impossible task of isolating one boundary out of thousands in the material sample. To closely examine the bicrystal grain boundary, the scientists used a transmission electron microscope (TEM), a device that uses electrons as tiny probes to “see” inside materials. A sample is placed inside the TEM and bombarded with electrons. As the electrons pass through the sample, they are scattered away from the charged regions of the material. When they emerge, they carry information about the electric and magnetic fields within the sample. This information is then retrieved by a method known as electron holography. “With electron holography,” Schofield explained, “we can see exactly what the electrons in the material see at the grain boundary. Thus, this method takes us a tremendous step closer to understanding the role grain boundaries play in the properties of real materials.” Additional collaborators instrumental in this research were Marco Beleggia, of Brookhaven Lab, and Karsten Guth and Christian Jooss, both of the University of Gottingen in Germany. The work was funded by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science and the German Research Foundation.
The original news release can be found here.
Engineers identify, address cause of persistent solar cell issue
University of Nebraska-Lincoln engineers have doubled the efficiency of a prominent solar cell technology by unraveling the origins of a phenomenon known to hinder cell performance, stability and evaluation.
Theory details how 'hot' monomers affect thin-film formation
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Mussel's calcitic shell growth adheres to physical laws familiar from processes used to optimise steel
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Researcher optimally isolates propylene for commercial use
(Phys.org) —Many people are familiar with the natural compound known as propane, used often as fuel, but less is discussed about propylene (or propene), with which propane is closely tied.
Field-emission plug-and-play solution for microwave electron guns
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UK studies to look at Alzheimer's, Down syndrome
By Mary Meehan - [email protected]
The University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging is looking for two groups of patients to help learn more about Alzheimer's disease. One study will examine how a new drug can supplement existing treatment; the other focuses on Down syndrome and Alzheimer's. The first study is looking at how the drug Dimebon can help Alzheimer's patients already taking Aricept.
Because Alzheimer's is a complex disease, patients sometimes need multiple drugs to address their symptoms, said Dr. Gregory Jicha, assistant professor of neurology at the UK College of Medicine. Aricept is one of the most widely prescribed Alzheimer's drugs in the country.
Dimebon is thought to improve the mitochondrial function in brain cells, preventing damage. Cell parts called mitochondria are critical to brain function because they are the primary source of cells' energy.
Aricept appears to enhance the brain's concentration of acetylcholine, an enzyme crucial to memory and learning, he said. Jicha said a good candidate for this study would have relatively mild symptoms. "In the early stage of the disease people can understand what the trial means and participate in the decision to help find better medicine and potential cures for Alzheimer's," he said.
The UK effort is part of an international project that will evaluate more than 1,000 patients, including at least a dozen at UK.
Another new research project looks at the connection between Down syndrome and Alzheimer's. The $2.4 million, five-year study will look at how Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease may affect a person's memory and thinking as they get older, said Dr. Elizabeth Head, who will lead the study. The study will recruit and follow 40 people older than 35 with Down syndrome. In addition, 10 to 12 people with Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease will be recruited for a single research session.
The Down syndrome patients without Alzheimer's will be tested every six months. Head said the life expectancy of Down syndrome patients has increased dramatically over the years but the services they need as they age have not kept up. "There is really not a whole lot out there for them," she said. "They are a little underserved."
At the same time, she said, Down syndrome patients offer a unique opportunity to study Alzheimer's. The chromosomal abnormality that creates Down syndrome also results in the overproduction of the protein that causes Alzheimer's.
"They make a protein that causes Alzheimer's disease. They are making too much of it from birth," she said. Most middle-age Down syndrome patients have full-blown Alzheimer's disease in their brain but not all of them develop dementia, she said. Understanding how they continue to function could be key to helping others with Alzheimer's, she said. More than 400,000 people in the United States have Down syndrome. Overall, 50 percent of people with Down syndrome age 55 and older may have Alzheimer's disease.
Overall, some 5.3 million in the United States have Alzheimer's. According to the Alzheimer's Association that number is expected to increase dramatically as the baby boomer generation continues to age. Jicha said it's possible if a patient isn't right for one of these studies, several more are currently underway that might be a better fit.
"We always have a variety of opportunities," he said. "Every study has a different number demands."
"We are trying to build an army to fight Alzheimer's," he said. "That army doesn't just include doctors and researchers but battalions of patients willing to pick up these new weapons to join the fight."
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A Message From Our President
Jack Zakowski, PhD, FACB
In February, CLSI attended the MedLab conference in Dubai, UAE. In an effort to advance our mission of developing clinical and laboratory practices and promoting their use worldwide, Glen Fine, our CEO, gave three presentations on implementing CLSI’s best practice standards to help laboratories improve quality and advance towards achieving full internationally recognized accreditation. Additionally, I was honored in March to have spoken to almost 600 people during seven presentations in Vietnam, South Korea, and China about CLSI best practice standards and their use in achieving international accreditation. I also met with a number of key laboratory leaders in South Korea, and with representatives of our active partners at the Korean Society for Laboratory Medicine (KSLM).
Accreditation requirements vary from country to country, but both Mr. Fine and I emphasized that CLSI’s globally accepted standards can be used in any laboratory, regardless of the accrediting body. Each year, the United States Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Division of Laboratory Services publishes a list of the most commonly cited deficiencies found during the accreditation process. The most recent list summarizes data from over 17,000 laboratory inspections. Top deficiencies included: Improper specimen storage Improper patient identification
Problems with personnel competency assessment
Improper equipment calibration verification
Inadequate reagent and culture media storage
The use of globally harmonized standards is an essential pathway to laboratory accreditation. Using CLSI’s best practice health care standards and guidelines promotes positive patient outcomes and has helped laboratories around the world achieve accreditation. For over 10 years, CLSI has worked in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and national ministries of health to improve the quality of laboratory services in more than 20 developing nations. Since 2010, with CLSI’s support, 10 laboratories in Kenya, Mali, Namibia, and Tanzania have reached their accreditation goals. With CLSI’s engagement, many more laboratories continue working toward accreditation through internationally recognized organizations such as The Joint Commission, College of American Pathologists, the Southern African Development Community Accreditation Services, and various International Organization for Standardization-based accreditation agencies.
CLSI’s mission is to develop clinical and laboratory practices and promote their use worldwide. We are making great progress towards that goal, improving patient care worldwide, and elevating the practice of laboratory medicine.
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six − = 2 |
LEAF Guidance notes on pollinating insects and bees
These guidance notes set out the views of LEAF on the decline of pollinating insects and in particular the sudden and dramatic fall of honey bee populations and its potential threat to agriculture. They also provide some practical points on minimising impacts associated with farming activities, plus creating and maintaining wildlife habitats for pollinating insects.
Pollination, the transfer of pollen from one flower to another, is critical to fruit and seed production, and is regularly provided by insects and other animals on the hunt for nectar, pollen or other floral rewards. In doing so, pollinating insects perform a vital ecological and economic role. It is estimated that pollinating insects contribute £200 million to UK agriculture, pollinating key crops such as top and soft fruit, field, runner and broad beans, oilseed rape and linseed crops. Therefore pollinating insects and in particular honey bees are of paramount importance to meeting modern agriculture’s peak pollination requirements. Graminae species e.g maize, cereals, rice etc have no insect pollinating requirement as they are wind pollinated.
Dramatic declines in managed honey bee populations (so-called Colony Collapse Disorder) both globally and in particular throughout North America have been reported over the last 3 years. Recently published evidence in the UK suggests that the number of insect pollinators have fallen. The British Bee Keepers Association (2009) reported almost a 20% decline by the end of the 2008/09 winter which followed a 33% fall in honey bee colonies by the end of the winter 2007/08. The potential impact of these declines on agriculture may yet to be realised.
Read full statement here. |
Title: Improvement criteria for constraint handling and multiobjective optimization
Author: Parr, James
In engineering design, it is common to predict performance based on complex computer codes with long run times. These expensive evaluations can make automated and wide ranging design optimization a difficult task. This becomes even more challenging in the presence of constraints or conflicting objectives. When the design process involves expensive analysis, surrogate (response surface or meta) models can be adapted in different ways to efficiently converge towards global solutions. A popular approach involves constructing a surrogate based on some initial sample evaluated using the expensive analysis. Next, some statistical improvement criterion is searched inexpensively to find model update points that offer some design improvement or model refinement. These update points are evaluated, added to the set of initial designs and the process is repeated with the aim of converging towards the global optimum. In constrained problems, the improvement criterion is required to update the surrogate models in regions that offer both objective and constraint improvement whilst converging toward the best feasible optimum. In multiobjective problems, the aim is to update the surrogates in such a way that the evaluated points converge towards a spaced out set of Pareto solutions. This thesis investigates efficient improvement criteria to address both of these situations. This leads to the development of an improvement criterion that better balances improvement of the objective and all the constraint approximations. A goal-based approach is also developed suitable for expensive multiobjective problems. In all cases, improvement criteria are encouraged to select multiple updates, enabling designs to be evaluated in parallel, further accelerating the optimization process.
Supervisor: Keane, Andrew Sponsor: Not available
Keywords: QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science |
Posted by Irelene Ricks in INCLUDE Issue 6
Issues impacting “diversity in science” usually focus on race and gender. While it is not wrong to focus on these two elements, there are other factors that are often neglected or ignored. Income, geography, and disability status are socioeconomic indicators that are rarely discussed within the context of science diversity because their impacts are regarded as marginal at best. (For more on this discussion, see “Worth Mentioning.”) However, nothing could be further from the truth.
In January 2017, the Diversity in Life Science Programs (DLSP) convened a Task Force to examine approaches to increase the number of underrepresented (UR) senior speakers at Keystone Symposia conferences (see “Podium Productivity”) in this issue of INCLUDE. During this UR recruitment process, comments from the UR science community included observations that diversity must go beyond gender and race to include greater institutional diversity at Keystone Symposia conferences. This apparent frustration with perceived “balkanization” of scientific research efforts in the U.S. raises a question of relevance to the DLSP: “where do most UR early career researchers train?”
According to the National Science Foundation (NSF’s) Table 7-22 on “Top 20 academic institutions awarding S&E doctoral degrees, by race or ethnicity, 2011-2014,” the top 20 academic institutions to produce UR PhDs vary depending on race/ethnicity, but most UR biomedical researchers train largely at research universities on the East or West coasts. For American Indian/Alaska Natives, many of the top 20 research institutions are on the West Coast, including UC Berkeley, University of Washington (Seattle); and UC Davis. With respect to African Americans, several of the top 20 are on coasts (i.e., UC Berkeley), and Mid-Atlantic (Howard University and Johns Hopkins). For Hispanic/Latinos, there were two top 20 institutions located in Puerto Rico (Carlos Albizu University and Pontifical Catholic University) as well as UC Berkeley and UCLA in California. Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders counted the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; University of Hawaii, Manoa; Cal-Tech; and UC Berkeley as their “go to” institutions.
Our 61 Keystone Symposia Fellows follow the NSF pattern – with PhD or postdoc representation mainly derived from coastal institutions with some notable Mid-Western exceptions: Wash U in St. Louis; University of Illinois, Champaign; Michigan State University; and Northwestern.
UC Berkeley is in the NSF top 20 S&E PhD list for African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders. Recognizing this fact early on, I made a point to present in 2016 at UC Berkeley on the benefits of the DLSP and have maintained close contacts with diversity leaders at the University ever since. However, despite these efforts, we have had only one Early Career Investigator Travel Awardee (ECITA) in 2017, but no Fellows applications from UC Berkeley. This is something I seek to change – starting with that ECITA!
Over the next several months, I plan to recruit from quite a few universities and research centers across the continental U.S., and Hawaii for Fellows, Early Career Investigator Travel Awardees (ECITAs), UR Trainee Scholars, and UR Senior Speakers. If you have specific individuals you would like for me to see or visit, please let me know and I will add those names to my growing list for 2017-18 travel. To make these site visits both cost-effective and productive, I am taking a strategic approach to design a recruitment plan that considers the NSF regional “hubs” of UR PhD and postdoc production, but will also take full advantage of opportunities that you, the Keystone Symposia community, share with me. I look forward to your comments: [email protected]. Please share our newsletter with colleagues and friends!
Here’s to a wonderful rest of the summer!
Be well. Mentor Strong!
Irelene Ricks
Director of Diversity, Life Sciences Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology
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© 2015 Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology. All Rights Reserved. |
Team treatment for depression cuts medical costs
A team approach to treating depression in older adults, already shown to improve health, can also cut total health-care costs, according to a new study led by the University of Washington. The study appears in the February issue of the American Journal of Managed Care.
Clinical depression affects about 3 million older adults in the United States and is associated with 50 to 70 percent higher health-care expenses, mostly due to an increased use of medical, not mental health, services. In this study, researchers found that adults over 60 who received a year of team care for depression had lower average costs for all of their health care over a four-year period -- about $3,300 less than patients receiving traditional care, even when the cost of the team care treatment is included.
Over the past several years, a multi-center research team has been studying a team care approach called IMPACT (Improving Mood – Promoting Access to Collaborative Treatment for Late Life Depression). The treatment model features a nurse, social worker or psychologist serving as a depression-care manager. This depression-care manager works with the primary care physician and a consulting psychiatrist to care for depressed patients in their primary care clinic.
Previous studies have shown that the IMPACT program provides powerful health benefits, including significantly decreased depression and chronic physical pain, improved physical functioning and better overall quality of life. In this cost evaluation study, 551 IMPACT participants from two large health-care organizations, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound and Kaiser Permanente of Southern California, were followed for four years to examine long-term effects of team care on medical costs.
“Study participants assigned to the IMPACT program saw significantly lower total health care costs over four years than patients receiving standard care, and our research shows that this difference was almost certainly due to the IMPACT team-care model,” said Dr. Jurgen Unutzer, professor and vice-chair of psychiatry and director of the IMPACT Implementation Center at the UW. “This research, combined with our other work showing how team care for depression has significant health benefits for older adults, illustrates how important it is for health organizations to consider implementing evidence-based collaborative models of depression care, such as IMPACT.”
The cost of using the IMPACT model of depression care treatment is only about $500 per year for each patient – a modest investment compared to the total medical costs of about $8,000 per year for an older adult with depression. When spread out over an entire population of older adults, the cost of offering IMPACT as a health care benefit amounts to about $1 per person per month.
Based on its high effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, several major health organizations have already implemented the IMPACT model for depression care, including Kaiser Permanente of Southern California, which serves more than 3 million people in its 12 regional medical centers. In the Seattle area, Virginia Mason Medical Center will begin rolling out IMPACT to patients in their primary care clinics over the next few months. The John A. Hartford Foundation is supporting the efforts of Unutzer and his colleagues to help these and other health-care systems around the country adapt and implement IMPACT.
A cheaper, more effective method of treating clinical depression in older adults has become more important in recent years, as physicians have learned that the condition affects not only the mental health but also the physical health of millions of patients and helps drive up health-care costs. Studies estimate that 5 to 10 percent of older adults seen in primary care suffer from clinical depression. The condition is associated with a bevy of other medical problems, including more suffering and physical pain, decreases in physical ability and self-care of chronic illnesses, and a high potential for suicide. It also can significantly increase medical costs.
Unfortunately, many older adults don’t seek treatment for depression, and when they do, physicians can sometimes inadvertently delay diagnosis or misdiagnose the condition. Doctors and their patients often share the misconception that depression is a natural consequence of aging. When the condition is successfully diagnosed, patients often do not receive effective, evidence-based treatment with medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of the two. With a team-care program, like IMPACT, may of these barriers can be overcome.
Source: University of Washington
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Cape York Seagrass Study Report Author - Christina Howley, Cape York Seagrass-Watch Co-ordinator, Howley Environmental Consulting 01 Dec 2014 TOWARDS the end of 2011, near to 1000 turtle and 170 dugong deaths were reported along the Queensland coast. Less than half that number were recorded during the same period in the previous year.This increase may be directly attributed to the loss of seagrass meadows. In Cape York seagrass meadows are generally healthy and support a rich and diverse aquatic life, due to relatively good water quality.Land useage, including mining, cattle grazing and tree clearing for roads and houses can cause erosion that displaces and deposits sediment, Initially into rivers, and ulitmately onto the seagrass meadows and adjacent reefs. In order to protect Cape York’s valuable aquatic resources, including fish species, prawns, turtles and dugongs, it is crucial to consider the enviornmental impacts of human activities and take action to prevent erosion.Local scientists and the Yuku-Baja-Muliku Rangers assessed the health of intertidal seagrass meadows at Walsh Bay, near Archer Point, south of Cooktown, in April, July and October of 2014. Interest in the condition of local seagrass meadows was high, after reports of major seagrass losses elsewhere in Queensland.The Archer Point seagrass meadows have been monitored quarterly since 2002, as part of the Seagrass-Watch Program, allowing recorded changes to be compared with previous years’ data. In general the seagrass at Archer Point appeared to be healthy and intact. However, mats of algae, which can limit the seagrass growth growing over and around the meadows, were recorded.It is suspected that the increased algae is a result of unusually nutrient rich currents flowing north from flooded areas, or to be the result of increases in water temperature.Information collected from temperature dataloggers and sediment and seagrass nutrient samples collected for the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) and the Commonwealth Reef Rescue Program, are to be released shortly. This data may aid in the understanding increased algal growth.Further monitoring was undertaken in September 2014 with the Hopevale Youth and Pelican Project team, on seagrass meadows near the mouth of the Starke River. Seagrass in the Starke area appeared to be healthy and diverse, with extnesive coverage of seven species recorded in the one bay.Reports of healthy seagrass coverage in Princess Charlotte Bay bodes well for resident turtles and dugongs. Seagrass meadows cover extensive areas of of the seas adjacent to eastern Cape York, particularly in the large protected bays to the north of Cape Flattery.Seagrass meadows are vital to the health of the turtle and dugong populations of Far North Queensland, as floods and cyclones have wiped out many seagrass meadows to the south of the region. DEEDI Seagrass -Watch program manager, Len McKenzie reported that extensive losses of seagrass meadows had been observed between Cairns and Townsville after cyclone Yasi in early 2011.“Up to ninety eight percent of the seagrass has been lost in some areas,” Mr McKenzie said.“These seagrass meadows could take anywhere from two to five years to recover and may be slowed by compounding issues such as poor water quality.”The massive floods in southern Queensland have taken a toll, with major seagrass declines reported near Rockhampton and Gladstone. The depleted conditions of the beds is detrimental for turtles and dugongs that depend on seagrass as a main food source, and for the prawns, juvenile fish and other organisms, that inhabit the seagrass meadows. Pic of guy measuring turtle with kidsPHOTO: Dr Ian Bell with locals undertaking research. Home |
Asia & The Caribbean: Hitomi Iwasaki & Herb Tam
Hitomi Iwasaki, Curator and Director of Exhibitions at Queens Museum of Art and Herb Tam, Curator and Director of Exhibitions at the Museum of Chinese in the Americas speak with Leeza Ahmady about their research on the presence of Asia in Caribbean culture and art. Inspired by the occasion of the upcoming exhibition, Caribbean: Crossroads of the World (June 2012), Tam and Iwasaki set out to address the significant void of Asian cultural traces in the region.
The exhibition, which will span three venues in NYC, examines the visual arts and aesthetic development across the Caribbean, considering the histories of the Spanish, French, Dutch and English islands and their Diasporas. As a highly globalized region that has been consistently shaped by multiple paths of migration since European colonization in the 15th century and the transatlantic slave trade, the Caribbean is often portrayed as the ultimate symbol of “modernity” and globalization. However, not all of the multiple interrelations have received equal attention. What was seemingly an innocuous simple task of detecting Asian cultures in the New World turned out to be something entirely different. Too subtle is the yellow tint under the dominant shade of black…
This talk was recorded at the Independent Curators International (ICI) Curatorial Hub in Tribeca on March 13, 2012. The event was produced by ICI in collaboration with AhmadyArts. It is produced for radio by partnership with ARTonAIR.org.
Dialogues in Asian Contemporary Art
In collaboration with ARTonAIR.org, Leeza Ahmady, independent curator and director of Asian Contemporary Art Week (ACAW), conducts interviews with artists, curators, critics, and experts working both inside and outside of Asia. The program will include Ahmady's reports from around town and will feature select recordings of conversations, talks, and panel discussions across venues in New York City.
Born in Afghanistan and based in New York, Ahmady is an independent art curator, educator, and noted specialist in art from Central Asia. As the director of Asian Contemporary Art Week (ACAW) at Asia Society, Ahmady brings together leading New York City galleries and museums to participate in special exhibitions, receptions, lectures, and performances citywide.
Asian Contemporary Art Week connects leading New York City galleries and museums in a citywide event comprised of public exhibitions, receptions, lectures and performances. The Week focuses on the broad spectrum of artworks produced by Asian contemporary artists working in their home countries and abroad. Asian Contemporary Art Week is organized by Asian Contemporary Art Consortium. ARTonAIR.org is a media sponsor for the events and the recordings collected over the years are available in this section of the archive.
Independent Curators International (ICI)
Independent Curators International (ICI) produces exhibitions, events, publications, and training opportunities for diverse audiences around the world. A catalyst for independent thinking, ICI connects emerging and established curators, artists, and institutions, to forge international networks and generate new forms of collaboration. Working across disciplines and historical precedents, the organization is a hub that provides access to the people, ideas, and practices that are key to current developments in the field, inspiring fresh ways of seeing and contextualizing contemporary art. Headquartered in New York, ICI is a small non-profit with a large purview. Over the last 35 years, ICI has produced 118 traveling exhibitions and profiled the work of more than 3,700 artists, working with 621 museums, university art galleries, and art centers in 48 states and 29 countries worldwide, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Taiwan. Experienced by nearly 6 million people, the exhibitions and events have attracted extensive local, national, and international press, and are placed in a critical framework through accompanying catalogues and books published by ICI. |
Therapeutic Music
For hundreds of years, music has been used by many cultures to aid those suffering physiologically and spiritually. Ample studies have documented the therapeutic value of music in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice settings and other health-care facilities. Music is a valuable tool for psycho-spiritual integration and wholeness through pitch, resonance, rhythm and entrainment.
Therapeutic music is being used successfully with many types of patients, including those who are acutely ill or injured, chronically ill, critically ill, suffering from dementia, premature babies, birthing mothers, comatose and those who are dying.
Currently, I am working at the Lynn Care Center at Valley Health in Front Royal, Virginia.
In recent years, I worked at the Lombardi Cancer Center of Georgetown Hospital as one of a staff of therapeutic artists who bring complementary care to patients. As an Artist in Residence for Smith Farm Center for Healing Arts, I played for patients at the Washington Hospital Center Cancer Institute and the Walter Reed National Naval Medical Center where I worked with ‘wounded warriors’ and their families. Patients are also referred to me through Community Hospice of Maryland and Virginia.
A Certified Music Practitioner brings appropriate, live music as a service to the bedside of the ill and dying. I completed the Music for Healing and Transitions Program, a course of study which recognizes live music as a therapeutic enhancement to the healing process and the life/death transition. The course includes both medical and musical classes provided by qualified instructors.
Certified Music Practitioners provide a service, not entertainment. I am a professional who has been trained to be responsible, trustworthy and unobtrusive. My playing is never a performance or concert, but provides beneficial therapeutic music tailored to each patient’s individual and changing needs.
For the past three years, I have been working with the DC Jazz Festival’s Jazz for A Healthier Generation. In partnership with leading health and healthy eating institutions, Jazz for a Healthier Generation initiative aims to encourage good health and well-being for young people and adults. Current partners include the Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC), DC Farm to Schools Network, Whole Foods, Arcadia, and Smith Farm for the Healing Arts.
As a Certified Music Practitioner, I work independently and I am affiliated, as noted above, with healthcare institutions, private healthcare providers and community organizations. If you would like to give a loved one (or even yourself) the special experience of beautiful music played one-on-one, live at the bedside, gift certificates are available for 15, 30 or 45 minute sessions in hospitals, health care facilities, hospice settings or at home. Special arrangements can be made for vigil situations and memorial services throughout the Shenandoah Valley area. Please email me to find out details and make arrangements for me to visit and play.
Please give a look and listen to this performance in the Healing Garden of Providence Hospital.
•Therapeutic Music |
Boys and their bodies
Male bodies are increasingly objectified by mass media. Consider Michael 'The Situation' Sorrentino, a cast member of MTV's Jersey Shore reality show, who garnered fame by flashing his chiseled abs before cameras.
Such objectification should send young men running to gyms or fretting before mirrors, right? Not quite. A new study from Concordia University and the University of Manitoba, published in the journal Men and Masculinities, found most boys simply want an average physique.
"Not all boys aspire to have lean, muscular or idealized male bodies that are commonplace in popular culture," says Moss E. Norman, who led the study as a post-doctoral fellow at Concordia's Simone de Beauvoir Institute.
"In many cases, boys who took part in our study were staunchly critical of idealized male images," he continues. "They found it problematic, feminine or vain to be overly concerned with appearances. Sculpted bodies were seen as unnatural, the product of steroids or zealous weight-lifting."
A total of 32 Toronto-area boys, aged 13 to 15, were recruited from a community centre and private school to participate in this research. While the sample group was small, the study lasted nine months and included four in-depth interviews and 19 focus groups.
Discussions centered on male bodies, health, diet and physical activity. Participants were asked to comment on popular culture images, such as the animated character Homer Simpson, shirtless models featured in Bowflex home gym commercials and cut athletes from Ultimate Fighting Championships.
"One of the surprises from this study was how comfortable boys were in expressing, analyzing and comparing bodies their own, their peers' and those ideals depicted by media," says Norman, who is now a professor at the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management.
"Although they felt pressure to be fit, they displayed a distant, disinterested and cool relationship to their bodies," he adds. "Some participants also admitted to desiring particular masculine ideals and working on their bodies to achieve such idealized forms."
Some body concerns
This study builds on previous research that found boys can face the same anxieties, fears and body image disorders experienced by girls and women. Common body concerns among boys who took part in this particular study included height, muscularity, obesity, skin complexion and style.
"Being overweight was seen as undesirable and associated with a sedentary, immoral lifestyle," says Norman. "
The majority of participants viewed sports as a fun and masculine way to build muscle, while managing calories and body fat. "They felt sports could naturally produce a healthier, fitter and more attractive man," says Norman. "Sports are used to deflect, obscure and erase their bodily anxieties and desires."
Most teenaged boys, Norman concludes, simply want an average physique that doesn't stand out: "Any bodies that fell outside that norm were labeled unnatural, unhealthy or just too much. Boys want a body that's neither too fat nor too skinny; too tall nor too short; too muscular nor too weak."
More information: jmm.sagepub.com/content/early/… 84X11409360.abstract
Provided by Concordia University
Boys' use of video game magazines studied
U.S. researchers have found a surprising cultural influence on some boys' drive for muscularity: video gaming magazines. Pressure to look more muscular may lead some men to consider steroids
Most people associate steroid use with oiled-up bodybuilders or professional athletes, but for some college-age men, steroids seem like the only way to measure up to the muscle-bound men in fitness magazines.
Boys need regular doses of action to focus on study
Short, regular doses of exercise between lessons helps boys concentrate and learn more in class, says a specialist in educating boys, Dr Michael Irwin.
Struggling male readers respond better to female teachers
Boys with difficulty reading actually respond better to female teachers, according to a new Canadian study. Research shows that boys develop higher positive self-perceptions as readers when they worked with female research ... |
Open-Angle Glaucoma(Chronic Glaucoma; Glaucoma)DefinitionGlaucoma describes a group of eye disorders that causes damage to the optic nerve. This degenerative eye disease is one of the leading causes of chronic blindness in the US. Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma in the United States. Open-angle glaucoma can often be controlled well with proper treatment, and most patients who receive treatment will maintain their vision. Glaucoma Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc. CausesOpen-angle glaucoma is caused by increased intraocular pressure. Within the eye, fluid is made and then drained from the eye. If either the fluid is made too quickly (not common) or drains too slowly, then the pressure of the eye can increase, leading to damage to the optic nerve.This damage to the optic nerve can lead to a decrease in peripheral vision and may eventually cause blindness.Risk FactorsGlaucoma is more common in African American and Hispanic people. Other factors that may increase your chance of getting glaucoma include: Family history of glaucoma Glaucoma in one eye—This increases the risk of developing glaucoma in the other eye. Increased intraocular pressure Diabetes High blood pressure Injury to the eye Certain eye abnormalities, such as congenital defects SymptomsMany patients with open-angle glaucoma experience few or no symptoms until the disease has progressed to the very late stages. Other symptoms may include: Loss of peripheral vision Tunnel vision Blindness DiagnosisYour doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done.Tests may include: Eye exam with pupil dilation Tonometry —a test to determine intraocular pressure Visual field test to determine vision loss Slit lamp examination—the use of a low-power microscope combined with a high-intensity light source, allows a narrow beam that can be focused to examine the front of the eye Photographs of the optic nerve Gonioscopy—to examine the outflow channels of the angle Analysis of the nerve fiber layer around the optic nerve Continued on next page...
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Parent-Adolescent Communication May Result In Safer Sex
Improving parent-adolescent sexual communication has been noted as one factor that could help to encourage adolescents to practice safer sex behavior. This study found that sexual communication with parents plays a small protective role in safer sex behavior among adolescents.
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Abstract: Limited funding for tobacco control forces health departments to identify efficient and effective programs for reducing tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure in their communities. In order to have the greatest impact, programs should be research-based and combine intervention methods addressing different aspects of tobacco control. The 'Proud To Be Smoke-Free' Program, a partnership of the Wauwatosa Health Department and the WATCH (Wauwatosa Against Tobacco - Choose Health) Community Coalition, combines the clinical practice tobacco cessation guidelines (5A's counseling) with a smoke-free home pledge program and is offered to clients at every encounter by public health nurses. By implementing this program in the health department, we have the potential of reaching 1,500 residents annually through WIC (Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program), immunization clinics, adult/senior health clinics and home visits. We will share our experience in modifying the clinical guidelines and smoke-free home program to fit our community public health system. We will also share our lessons learned in developing a unique data collection and tracking system which allows the nurses to track each client and provide appropriate follow-up. Program materials and incentive items will be on display for review. Back to Environmental Tobacco Smoke Reduction for Healthy Homes
Back to Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs or Combined Strategies
Back to The 2002 National Conference on Tobacco or Health |
Post-Den Emergence Behavior and Den Detection of Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) in Northern Alaska and the Southern Beaufort Sea
Rusty Wade Robinson, Brigham Young University - ProvoFollow
Pregnant polar bears (Ursus maritimus) construct maternal dens out of snow in the autumn where they give birth to and raise altricial young. In recent years, there has been a decrease in polar sea ice extent and thickness, which has led to changes in denning behavior. One such change in the southern Beaufort Sea (SBS) is that polar bears are selecting maternal den sites on land, rather than on unstable sea ice. This change, coupled with expanding petroleum exploration along Alaska's North Slope, heightens the likelihood of bear-human interactions at maternal den sites. The purpose of this research was to 1) describe polar bears' post-den emergence behavior, establishing a benchmark for comparison to identify behavioral changes associated with climate change and disturbance, and 2) explore factors influencing the efficacy of a currently used den detection method, forward-looking infrared (FLIR). Maternal den sites were observed along Alaska's North Slope from March to April of 2009 and 2010. The mean length of stay at den sites post-emergence was 11.3 ± 7.5 d. The mean date of den emergence was 14 March; abandonment 26 March. Adult females were generally inactive (58.4% out-of-den time) with standing being the most prevalent activity (49.9%). Cubs were generally active (76.7%), playing more than any other activity (45.3%). Bears spent the majority of their time in the den (97.3% for adult females and 99% for cubs) with short bouts of intermittent activity (× = 7 min 42 s). We documented the death of one member of a triplet polar bear litter at its den site. All three cubs showed low activity levels relative to other cubs observed, and one died within one week of den emergence. Necropsy confirmed that the dead cub had a low body weight and was malnourished. Capture later confirmed that the two surviving cubs were also undersized. Triplet litters are often smaller and suffer higher mortality rates than singletons and twins. This cub was not only a triplet but also born following 2 y of record minimum sea ice extent, both of which may have played a role in this cub's death. Concurrent with the den emergence portion of this work, we conducted a separate study to identify limitations and optimal conditions for locating dens using FLIR. We took handheld FLIR images of three artificial dens under varied conditions. We tested variables hypothesized to influence detectability with linear models using a zero-inflated negative binomial distribution. Solar radiation, wind speed, and den wall thickness reduced the likelihood of detecting dens. The negative effect of wind speed on detectability increased with increasing distance. To maximize the efficacy of hand-held FLIR, den surveys should be conducted when solar radiation is <16 w/m2 (night) and when wind speed is <10 km/h (6 mph). Adherence to these guidelines will maximize the protection FLIR can afford to denning bears.
Life Sciences; Plant and Wildlife Sciences
Robinson, Rusty Wade, "Post-Den Emergence Behavior and Den Detection of Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) in Northern Alaska and the Southern Beaufort Sea" (2014). All Theses and Dissertations. 4403.
Alaska, Beaufort Sea, climate change, cub mortality, FLIR, maternity den, North Slope, polar bear, Ursus maritimus |
Human ancestor Lucy celebrates 40th anniversary
Next month paleoanthropologists will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the discovery of bones of a primitive human forerunner now known as Lucy.
Donald Johanson is always looking at the ground.
“I find more quarters by parking meters than anybody I know,” he says.
As he was looking at the ground four decades ago, in a region called Hadar, named for a dry riverbed in Ethiopia, he saw something a lot more exciting than a quarter. It was a fossil bone.
“I found a little piece of elbow,” he said last week in Columbus, Ohio, while addressing a conference of science writers. “And I knew from studies of osteology and comparative anatomy that this had to be from a human ancestor.”
By two weeks later, Johanson and his colleagues had collected enough bones to reconstruct about 40 percent of a skeleton. Those bones belonged to a primitive human forerunner now known as Lucy.
Next month paleoanthropologists will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Johanson’s discovery of the elbow bone on November 24, 1974. In the intervening four decades, many more fossils along with other clues have been discovered, rewriting the story of the human race. The evolution of earlier humanlike species and eventually modern humans has grown from the outline of a play with a small cast to an elaborate production with more characters than an Agatha Christie mystery, many remaining enigmatic with relationships still unclear.
“These fossils tell us a great deal about who we are, where we come from and how we fit into the natural world,” said Johanson, of the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University. He summarized the fossil story in delivering the annual Patrusky Lecture, honoring Ben Patrusky, emeritus director of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing.*
The prelude to the modern story goes back to 1856 — three years before Charles Darwin published his treatise on evolution by natural selection — with the discovery of a fossil in Germany’s Neander Valley in Germany. That fossil was the first specimen from Neandertal man. A dozen years later, fossils of Cro-Magnon man turned up in France.
But Neandertal and Cro-Magnon turned out to be relative youngsters in human history. Darwin and his champion, Thomas Henry Huxley, knew that the whole story would get much more complicated.
“Darwin knew that the tree for evolution of any species had to be a branching tree, with lots of false starts, mostly dominated by that grim reaper of evolution, extinction, and survival of very few branches,” Johanson said. “He and Huxley made the specific prediction … that on the basis of similarities in teeth and jaws and anatomy, of us and particularly chimpanzees, the earliest ancestors for humans would be discovered in Africa.”
Sure enough, Raymond Dart found “Taung Baby” (official name Australopithecus africanus) in South Africa in 1924. It was probably about 2.5 million years old, vindicating the predictions by Darwin and Huxley of an African origin.
From then until the late 1950s, “discoveries in southern Africa pretty much dictated our view of the earliest humans in Africa,” Johanson said. “This shows you how evidence from one particular region or place can have such a long-lasting influence on our understanding of a question such as where we come from.”
But then in 1959, Mary Leakey found the massive cranium of the 1.8 million-year-old Nutcracker man (originally called Zinjanthropus, now known as Paranthropus boisei) at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, near the edge of the Serengeti Plain. That discovery turned the spotlight from south Africa to east Africa, Johanson said, leading to decades of advances in understanding human origins.
Lucy, whose species was designated Australopithecus afarensis, was the first human ancestor found to exceed 3 million years in age. She walked upright, a clear step along the lineage leading from apes to humans. But as subsequent work showed, just as Darwin had anticipated, the line from apes to humans was not straight, but branched. Today the mapping of those branches is still being worked out.
By 1970, when Johanson entered the hunt, paleoanthropologists had identified seven prehuman species: three of the genus Australopithecus, and four of the genus Homo: erectus, neandertalensis, habilis and heidelbergensis. Today there are more like 15 to 20 or so species in the mix, and Johanson alluded to three species that experts are now evaluating that may be announced soon. “I suspect there will be even more,” he said. “This is a reflection of the ingenuity of natural selection and evolutionary change — that it is not a single line from ape to angel. There are many extinct branches.”
Today the human family tree extends back more than 6 million years, if you count Sahelanthropus tchadensis, although Johanson noted that some experts consider S. tchadensis an ancestor of modern apes rather than as an early branch of the human lineage. Another early prehuman, denoted by the genus name Ardipithecus, is possibly at the root of the human family tree, but various considerations have made this conclusion controversial, Johanson said. It’s not certain, for example, that Ardi really walked upright. “There are many people who think that Ardi is an interesting example of some morphological change in the direction of humanness,” Johanson said. But whether or not it was the human ancestor, we don’t know.”
Lucy’s species, on the other hand, indisputably walked upright, which was what made her discovery so exciting 40 years ago, even though she had an apelike brain and jaw.
“This was an incredibly important and dramatic discovery in the mid-1970s that caused many of us to step back and take another look at the family tree,” Johanson recalled.
As more fossils from Lucy’s genus turned up in the region, other new species were identified, including Australopithecus anamensis and Australopithecus garhi, allowing studies of the relationships among them and other early prehumans.
“It is quite clear that there is a single lineage in East Africa that goes from anamensis at 4.2 million (years ago) to afarensis (Lucy) to things like garhi,” Johanson said. “We’re holding open the possibility that Ardipithecus was the ancestor to Lucy.”
In any event, Lucy clearly occupies “a pivotal place on the family tree, giving rise to various forms of Homo that have through the whims and caprices of evolutionary time evolved ultimately into us, Homo sapiens, supposedly ‘wise man,’” Johanson said. “Although I wonder if that’s the right moniker for us.”
Now Johanson and others are busy trying to fill in the details in the rest of the story, such as how factors like climate and diet led to the cognitive complexity, linguistic flexibility, capacity for culture and cooperation that characterize the modern human race. To Johanson, this story is not just about the need to know where we came from, but to understand where we are going.
“I’m convinced that understanding our evolutionary journey is going to play a role on our future — our future survival as well as the survival of all creatures on this planet,” he said.
“We know we have a united past. We know that we are the same species, we know that we have inherited the same capabilities. And I think hopefully this is going to lead to a world in which we’re more responsible to the natural world — the natural world that ultimately was our creator on this planet….
“We view the world with minds of hunter-gatherers who were intimately tied to Mother Nature. And this has, I think, brought about an imbalance between who we are and where we come from. And I think it’s time for the species, the most powerful, the most destructive and at the same time the most creative species on planet Earth, Homo sapiens, to stop acting as if there was some other place for us to move to.”
*Disclosure: I am an officer of CASW.
https://www.sciencenews.org/
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SCF Pharma
MAG-EPA resolves lung inflammation in an allergic model of asthma
Morin C.,SCF Pharma | Fortin S.,SCF Pharma | Cantin A.M.,Université de Sherbrooke
Clinical and Experimental Allergy | Year: 2013
Background: Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by airways hyperresponsiveness, inflammation and airways remodelling involving reversible bronchial obstruction. Omega-3 fatty acids and their derivatives are known to reduce inflammation in several tissues including lung. Objectives: The effects of eicosapentaenoic acid monoacylglyceride (MAG-EPA), a newly synthesized EPA derivative, were determined on the resolution of lung inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in an in vivo model of allergic asthma. Methods: Ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized guinea-pigs were treated or not with MAG-EPA administered per os. Isometric tension measurements, histological analyses, homogenate preparation for Western blot experiments or total RNA extraction for RT-PCR were performed to assess the effect of MAG-EPA treatments. Results: Mechanical tension measurements revealed that oral MAG-EPA treatments reduced methacholine (MCh)-induced bronchial hyperresponsiveness in OVA-sensitized guinea-pigs. Moreover, MAG-EPA treatments also decreased Ca2+ hypersensitivity of bronchial smooth muscle. Histological analyses and leucocyte counts in bronchoalveolar lavages revealed that oral MAG-EPA treatments led to less inflammatory cell recruitment in the lung of OVA-sensitized guinea-pigs when compared with lungs from control animals. Results also revealed a reduction in mucin production and MUC5AC expression level in OVA-sensitized animals treated with MAG-EPA. Following MAG-EPA treatments, the transcript levels of pro-inflammatory markers such as IL-5, eotaxin, IL-13 and IL-4 were markedly reduced. Moreover, per os MAG-EPA administrations reduced COX2 over-expression in OVA-sensitized animals. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: We demonstrate that MAG-EPA reduces airway hyperresponsiveness and lung inflammation in OVA-sensitized animals, a finding consistent with a decrease in IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, COX-2 and MUC5AC expression levels in the lung. The present data suggest that MAG-EPA represents a new potential therapeutic strategy for resolving inflammation in allergic asthma. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Comparison of the effects of EPA and DHA alone or in combination in a murine model of myocardial infarction
PubMed | SCF Pharma and University of Montréal
Type: | Journal: Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids | Year: 2016
The aim of this project was to investigate the impact of two dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), alone or in combination, on infarct size. Adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed for 14 days with different omega-3 diets. The animals were subjected to ischemia for 40min followed by reperfusion. Infarct size, Akt (protein kinase B) activation level, caspase-3 activity and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening were measured. The results indicate that EPA or DHA alone significantly reduced infarct size compared to the other diets. Akt activity was increased in the group fed EPA or DHA alone, whereas no significant activation was observed in the other groups compared to no omega-3 PUFA. DHA alone reduced caspase-3 activity and conferred resistance to mPTP opening. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that EPA and DHA are individually effective in diminishing infarct size in our experimental model while their combination is not. Resolvin D1 reverses reactivity and CA2+ sensitivity induced by ET-1, TNF-α, and IL-6 in the human pulmonary artery
Hiram R.,Université de Sherbrooke | Rizcallah E.,Université de Sherbrooke | Sirois C.,Université de Sherbrooke | Sirois M.,Université de Sherbrooke | And 3 more authors.
American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology | Year: 2014
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a rare and progressive disease characterized by an inflammatory status and vessel wall remodeling, resulting in increased pulmonary artery resistance. During the last decade, treatments have been proposed; most of them target the endothelial pathways that stimulate smooth muscle cell relaxation. However, PH remains associated with significant morbidity. We hypothesized that inflammation plays a crucial role in the severity of the abnormal vasoconstriction in PH. The goal of this study was to assess the effects of resolvin D1 (RvD1), a potent anti-inflammatory agent, on the pharmacological reactivity of human pulmonary arteries (HPAs) via an in vitro model of induced hyperreactivity. The effects of RvD1 and monoacylglyceride compounds were measured on contractile activity and Ca2+ sensitivity developed by HPAs that had been pretreated (or not) under proinflammatory conditions with either 10 ng/ml TNF-α or 10 ng/ml IL-6 or under hyperreactive conditions with 5 nM endothe-lin-1. The results demonstrated that, compared with controls, 24-h pretreatment with TNF-α, IL-6, or endothelin-1 increased reactivity and Ca2+ sensitivity of HPAs as revealed by agonist challenges with 80 μM KCl, 1 (μM serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine), 30 nM U-46619, and 1 (αM phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate. However, 300 nM RvD1 as well as 1 (μM monoacylglyceride-docosapentaenoic acid monoglyceride strongly reversed the overresponsiveness induced by both proinflammatory and hyperreactive treatments. In pretreated pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, Western blot analyses revealed that RvD1 treatment decreased the phosphorylation level of CPI-17 and expression of transmembrane protein member 16A while increasing the detection of G protein-coupled receptor 32. The present data demonstrate that RvD1, a trihydroxylated docosahexaenoic acid derivative, decreases induced overreactivity in HPAs via a reduction in CPI-17 phosphorylation and transmembrane protein member 16A expression. © 2014 the American Physiological Society.
Eicosapentaenoic acid and docosapentaenoic acid monoglycerides are more potent than docosahexaenoic acid monoglyceride to resolve inflammation in a rheumatoid arthritis model
Morin C.,SCF Pharma | Morin C.,Université de Sherbrooke | Blier P.U.,University of Quebec at Rimouski | Fortin S.,SCF Pharma | Fortin S.,University of Quebec at Rimouski
Arthritis Research and Therapy | Year: 2015
Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of the joints and bones. Omega-3 (ω3) fatty acid supplementation has been associated with a decreased production of inflammatory cytokines and eicosanoids involved in RA pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine the therapeutic potential of ω3 monoglyceride (MAG-ω3) compounds in an in vivo rat model of RA induced by Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA). Method: CFA rats were untreated or treated per os with three specific compounds, namely, MAG-docosahexaenoic acid (MAG-DHA), MAG-eicosapentaenoic acid (MAG-EPA) and MAG-docosapentaenoic acid (MAG-DPA). Morphological and histological analyses, as well as pro-inflammatory marker levels were determined following MAG-ω3 treatments. Results: Morphological and histological analyses revealed that MAG-EPA and MAG-DPA exhibited strong activity in reducing the progression and severity of arthritic disease in CFA rats. Following MAG-EPA and MAG-DPA treatments, plasma levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines; interleukin 17A (IL-17A), IL-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor aα (TNFaα) were markedly lower when compared to CFA-untreated rats. Results also revealed a decreased activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38 MAPK) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NFΚB) pathways correlated with a reduced expression of TNFaα, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 in paw homogenates derived from MAG-EPA and MAG-DPA-treated rats. Of interest, the combined treatment of MAG-EPA and vitamin E displayed an antagonistic effect on anti-inflammatory properties of MAG-EPA in CFA rats. Conclusion: Altogether, the present data suggest that MAG-EPA, without vitamin E, represents a new potential therapeutic strategy for resolving inflammation in arthritis. © 2015 Morin et al.
Anti-proliferative effects of a new docosapentaenoic acid monoacylglyceride in colorectal carcinoma cells
Morin C.,SCF Pharma | Morin C.,Université de Sherbrooke | Rousseau E.,Université de Sherbrooke | Fortin S.,SCF Pharma
Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids | Year: 2013
N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have been shown to inhibit the induction and progression of many tumor types. However, the anticancer effect of n-3 PUFA monoglyceride on colorectal cancer has yet to be assessed. The aim of the present study was to determine the anti-tumorigenic effects of docosahexaenoic acid monoglyceride (MAG-DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid monoglyceride (MAG-EPA) and docosapentaenoic acid (22:5. n-3) monoglyceride (MAG-DPA) in colorectal carcinoma cells. Our results demonstrate that MAG-DHA, MAG-EPA and MAG-DPA all decreased cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in HCT116 cells, with MAG-DPA having the higher anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in vitro. In a HCT116 xenograft mouse model, oral administration of MAG-DPA significantly inhibited tumor growth. Furthermore, MAG-DPA treatments decreased NFκB activation leading to a reduction in Bcl-2, CyclinD1, c-myc, COX-2, MMP9 and VEGF expression levels in tumor tissue sections. Altogether, these data provide new evidence regarding the mode of action of MAG-DPA in colorectal cancer cells. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
Mag-Epa reduces severity of DSS-induced colitis in rats
American Journal of Physiology - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology | Year: 2016
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic disease characterized by diffuse inflammation of the intestinal mucosa of the large bowel. Omega-3 (ω3) fatty acid supplementation has been associated with a decreased production of inflammatory cytokines involved in UC pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine the preventive and therapeutic potential of eicosapentaenoic acid monoglyceride (MAG-EPA) in an in vivo rats model of UC induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). DSS rats were untreated or treated per os with MAG-EPA. Morphological, histological, and biochemical analyses were performed following MAG-EPA administrations. Morphological and histological analyses revealed that MAG-EPA pretreatment (12 days pre-DSS) and treatment (6 days post-DSS) exhibited strong activity in reducing severity of disease in DSS rats. Following MAG-EPA administrations, tissue levels of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were markedly lower compared with rats treated only with DSS. MAG-EPA per os administration decrease neutrophil infiltration in colon tissues, as depicted by myelohyperoxidase activity. Results also revealed a reduced activation of NF-κB pathways correlated with a decreased expression of COX-2 in colon homogenates derived from MAG-EPA-pretreated and treated rats. Tension measurements performed on colon tissues revealed that contractile responses to methacholine and relaxing effect induced by sodium nitroprusside were largely increased following MAG-EPA treatment. The combined treatment of MAG-EPA and vitamin E displayed an antagonistic effect on anti-inflammatory properties of MAG-EPA in DSS rats. © 2016 the American Physiological Society.
Docosapentaenoic acid monoacylglyceride reduces inflammation and vascular remodeling in experimental pulmonary hypertension
Morin C.,SCF Pharma | Morin C.,Université de Sherbrooke | Hiram R.,Université de Sherbrooke | Rousseau E.,Université de Sherbrooke | And 3 more authors.
n-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) have been shown to reduce inflammation and proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells under pathophysiological conditions. However, the anti-inflammatory effect of the newly synthesized docosapentaenoic acid monoacylglyceride (MAG-DPA) on key signaling pathways in pulmonary hypertension (PH) pathogenesis has yet to be assessed. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of MAG-DPA on pulmonary inflammation and remodeling occurring in a rat model of PH, induced by a single injection of monocrotaline (MCT: 60 mg/kg). Our results demonstrate that MAG-DPA treatment for 3 wk following MCT injection resulted in a significant improvement of right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) and a reduction in Fulton's Index (FI). Morphometric analyses revealed that the wall thickness of pulmonary arterioles was significantly lower in MCT + MAG-DPA-treated rats compared with controls. This result was further correlated with a decrease in Ki-67 immunostaining. Following MAG-DPA treatments, lipid analysis showed a consistent increase in DPA together with lower levels of arachidonic acid (AA), as measured in blood and tissue samples. Furthermore, in MCT-treated rats, oral administration of MAG-DPA decreased NF-κB and p38 MAPK activation, leading to a reduction in MMP-2, MMP-9, and VEGF expression levels in lung tissue homogenates. Altogether, these data provide new evidence regarding the mode of action of MAG-DPA in the prevention of pulmonary hypertension induced by MCT. © 2014 the American Physiological Society.
Anti-cancer effects of a new docosahexaenoic acid monoacylglyceride in lung adenocarcinoma
Morin C.,SCF Pharma | Morin C.,Université de Sherbrooke | Fortin S.,SCF Pharma | Cantin A.M.,Université de Sherbrooke | And 4 more authors.
Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery | Year: 2013
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite advances in research, diagnosis and treatment, lung cancer remains a highly lethal disease, often diagnosed at advanced stages and with a very poor prognosis. Therefore, new strategies for the prevention and treatment of lung cancer are urgently needed. The aim of the present study was to determine the anti-tumorigenic effects of docosahexaenoic acid monoacylglyceride (MAG-DHA), a newly patented DHA derivative in lung adenocarcinoma. Our results demonstrate that MAG-DHA treatments decreased cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in A549 human lung carcinoma cells whereas MAG-DHA treatment did not induce apoptosis of normal bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells. MAG-DHA decreased NFκB activation leading to a reduction in COX-2 expression level in both A549 cells and lung adenocarcinoma tissues. Furthermore, MAG-DHA treatment increased PTEN expression and activation concomitant with a decrease in AKT phosphorylation levels and enhanced apoptosis. Oral administration of MAG-DHA significantly reduced tumor growth in a mouse A549 xenograft model. Lastly, MAG-DHA markedly decreased COX-2 and enhanced PTEN protein expression in tumor tissue sections. Altogether, these data provide new evidence regarding the mode of action of MAG-DHA and strongly suggest that this compound could be of clinical interest in cancer treatment. © 2013 Bentham Science Publishers.
Docosahexaenoic acid monoacylglyceride decreases endothelin-1 induced Ca 2+ sensitivity and proliferation in human pulmonary arteries
Morin C.,SCF Pharma | Morin C.,Université de Sherbrooke | Fortin S.,SCF Pharma | Rousseau E.,Université de Sherbrooke
American Journal of Hypertension | Year: 2012
Background Pulmonary artery vasoconstriction and vascular remodeling contribute to a sustained elevation of pulmonary vascular resistance and pressure in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH), an often fatal hemodynamic disease. The effect of docosahexaenoic acid monoacylglyceride (MAG-DHA) and the role of the 17 kDa protein kinase C-potentiated inhibitor protein (CPI-17) were determined on vasoconstriction and smooth muscle cell proliferation of human pulmonary arteries (HPA).MethodsHPA were obtained from 16 patients undergoing lung resection for carcinoma. The mechanical tension and Ca 2+ sensitivity were measured on arterial rings treated with endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the absence or presence of MAG-DHA. The effect of MAG-DHA on the level of proliferation of smooth muscle cells isolated from HPA was evaluated in order to determine the role of CPI-17 protein.Results MAG-DHA treatment decreased the reactivity and Ca 2+ sensitivity induced by ET-1 in HPA. MAG-DHA treatment also decreased the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induced by ET-1. Moreover, both VEGF inhibitor and MAG-DHA treatments reduced Ca 2+ hypersensitivity induced by ET-1, which was associated to a reduction in CPI-17 and myosin-binding subunit of the myosin light chain phosphatase (MYPT-1) phosphorylation levels. Proliferation of ET-1-stimulated HPA smooth muscle cells (PASMc) was also decreased following CPI-17 small interfering RNA transfection and MAG-DHA treatments. Western blot analyses revealed that MAG-DHA treatment resulted in decreased phosphorylation levels of CPI-17 and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) in PASMc treated with ET-1.ConclusionsWe have demonstrated that VEGF interacts with CPI-17 signaling pathway resulting in an increase in Ca 2+ sensitivity and proliferation of PASMc, whereas MAG-DHA treatment reversed these effects. © 2012 American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd.
19,20-EpDPE, a bioactive CYP450 metabolite of DHA monoacyglyceride, decreases Ca2+ sensitivity in human pulmonary arteries
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of docosahexaenoic acid monoacylglyceride (MAG-DHA) on human pulmonary arterial tone. Tension measurements on pulmonary arterial tissues demonstrated that MAG-DHA reduced U-46619-induced tone, which is highly sensitive to the H-1152 inhibitor. Results also showed that MAG-DHA treatments decreased RhoA activity levels, which in turn inactivated the Rhokinase pathway, leading to a reduction in U-46619-induced Ca2+ sensitivity of permeabilized pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. According to the mechanical responses assessing U-46619-induced Ca2+ sensitivity in the absence or presence of 3 μM MAG-DHA, MAG-DHA plus 1 μM N-methylsulfonyl-6-(2-propargyloxyphenyl) hexanamide (MS-PPOH, a cytochrome P-450 epoxygenase inhibitor) and 300 nM 19,20-epoxydocosapentaenoic acid (a cytochrome P-450 epoxygenase-dependent DHA metabolite), our data suggest that the MAG-DHA is metabolized in a bioactive epoxymetabolite. This epoxyeicosanoid in turn decreases active tone and Ca2+ sensitivity of smooth muscles cells through an inhibition of the Rho-kinase pathway. Together, these data provide primary evidence regarding the mode of action of MAG-DHA in human pulmonary arteries and suggest that this compound may be of pharmacological interest in patients with pulmonary hypertension to generate intracellular bioactive metabolites. © 2011 the American Physiological Society.
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The physical and mathematical modelling of swirling flow by turboswirl in an uphill teeming ingot casting process
Bai, Haitong
KTH, School of Industrial Engineering and Management (ITM), Materials Science and Engineering.
Ersson, Mikael
Jönsson, Pär
KTH, School of Industrial Engineering and Management (ITM), Materials Science and Engineering, Applied Process Metallurgy.
2015 (English)In: Proceedings of the 6th International Congress on the Science and Technology of Steelmaking, ICS 2015, Chinese Society for Metals , 2015, 473-476 p.Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Ingot casting is widely used to produce some certain specialty steel grades. During the process of teeming the liquid steel from the ladle to the mould for a final solidification, the high velocity of the liquid steel can result in an uneven flow pattern either in the vertical and horizontal runners or in the mould. This can cause some serious problems, such as a high erosion of refractory walls or a mould flux entrapment. Here, some research indicate that a swirling flow is beneficial for making the flow pattern even and for reducing turbulence in the runners. Recently, a new swirling flow generation component, TurboSwirl, was applied to improve the flow pattern of the liquid steel as it flows into the mould so that a more stable flow could be obtained. The TurboSwirl is located on the intersection of the horizontal and vertical runners near the mould. It generates a tangential flow that can be used with an expanding nozzle with a flaring angle in order to decrease the vertical flow velocity. Moreover, a mathematical model has been developed to optimize the geometry of the physical model. The results shows that a much more beneficial flow pattern can be obtained by reducing the flaring angle or moving the vertical runner to an off-center position of the TurboSwirl, according to the numerical models. Therefore, a water modelling experiment was built, including the TurboSwirl, one mould and the runners. Tracers will be mixed into the water to detect the flow pattern and the velocity of the fluid would be recorded by a digital motion analysis recorder for later analysis. Firstly, different flaring angles of the expanding nozzle were simulated and compared. The results could supply a good support to the following water modelling experiments and to prove that the TurboSwirl setup produces a much calmer initial filling of the mould, compared to a conventional setup.
Chinese Society for Metals , 2015. 473-476 p.
Ingot casting, Swirling flow, TurboSwirl, Velocity detection, Water model, Flow velocity, Fluxes, Ingots, Liquids, Molds, Nozzles, Steel ingots, Steelmaking, Velocity, Physical model, Refractory walls, Tangential flow, Water modeling, Water modelling, Flow patterns
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-194647Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-84983120965OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-194647DiVA: diva2:1050549
6th International Congress on the Science and Technology of Steelmaking, ICS 2015, 12 May 2015 through 14 May 2015
Bai, HaitongErsson, MikaelJönsson, Pär
Materials Science and EngineeringApplied Process Metallurgy |
Tag Archives: Abbott Vascular
Definition:The chest x-ray is the most commonly performed diagnostic x-ray examination. A chest x-ray makes images of the heart, lungs, airways, blood vessels and the bones of the spine and chest.
Doctors have used x-rays for over a century to see inside the body in order to diagnose a variety of problems, including cancer, fractures, and pneumonia. During this test, you usually stand in front of a photographic plate while a machine sends x-rays, a type of radiation, through your body. Originally, a photograph of internal structures was produced on film; nowadays, the image created by the x-rays goes directly into a computer. Dense structures, such as bone, appear white on the x-ray films because they absorb many of the x-ray beams and block them from reaching the plate (see Figure 16). Hollow body parts, such as lungs, appear dark because x-rays pass through them. (In some other countries, like the United Kingdom, the colors are reversed, and dense structures are black.)
Back x-rays and chest x-rays are among the most common conventional x-ray tests. You should not have an x-ray if you’re pregnant, because radiation can be harmful to a developing fetus.
A chest x-ray provides black-and-white images of your lungs, ribs, heart, and diaphragm.
Some common uses:
The chest x-ray is performed to evaluate the lungs, heart and chest wall.
A chest x-ray is typically the first imaging test used to help diagnose symptoms such as:
*shortness of breath
*a bad or persistent cough
*chest pain or injury
*fever.
Physicians use the examination to help diagnose or monitor treatment for conditions such as:
*pneumonia
*heart failure and other heart problems
*emphysema
*lung cancer
*other medical conditions.
How should you prepare for the test?
A chest x-ray requires no special preparation.
You may be asked to remove some or all of your clothes and to wear a gown during the exam. You may also be asked to remove jewelry, eye glasses and any metal objects or clothing that might interfere with the x-ray images.
Women should always inform their physician or x-ray technologist if there is any possibility that they are pregnant. Many imaging tests are not performed during pregnancy so as not to expose the fetus to radiation. If an x-ray is necessary, precautions will be taken to minimize radiation exposure to the baby. See the Safety page for more information about pregnancy and x-rays.
You are usually asked to remove all clothing, undergarments, and jewelry above your waist, and to wear a hospital gown.
What does the equipment look like?
The equipment typically used for chest x-rays consists of a wall-mounted, box-like apparatus containing the x-ray film or a special plate that records the image digitally and an x-ray producing tube, that is usually positioned about six feet away.
The equipment may also be arranged with the x-ray tube suspended over a table on which the patient lies. A drawer under the table holds the x-ray film or digital recording plate.
A portable x-ray machine is a compact apparatus that can be taken to the patient in a hospital bed or the emergency room. The x-ray tube is connected to a flexible arm that is extended over the patient while an x-ray film holder or image recording plate is placed beneath the patient.
What happens when the test is performed?
Chest x-rays usually are taken while you are standing. A technician positions you against the photographic plate (which looks like a large board) to obtain the clearest pictures. He or she takes pictures from the front and from one side while asking you to take in a deep breath just before each picture. The technician leaves the room or stands behind a screen while the x-rays are taken.
How does the procedure work?
X-rays are a form of radiation like light or radio waves. X-rays pass through most objects, including the body. Once it is carefully aimed at the part of the body being examined, an x-ray machine produces a small burst of radiation that passes through the body, recording an image on photographic film or a special digital image recording plate.
Different parts of the body absorb the x-rays in varying degrees. Dense bone absorbs much of the radiation while soft tissue, such as muscle, fat and organs, allow more of the x-rays to pass through them. As a result, bones appear white on the x-ray, soft tissue shows up in shades of gray and air appears black.
On a chest x-ray, the ribs and spine will absorb much of the radiation and appear white or light gray on the image. Lung tissue absorbs little radiation and will appear dark on the image.
Until recently, x-ray images were maintained as hard film copy (much like a photographic negative). Today, most images are digital files that are stored electronically. These stored images are easily accessible and are sometimes compared to current x-ray images for diagnosis and disease management.
How is the procedure performed?
Typically, two views of the chest are taken, one from the back and the other from the side of the body as the patient stands against the image recording plate. The technologist, an individual specially trained to perform radiology examinations, will position the patient with hands on hips and chest pressed the image plate. For the second view, the patient’s side is against the image plate with arms elevated.
Patients who cannot stand may be positioned lying down on a table for chest x-rays.
You must hold very still and may be asked to keep from breathing for a few seconds while the x-ray picture is taken to reduce the possibility of a blurred image. The technologist will walk behind a wall or into the next room to activate the x-ray machine.
When the examination is complete, you will be asked to wait until the radiologist determines that all the necessary images have been obtained.
The chest x-ray examination is usually completed within 15 minutes.
Additional views may be required within hours, days or months to evaluate any changes in the chest.
What will you experience during and after the procedure?
A chest x-ray examination itself is a painless procedure.
You may experience discomfort from the cool temperature in the examination room and the coldness of the recording plate. Individuals with arthritis or injuries to the chest wall, shoulders or arms may have discomfort trying to stay still during the examination. The technologist will assist you in finding the most comfortable position possible that still ensures diagnostic image quality.
Who interprets the results and how do you get them?
A radiologist, a physician specifically trained to supervise and interpret radiology examinations, will analyze the images and send a signed report to your primary care or referring physician, who will discuss the results with you.
In an emergency, the results of a chest x-ray can be available almost immediately for review by your physician.
What are the benefits vs. risks?
*No radiation remains in a patient’s body after an x-ray examination.
*X-rays usually have no side effects in the diagnostic range.
*X-ray equipment is relatively inexpensive and widely available in emergency rooms, physician offices, ambulatory care *centers, nursing homes and other locations, making it convenient for both patients and physicians.
*Because x-ray imaging is fast and easy, it is particularly useful in emergency diagnosis and treatment.
Risks:
*There is always a slight chance of cancer from excessive exposure to radiation. However, the benefit of an accurate diagnosis far outweighs the risk.
*The chest x-ray is one of the lowest radiation exposure medical examinations performed today. The effective radiation dose from this procedure is about 0.1 mSv, which is about the same as the average person receives from background radiation in 10 days. See the Safety page for more information about radiation dose.
*Women should always inform their physician or x-ray technologist if there is any possibility that they are pregnant. See the Safety page for more information about pregnancy and x-rays.
How long is it before the result of the test is known?
Although digital images may be available immediately, it will take additional time for a doctor to examine and interpret them. You’ll probably get the results later in the day.
A Word About Minimizing Radiation Exposure:
Special care is taken during x-ray examinations to use the lowest radiation dose possible while producing the best images for evaluation. National and international radiology protection councils continually review and update the technique standards used by radiology professionals.
State-of-the-art x-ray systems have tightly controlled x-ray beams with significant filtration and dose control methods to minimize stray or scatter radiation. This ensures that those parts of a patient’s body not being imaged receive minimal radiation exposure.
What are the limitations of Chest Radiography?
The chest x-ray is a very useful examination, but it has limitations. Because some conditions of the chest cannot be detected on an x-ray image, this examination cannot necessarily rule out all problems in the chest. For example, very small cancers may not show up on a chest x-ray. A blood clot in the lungs, a condition called a pulmonary embolism, cannot be seen on chest x-rays.
Further imaging studies may be necessary to clarify the results of a chest x-ray or to look for abnormalities not visible on the chest x-ray.
Click for More Additional Information and Resources: ->
*RadiologyInfo: Radiation Therapy for Lung Cancer
*RTAnswers.org: Radiation Therapy for Lung Cancer
https://www.health.harvard.edu/diagnostic-tests/chest-x-ray.htm
http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=chestrad
Routine chest X-rays in the ICU: a bad hospital habit finally being broken
Anil Potti Discuss About Diagnosing Lung Cancer
Anil Potti Discuss Diagnosing Of Lung Cancer
CT Screening Can Prevent Cancer Deaths
McLeod Health First in South Carolina to Adopt New Software to Improve Early Detection of Lung Cancer and Other Serious Medical Conditions on Chest X-ray
Back X-Rays (Spine X-Rays) (findmeacure.com)
3D X-ray Orthopedic Imaging System EOS Better Image Quality That CR (medicalnewstoday.com)
Radiologists Get Software Assistance for Chest X-Ray Analysis (medgadget.com)
Diagnosing Lung Cancer (cancer.suite101.com)
This entry was posted in Diagnonistic Test and tagged Abbott Vascular, Absorbed dose, American Association of Physicists in Medicine, Aqueous solution, Chest X-ray, Ionizing radiation, Lung cancer, Medical imaging, Pneumonia, Radiation, Radiation therapy, Radiography, Radiology, Sievert, United Kingdom, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, X-ray, X-ray computed tomography on February 4, 2009 by Mukul. |
Study uses gene editing to take brakes off lab-based red blood cell production
Points to way of significantly reducing cost of laboratory-produced cells
Turning off a single gene leads to a roughly three-to-five-fold gain in the yield of laboratory methods for producing red blood cells from stem cells, says a multi-institutional team. These findings suggest a way to cost-effectively manufacture red blood cells from stem cells; the patients who might benefit include those who cannot use blood currently available in blood banks.
Turning off a single gene leads to a roughly three-to-five-fold gain in the yield of laboratory methods for producing red blood cells from stem cells, according to a multi-institutional team led by researchers at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. These findings, published in Cell Stem Cell, suggest a way to cost-effectively manufacture red blood cells from stem cells; the patients who could potentially benefit include those who cannot use blood currently available in blood banks.
Previous research has shown that it is possible to use various methods to force different kinds of stem cells to produce transfusion-grade red blood cells in a laboratory, but, at a cost between $8,000 and $15,000 per unit of blood, the processes are expensive. This is the first study to combine stem cells, powerful gene editing tools, and data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS).
The research team behind the Cell Stem Cell study--led by senior author and Dana-Farber/Boston Children's pediatric hematologist Vijay Sankaran, MD, PhD--homed in on their target gene, called SH2B3, after GWAS data revealed naturally occurring variations in the gene's sequence that reduce its activity result in increased red blood cell production.
"There's a variation in SH2B3 found in about 40 percent of people that leads to modestly higher red blood cell counts," Sankaran said. "But if you look at people with really high red blood cell levels, they often have rare SH2B3 mutations. That said to us that here is a target where you can partially or completely eliminate its function as a way of increasing red blood cells robustly.
"There are many patients with rare blood types or blood disorders who need very specific kinds of blood and cannot accept most donated blood," Sankaran continued. "Also, there are patients for whom there is a possibility of using red blood cells as a way of delivering therapies."
Sankaran and his collaborators--including study co-first authors Felix Giani, Claudia Fiorini, PhD, and Aoi Wakabayashi of Dana-Farber/Boston Children's--wanted to see if were possible to use SH2B3 as a target to genetically increase the yield of laboratory-based red blood cell production processes (as opposed to tweaking cells in culture by adding cytokines and other factors). To do, so, they first used RNA interference (RNAi, which silences gene expression) to turn down SH2B3 in donated adult, human, blood-forming stem cells (hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, or HSPCs) and HSPCs from human umbilical cord blood.
The team's data confirmed that shutting off SH2B3 with RNAi skews an HSPC's profile of cell production to favor red blood cells. Adult and cord blood stem cells treated with RNAi produced three-to-five and five-to-seven times more red blood cells than controls, respectively. Using multiple tests, the team found that the red blood cells produced by RNAi were essentially indistinguishable from control cells.
Sankaran and his team recognized that their HSPC/RNAi approach would be very difficult to scale up to a level that could impact the clinical need for red blood cells. Thus, in a separate set of experiments, they used CRISPR gene editing to permanently shut off SH2B3 in human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines, which can be readily renewed in a laboratory. They then treated the edited cells with a cocktail of factors known to encourage blood cell production. Under these conditions, the edited hESCs produced three times more red blood cells than controls. Again, the team could find no significant differences between red blood cells from the edited stem cells and controls.
Sankaran thinks that SH2B3's enforces some kind of upper limit on how much red blood cell precursors respond to calls for more red blood cell production.
"This is a nice approach because it removes the brakes that normally keep cells restrained and limit how much red blood cell precursors respond to different laboratory conditions," Sankaran explained.
He notes that in his vision, stem cells edited to keep SH2B3 turned off would be maintained in culture as a kind of cellular starter and used to produce red blood cells for treatment purposes; the edited stem cells themselves would never be used for direct treatment.
He also believes that with further development, the combination of CRISPR and hESCs could increase the yields and reduce the costs of producing red blood cell in the laboratory to the level where commercial-scale manufacture could be feasible.
"This is allowing us to get close to the cost of normal donor-derived blood units," he said. ""If we can get the costs down to about $2,000 per unit, that's a reasonable cost."
Felix C. Giani et al. Targeted Application of Human Genetic Variation Can Improve Red Blood Cell Production from Stem Cells. Cell Stem Cell, October 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2015.09.015
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "Study uses gene editing to take brakes off lab-based red blood cell production: Points to way of significantly reducing cost of laboratory-produced cells." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 22 October 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151022124355.htm>.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. (2015, October 22). Study uses gene editing to take brakes off lab-based red blood cell production: Points to way of significantly reducing cost of laboratory-produced cells. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 8, 2017 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151022124355.htm
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "Study uses gene editing to take brakes off lab-based red blood cell production: Points to way of significantly reducing cost of laboratory-produced cells." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151022124355.htm (accessed May 8, 2017).
White blood cell
Embryonic stem cell
Adult stem cell
How Blood Can Be Rejuvenated
Feb. 23, 2017 Our blood stem cells generate around a thousand billion new blood cells every day. But the blood stem cells’ capacity to produce blood changes as we age. This leads to older people being more ... read more Observing Stem Cells Maturing Into Blood Cells in Living Mouse
Feb. 12, 2015 In the bone marrow, blood stem cells give rise to a large variety of mature blood cells via progenitor cells at various stages of maturation. Scientists have developed a way to equip mouse blood stem ... read more Not Only in DNA's Hands: Epigenetics Has Large Say in Blood Formation
Aug. 11, 2014 Every day trillions of blood cells are being formed in our body: from the oxygen-carrying red blood cells to the many types of white blood cells that fight pathogens and infection. All of these ... read more Genetic Recipe to Turn Stem Cells to Blood
July 14, 2014 The ability to reliably and safely make in the laboratory all of the different types of cells in human blood is one key step closer to reality. Stem cell researchers have discovered two genetic ... read more Strange & Offbeat |
American Association for Emergency Psychiatry Task Force on Medical Clearance of Adult Psychiatric Patients. Part II: Controversies over Medical Assessment, and Consensus Recommendations
Articles , Behavioral Health , Current Issue: Volume 18 Issue 4 , Review Article
DOI: 10.5811/westjem.2017.3.32259
Michael P. Wilson, MD, PhD University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Emergency Medicine, Little Rock, Arkansas
Kimberly Nordstrom, MD, JD University of Colorado School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Aurora, Colorado;
Office of Behavioral Health, Department of Human Services, State of Colorado, Denver, Colorado
Eric L. Anderson, MD University of Maryland, Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge, Maryland
Anthony T. Ng, MD Uniformed Services School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Bethesda, Maryland
Leslie S. Zun, MD, MBA Chicago Medical School, Department of Emergency Medicine, Chicago, Illinois;
Mount Sinai Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York, New York
Jennifer M. Peltzer-Jones, RN, PsyD Henry Ford Health System, Department of Emergency Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
Michael H. Allen, MD University of Colorado School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
Controversies over “medical clearance”
Aaep consensus statement on medical evaluation of psychiatric patients
The emergency medical evaluation of psychiatric patients presenting to United States emergency departments (ED), usually termed “medical clearance,” often varies between EDs. A task force of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry (AAEP), consisting of physicians from emergency medicine, physicians from psychiatry and a psychologist, was convened to form consensus recommendations for the medical evaluation of psychiatric patients presenting to U.S.EDs.
The task force reviewed existing literature on the topic of medical evaluation of psychiatric patients in the ED and then combined this with expert consensus. Consensus was achieved by group discussion as well as iterative revisions of the written document. The document was reviewed and approved by the AAEP Board of Directors.
Eight recommendations were formulated. These recommendations cover various topics in emergency medical examination of psychiatric patients, including goals of medical screening in the ED, the identification of patients at low risk for co-existing medical disease, key elements in the ED evaluation of psychiatric patients including those with cognitive disorders, specific language replacing the term “medical clearance,” and the need for better science in this area.
The evidence indicates that a thorough history and physical examination, including vital signs and mental status examination, are the minimum necessary elements in the evaluation of psychiatric patients. With respect to laboratory testing, the picture is less clear and much more controversial.
Emergency physicians (EP) are commonly required to diagnose and treat psychiatric patients.1 In 2011, for instance, EPs diagnosed “mental disorders” in approximately 3.9% of patient visits.2 Many psychiatric patients presenting to an emergency department (ED) require some form of aftercare (i.e., psychiatric admission, transfer to a psychiatric crisis center, etc.). Thus, EPs are often asked to “medically clear” psychiatric patients.
As EDs often perform assessments of psychiatric patients, who commonly have coexisting medical and psychiatric disease, it is imperative that both emergency and psychiatric physicians find a common language and point of reference to care for these patients. A consequence of not sharing a common treatment algorithm or language is evident in the Tintinalli et al. study, in which 80% of patients listed as “medically clear” on the chart actually had medical disease that should have been identified during a standard history and physical.3
EDs are further limited by the capabilities of receiving institutions, as many free-standing psychiatric facilities lack medical equipment and trained staff to care for coexisting medical disease.4 EDs have therefore been forced to perform increasingly comprehensive medical screening exams before transferring patients to these units. As funding for psychiatric facilities decreases, the number of psychiatric inpatient beds has declined, which has the deleterious effect of increasing the acuity of psychiatric units both medically and behaviorally. Limited bed availability prolongs lengths of stay (LOS) for psychiatric patients, although it is not known how medical complexity affects availability of psychiatric beds.5 As numbers of psychiatric patients in the ED subsequently increase, waiting times and LOS for all ED patients are affected, making this an important issue for all EDs.6
This is part II of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry (AAEP) task force on medical examinations of psychiatric patients presenting to EDs. The task force was composed of EPs, emergency psychiatrists, and an emergency psychologist. Task force members consisted of Michael P. Wilson, Kimberly Nordstrom, Eric L. Anderson, Anthony Ng, Leslie Zun, Jennifer M. Peltzer-Jones, and Michael H. Allen, chosen by the AAEP for their expertise on the topic, all with an extensive background in behavioral emergencies. Consensus was achieved by group discussion and iterative revisions of the written document. The purpose of this task force was to examine the existing evidence, synthesize it into cohesive guidelines, and examine areas for future research in the areas of emergency medicine (EM) and emergency psychiatry. This document was reviewed and approved by the AAEP Board of Directors.
There are a number of current areas of controversy in the emergency medical examinations of psychiatric patients:
defining adequate medical examination for psychiatric patients;
outlining the role of routine laboratory testing, including urine drug screens and medical algorithms;
reviewing the standards of the capabilities of psychiatric receiving facilities.
Each of these questions is discussed in turn.
Defining an Adequate Medical Exam
Several studies have investigated the important elements of emergency medical triage or screening exams for psychiatric patients.7-14 There is general consensus that psychiatric patients with abnormal vital signs, advanced age (>= 65 years of age), severe agitation, evidence of toxic ingestion, or decreased level of awareness are more likely to have a medical cause for their illness and therefore warrant further testing.15 Many authors have also advised formal mental status screenings in the ED, especially for elderly patients, since patients with frank disorientation are more likely to have a medical cause of their symptoms than a psychiatric diagnosis.16-17 Although there have been few studies investigating differences between screening tools in the ED, one study by Kaufman and Zun found that a six-item questionnaire had a sensitivity of 72% and a specificity of 95% in identifying individuals with severely impaired mental status, took only a few minutes to complete, and was rated as useful by most clinicians administering the test.8
Although a prospective randomized trial of the addition of mental status screenings alongside physical exams has never been performed, these studies highlight the importance of a mental status exam in the medical evaluation of psychiatric patients. Expert guidelines, such as those by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), recommend an assessment of mentation as part of medical screening in EDs.18 Although no studies have investigated the use of allied health personnel in the screening of psychiatric patients, most have relied, either explicitly or implicitly, on the judgment of attending EPs or similarly qualified individuals.
The Role of Routine Laboratory Testing and Medical Algorithms
Whether or not there should be a reasonable suspicion of disease in asymptomatic patients with normal vitals and a psychiatric chief complaint has yielded conflicting results in the EM literature. Nonetheless, at least one study has indicated that many EPs are routinely required to obtain labs for psychiatric patients.19 These routine labs generally do not reveal serious disease, especially if the patient is young.20-23 Olshaker and colleagues, for instance, reported on a series of 65 patients with a coexisting medical condition presenting for a psychiatric complaint.20 The authors concluded that history and physical examination alone were able to detect the vast majority of medical illness. Janiak and Atteberry reviewed 502 charts of psychiatric patients who received routine laboratory testing by the psychiatric service and found, with only one exception, no labs ordered routinely would have changed ED management.21 Amin and Wang prospectively studied 375 psychiatric patients presenting for medical assessment. In this study, 14.9% of patients had non substance-induced laboratory abnormalities that either occurred in patients with abnormal history or physical exams or were not felt to alter final disposition or contribute to the patient’s presentation.22 Korn and colleagues reviewed 212 charts, finding that the initial complaints of these patients correlated directly with the need for additional testing.23
A study by Henneman and colleagues, however, reached opposite conclusions.7 The authors investigated 100 consecutive patients aged 16–65 who presented to the ED with new-onset psychiatric complaints and no known past psychiatric history. In this cohort, 63 patients were found to have coexisting medical illness. History and physical examination alone suggested disease in only 27 of the 63 patients; the authors concluded that most adult patients with new-onset psychiatric symptoms have a medical etiology and recommended extensive assessment for all patients with new-onset psychiatric complaints.
Unfortunately, the controversy in the literature regarding the importance of physical exams and laboratory testing is difficult to resolve with existing studies such as these, since none of the studies above documented the elements of their physical or mental status examinations. Further, none of these studies investigated whether testing high-risk groups increases the yield of laboratory investigations. Although a definitive answer to the question of testing awaits further research, at least some evidence exists that routine testing adds little to disposition decisions beyond the clinical judgment of an attending EP. Based on evidence of this type, ACEP, in a recent clinical guideline on evaluation of adult psychiatric patients, stated that routine laboratory testing for asymptomatic, alert, cooperative patients was unnecessary.24 It is unknown, however, how routine testing may contribute to the identification of chronic coexistent disease such as diabetes or renal failure, which may be more important for provision of care after the ED.
The utility of routine urine drug screens has also been questioned. In theory, provider knowledge of exposure to drugs of abuse could potentially alter diagnosis and disposition to addiction treatment versus a psychiatric setting. This is relevant partly because these settings are funded by different mechanisms in some states. In support of routine testing, studies such as Schuckman et al. have indicated self-reporting of illicit drug use is unreliable in the ED setting.25 However, several ED studies have indicated that verification of a patient’s substance use with urine drug screens does not often change ED disposition of psychiatric patients.26-29 In a prospective study of 392 patients presenting to a psychiatric emergency service, for instance, Schiller and colleagues found 20.8% of patients who denied substance use actually had positive screens, but dispositions did not change between patients in whom a routine urine drug screen was ordered (the mandatory-screen group) and patients in whom it was not (usual-care group).25 Similar results were found by Korn and colleagues in a retrospective review of 212 charts, Fortu and colleagues in a retrospective review of 652 charts, and Eisen and colleagues in a prospective study of 133 patients.23,27-28
At least one study has found that when a urine drug screen was checked, it was correct for all five drugs of abuse only in 75.2% of cases, raising questions about the accuracy of the test.29 ACEP, in a guideline on evaluation of adult psychiatric patients, stated routine testing for urine drugs of abuse was unnecessary in the ED but offered this only as a Level C recommendation.18 Based on these studies, it appears that ED management would not often be changed as a result of urine toxicologic testing. However, if comorbid substance use is detected, it should become a focus of any subsequent treatment. Receiving psychiatric facilities may request this study, as it is time critical and may affect the direction of further mental health treatment. Unfortunately, no studies have examined the cost of performing this test at psychiatric receiving facilities, whether the results of this test would change the subsequent care setting or treatment decisions, or the impact on payment.
Given the often conflicting demands between comprehensive medical testing that is useful to consultants and the desire of many EPs only to obtain testing that will affect their disposition and management in the ED, many authors have advocated the use of medical algorithms that are agreed upon in advance by all parties involved. Zun and colleagues in their work with the Illinois Mental Health Task Force set forth three basic criteria for hospitalization in a state-operated psychiatric facility: evidence of a psychiatric diagnosis severe enough to warrant inpatient hospitalization; clinically-indicated evaluation of any suspected medical illness; and the stability of any medical problems in order to allow both safe transport to the facility and hospitalization at that institution.10 Additional guidelines were adopted to specify the term “clinically-indicated evaluation.” In a later study, Zun and Downey performed a retrospective chart review of all ED patients with psychiatric complaints who were transferred to a psychiatric facility after the adoption of the medical clearance protocol, compared to all patients who were transferred before the protocol.11-12 The total cost of diagnostic testing was $269 per patient after the adoption of the protocol and $352 before, which was a statistically significant difference. The return rate of patients to the ED after the protocol, however, was similar.
Another screening algorithm was recently proposed by Shah and colleagues.13 In this study, the authors retrospectively reviewed 485 charts of psychiatric patients who had been evaluated by attending EPs with a five-item screening tool created for psychiatric patients. Patients with a “yes” to all five questions (stable vital signs, prior psychiatric history, alert/oriented × 4, no evidence of acute medical problem, no visual hallucinations) were discharged to a psychiatric receiving facility without further testing. Only six patients (1.2%) with “yes” to all questions required further medical workup and were returned to the ED. No patients required medical or surgical admission.
Despite studies like these, however, a simple medical screening algorithm with broad applicability to psychiatric patients presenting to EDs has yet to be validated or widely adopted.
The Capabilities of Psychiatric Receiving Facilities
The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requires that, for a transfer to be appropriate, the receiving facility must have the capability to treat the patient. For psychiatric facilities, this would imply the capability to treat both medical and psychiatric conditions. However, medical capability varies widely within the range of available psychiatric facilities. The level of capability often affects ED medical screening processes in ways that are not scientific. In 2002, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) task force on psychiatric emergency services set forth clear guidelines for basic capabilities of different types of psychiatric receiving facilities.30-31 The lowest level of care in this report was termed a psychiatric urgent care facility, which was still required to be able to perform basic medical testing. However, these guidelines have not been widely adopted.
The idea that psychiatric receiving facilities, not attached to a hospital, should meet APA guidelines for operating at the level of a psychiatric urgent care facility or higher has been suggested in the literature,30 but did not find consensus in the current work group.
After reviewing existing evidence, the AAEP Task Force makes the following recommendations for the evaluation of psychiatric patients presenting acutely to EDs. In general, there are no randomized clinical trials comparing different strategies for medically assessing psychiatric patients in the ED. Nor are there randomized trials investigating reliable markers of medical illness in the psychiatric patient. Thus, recommendations are based on expert consensus and should be treated as preliminary until further evidence is obtained.
The goal of medical assessment of psychiatric patients in an ED is to identify potential causative factors for a patient’s presenting complaint (i.e., medical mimics) as well as medical problems that will need ongoing care but do not contribute directly to the presenting psychiatric complaint. Examples of the former include encephalopathy, substance intoxication/withdrawal, infections, or central nervous system disease. Examples of the latter include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or diabetes. EDs should perform an appropriate medical screening exam and appropriate documentation for the presenting complaint. If there is a question whether the patient has delirium or a psychiatric disorder, this patient should be medically observed or hospitalized.
Further medical evaluation should be considered for patients who have (1) new-onset psychiatric symptoms after the age of 45 years,32-33 (2) advanced age (65 years of age and older),34-35 (3) cognitive deficits or delirium, (4) positive review of systems indicative of a physical etiology, such as cough and fever, (5) focal neurological findings or evidence of head injury, (6) substance intoxication, withdrawal, or exposure to toxins/drugs, (7) decreased level of awareness, or (8) other indications, such as abnormal vital signs that direct further assessment. An example includes a urinalysis in elderly patients with dysuria (or other sign/symptom of urinary tract infection) and new-onset altered mental status. As an aside, obtaining a urinalysis for all elderly patients with altered mental status but no symptoms specific to urinary tract infection may lead to premature treatment as asymptomatic pyuria is common in elderly patients.37 The cause of the mental status change may lie elsewhere and require further workup.
The term “medical clearance” should not be used as it minimizes the presence of chronic medical problems and is not in line with current ED terminology. Instead, all patients seen in medical ED prior to transfer to psychiatric emergency services, psychiatric inpatient units, or other psychiatric settings must be evaluated medically. In place of a statement that the patient is “medically clear,” a transfer note should accompany the patient indicating the patient is medically stable and appropriate for treatment in a psychiatric setting, i.e., that their behavioral disturbance is unlikely to be due to a medical condition or physical trauma, and that medical/surgical treatment for any concomitant conditions is within the capabilities of the receiving facility.
This last statement implies that the continuing medical care required has been defined by the sending facility and that the necessary care will be available in a timely fashion at the receiving facility. The transfer note should include the details of the assessment performed, the results, and the medical decision-making that occurred to deem the patient appropriate for transfer with recommendations for the further assessment and care of any active medical problems. It may be necessary to document that the patient is medically stable for transfer per EMTALA guidelines, though these guidelines ought to be considered the minimum rather than the standard level of evaluation.
Universal screening of the psychiatric patient must, at minimum, include vitals, history, a physical examination, and assessment of mentation. A brief cognitive exam is preferred over a simple assessment of mentation, as the latter typically includes only a statement regarding the patient’s level of alertness and orientation. Ideally, this cognitive exam should include assessment of attention, executive function, orientation, and recent memory. This detailed evaluation of cognitive status may be performed by clinicians, such as mental health consultants or allied health staff, who have been trained in mental health testing. The decision for further evaluation, however, should be based on the EP’s assessment.
Since many psychiatric settings have limited medical capability, e.g., phlebotomy available only at certain times on weekdays, accepting physicians may ask that “routine” tests be done before the accepted patient arrives at the facility. These requests should be honored where possible, but should not delay the transfer of patients who are otherwise deemed medically appropriate for transfer. Clinically directed ED laboratory testing should be reviewed prior to transfer. Routine laboratory testing may be reported after the patient is transferred as long as there is a communication process with the accepting facility.
EDs should work cooperatively with their psychiatric receiving facilities to develop protocols that identify low- and high-risk categories or conditions, and the procedures required for each category at each facility. Testing such as laboratory evaluations or neuroimaging may be deferred for some categories and required in others as in recommendation 2.
In resolving disputes over whether a patient’s condition is appropriate for psychiatric transfer and treatment, clinicians at both the accepting and receiving facilities should carefully review the specific patient’s vital signs, history, and physical exam. In this clinical encounter, it is important to be clinically reasonable about the odds of suspected non-psychiatric diagnoses. It is neither efficient nor effective for psychiatric staff to require that statistically unlikely diagnoses be “ruled out,” e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus in a 20-year-old male with low energy and a rash. On the other hand, ED staff should consider non-psychiatric diagnoses that mimic psychiatric conditions, such as hypothyroidism causing depressive symptoms. The treatment is different than for a primary depression (such as major depressive disorder).
There is a great need for additional research in the area of medical screening. We recommend the following:
What are the essential elements of a history that might efficiently form the basis for universal screening of psychiatric patients? What are the vital elements of the physical exam?
What are the criteria that define groups at high risk for medical disease? Are there criteria that should be considered indications for more extensive evaluation in an ED? Are there critical values in vital signs or laboratory examinations that predict difficulty in managing the patient after leaving the ED?
What is role of urine toxicology and would point-of-care testing significantly alter the time required and the related cost benefit analysis?
Does the regionalization or specialization of emergency psychiatric receiving facilities, similar to regional trauma centers, provide better care for mental health patients? Could direct assessment by receiving facilities via telemedicine improve the processes and obviate the need for some procedures and transfers?
What is the most effective system for medical screening? In particular, qualitative studies are needed of receiving hospitals, as well as the match between the sending ED’s assessment, the transfer plan, and the receiving service’s assessment and capabilities of managing the patient.
The testing of psychiatric patients who present to the ED is an area of controversy, in part because there is little evidence to inform most elements of the evaluation process. After reviewing existing evidence, the task force believes there may be patients who can safely be considered low risk either for medical mimics of psychiatric disease or for co-existing medical disease. These patients generally have each of the following characteristics: young, present to the ED with an isolated psychiatric complaint, have a past history of psychiatric disease, are not using illicit substances, have normal vitals, and have a history and physical exam that does not suggest medical illness. Conversely, there likely exists a group of patients at higher risk both for medical mimics of psychiatric disease and for co-existing medical illness. These patients may have any of the following: older age, abnormal vitals and/or disorientation, no previous history of psychiatric disease, or a history and/or physical exam that suggests medical illness. In these patients, thorough medical assessment is likely indicated. The exact criteria defining these two groups are not well specified but should be subjected to further research. The essential elements of assessment of all psychiatric patients, regardless of risk of co-existing medical illness, are also not generally agreed upon. The task force believes further research in this area is necessary. In the interim, EDs should work cooperatively with their psychiatric facilities to develop protocols that allow both adequate medical screening of psychiatric patients and their efficient disposition from the ED.
Section Editor: Mark I. Langdorf, MD, MHPE
Full text available through open access at http://escholarship.org/uc/uciem_westjem
Address for Correspondence: Kimberly Nordstrom, MD, JD, Office of Behavioral Health, Department of Human Services, 3824 West Princeton Circle, Bldg 15, Denver, CO 80236-3111. Email: [email protected]. 6 / 2017; 18:640 – 646
Submission history: Revision received August 28, 2016; Submitted March 14, 2017; Accepted March 15, 2017
Conflicts of Interest: By the WestJEM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. No author has professional or financial relationships with any companies that are relevant to this study. There are no conflicts of interest or sources of funding to declare.
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Mercy Ships Named Semifinalist for The 2016 Drucker Prize
Mercy Ships is recognized for nonprofit innovation which makes a meaningful difference in the lives of those they serve.
Mercy Ships volunteer, Dr. Lindsay Sherriff, observes local surgeon, Dr. Edouard Razafindravoanjo, as he uses the Ponseti method of casting club foot.
Mercy Ships strives to continuously innovate, to analyze and implement best practices, and to evaluate our programs so that we make the greatest transformational change in a host country and their healthcare system.
Garden Valley, TX (PRWEB)
Mercy Ships was named as one of the 50 semifinalists from 495 nonprofit applicants for The Drucker Prize, which will be awarded by The Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University in September. The semifinalists were deemed by the first-round judges to have best met Peter Drucker’s definition of innovation – “change that creates a new dimension of performance” – in order to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the people they serve. “Mercy Ships strives to continuously innovate, to analyze and implement best practices, and to evaluate our programs so that we make the greatest transformational change in a host country and their healthcare system,” said Tracy Swope, VP of International Programs with Mercy Ships, “and this honor from the Drucker Institute aligns perfectly with our core goals.”
“We are pleased to advance these 50 promising semifinalists to Round 2, where they will have the opportunity to learn from some of the brightest minds in the social sector, and then demonstrate how they might further leverage the discipline of innovation going forward,” said Zach First, the Executive Director of the Drucker Institute. “One organization will win $100,000 in the end – but everyone will walk away with powerful new knowledge.”
Since 1978, Mercy Ships has been deploying hospital ships to areas of greatest need and providing direct medical services and surgical training. Each field service, the volunteer crew provides approximately 1800-2000 surgeries. To date, more than 38,000 local healthcare professionals have received healthcare training. Whole healthcare systems are strengthened because healthcare professionals do not need to leave their home countries to travel abroad for training. The Africa Mercy, the world’s largest private hospital ship, which is owned and operated by Mercy Ships, will be docked in the port of Cotonou, Benin, from mid-August through summer of 2017 to deliver life-changing surgeries and training.
The final winner will be announced in September, according to The Drucker Institute. ###
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More than telling stories : learning practice in HIV&AIDS work in sub Saharan Africa
Marshall, DG
dc.contributor.author Marshall, DG
dc.description University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. en_US
dc.description.abstract This thesis is an empirical study of how HIV&AIDS program managers and staff in faith-based programs in community settings in sub Saharan Africa learn in the context of challenging and changing work conditions. An integrated narrative-practice inquiry approach in the interpretive tradition is used to co-create narratives of the experiences of program managers and staff learning HIV&AIDS prevention, home-based care of people living with HIV&AIDS, and the support and care for orphans and vulnerable children. These are generated using a two-stage process over two years, involving interviews, focus groups, document analysis and observing practitioners in their workplace. Drawing on practice theory and the work of Schatzki and Kemmis, this research empirically demonstrates key features of learning practice: embodied, relational, materially mediated, situated and contextual, and prefigured and emergent. Learning is activity and action. Whilst “involving yourself” seeking and giving advice, modelling and mentoring, and “having a go” through trial and error are primary learning activities, learning HIV&AIDS work is shown as more than an aggregation of these. Learning activities are dynamically organized and shaped around “walking the talk”, rules, and making skills and experience count. The integrated and value-permeated nature of learning is highlighted. Relationships of space, purpose and intentionality between learning and other practices are explored along with relationships between learning and material objects. In addition, contextualization to the past, present and future are addressed. Workplace learning in sub Saharan contexts is shown here to be always integrated through the interconnectedness of people, learning activities, relationships, other practices and material objects. In addition values including ethics, morals and matters of faith – under-theorized in learning and practice literature – are shown to permeate and shape learning practice. Commonly assumed learning dichotomies are found to be inseparable and mutually constituted rather than distinct forms of learning. Learning is shown to emerge in unanticipated and unpredictable ways, persisting yet transformed through rhythms and cycles, and going beyond metaphors of acquisition and participation. This has particular implications for practitioners learning to transition from HIV&AIDS exceptionalism to the integration of HIV&AIDS into normal health services. en_US
dc.format Thesis (PhD) en_US
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.title More than telling stories : learning practice in HIV&AIDS work in sub Saharan Africa en_US
dc.type Thesis
This thesis is an empirical study of how HIV&AIDS program managers and staff in faith-based programs in community settings in sub Saharan Africa learn in the context of challenging and changing work conditions. An integrated narrative-practice inquiry approach in the interpretive tradition is used to co-create narratives of the experiences of program managers and staff learning HIV&AIDS prevention, home-based care of people living with HIV&AIDS, and the support and care for orphans and vulnerable children. These are generated using a two-stage process over two years, involving interviews, focus groups, document analysis and observing practitioners in their workplace. Drawing on practice theory and the work of Schatzki and Kemmis, this research empirically demonstrates key features of learning practice: embodied, relational, materially mediated, situated and contextual, and prefigured and emergent. Learning is activity and action. Whilst “involving yourself” seeking and giving advice, modelling and mentoring, and “having a go” through trial and error are primary learning activities, learning HIV&AIDS work is shown as more than an aggregation of these. Learning activities are dynamically organized and shaped around “walking the talk”, rules, and making skills and experience count. The integrated and value-permeated nature of learning is highlighted. Relationships of space, purpose and intentionality between learning and other practices are explored along with relationships between learning and material objects. In addition, contextualization to the past, present and future are addressed. Workplace learning in sub Saharan contexts is shown here to be always integrated through the interconnectedness of people, learning activities, relationships, other practices and material objects. In addition values including ethics, morals and matters of faith – under-theorized in learning and practice literature – are shown to permeate and shape learning practice. Commonly assumed learning dichotomies are found to be inseparable and mutually constituted rather than distinct forms of learning. Learning is shown to emerge in unanticipated and unpredictable ways, persisting yet transformed through rhythms and cycles, and going beyond metaphors of acquisition and participation. This has particular implications for practitioners learning to transition from HIV&AIDS exceptionalism to the integration of HIV&AIDS into normal health services. |
Established in 1964, Kula Elementary School serves a large
geographic area of Maui that extends out to Kanaio, Ulupalakua,
Keokea and Omaopio and up to the National Park Ranger Station as well as the community of Kula itself. Located on the slopes of
Haleakala Crater at an elevation of approximately 2,500 feet, Kula
Elementary School’s campus is 14 acres of beautiful countryside,
which once served as pasture land for horses and cattle. The
campus offers a panoramic view of Maui’s coastlines, towns and
agricultural lands below.
The economy of the Kula community has evolved over the
years. Although agriculture was once the mainstay of this rural area
with many families operating vegetable or flower farms, today, Kula’s economic diversity ranges from agriculture, ranching, employees in Maui’s visitor/hospitality industry to a variety of business professionals from both public and private sectors of the state. We are sensitive to the many factors that influence the vitality of our community as well as future opportunities for our students and believe that today, more than ever before, we must keep a clear focus on our vision of “providing a foundation of learning that enables all students to be college – career and life ready.”
The economic changes have brought diversity to our school
community ranging from children of multi-generational Kula families, to those coming from the Mainland and beyond. We provide all students with access and support to challenging and relevant core curricula through implementation of the state’s standards-based educational system. We also incorporate programs in physical education, arts, Hawaiian Studies and technology to help provide a solid foundation and well rounded exposure and preparation to 21st century global expectations. Believing that all students can and want to learn, we guide our actions by our mission of developing the whole child by “creating opportunities to be respectful individuals, responsible learners and constructive problem solvers.”
Kula School is well supported by an active PTA and
community/business partnerships. Kula School’s PTA actively
supports school initiatives with its annual Harvest Festival as well as other fundraisers throughout the year. Additionally, through the
sustained efforts of grants and community/business partnerships,
Kula Elementary School continues to seek ways to fulfill its
commitment to provide authentic and innovative learning
opportunities in a quality educational environment that encourages
the positive intellectual, emotional, social and physical development of each child.
We turned 50 years old!
Click to check out news articles:
Kula School to Mark Half-Century History
Celebrating 50 Years at Kula School |
Epidermal nevus
Reviewed June 2011
What is epidermal nevus?
An epidermal nevus (plural: nevi) is an abnormal, noncancerous (benign) patch of skin caused by an overgrowth of skin cells. Epidermal nevi are typically seen at birth or develop in early childhood. They can be flat, tan patches of skin or raised, velvety patches. As the affected individual ages, the nevus can become thicker and darker and develop a wart-like (verrucous) appearance. Often, epidermal nevi follow a pattern on the skin known as the lines of Blaschko. The lines of Blaschko, which are invisible on skin, are thought to follow the paths along which cells migrate as the skin develops before birth.
There are several types of epidermal nevi that are defined in part by the type of skin cell involved. The epidermis is the outermost layer of skin and is composed primarily of a specific cell type called a keratinocyte. One group of epidermal nevi, called keratinocytic or nonorganoid epidermal nevi, includes nevi that involve only keratinocytes. Other types of epidermal nevi involve additional types of epidermal cells, such as the cells that make up the hair follicles or the sebaceous glands (glands in the skin that produce a substance that protects the skin and hair). These nevi comprise a group called organoid epidermal nevi.
Some affected individuals have only an epidermal nevus and no other abnormalities. However, sometimes people with an epidermal nevus also have problems in other body systems, such as the brain, eyes, or bones. In these cases, the affected individual has a condition called an epidermal nevus syndrome. There are several different epidermal nevus syndromes characterized by the type of epidermal nevus involved.
How common is epidermal nevus?
Epidermal nevi affect approximately 1 in 1,000 people.
What genes are related to epidermal nevus?
Mutations in the FGFR3 gene have been found in approximately 30 percent of people with a type of nevus in the keratinocytic epidermal nevi group. The gene mutations involved in most epidermal nevi are unknown.
Mutations associated with an epidermal nevus are present only in the cells of the nevus, not in the normal skin cells surrounding it. Because the mutation is found in some of the body's cells but not in others, people with an epidermal nevus are said to be mosaic for the mutation.
The FGFR3 gene provides instructions for the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) protein. This protein is involved in several important cellular processes, including regulation of growth and division of skin cells. The FGFR3 protein interacts with specific growth factors outside the cell to receive signals that control growth and development. When these growth factors attach to the FGFR3 protein, the protein is turned on (activated), which triggers a cascade of chemical reactions inside the cell that control growth and other cellular functions.
The most common FGFR3 gene mutation in epidermal nevi creates a protein that is turned on without attachment of a growth factor, which means that the FGFR3 protein is constantly active. Cells with a mutated FGFR3 gene grow and divide more than normal cells. In addition, these mutated cells do not undergo a form of self-destruction called apoptosis as readily as normal cells. These effects result in overgrowth of skin cells, leading to epidermal nevi.
Related Gene(s)
Changes in this gene are associated with epidermal nevus.
How do people inherit epidermal nevus?
This condition is generally not inherited but arises from mutations in the body's cells that occur after conception. This alteration is called a somatic mutation.
Occasionally, the somatic mutation occurs in a person's reproductive cells (sperm or eggs) and is passed to the next generation. An inherited FGFR3 gene mutation is found in every cell in the body, which results in skeletal abnormalities rather than epidermal nevus.
Where can I find information about diagnosis or management of epidermal nevus?
These resources address the diagnosis or management of epidermal nevus and may include treatment providers.
Genetic Testing Registry: Epidermal nevus (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gtr/conditions/C0334082)
You might also find information on the diagnosis or management of epidermal nevus in Educational resources and Patient support.
General information about the diagnosis (http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/consult/diagnosis) and management (http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/consult/treatment) of genetic conditions is available in the Handbook.
Read more about genetic testing (http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/testing), particularly the difference between clinical tests and research tests (http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/testing/researchtesting).
To locate a healthcare provider, see How can I find a genetics professional in my area? (http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/consult/findingprofessional) in the Handbook.
Where can I find additional information about epidermal nevus?
You may find the following resources about epidermal nevus helpful. These materials are written for the general public.
MedlinePlus - Health information
Health Topic: Benign Tumors (https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/benigntumors.html)
Health Topic: Skin Conditions (https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/skinconditions.html)
Educational resources - Information pages
Disease InfoSearch: Epidermal nevus (http://www.diseaseinfosearch.org/Epidermal+nevus/8316)
Orphanet: Epidermal nevus syndrome (http://www.orpha.net/consor/cgi-bin/OC_Exp.php?Lng=EN&Expert=35125)
University of Maryland Medical Center: Dermatology, Anatomy of the Skin (http://umm.edu/health/medical/ency/images/skin-layers)
Patient support - For patients and families
Foundation for Ichthyosis and Related Skin Types (FIRST) (http://www.firstskinfoundation.org/)
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD): Epidermal Nevus Syndrome (https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/epidermal-nevus-syndromes/)
Nevus Outreach, Inc. (http://www.nevus.org/)
You may also be interested in these resources, which are designed for healthcare professionals and researchers.
ClinicalTrials.gov - Linking patients to medical research (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=%22epidermal%20nevus%22)
PubMed - Recent literature (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%28epidermal%20nevus%5BTIAB%5D%29%20AND%20english%5Bla%5D%20AND%20human%5Bmh%5D%20AND%20%22last%201440%20days%22%5Bdp%5D)
What other names do people use for epidermal nevus?
epidermal naevus
For more information about naming genetic conditions, see the Genetics Home Reference Condition Naming Guidelines (http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/ConditionNameGuide)
and How are genetic conditions and genes named? (http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/mutationsanddisorders/naming) in the Handbook.
What if I still have specific questions about epidermal nevus?
Ask the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/gard).
What glossary definitions help with understanding epidermal nevus?
apoptosis ;
benign ;
fibroblast ;
growth factor ;
inherited ;
mosaic ;
mutation ;
receptor ;
reproductive cells ;
somatic mutation ;
sperm ;
Brandling-Bennett HA, Morel KD. Epidermal nevi. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2010 Oct;57(5):1177-98. doi: 10.1016/j.pcl.2010.07.004. Review. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20888465?dopt=Abstract)
Hafner C, Di Martino E, Pitt E, Stempfl T, Tomlinson D, Hartmann A, Landthaler M, Knowles M, Vogt T. FGFR3 mutation affects cell growth, apoptosis and attachment in keratinocytes. Exp Cell Res. 2010 Jul 15;316(12):2008-16. doi: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2010.04.021. Epub 2010 Apr 24. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20420824?dopt=Abstract)
Hafner C, van Oers JM, Vogt T, Landthaler M, Stoehr R, Blaszyk H, Hofstaedter F, Zwarthoff EC, Hartmann A. Mosaicism of activating FGFR3 mutations in human skin causes epidermal nevi. J Clin Invest. 2006 Aug;116(8):2201-2207. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16841094?dopt=Abstract)
Hafner C, Vogt T, Hartmann A. FGFR3 mutations in benign skin tumors. Cell Cycle. 2006 Dec;5(23):2723-8. Epub 2006 Dec 1. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17172848?dopt=Abstract)
Hernández S, Toll A, Baselga E, Ribé A, Azua-Romeo J, Pujol RM, Real FX. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 mutations in epidermal nevi and associated low grade bladder tumors. J Invest Dermatol. 2007 Jul;127(7):1664-6. Epub 2007 Jan 25. Review. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17255960?dopt=Abstract) |
Home // Research in Psychology // Research in Action // Putting the Power of Television to Good... Putting the Power of Television to Good Use
"Do as I say, not as I do." Dr. Albert Bandura's research suggests that "doing" is more powerful than "saying" when it comes to battling social ills like HIV transmission, illiteracy, overpopulation, and gender discrimination. Findings Dr. Bandura's social learning theory says that people learn behaviors, emotional reactions, and attitudes from role models whom they wish to emulate. The earliest studies to support this theory are fondly called the "Bobo Doll Studies." In these studies, preschool children watched a film in which an adult pummeled, kicked, threw, and hammered a 3.5 feet tall, inflatable Bobo the Clown doll. One-third of the children saw a film that ended with the adult aggressor being rewarded, one-third saw a film that ended with the adult aggressor being punished, and one-third saw a no-consequence version of the film. All the children were then turned loose in a playroom filled with attractive toys, including a Bobo doll. Children who saw rewarded or inconsequential aggression were more likely to beat up the Bobo doll than were children who saw punished aggression. These results showed that whether or not the children acted aggressively depended on their observations of another person's experiences with reward and punishment, and not on their own, personal experiences.
Using social learning theory, researchers have created long-running serial dramas aimed at reducing the spread of HIV, slowing population growth, preventing unwanted pregnancies, promoting literacy, and empowering women. These television programs, aired around the world, feature attractive characters whose positive behaviors bring about good outcomes, unsavory characters whose negative behaviors result in adverse effects, and transitional models who start out negatively but change into good role models over time. Through these characters, positive actions and their consequences are subtly modeled, rather than explicitly stated. The programs also connect viewers with social networks and organizations that can help them improve their lives. Significance Billions of people around the world spend large portions of their lives watching television. Billions of people are also affected by AIDS, overpopulation, illiteracy, and gender discrimination. Dr. Bandura's research combines the power of television and the promise of psychological theory to address these social problems. Practical Application Several organizations apply social learning theory in their educational entertainment programs. For example, the nonprofit group Populations Communications International (PCI) airs serial dramas in countries as diverse as Bolivia, China, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Tanzania. PCI also uses controlled studies to monitor the success of these programs in changing audience's behaviors. Their numbers are promising: In Mexico and Kenya, for example, serialized dramas that highlighted family planning heralded 32% and 58% increases in new contraceptive users. And in Tanzania, a serialized drama that addressed the spread of AIDS was associated with a reduction in reported numbers of sexual partners. Cited Research Bandura, A. (1965). Influence of models' reinforcement contingencies on the acquisition of imitative responses. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 1, 589-595.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. Englewood Cliffs, NJ.: Prentice-Hall.
Bandura, A. (2002). Environmental sustainability by sociocognitive deceleration of population growth. In P. Schmuck, & W. Schultz (Eds.). The Psychology of Sustainable Development. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer. Additional Sources Fabrikant, G., & Stolberg, S. G. (October 9, 2002). Advertising: Viacom is planning a multimedia campaign against AIDS. The New York Times, p. C4.
McNeil, D. G. (October 9, 2002). Global war on AIDS runs short of vital weapon: Donated condoms. The New York Times International, p. A10.
Smith, D. (2002). The theory heard 'round the world. Monitor on Psychology, p. 30-32.
American Psychological Association, May 28, 2003 share this page:
Research in Action Education |
New insights of Microsporidial infection among asymptomatic aboriginal population in Malaysia.
Tengku Shahrul Anuar, Hesham M Al-Mekhlafi, Fatmah Md Salleh, Norhayati Moktar.
Studies on microsporidial infection mostly focus on immunodeficiency or immunosuppressive individuals. Therefore, this cross-sectional study describes the prevalence and risk factors of microsporidiosis among asymptomatic individuals in Malaysia.
Amplifying and Quantifying HIV-1 RNA in HIV Infected Individuals with Viral Loads Below the Limit of Detection by Standard Clinical Assays
Authors: Helene Mens, Mary Kearney, Ann Wiegand, Jonathan Spindler, Frank Maldarelli, John W. Mellors, John M. Coffin.
Amplifying viral genes and quantifying HIV-1 RNA in HIV-1 infected individuals with viral loads below the limit of detection by standard assays (below 50-75 copies/ml) is necessary to gain insight to viral dynamics and virus host interactions in patients who naturally control the infection and those who are on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Here we describe how to amplify viral genomes by single genome sequencing (the SGS protocol) 13, 19 and how to accurately quantify HIV-1 RNA in patients with low viral loads (the single-copy assay (SCA) protocol) 12, 20. The single-copy assay is a real-time PCR assay with sensitivity depending on the volume of plasma being assayed. If a single virus genome is detected in 7 ml of plasma, then the RNA copy number is reported to be 0.3 copies/ml. The assay has an internal control testing for the efficiency of RNA extraction, and controls for possible amplification from DNA or contamination. Patient samples are measured in triplicate. The single-genome sequencing assay (SGS), now widely used and considered to be non-labor intensive 3, 7, 12, 14, 15,is a limiting dilution assay, in which endpoint diluted cDNA product is spread over a 96-well plate. According to a Poisson distribution, when less than 1/3 of the wells give product, there is an 80% chance of the PCR product being resultant of amplification from a single cDNA molecule. SGS has the advantage over cloning of not being subjected to resampling and not being biased by PCR-introduced recombination 19. However, the amplification success of SCA and SGS depend on primer design. Both assays were developed for HIV-1 subtype B, but can be adapted for other subtypes and other regions of the genome by changing primers, probes, and standards.
Preparation of Rat Tail Tendons for Biomechanical and Mechanobiological Studies
Authors: Amélie Bruneau, Nadia Champagne, Paule Cousineau-Pelletier, Gabriel Parent, Eve Langelier.
Institutions: Université de Sherbrooke.
Rat tail tendons (RTTs) are a common biological model used in experimental in vitro studies in the fields of tendon physiology and tendinopathy. Working with those tissues is challenging because they are very fragile, and until now there was no rigorously detailed protocol for their isolation. Faced with these challenges, we have developed methods and instruments to facilitate manipulation of RTTs and control tissue viability, sterility and integrity. This article describes the experimental procedures used to prepare RTTs for biomechanical and mechanobiological studies. Our work is divided into four main steps: extraction, cross-sectional area measurement, rinsing and loading into the bioreactor chamber. At each step, all procedures, materials and manipulations are presented in detail so that they can be easily reproduced. Moreover, the specific instruments developed are presented: a manipulation plate used to segregate RTTs, an optic micrometer to position the tissue during the cross-sectional area measurement and an anchoring system to attach the RTTs onto a bioreactor. Finally, we describe the results obtained after multiple tests to validate our methods. The viability, sterility and integrity evaluations demonstrate that our procedures are sufficiently rigorous for manipulations of fragile tissues such as rat tail tendons.
bioengineering, Issue 41, Rat tail tendon, extraction, cross-section, optic micrometer, anchors, bioreactor, biomechanics, mechanobiology
An In vitro Co-infection Model to Study Plasmodium falciparum-HIV-1 Interactions in Human Primary Monocyte-derived Immune Cells
Authors: Guadalupe Andreani, Dominic Gagnon, Robert Lodge, Michel J. Tremblay, Dave Richard.
Institutions: CHUL (CHUQ), Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of the deadliest form of malaria, and human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) are among the most important health problems worldwide, being responsible for a total of 4 million deaths annually1. Due to their extensive overlap in developing regions, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, co-infections with malaria and HIV-1 are common, but the interplay between the two diseases is poorly understood. Epidemiological reports have suggested that malarial infection transiently enhances HIV-1 replication and increases HIV-1 viral load in co-infected individuals2,3. Because this viremia stays high for several weeks after treatment with antimalarials, this phenomenon could have an impact on disease progression and transmission. The cellular immunological mechanisms behind these observations have been studied only scarcely. The few in vitro studies investigating the impact of malaria on HIV-1 have demonstrated that exposure to soluble malarial antigens can increase HIV-1 infection and reactivation in immune cells. However, these studies used whole cell extracts of P. falciparum schizont stage parasites and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), making it hard to decipher which malarial component(s) was responsible for the observed effects and what the target host cells were4,5. Recent work has demonstrated that exposure of immature monocyte-derived dendritic cells to the malarial pigment hemozoin increased their ability to transfer HIV-1 to CD4+ T cells6,7, but that it decreased HIV-1 infection of macrophages8. To shed light on this complex process, a systematic analysis of the interactions between the malaria parasite and HIV-1 in different relevant human primary cell populations is critically needed. Several techniques for investigating the impact of HIV-1 on the phagocytosis of micro-organisms and the effect of such pathogens on HIV-1 replication have been described. We here present a method to investigate the effects of P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes on the replication of HIV-1 in human primary monocyte-derived macrophages. The impact of parasite exposure on HIV-1 transcriptional/translational events is monitored by using single cycle pseudotyped viruses in which a luciferase reporter gene has replaced the Env gene while the effect on the quantity of virus released by the infected macrophages is determined by measuring the HIV-1 capsid protein p24 by ELISA in cell supernatants.
Immunology, Issue 66, Infection, Medicine, Malaria, HIV-1, Monocyte-Derived Macrophages, PBMC, Red blood cells, Dendritic Cells, Co-infections, Parasites, Plasmodium falciparum, AIDS
Experimental Manipulation of Body Size to Estimate Morphological Scaling Relationships in Drosophila
Authors: R. Craig Stillwell, Ian Dworkin, Alexander W. Shingleton, W. Anthony Frankino.
Institutions: University of Houston, Michigan State University.
The scaling of body parts is a central feature of animal morphology1-7. Within species, morphological traits need to be correctly proportioned to the body for the organism to function; larger individuals typically have larger body parts and smaller individuals generally have smaller body parts, such that overall body shape is maintained across a range of adult body sizes. The requirement for correct proportions means that individuals within species usually exhibit low variation in relative trait size. In contrast, relative trait size can vary dramatically among species and is a primary mechanism by which morphological diversity is produced. Over a century of comparative work has established these intra- and interspecific patterns3,4. Perhaps the most widely used approach to describe this variation is to calculate the scaling relationship between the size of two morphological traits using the allometric equation y=bxα, where x and y are the size of the two traits, such as organ and body size8,9. This equation describes the within-group (e.g., species, population) scaling relationship between two traits as both vary in size. Log-transformation of this equation produces a simple linear equation, log(y) = log(b) + αlog(x) and log-log plots of the size of different traits among individuals of the same species typically reveal linear scaling with an intercept of log(b) and a slope of α, called the 'allometric coefficient'9,10. Morphological variation among groups is described by differences in scaling relationship intercepts or slopes for a given trait pair. Consequently, variation in the parameters of the allometric equation (b and α) elegantly describes the shape variation captured in the relationship between organ and body size within and among biological groups (see 11,12). Not all traits scale linearly with each other or with body size (e.g., 13,14) Hence, morphological scaling relationships are most informative when the data are taken from the full range of trait sizes. Here we describe how simple experimental manipulation of diet can be used to produce the full range of body size in insects. This permits an estimation of the full scaling relationship for any given pair of traits, allowing a complete description of how shape covaries with size and a robust comparison of scaling relationship parameters among biological groups. Although we focus on Drosophila, our methodology should be applicable to nearly any fully metamorphic insect.
Developmental Biology, Issue 56, Drosophila, allometry, morphology, body size, scaling, insect
Following in Real Time the Impact of Pneumococcal Virulence Factors in an Acute Mouse Pneumonia Model Using Bioluminescent Bacteria
Authors: Malek Saleh, Mohammed R. Abdullah, Christian Schulz, Thomas Kohler, Thomas Pribyl, Inga Jensch, Sven Hammerschmidt.
Institutions: University of Greifswald.
Pneumonia is one of the major health care problems in developing and industrialized countries and is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Despite advances in knowledge of this illness, the availability of intensive care units (ICU), and the use of potent antimicrobial agents and effective vaccines, the mortality rates remain high1. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading pathogen of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and one of the most common causes of bacteremia in humans. This pathogen is equipped with an armamentarium of surface-exposed adhesins and virulence factors contributing to pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). The assessment of the in vivo role of bacterial fitness or virulence factors is of utmost importance to unravel S. pneumoniae pathogenicity mechanisms. Murine models of pneumonia, bacteremia, and meningitis are being used to determine the impact of pneumococcal factors at different stages of the infection. Here we describe a protocol to monitor in real-time pneumococcal dissemination in mice after intranasal or intraperitoneal infections with bioluminescent bacteria. The results show the multiplication and dissemination of pneumococci in the lower respiratory tract and blood, which can be visualized and evaluated using an imaging system and the accompanying analysis software.
Infection, Issue 84, Gram-Positive Bacteria, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pneumonia, Bacterial, Respiratory Tract Infections, animal models, community-acquired pneumonia, invasive pneumococcal diseases, Pneumococci, bioimaging, virulence factor, dissemination, bioluminescence, IVIS Spectrum
A Research Method For Detecting Transient Myocardial Ischemia In Patients With Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome Using Continuous ST-segment Analysis
Authors: Michele M. Pelter, Teri M. Kozik, Denise L. Loranger, Mary G. Carey.
Institutions: University of Nevada, Reno, St. Joseph's Medical Center, University of Rochester Medical Center .
Each year, an estimated 785,000 Americans will have a new coronary attack, or acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The pathophysiology of ACS involves rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque; hence, treatment is aimed at plaque stabilization in order to prevent cellular death. However, there is considerable debate among clinicians, about which treatment pathway is best: early invasive using percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI/stent) when indicated or a conservative approach (i.e., medication only with PCI/stent if recurrent symptoms occur). There are three types of ACS: ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-ST elevation MI (NSTEMI), and unstable angina (UA). Among the three types, NSTEMI/UA is nearly four times as common as STEMI. Treatment decisions for NSTEMI/UA are based largely on symptoms and resting or exercise electrocardiograms (ECG). However, because of the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the atherosclerotic plaque, these methods often under detect myocardial ischemia because symptoms are unreliable, and/or continuous ECG monitoring was not utilized. Continuous 12-lead ECG monitoring, which is both inexpensive and non-invasive, can identify transient episodes of myocardial ischemia, a precursor to MI, even when asymptomatic. However, continuous 12-lead ECG monitoring is not usual hospital practice; rather, only two leads are typically monitored. Information obtained with 12-lead ECG monitoring might provide useful information for deciding the best ACS treatment. Purpose. Therefore, using 12-lead ECG monitoring, the COMPARE Study (electroCardiographic evaluatiOn of ischeMia comParing invAsive to phaRmacological trEatment) was designed to assess the frequency and clinical consequences of transient myocardial ischemia, in patients with NSTEMI/UA treated with either early invasive PCI/stent or those managed conservatively (medications or PCI/stent following recurrent symptoms). The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the methodology used in the COMPARE Study. Method. Permission to proceed with this study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the hospital and the university. Research nurses identify hospitalized patients from the emergency department and telemetry unit with suspected ACS. Once consented, a 12-lead ECG Holter monitor is applied, and remains in place during the patient's entire hospital stay. Patients are also maintained on the routine bedside ECG monitoring system per hospital protocol. Off-line ECG analysis is done using sophisticated software and careful human oversight.
Medicine, Issue 70, Anatomy, Physiology, Cardiology, Myocardial Ischemia, Cardiovascular Diseases, Health Occupations, Health Care, transient myocardial ischemia, Acute Coronary Syndrome, electrocardiogram, ST-segment monitoring, Holter monitoring, research methodology
Genetic Manipulation in Δku80 Strains for Functional Genomic Analysis of Toxoplasma gondii
Authors: Leah M. Rommereim, Miryam A. Hortua Triana, Alejandra Falla, Kiah L. Sanders, Rebekah B. Guevara, David J. Bzik, Barbara A. Fox.
Institutions: The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
Targeted genetic manipulation using homologous recombination is the method of choice for functional genomic analysis to obtain a detailed view of gene function and phenotype(s). The development of mutant strains with targeted gene deletions, targeted mutations, complemented gene function, and/or tagged genes provides powerful strategies to address gene function, particularly if these genetic manipulations can be efficiently targeted to the gene locus of interest using integration mediated by double cross over homologous recombination. Due to very high rates of nonhomologous recombination, functional genomic analysis of Toxoplasma gondii has been previously limited by the absence of efficient methods for targeting gene deletions and gene replacements to specific genetic loci. Recently, we abolished the major pathway of nonhomologous recombination in type I and type II strains of T. gondii by deleting the gene encoding the KU80 protein1,2. The Δku80 strains behave normally during tachyzoite (acute) and bradyzoite (chronic) stages in vitro and in vivo and exhibit essentially a 100% frequency of homologous recombination. The Δku80 strains make functional genomic studies feasible on the single gene as well as on the genome scale1-4. Here, we report methods for using type I and type II Δku80Δhxgprt strains to advance gene targeting approaches in T. gondii. We outline efficient methods for generating gene deletions, gene replacements, and tagged genes by targeted insertion or deletion of the hypoxanthine-xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HXGPRT) selectable marker. The described gene targeting protocol can be used in a variety of ways in Δku80 strains to advance functional analysis of the parasite genome and to develop single strains that carry multiple targeted genetic manipulations. The application of this genetic method and subsequent phenotypic assays will reveal fundamental and unique aspects of the biology of T. gondii and related significant human pathogens that cause malaria (Plasmodium sp.) and cryptosporidiosis (Cryptosporidium).
Infectious Diseases, Issue 77, Genetics, Microbiology, Infection, Medicine, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Bioengineering, Genomics, Parasitology, Pathology, Apicomplexa, Coccidia, Toxoplasma, Genetic Techniques, Gene Targeting, Eukaryota, Toxoplasma gondii, genetic manipulation, gene targeting, gene deletion, gene replacement, gene tagging, homologous recombination, DNA, sequencing
Passive Administration of Monoclonal Antibodies Against H. capsulatum and Others Fungal Pathogens
Authors: Allan J. Guimarães, Luis R. Martinez, Joshua D. Nosanchuk.
Institutions: Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
The purpose of the use of this methodology is 1) to advance our capacity to protect individuals with antibody or vaccine for preventing or treating histoplasmosis caused by the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum and 2) to examine the role of virulence factors as target for therapy. To generate mAbs, mice are immunized, the immune responses are assessed using a solid phase ELISA system developed in our laboratory, and the best responder mice are selected for isolation of splenocytes for fusion with hybridoma cells. C57BL/6 mice have been extensively used to study H. capsulatum pathogenesis and provide the best model for obtaining the data required. In order to assess the role of the mAbs in infection, mice are intraperitoneally administered with either mAb to H. capsulatum or isotype matched control mAb and then infected by either intravenous (i.v.), intraperitoneal (i.p.), or intranasal (i.n.) routes. In the scientific literature, efficacy of mAbs for fungal infections in mice relies on mortality as an end point, in conjunction with colony formin units (CFU) assessments at earlier time points. Survival (time to death) studies are necessary as they best represent human disease. Thus, efficacy of our intervention would not adequately be established without survival curves. This is also true for establishing efficacy of vaccine or testing of mutants for virulence. With histoplasmosis, the mice often go from being energetic to dead over several hours. The capacity of an intervention such as the administration of a mAb may initially protect an animal from disease, but the disease can relapse which would not be realized in short CFU experiments. In addition to survival and fungal burden assays, we examine the inflammatory responses to infection (histology, cellular recruitment, cytokine responses). For survival/time to death experiments, the mice are infected and monitored at least twice daily for signs of morbidity. To assess fungal burden, histopathology, and cytokine responses, the mice are euthanized at various times after infection. Animal experiments are performed according to the guidelines of the Institute for Animal Studies of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Infection, Issue 48, Fungal pathogens, monoclonal antibodies, protection, passive administration
TMS: Using the Theta-Burst Protocol to Explore Mechanism of Plasticity in Individuals with Fragile X Syndrome and Autism
Authors: Lindsay M. Oberman, Jared C. Horvath, Alvaro Pascual-Leone.
Institutions: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), also known as Martin-Bell Syndrome, is a genetic abnormality found on the X chromosome.1,2 Individuals suffering from FXS display abnormalities in the expression of FMR1 - a protein required for typical, healthy neural development.3 Recent data has suggested that the loss of this protein can cause the cortex to be hyperexcitable thereby affecting overall patterns of neural plasticity.4,5 In addition, Fragile X shows a strong comorbidity with autism: in fact, 30% of children with FXS are diagnosed with autism, and 2 - 5% of autistic children suffer from FXS.6 Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (a non-invasive neurostimulatory and neuromodulatory technique that can transiently or lastingly modulate cortical excitability via the application of localized magnetic field pulses 7,8) represents a unique method of exploring plasticity and the manifestations of FXS within affected individuals. More specifically, Theta-Burst Stimulation (TBS), a specific stimulatory protocol shown to modulate cortical plasticity for a duration up to 30 minutes after stimulation cessation in healthy populations, has already proven an efficacious tool in the exploration of abnormal plasticity.9,10 Recent studies have shown the effects of TBS last considerably longer in individuals on the autistic spectrum - up to 90 minutes.11 This extended effect-duration suggests an underlying abnormality in the brain's natural plasticity state in autistic individuals - similar to the hyperexcitability induced by Fragile X Syndrome. In this experiment, utilizing single-pulse motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) as our benchmark, we will explore the effects of both intermittent and continuous TBS on cortical plasticity in individuals suffering from FXS and individuals on the Autistic Spectrum.
Neuroscience, Issue 46, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Theta-Burst Stimulation, Neural Plasticity, Fragile X, Autism
Measuring Frailty in HIV-infected Individuals. Identification of Frail Patients is the First Step to Amelioration and Reversal of Frailty
Authors: Hilary C. Rees, Voichita Ianas, Patricia McCracken, Shannon Smith, Anca Georgescu, Tirdad Zangeneh, Jane Mohler, Stephen A. Klotz.
Institutions: University of Arizona, University of Arizona.
A simple, validated protocol consisting of a battery of tests is available to identify elderly patients with frailty syndrome. This syndrome of decreased reserve and resistance to stressors increases in incidence with increasing age. In the elderly, frailty may pursue a step-wise loss of function from non-frail to pre-frail to frail. We studied frailty in HIV-infected patients and found that ~20% are frail using the Fried phenotype using stringent criteria developed for the elderly1,2. In HIV infection the syndrome occurs at a younger age. HIV patients were checked for 1) unintentional weight loss; 2) slowness as determined by walking speed; 3) weakness as measured by a grip dynamometer; 4) exhaustion by responses to a depression scale; and 5) low physical activity was determined by assessing kilocalories expended in a week's time. Pre-frailty was present with any two of five criteria and frailty was present if any three of the five criteria were abnormal. The tests take approximately 10-15 min to complete and they can be performed by medical assistants during routine clinic visits. Test results are scored by referring to standard tables. Understanding which of the five components contribute to frailty in an individual patient can allow the clinician to address relevant underlying problems, many of which are not evident in routine HIV clinic visits.
Medicine, Issue 77, Infection, Virology, Infectious Diseases, Anatomy, Physiology, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Retroviridae Infections, Body Weight Changes, Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures, Physical Examination, Muscle Strength, Behavior, Virus Diseases, Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis, Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena, HIV, HIV-1, AIDS, Frailty, Depression, Weight Loss, Weakness, Slowness, Exhaustion, Aging, clinical techniques
A Neuroscientific Approach to the Examination of Concussions in Student-Athletes
Authors: Caroline J. Ketcham, Eric Hall, Walter R. Bixby, Srikant Vallabhajosula, Stephen E. Folger, Matthew C. Kostek, Paul C. Miller, Kenneth P. Barnes, Kirtida Patel.
Institutions: Elon University, Elon University, Duquesne University, Elon University.
Concussions are occurring at alarming rates in the United States and have become a serious public health concern. The CDC estimates that 1.6 to 3.8 million concussions occur in sports and recreational activities annually. Concussion as defined by the 2013 Concussion Consensus Statement “may be caused either by a direct blow to the head, face, neck or elsewhere on the body with an ‘impulsive’ force transmitted to the head.” Concussions leave the individual with both short- and long-term effects. The short-term effects of sport related concussions may include changes in playing ability, confusion, memory disturbance, the loss of consciousness, slowing of reaction time, loss of coordination, headaches, dizziness, vomiting, changes in sleep patterns and mood changes. These symptoms typically resolve in a matter of days. However, while some individuals recover from a single concussion rather quickly, many experience lingering effects that can last for weeks or months. The factors related to concussion susceptibility and the subsequent recovery times are not well known or understood at this time. Several factors have been suggested and they include the individual’s concussion history, the severity of the initial injury, history of migraines, history of learning disabilities, history of psychiatric comorbidities, and possibly, genetic factors. Many studies have individually investigated certain factors both the short-term and long-term effects of concussions, recovery time course, susceptibility and recovery. What has not been clearly established is an effective multifaceted approach to concussion evaluation that would yield valuable information related to the etiology, functional changes, and recovery. The purpose of this manuscript is to show one such multifaceted approached which examines concussions using computerized neurocognitive testing, event related potentials, somatosensory perceptual responses, balance assessment, gait assessment and genetic testing.
Medicine, Issue 94, Concussions, Student-Athletes, Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Genetics, Cognitive Function, Balance, Gait, Somatosensory
Community-based Adapted Tango Dancing for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease and Older Adults
Authors: Madeleine E. Hackney, Kathleen McKee.
Institutions: Emory University School of Medicine, Brigham and Woman‘s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Adapted tango dancing improves mobility and balance in older adults and additional populations with balance impairments. It is composed of very simple step elements. Adapted tango involves movement initiation and cessation, multi-directional perturbations, varied speeds and rhythms. Focus on foot placement, whole body coordination, and attention to partner, path of movement, and aesthetics likely underlie adapted tango’s demonstrated efficacy for improving mobility and balance. In this paper, we describe the methodology to disseminate the adapted tango teaching methods to dance instructor trainees and to implement the adapted tango by the trainees in the community for older adults and individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Efficacy in improving mobility (measured with the Timed Up and Go, Tandem stance, Berg Balance Scale, Gait Speed and 30 sec chair stand), safety and fidelity of the program is maximized through targeted instructor and volunteer training and a structured detailed syllabus outlining class practices and progression.
Behavior, Issue 94, Dance, tango, balance, pedagogy, dissemination, exercise, older adults, Parkinson's Disease, mobility impairments, falls
Measuring Oral Fatty Acid Thresholds, Fat Perception, Fatty Food Liking, and Papillae Density in Humans
Authors: Rivkeh Y. Haryono, Madeline A. Sprajcer, Russell S. J. Keast.
Institutions: Deakin University.
Emerging evidence from a number of laboratories indicates that humans have the ability to identify fatty acids in the oral cavity, presumably via fatty acid receptors housed on taste cells. Previous research has shown that an individual's oral sensitivity to fatty acid, specifically oleic acid (C18:1) is associated with body mass index (BMI), dietary fat consumption, and the ability to identify fat in foods. We have developed a reliable and reproducible method to assess oral chemoreception of fatty acids, using a milk and C18:1 emulsion, together with an ascending forced choice triangle procedure. In parallel, a food matrix has been developed to assess an individual's ability to perceive fat, in addition to a simple method to assess fatty food liking. As an added measure tongue photography is used to assess papillae density, with higher density often being associated with increased taste sensitivity.
Neuroscience, Issue 88, taste, overweight and obesity, dietary fat, fatty acid, diet, fatty food liking, detection threshold
Fundus Photography as a Convenient Tool to Study Microvascular Responses to Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Epidemiological Studies
Authors: Patrick De Boever, Tijs Louwies, Eline Provost, Luc Int Panis, Tim S. Nawrot.
Institutions: Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Hasselt University, Hasselt University, Leuven University.
The microcirculation consists of blood vessels with diameters less than 150 µm. It makes up a large part of the circulatory system and plays an important role in maintaining cardiovascular health. The retina is a tissue that lines the interior of the eye and it is the only tissue that allows for a non-invasive analysis of the microvasculature. Nowadays, high-quality fundus images can be acquired using digital cameras. Retinal images can be collected in 5 min or less, even without dilatation of the pupils. This unobtrusive and fast procedure for visualizing the microcirculation is attractive to apply in epidemiological studies and to monitor cardiovascular health from early age up to old age. Systemic diseases that affect the circulation can result in progressive morphological changes in the retinal vasculature. For example, changes in the vessel calibers of retinal arteries and veins have been associated with hypertension, atherosclerosis, and increased risk of stroke and myocardial infarction. The vessel widths are derived using image analysis software and the width of the six largest arteries and veins are summarized in the Central Retinal Arteriolar Equivalent (CRAE) and the Central Retinal Venular Equivalent (CRVE). The latter features have been shown useful to study the impact of modifiable lifestyle and environmental cardiovascular disease risk factors. The procedures to acquire fundus images and the analysis steps to obtain CRAE and CRVE are described. Coefficients of variation of repeated measures of CRAE and CRVE are less than 2% and within-rater reliability is very high. Using a panel study, the rapid response of the retinal vessel calibers to short-term changes in particulate air pollution, a known risk factor for cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, is reported. In conclusion, retinal imaging is proposed as a convenient and instrumental tool for epidemiological studies to study microvascular responses to cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Medicine, Issue 92, retina, microvasculature, image analysis, Central Retinal Arteriolar Equivalent, Central Retinal Venular Equivalent, air pollution, particulate matter, black carbon
Training Synesthetic Letter-color Associations by Reading in Color
Authors: Olympia Colizoli, Jaap M. J. Murre, Romke Rouw.
Institutions: University of Amsterdam.
Synesthesia is a rare condition in which a stimulus from one modality automatically and consistently triggers unusual sensations in the same and/or other modalities. A relatively common and well-studied type is grapheme-color synesthesia, defined as the consistent experience of color when viewing, hearing and thinking about letters, words and numbers. We describe our method for investigating to what extent synesthetic associations between letters and colors can be learned by reading in color in nonsynesthetes. Reading in color is a special method for training associations in the sense that the associations are learned implicitly while the reader reads text as he or she normally would and it does not require explicit computer-directed training methods. In this protocol, participants are given specially prepared books to read in which four high-frequency letters are paired with four high-frequency colors. Participants receive unique sets of letter-color pairs based on their pre-existing preferences for colored letters. A modified Stroop task is administered before and after reading in order to test for learned letter-color associations and changes in brain activation. In addition to objective testing, a reading experience questionnaire is administered that is designed to probe for differences in subjective experience. A subset of questions may predict how well an individual learned the associations from reading in color. Importantly, we are not claiming that this method will cause each individual to develop grapheme-color synesthesia, only that it is possible for certain individuals to form letter-color associations by reading in color and these associations are similar in some aspects to those seen in developmental grapheme-color synesthetes. The method is quite flexible and can be used to investigate different aspects and outcomes of training synesthetic associations, including learning-induced changes in brain function and structure.
Behavior, Issue 84, synesthesia, training, learning, reading, vision, memory, cognition
Feeding of Ticks on Animals for Transmission and Xenodiagnosis in Lyme Disease Research
Authors: Monica E. Embers, Britton J. Grasperge, Mary B. Jacobs, Mario T. Philipp.
Institutions: Tulane University Health Sciences Center.
Transmission of the etiologic agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, occurs by the attachment and blood feeding of Ixodes species ticks on mammalian hosts. In nature, this zoonotic bacterial pathogen may use a variety of reservoir hosts, but the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) is the primary reservoir for larval and nymphal ticks in North America. Humans are incidental hosts most frequently infected with B. burgdorferi by the bite of ticks in the nymphal stage. B. burgdorferi adapts to its hosts throughout the enzootic cycle, so the ability to explore the functions of these spirochetes and their effects on mammalian hosts requires the use of tick feeding. In addition, the technique of xenodiagnosis (using the natural vector for detection and recovery of an infectious agent) has been useful in studies of cryptic infection. In order to obtain nymphal ticks that harbor B. burgdorferi, ticks are fed live spirochetes in culture through capillary tubes. Two animal models, mice and nonhuman primates, are most commonly used for Lyme disease studies involving tick feeding. We demonstrate the methods by which these ticks can be fed upon, and recovered from animals for either infection or xenodiagnosis.
Infection, Issue 78, Medicine, Immunology, Infectious Diseases, Biomedical Engineering, Primates, Muridae, Ticks, Borrelia, Borrelia Infections, Ixodes, ticks, Lyme disease, xenodiagnosis, Borrelia, burgdorferi, mice, nonhuman primates, animal model
Wolbachia Bacterial Infection in Drosophila
Authors: Horacio Frydman.
Institutions: Boston University.
Developmental Biology, Issue 2, Drosophila, infection, fly
Obtaining Highly Purified Toxoplasma gondii Oocysts by a Discontinuous Cesium Chloride Gradient
Authors: Sarah E. Staggs, Mary Jean See, J P. Dubey, Eric N. Villegas.
Institutions: Dynamac, Inc., University of Cincinnati, McMicken College of Arts and Science, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, US Environmental Protection Agency.
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan pathogen that commonly infects humans. It is a well characterized apicomplexan associated with causing food- and water-borne disease outbreaks. The definitive host is the feline species where sexual replication occurs resulting in the development of the highly infectious and environmentally resistant oocyst. Infection occurs via ingestion of tissue cysts from contaminated meat or oocysts from soil or water. Infection is typically asymptomatic in healthy individuals, but results in a life-long latent infection that can reactivate causing toxoplasmic encephalitis and death if the individual becomes immunocompromised. Meat contaminated with T. gondii cysts have been the primary source of infection in Europe and the United States, but recent changes in animal management and husbandry practices and improved food handling and processing procedures have significantly reduced the prevalence of T. gondii cysts in meat1, 2. Nonetheless, seroprevalence in humans remains relatively high suggesting that exposure from oocyst contaminated soil or water is likely. Indeed, waterborne outbreaks of toxoplasmosis have been reported worldwide supporting the theory exposure to the environmental oocyst form poses a significant health risk3-5. To date, research on understanding the prevalence of T. gondii oocysts in the water and environment are limited due to the lack of tools to detect oocysts in the environment 5, 6. This is primarily due to the lack of efficient purification protocols for obtaining large numbers of highly purified T gondii oocysts from infected cats for research purposes. This study describes the development of a modified CsCl method that easily purifies T. gondii oocysts from feces of infected cats that are suitable for molecular biological and tissue culture manipulation7.
Jove Infectious Diseases, Microbiology, Issue 33, Toxoplasma gondii, cesium chloride, oocysts, discontinuous gradient, apicomplexan |
Off the shelf, on the skin: Stick-on electronic patches for health monitoring
Innovation Add comments
Wearing a fitness tracker on your wrist or clipped to your belt is so 2013.
Engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University have demonstrated thin, soft stick-on patches that stretch and move with the skin and incorporate commercial, off-the-shelf chip-based electronics for sophisticated wireless health monitoring.
The patches stick to the skin like a temporary tattoo and incorporate a unique microfluidic construction with wires folded like origami to allow the patch to bend and flex without being constrained by the rigid electronics components. The patches could be used for everyday health tracking – wirelessly sending updates to your cellphone or computer – and could revolutionize clinical monitoring such as EKG and EEG testing – no bulky wires, pads or tape needed.
“We designed this device to monitor human health 24/7, but without interfering with a person’s daily activity,” said Yonggang Huang, theNorthwestern University professor who co-led the work with Illinois professor John A. Rogers. “It is as soft as human skin and can move with your body, but at the same time it has many different monitoring functions. What is very important about this device is it is wirelessly powered and can send high-quality data about the human body to a computer, in real time.”
The researchers did a side-by-side comparison with traditional EKG and EEG monitors and found the wireless patch performed equally to conventional sensors, while being significantly more comfortable for patients. Such a distinction is crucial for long-term monitoring, situations such as stress tests or sleep studies when the outcome depends on the patient’s ability to move and behave naturally, or for patients with fragile skin such as premature newborns.
The team will publish its design in the April 4 issue of Science. Seevideo.
Rogers’ group at Illinois previously demonstrated skin electronics made of very tiny, ultrathin, specially designed and printed components. While those also offer high-performance monitoring, the ability to incorporate readily available chip-based components provides many important, complementary capabilities in engineering design, at very low cost.
“Our original epidermal devices exploited specialized device geometries – super thin, structured in certain ways,” Rogers said. “But chip-scale devices, batteries, capacitors and other components must be re-formulated for these platforms. There’s a lot of value in complementing this specialized strategy with our new concepts in microfluidics and origami interconnects to enable compatibility with commercial off-the-shelf parts for accelerated development, reduced costs and expanded options in device types.”
The multi-university team turned to soft microfluidic designs to address the challenge of integrating relatively big, bulky chips with the soft, elastic base of the patch. The patch is constructed of a thin elastic envelope filled with fluid. The chip components are suspended on tiny raised support points, bonding them to the underlying patch but allowing the patch to stretch and move.
One of the biggest engineering feats of the patch is the design of the tiny, squiggly wires connecting the electronics components – radios, power inductors, sensors and more. The serpentine-shaped wires are folded like origami, so that no matter which way the patch bends, twists or stretches, the wires can unfold in any direction to accommodate the motion. Since the wires stretch, the chips don’t have to.
A downloadable image and video gallery is available (password: microfluidics).
Skin-mounted devices could give those interested in fitness tracking a more complete and accurate picture of their activity level.
“When you measure motion on a wristwatch type device, your body is not very accurately or reliably coupled to the device,” said Rogers, a Swanlund Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the U. of I. “Relative motion causes a lot of background noise. If you have these skin-mounted devices and an ability to locate them on multiple parts of the body, you can get a much deeper and richer set of information than would be possible with devices that are not well coupled with the skin. And that’s just the beginning of the rich range of accurate measurements relevant to physiological health that are possible when you are softly and intimately integrated onto the skin.”
The researchers hope that their sophisticated, integrated sensing systems could not only monitor health but also could help identify problems before the patient may be aware. For example, according to Rogers, data analysis could detect motions associated with Parkinson’s disease at its onset.
“The application of stretchable electronics to medicine has a lot of potential,” Huang said. “If we can continuously monitor our health with a comfortable, small device that attaches to our skin, it could be possible to catch health conditions before experiencing pain, discomfort and illness.”
Read more . . .
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Posted by innovation at 9:21 pm Tagged with: Electrocardiography, human skin, Illinois, John Rogers, Monitoring (medicine), northwestern university, Rogers, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
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Evidence Supporting a Link between Dental Amalgams and Chronic Illness, Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, and Suicide
Norway and Sweden have banned amalgam, reportedly due to environmental concerns. However, the use and toxic risk of dental amalgam fillings is still a subject of ongoing debate in many countries. Now, a review conducted by a team of international researchers has provided new evidence that mercury exposure from dental amalgam may cause or contribute to many chronic illnesses, as well as depression, anxiety and suicide.
The review article by Janet K. Kern and coworkers is published in Neuroendocrinology Letters (2014; 35 (7): 537-552). Three of the authors, Kern, Geir Bjørklund and Boyd E. Haley, are members of the Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (CONEM). Kern is a director of CONEM. Bjørklund is founder and president of the association.
Janet K. Kern, David A. Geier, Geir Bjørklund, Paul G. King, Kristin G. Homme, Boyd E. Haley, Lisa K. Sykes, and Mark R. Geier
Neuro Endocrinol Lett 2014; 35 (7): 537-552
The purpose of this review is to examine the evidence for a relationship between mercury (Hg) exposure from dental amalgams and certain idiopathic chronic illnesses – chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), depression, anxiety, and suicide. Dental amalgam is a commonly used dental restorative material that contains approximately 50% elemental mercury (Hg0) by weight and releases Hg0 vapor. Studies have shown that chronic Hg exposure from various sources including dental amalgams is associated with numerous health complaints, including fatigue, anxiety, and depression – and these are among the main symptoms that are associated with CFS and FM. In addition, several studies have shown that the removal of amalgams is associated with improvement in these symptoms. Although the issue of amalgam safety is still under debate, the preponderance of evidence suggests that Hg exposure from dental amalgams may cause or contribute to many chronic conditions. Thus, consideration of Hg toxicity may be central to the effective clinical investigation of many chronic illnesses, particularly those involving fatigue and depression.
Filed Under: Allergy, Depression, Environmental Medicine, Health Conditions, Mental Disorders, Mercury, News Tagged With: Anxiety, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Dental Amalgam, Depression, Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Mercury, Suicide
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A great deal of attention has been focused on calcium but not nearly as much on magnesium, yet these minerals work together and need to be balanced for good health. Magnesium, which many call the “miracle mineral” is involved in over 325 known biochemical reactions in the body and is vital for health restoration, maintenance and enhancement. It impacts heart health, bone health, energy production and storage, women’s health, men’s health, athletic performance and stress management.
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Report calls for cultural transformation of attitudes toward pain and its prevention and management
Every year, at least 116 million adult Americans experience chronic pain, a condition that costs the nation between $560 billion and $635 billion annually, says a new report from the U.S. Institute of Medicine. Much of this pain is preventable or could be better managed, added the committee that wrote the report.
Every year, at least 116 million adult Americans experience chronic pain, a condition that costs the nation between $560 billion and $635 billion annually, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. Much of this pain is preventable or could be better managed, added the committee that wrote the report.
The committee called for coordinated, national efforts of public and private organizations to create a cultural transformation in how the nation understands and approaches pain management and prevention. Some of the recommended changes can be implemented by the end of 2012 while others should be in place by 2015 and maintained as ongoing efforts.
"Given the large number of people who experience pain and the enormous cost in terms of both dollars and the suffering experienced by individuals and their families, it is clear that pain is a major public health problem in America," said committee chair Philip Pizzo, dean, Carl and Elizabeth Naumann Professor of Pediatrics, and professor of microbiology and immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif. "All too often, prevention and treatment of pain are delayed, inaccessible, or inadequate. Patients, health care providers, and our society need to overcome misperceptions and biases about pain. We have effective tools and services to tackle the many factors that influence pain and we need to apply them expeditiously through an integrated approach tailored to each patient."
A new analysis undertaken as part of the study finds that the medical costs of pain care and the economic costs related to disability days and lost wages and productivity amount to at least $560 billion to $635 billion annually. Because the range does not include costs associated with pain in children or military personnel, it is a conservative estimate.
Health care providers, insurers, and the public need to understand that although pain is universal, it is experienced uniquely by each person and care -which often requires a combination of therapies and coping techniques -- must be tailored, the report says. Pain is more than a physical symptom and is not always resolved by curing the underlying condition. Persistent pain can cause changes in the nervous system and become a distinct chronic disease. Moreover, people's experience of pain can be influenced by genes, cultural attitudes toward hardships, stress, depression, ability to understand health information, and other behavioral, cultural, and emotional factors.
Successful treatment, management, and prevention of pain requires an integrated, approach that responds to all the factors that influence pain, the committee concluded. The majority of care and management should take place through primary care providers and patient self-management with specialty care services reserved for more complex cases. Health care organizations should take the lead in developing innovative approaches and materials to coach and empower patients in self-management.
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Presidential Bioethics Commission Releases Review of Synthetic Biology
Recommendations include federal oversight but do not put major restrictions on research.[Orlando Florin Rosu-Fotolia.com]
The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues today released its first review of synthetic biology. Current suggestions neither give ultimate freedom to scientists nor do they put major restrictions on research but instead emphasize discussion, ongoing evaluation, and education of the public and scientists about the risks and harms.
Overall, the report suggests that the very newness of the science, which involves the design and construction of laboratory-made biological parts, gives regulators, ethicists, and others time to identify any problems early on and craft solutions that can harness the technology for the public good.
The panel, comprising 13 scientists, ethicists, and public policy experts, concluded that while the technical challenges of synthetic biology remain daunting, the field is likely to become more decentralized as the relevant tools become increasingly available and affordable. “While the ‘Do-It-Yourself’ community has an important role to play in advancing synthetic biology, we recognize that technical challenges and costs are too high right now for a completely novel organism to be developed in a noninstitutional setting,” says James W. Wagner, Ph.D., Commission vice chair and president of Emory University.
“We strongly support an open dialogue between DIY groups and the government as we go forward so that scientists and government can discuss the research constraints necessary to protect public safety as the field continues to evolve.”
The Commission recommended the following steps to minimize risks and to foster innovation:
• The Executive Office of the President, possibly through the Office of Science and Technology Policy, should coordinate federal agencies that oversee areas related to synthetic biology, including product licensing and funding.
• Risk assessment activities across the government need to be coordinated and field release permitted only after reasonable risk assessment.
• The Executive Office of the President should remain actively engaged with DIY groups to communicate and discuss applicable safety and security issues.
• Recognizing that international coordination is essential for safety and security, the Department of State, in concert with the HHS and the Department of Homeland Security, should collaborate with governments around the world as well as leading international organizations such as the WHO to promote ongoing dialogue about emerging technologies like synthetic biology.
• The NIH, the DOE, and other federal agencies should evaluate research proposals through peer-review to make sure that the most promising scientific research is conducted on the public’s behalf.
• Educational classes on the ethical dilemmas raised by synthetic biology should be a mandatory part of training for young researchers, engineers, and others who work in this field.
• Forums should be established to improve the general public’s understanding of this field, including the creation of a biology equivalent to FactCheck.org, in which a private group would track statements about the science and offer an independent view of the truth of such claims.
“We comprehensively reviewed the developing field of synthetic biology to understand both its potential rewards and risks,” notes Amy Gutmann, Ph.D., the Commission chair and president of the University of Pennsylvania. “We considered an array of approaches to regulation—from allowing unfettered freedom with minimal oversight and another to prohibiting experiments until they can be ruled completely safe beyond a reasonable doubt. We chose a middle course to maximize public benefits while also safeguarding against risks.”
Dr. Gutmann notes that the Commission’s approach recognizes the great potential of synthetic biology, including life-saving medicines, and the still distant risks posed by the field. “Prudent vigilance suggests that federal oversight is needed and can be exercised in a way that is consistent with scientific progress.”
President Obama asked the Commission to study the implications of synthetic biology following the May 20 announcement by the J. Craig Venter Institute that it had inserted a laboratory-made genome into a bacterial cell, creating an organism not found in nature. In three public hearings held over the past five months in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Atlanta, the Commission reportedly heard from over 36 ethicists, scientists, and others close to the issue.
Several experts explored potential benefits of synthetic biology, including the development of vaccines and new drugs and the production of biofuels that could someday reduce the need for fossil fuels. Discussions addressed the risks posed by the technology, including the inadvertent release of a laboratory-created organism into nature and the potential adverse effects of such a release on ecosystems.
Do-It-Yourself Bioengineers Bedeviled by Society's Paranoia
Current Stance against Independent Biological Innovation Is Counterproductive
Scorecard Chides Administration on Synthetic Bio Policy Follow-Up
Policy group says none of the recommendations made by a presidential commission in 2010 have been fully implemented.
President Obama Establishes New Bioethics Commission
Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania, was named as chair. |
Engineering student challenges gender stereotypes
by Haley Remenar
Megan Cromis (’17) is used to being stereotyped. She’s a female student majoring in engineering, a field that traditionally attracts males.
According to the National Science Foundation, of 973,000 total employed engineers with bachelor’s degrees, only 132,000 (13.6 percent) are women. The same holds true for engineers with advanced degrees – only 18 percent of employed engineers with master’s degrees and 14 percent of those with doctorate degrees are women.
Cromis, however, is not letting stereotypes hold her back. In her first two years at ACU, she earned a national scholarship, participated in progressive research and helped teach science to young girls.
Researching Nuclear Physics
During her freshman year, Cromis applied to do research with the Virginia Nuclear Physics research team at Old Dominion University in Virginia. She spent the next summer with four other ACU students helping to build sensors for an experiment based in Switzerland.
A year later Cromis received a $7,500 scholarship from the U.S. Department of Nuclear Energy University Programs. She applied for the scholarship at the suggestion of one of the professors on the research team, the first ACU student to apply for this scholarship. In the spring semester of her sophomore year, she was notified of her award.
“I was honored and surprised,” Cromis said. “I’m proud to represent ACU this way.”
Cromis, whose hometown is Denton, Texas, is the president of the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) club on campus, which has about 20 members. The purpose of the club is to connect freshmen and sophomores with juniors and seniors in the engineering program.
Last spring Cromis led the WISE club to help with a science camp for middle school girls. ACU had previously participated by sending just one professor and a few students to help. This year all the WISE club members were invited to help, and Cromis became the contact between ACU and Abilene’s ATEMS (Academy of Technology, Engineering, Math and Science) high school.
The camp allowed groups of middle school girls to rotate to different stations for each field of science, including chemistry, biology and engineering. At each station, the middle school girls saw demonstrations and did hands-on activities.
“When I was in middle school no one expected me to do that,” Cromis said. “A lot of times you get this stereotype from pop culture that only the crazy girls go into hard sciences, and it’s really not like that.”
Cromis stayed in Abilene the summer after her sophomore year doing research with Dr. Tim Kennedy, associate professor of engineering and physics.
“Megan is a high achiever,” Kennedy said. “If you give her a task, you don’t doubt she’ll get it done.”
They were working on a water filtration system that could potentially help filter water in third world countries. They made it using different layers of sand and then pouring dirty water into it. The research was to see what would filter out fluoride and nitrates, which can cause disease. Cromis said she hopes this research will continue with future students and additional modifications to the filter.
Breaking Boundaries
Cromis has continued to serve as the president of WISE. She said her teachers have been supportive, and she’s grown closer to them through working as a teaching assistant, grader and secretary in the department.
“If you allowed her, Megan would lead everything,” Kennedy said. “She definitely wants to promote women in engineering.”
Cromis is considering doing humanitarian work with her engineering skills and is in contact with ACU’s Worldwide Witness program. She also hopes to get an internship so she can explore working in an engineering firm.
“Engineering is such a broad field,” Cromis said. “You can do anything with it. If you want to design nuclear reactors, you can do that. If you want to work in the third world putting in wells, you can do that.”
Cromis is breaking stereotypes not only through her own work, but also by mentoring those younger than her. She said ACU’s engineering program is good for female students because it has a higher percentage of women than many engineering programs nationwide, and offers many ways for women to get involved. Cromis herself is taking every opportunity to pass on her enthusiasm for engineering.
“Don’t be afraid just because there’s so many guys in engineering. It’s changing, slowly but surely.”
{{{truncate newsSummary 80}}}
1600 Campus Court Abilene, Texas 79699 Campus Operator: (325) 674-2000 |
What's in the Name?
While our name may conjure images of dark castles and vampires, our Transylvania — a friendly, top-notch liberal arts college — is located in Lexington, Kentucky, far from the lands of Romanian legend. The name Transylvania comes from Latin and means “across the woods” — a good description of the vast, heavily forested area between the Ohio and Cumberland rivers first settled by American colonists in the 1770s. A group of pioneers (whose chief scout was Daniel Boone) chose the name Transylvania Colony when they established a settlement near modern-day Lexington. The colony didn’t last. The name, however, lived on when the Virginia Assembly chartered our institution as Transylvania Seminary in 1780. Over the years our name changed several times before settling on Transylvania University in 1908.
Since our name reminds some of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, members of the Transylvania community often have fun with the parallel — especially during the week of Halloween, as theater professor Tim Soulis proves with his interpretation of the count. Don’t worry, though —our students don’t sparkle like Edward Cullen, and neither Buffy Summers nor Sookie Stackhouse has visited our campus. At least, as far as we know. |
Students practice hands-on STEM activities to define problems and determine solutions
November 5, 2013 by Marlene Cimons
High school students create a portfolio cover design using Inkscape. Credit: Georgia Institute of Technology
In Georgia, young students often feel disconnected from the real world when studying math and science, a perception that poses serious challenges to the state's future economic and workforce development, according to a series of forums held in Georgia between 2006 and 2008.
But a new initiative just outside Atlanta—a partnership between the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Griffin-Spalding County School system, and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)—is trying to change this. The NSF project, known as AMP-IT-UP, is using a novel approach to encourage student creativity, and make these important courses come alive.
The new courses integrate basic science and math content with hands-on engineering design and construction. The idea is to get youngsters to think about engineering, and to better understand engineering concepts, by using math and science to actually design and build projects, often with a specific "client" in mind.
The goal is to expose them to the role of math, science and engineering in advanced manufacturing and robotics in a way that demonstrates their relevance, and to collect research data to determine what the students learn, and whether the program is succeeding in engaging them.
Among other things, students design and manufacture physical artifacts to meet a specific engineering challenge, and must defend their decisions with scientific and mathematical reasoning. Ultimately, they will have access to sophisticated manufacturing equipment, such as 3-D printers, laser cutters and vinyl cutters.
"These classes build upon traditional classes where kids actually made things, such as making wooden boxes in what we used to call 'wood shop,' but with the addition of math, science and engineering design," says Marion Usselman, an associate director for federal outreach and research of the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC) at Georgia Tech and co-principal investigator and program director of the NSF-supported AMP-IT-UP project, which stands for Advanced Manufacturing and Prototyping Integrated to Unlock Potential.
"The emphasis in AMP-IT-UP is on students learning to define a problem—an engineering challenge—and then constructing a prototype and collecting data to find out whether the design works. They then change things based on the data," she adds. "Everybody might build a box, but each box won't look and function the same."
Roxanne Moore, who works on the curriculum as a Georgia Tech School of Mechanical Engineering postdoctoral fellow, agrees. "There is a lot of contextualization," she says. "Students must consider the client or customer needs, even if they are their own client. This is a shift from the 'wood shop' class, where one might make a napkin holder just for the sake of making a napkin holder."
Vocational Tech Ed, which included the old "wood shop" classes, "was viewed for a long time as the non-college track for students," says Jeff Rosen, co-principal investigator for implementation and partnerships for AMP-IT-UP and a program director for robotics and engineering at CEISMC.
"What we are looking at is getting all students engaged in the act of making things, which allows them to have a better contextualization of math and science," he adds. "The whole idea of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education is great, but the object is not to just do advanced math and science. It's really about doing it all simultaneously, so you can get a true solid understanding of how everything works together."
Usselman agrees. "Many kids come into Georgia Tech never having used a drill or a saw or a hammer or screws," she says. "People don't build things anymore. They come in with a 750 on their math SAT, but have spent their lives in front of a computer screen. They have no hands-on experience."
AMP-IT-UP is among the more than 100 currently active projects supported by NSF's Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program in its Division of Undergraduate Education, which is within the Education and Human Resources Directorate. The MSP program has funded about 180 projects overall since 2002 with the goal of improving math, science, computer science and engineering learning at the K-12 level through local school district partnerships with higher education institutions.
Such partnerships have "to be mutually beneficial," says Kathleen Bergin, an MSP program officer. "It cannot be the typical service model, that is, 'we are the university and we're here to help you.' Both should be learning from each other."
The higher education institutions also must have STEM faculty actively involved in the project, that is, instructors who hold graduate degrees in the fields of mathematics, engineering and science disciplines, rather than in math, engineering and science education.
NSF is supporting AMP-IT-UP, which began last year, with about $7.3 million over five years.
"What makes this project so exciting is that they are tackling an immediate need," Bergin says. "It's become an increasing need across the nation to engage students at an earlier age in engineering and engineering design and innovation. Students can start having real hands-on projects on engineering design. There is considerable interest in exposing students to engineering earlier. Many students get to college and want to be an engineer, but don't really know what an engineer is.
"The fact that the engineering work they are doing [in AMP-IT-UP] is around advanced manufacturing is very exciting because they are learning that there are real implications to what they do," Bergin adds.
Most of the AMP-IT-UP courses are focused at the middle school level—grades 6 through 8—although educators also are developing an introductory math and engineering course for ninth-graders that will serve as the first of a three-course "pathway" for high schoolers aimed at providing them with pre-college engineering experiences to better prepare them for college courses.
"The course is broken into different projects and you advance with each one," Moore says. "Each project incorporates the engineering design process, fabrication skills and entrepreneurial thinking-that is, understanding you will be making something for a client with mass market meaning behind it."
The ninth-grade students, for example, must construct a birdhouse, but with a customer in mind. "Your customer is a bird," Moore says. "You must think about the customer's needs, such as livable space and the material constraints that are given. They have to brainstorm multiple ideas and justify their selection before they can touch a saw. There is a lot more than simply drawing this shape, and drilling this hole."
Moreover, Usselman adds, "you not only have to think about what the bird wants, but what you want the bird house to look like."
Beyond curriculum, the project also includes extra-curricular support, such as engineering and robotic competitions, "so students exposed to engineering who find a passion for it will have opportunities outside the classroom," Rosen says.
Much of the early emphasis of the courses is on data collection; that is, examining the problem they must solve, designing a solution, testing it, and redesigning it using their test data.
"Students need to understand how to collect data and document their information accurately, and how to use math skills to compute," Rosen says. "I had one student working in 3-D software. He was trying to cut something out but didn't realize he was creating a part floating in mid-air because he didn't understand the geometry of what he was asking the computer to do. The computer wouldn't let him.
"Once you've acquired the understanding of how to collect data, the |
TIM Participants Set to Witness Climate Change Anew in Kiribati
Blog, News, Pacific
The ten Training in Mission (TIM) participants left Fiji on 8 September to continue the programme in Kiribati until 23 September. The Kiribati leg of the Programme is hosted by one of the CWM’s member-churches, Kiribati Uniting Church (KUC).
Kiribati is one of the Pacific island countries that is living with the blunt reality of the effects of the climate change because of rising sea levels, floods and drought. Some scientists believe that Kiribati’s chain of thirty-three atolls and islands, which stand just metres above sea level, could be uninhabitable as early as 2030 and some of may be submerged under the sea and disappear within this century.
The TIM participants’ two weeks’ exposure in Kiribati, will bring them closer to the reality of climate change as they live with the people from the atoll communities of Betio and Abaiang where they will witness firsthand how climate change affects the lives of the Kiribati people.
Kiribati Uniting Church which represents approximately one-third of the population of Kiribati grapples with the issue of climate change. The participants will be exposed to the missional role of the church in dealing with and mitigating the impact of climate change.
During this time, the participants will also engage with various government agencies and ministries such as the Ministry of Environment, Land and Agricultural, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Women, Youth and Social Affairs to learn more on how the Kiribati’s government is responding to the issue of climate change and other inter-connected but equally pressing issues such as gender violence.
The participants will also participate in the Kiribati Uniting Church’s General Assembly. They will then return to Fiji on 23 September for wrap-up and evaluation sessions for two weeks before moving to New Zealand on the 7 October for the final leg of the Programme. |
Mental Health Social Work Practice in Canada
Author: Cheryl Regehr - Graham D. Glancy
Written by two of the discipline's foremost researchers and practitioners, this innovative new text is the only Canadian textbook to offer a comprehensive overview of the legal and policy framework for mental health practice in social work. Combining analysis of case studies with careful examination of evidence-based practices, the authors outline the social work practices that will best assist individuals and families struggling with mental health challenges. Accessible, rigorous, and grounded in research, Mental Health Social Work Practice in Canada is a useful reference for social work practitioners and an ideal text for courses in social work and mental health. |
Liu, Wennuan
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Global Genetic and Epigenetic Approaches to Progression of PCA
Genetic alterations and epigenetic modifications are hallmarks of cancers, including prostate cancer (PCa). Understanding factors associated with the progression of PCa will have a significant impact on management and treatment of the disease. We hypothesize that genetic changes in the germline or tumor genome, as well as epigenetic modifications, may independently or jointly affect the expression of the genes that are involved in the progression of PCa. To test our hypotheses and to uncover the genetic and epigenetic markers of the complex mechanisms underlining the progression and poor clinical outcome of PCa, we present specific aims with integrated and novel analytic approaches in this proposal. First, we will screen for germline DNA copy number variants (CNVs), somatic DNA copy number changes and modifications in methylation status across the whole genome among 200 intermediate- to high-grade PCa patients, with or without disease progression. Secondly, we will assess the roles of genetic and epigenetic changes in both germline and the tumor genomes in progression of PCa by comparing the frequencies of germline CNVs, somatic deletions and gains, and hyper- or hypomethylation between progressors and non-progressors. We expect to identify a number of alterations that are recurrent and have significantly higher frequencies among progressors. We will then select a sub set of the significant genetic and epigenetic alterations for validation using the DNA isolated from FFPE tissues and quantative PCR (qPCR), and bisulfite sequencing respectively. We will use Kappa statistics to measure the agreement of genetic/epigenetic alterations between fresh frozen and FFPE samples. The data generated and the molecular biomarkers identified from this pioneering study will provide potential targets in both germline and somatic genomes that may be related to PCa progression for further large-scale and multi-cohort validations using FFPE samples. The results of this study may advance our understanding on the etiology of PCa progression and augment current methods to better predict which PCa patient will likely develop progressed disease at the time of diagnosis. The Patients with poor prognosis can receive intensive monitor and treatment.
Identification Of Novel Chd1-associated Collaborative Alterations Of Genomic Structure And Functional Assessment Of Chd1 In Prostate Cancer
Authors: Liu W.
, Lindberg J.
, Sui G.
, Luo J.
, Egevad L.
, Li T.
, Xie C.
, Wan M.
, Kim S.T.
, Wang Z.
Source: Oncogene, 2012-08-30 00:00:00.0; 31(35), p. 3939-48.
Diaph3 Governs The Cellular Transition To The Amoeboid Tumour Phenotype
Authors: Hager M.H.
, Morley S.
, Bielenberg D.R.
, Gao S.
, Morello M.
, Holcomb I.N.
, Liu W.
, Mouneimne G.
, Demichelis F.
, Kim J.
Source: Embo Molecular Medicine, 2012 Aug; 4(8), p. 743-60.
Identification Of New Differentially Methylated Genes That Have Potential Functional Consequences In Prostate Cancer
Authors: Kim J.W.
, Turner A.R.
, Young T.
, Smith S.
, Gronberg H.
, Isaacs W.B.
Source: Plos One, 2012; 7(10), p. e48455.
Genetic Markers Associated With Early Cancer-specific Mortality Following Prostatectomy
, Xie C.C.
, Thomas C.Y.
, Zhang Z.
, Sun J.
Source: Cancer, 2013-07-01 00:00:00.0; 119(13), p. 2405-12. |
Study of Exonic Variation Identifies Incremental Information Regarding Lipid-Related and Coronary Heart Disease Genes
Themistocles L. Assimes, Thomas Quertermous
Originally published August 14, 2014
Themistocles L. Assimes
From the Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA.
Thomas Quertermous
Recently, a modest-sized population-based study of exonic variants facilitated the identification of the causal gene, TM6SF2, in a gene-rich locus on 19p1 previously associated with cholesterol levels in blood. The study also provided compelling functional validation of the locus and evidence at the population level that interference with the function of this gene may substantially reduce the risk of coronary artery disease. The study highlights the potential utility of large-scale studies of coding variants but also hints toward the need of much larger studies to provide insight at other loci. Conducting such studies in parallel with association studies of variation in well-annotated regulatory regions is likely to ultimately yield the highest returns.
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted over the past decade have identified many regions of the genome harboring common susceptibility variants for complex traits.1 For many traits, the overall proportion of the genetic variance explained by GWAS to date remains modest.2 A few exceptions exist including blood levels of lipids where large meta-analyses have successfully identified >150 loci for total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglycerides.3,4 Remarkably, these discoveries seem to explain more than one quarter of the genetic variance of each trait.3,4
A majority of these GWAS loci are novel and have not been previously linked to lipid biology.3,4 For many, the lead single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) falls in noncoding regions of the genome and the association interval stretches over several kilobases often overlapping several candidate genes.3,4 This situation makes it extremely challenging to determine the causal gene. Several population genetic approaches can be used to help identify the causal gene. First, one can examine the same risk interval in multiple racial groups with the hope that differences in linkage …
August 15, 2014, Volume 115, Issue 5
Themistocles L. Assimes and Thomas Quertermous
Circulation Research. 2014;115:478-480, originally published August 14, 2014 |
Marine bacteria unfazed by rising ocean acidification
July 4, 2014 by Harriet Jarlett
Bacteria are more resistant to ocean acidification than previously thought, say scientists.
Ocean acidification is one of many problems caused by carbon dioxide emissions. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide that is eventually absorbed by the oceans, making the water more acidic.
The new study, published in Environment Microbiology Reports, shows for the first time that even if ocean acidification reaches the levels predicted for the year 2100, the bacterial community will remain unaffected.
Marine bacteria play important roles in the cycling of carbon – the flux of carbon dioxide (CO2) between the oceans and the atmosphere – so if they were affected by ocean acidification it could have catastrophic consequences,' says Dr Christopher van der Gast of NERC's Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, lead researcher on the project.
The team studied the direct responses of bacterial communities to rising carbon dioxide levels by sampling six mesocosms –11,000 litre bags of seawater taken from a fjord in Bergen, Norway.
Carbon dioxide was bubbled through three of these bags and measured how the bacteria responded to the elevated levels. The remaining three bags were used as controls. 'We were expecting to see some evidence of change or at least resilience as a result of elevated carbon dioxide levels,' says van der Gast. 'But what we actually saw was resistance; the bacterial communities barely changed at all.'
'The mesocosm experiment was like hitting the bacterial system with a massive stick. You take bacteria in their current environment, from current carbon levels and then suddenly switch it to the levels 100 years in the future. But it didn't faze them,' van der Gast continues.
He suspects that the resistance of marine bacteria to ocean acidification means they will be able to evolve an even higher level of resilience before 2100, as they get used to higher acid levels.
'Hitting them with a big stick we see a huge capacity for resistance, but over the long term they have an enormous evolutionary capacity, he says. ' Over the next 100 years there will be millions of generations of bacteria, so if we still have a steadily increasing amount of carbon dioxide, as is predicted, being absorbed into oceans the bacterial communities will adapt.'
Explore further: Bacterial communication could affect Earth's climate
PlanetEarth Online
This story is republished courtesy of Planet Earth online, a free, companion website to the award-winning magazine Planet Earth published and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). |
New deep-reef Butterflyfish species discovered in Papahanaumokuakea Monument
Discovery highlights a wealth of previously unknown biodiversity
NOAA Headquarters
Scientists have published a description of a new species of butterflyfish from deep reefs in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
This is Pete Basabe's Butteflyfish (Prognathodes basabei Pyle and Kosaki 2016) at a depth of 180 feet off Pearl and Hermes Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Credit: Greg McFall / NOAA
Scientists from NOAA and the Bishop Museum have published a description of a new species of butterflyfish from deep reefs of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The study was published today in the scientific journal ZooKeys.
"Butterflyfish are the glamour fish of the coral reefs," said Richard Pyle, Bishop Museum scientist and lead author on the publication. "They are colorful, beautiful, and have been very well-studied worldwide. Finding a new species of butterflyfish is a rare event."
Deep coral reefs at depths of 150 to 500 feet, also known as mesophotic coral ecosystems or "the coral-reef twilight zone," are among the most poorly explored of all marine ecosystems. Deeper than most scuba divers can venture, and shallower than most submersible-based exploration, these reefs represent a new frontier for coral reef research.
"Discoveries such as this underscore how poorly explored and how little we know about our deep coral reefs," said Randall Kosaki, NOAA scientist and co-author of the study. "Virtually every deep dive we do takes place on a reef that no human being has ever seen."
This species was first observed in video taken from manned submersibles more than 20 years ago, at depths as great as 600 feet. At the time, Pyle and University of Hawaii marine biologist E.H. "Deetsie" Chave recognized this as a potential new species. However, because of the extreme depths, it was many years before technical divers using advanced electronic closed-circuit rebreathers were able to collect and preserve specimens in a way that would allow proper scientific documentation as an undescribed species.
Recently, the new butterflyfish has been encountered regularly on deep exploratory dives up to 330 feet on NOAA expeditions to Papahānaumokuākea. The description is based on these specimens from the NWHI.
The new fish, Prognathodes basabei, is named after Pete Basabe, a veteran local diver from Kona who, over the years, has assisted with the collection of reef fishes for numerous scientific studies and educational displays. Basabe, an experienced deep diver himself, was instrumental in providing support for the dives that produced the first specimen of the fish that now bears his name.
In addition to the specimens used for the published study, live specimens of the new butterflyfish were collected on a NOAA expedition to Papahānaumokuākea in June of this year. The fish are now on display at Bishop Museum in Honolulu and at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in Hilo. An additional specimen is on display in the Deep Reef exhibit at the Waikiki Aquarium.
President Obama announced on August 26 the expansion of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument by from 139,797 square miles to 582,578 square miles, making it the largest marine protected area on Earth.
"This new discovery illustrates the conservation value of very large marine protected areas," said Kosaki. "Not only do they protect the biodiversity that we already know about, they also protect the diversity we've yet to discover. And there's a lot left to discover."
Materials provided by NOAA Headquarters. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Richard L. Pyle, Randall K. Kosaki. Prognathodes basabei, a new species of butterflyfish (Perciformes, Chaetodontidae) from the Hawaiian Archipelago. ZooKeys, 2016; 614: 137 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.614.10200
NOAA Headquarters. "New deep-reef Butterflyfish species discovered in Papahanaumokuakea Monument: Discovery highlights a wealth of previously unknown biodiversity." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 September 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160906131003.htm>.
NOAA Headquarters. (2016, September 6). New deep-reef Butterflyfish species discovered in Papahanaumokuakea Monument: Discovery highlights a wealth of previously unknown biodiversity. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 24, 2017 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160906131003.htm
NOAA Headquarters. "New deep-reef Butterflyfish species discovered in Papahanaumokuakea Monument: Discovery highlights a wealth of previously unknown biodiversity." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160906131003.htm (accessed May 24, 2017).
Ecology Research
Hawaii's Newest Species Named in Honor of President Obama
Dec. 21, 2016 Scientists have published a description of a new species of coral-reef fish that they named in honor of President Barack Obama. The fish, formally named Tosanoides obama, was discovered during a June ... read more Researchers in Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Finds Highest Rates of Unique Marine Species
Oct. 1, 2015 Scientists returned from a 28-day research expedition aboard NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai exploring the deep coral reefs within Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian ... read more Female Tiger Sharks Migrate from Northwestern to Main Hawaiian Islands During Fall Pupping Season
Sep. 5, 2013 A quarter of the mature female tiger sharks plying the waters around the remote coral atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands decamp for the populated Main Hawaiian Islands in the late summer and ... read more Abundance and Distribution of Hawaiian Coral Species Predicted by Model
May 21, 2013 Researchers have developed species distribution models of the six dominant Hawaiian coral species around the main Hawaiian Islands, including two species currently under consideration as threatened ... read more RELATED TERMS
Giant clam |
Multimedia Contributions of Saudi Arabia to the Muslim World
The Saudi Arabia’s education system, since its inception, has gone through an astonishing transformation. When the Kingdom was established in 1932, education was available to very few people, mostly the children of wealthy families living in the major cities, which is usually the case in every beginning stage of such histories.
Today, Saudi Arabia’s education system includes 25 public and 27 private universities, with more planned; some 30,000 schools; and a large number of colleges and other institutions. The system is open to all citizens, and provides students with free education, books and health services. While the study of Islam remains at its core, the modern Saudi educational system also provides quality instruction in diverse fields of arts and sciences. This diversity helps the Kingdom prepare its citizens for life and work in a global economy.
Education is a requirement for every Muslim, both male and female. The Holy Qur’an and the Hadith [teachings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad] repeatedly emphasize the importance of learning. In the centuries after the birth of Islam, Muslim states established schools, universities and libraries that were unique in the world. At a time when Europe was mired in the Dark Ages, the Islamic world became a center for learning, making major contributions in the areas of astronomy, physics, art, philosophy, and medicine – a period known as the “Golden Age.” Methods pioneered by Muslim scholars and scientists during the Golden Age became the foundation of modern sciences, and were taught in European universities up to the 18th century.
Formal primary education began in Saudi Arabia in the 1930s. By 1945, King Abdulaziz bin Abdelrahman Al-Saud, the country’s founder, had begun an extensive program to establish schools in the Kingdom. Six years later, in 1951, the country had 226 schools with 29,887 students. The first university, now known as King Saud University, was founded in Riyadh in 1957. In 1954, the Ministry of Education was established, followed by the Ministry of Higher Education in 1975. The first government school for girls was built in 1964, and by the end of the 1990s girls’ schools had been established in every part of the Kingdom. Today, female students make up over half of the more than 6 million students currently enrolled in Saudi schools and universities.
In the light of the above mentioned, the Saudi Arabian Educational System has positively shown to the world certain features it has imbibed and should as such be seen as its contribution to the world educational system in general and the Muslim world in particular. Some of the most prominent aspects to this regard are:
1. Moral/Religious Based Integrated Education: One of the most visible features of the Saudi Education is the merging of religious based morals and ethics in education. As Muslims they believe that true morals and ethics can only be derived from the religious perspective whereby an individual will not have to be supervised or watched over by another person or supervisor to carry out his or her duties judiciously. This is because in Islamic religious teachings, one believes that Allah the Almighty sees and watches over him and will have to account for all he or she does before the Creator. This is a fact that sincere personnel trained under this kind of system are always the best in performance and self-reliance. To this regard, it has proved that it is very much possible for single sex schools and educational institutions to hold and run all through the different levels of education. This is a fact that contradicts the widely acclaimed views of the West and some international bodies and yet collaborates the old educational system adopted by the Catholic Church.
Since Saudi educational system has been able to show to the world that a medical doctor can also have a significant portion of his holy Qur'an of heart, or an engineer having sound authentic fundamentals of his religion and duties to his or her God etc., I see that if such educational system is accepted and put in place in other countries, the rate of corruption and pervasiveness found in our educational systems and students of nowadays will be drastically reduced. After all, Saudi being counted annually as one of the most peaceful and crime free nations in the world will speak for this.
2. Wide Reaching Global Scholarships: Another contribution the kingdom has made to the global educational system is its wide range scholarship which it gives to almost all nationalities of the world. It does not segregate in its scholarship opportunities. In fact, whenever a country is found not to have representatives in its scholarship programme, such countries are given priority concern and immediate attention. This is the major reason it has become difficult to find a country in the world that does not have a number of its citizens studying in the kingdom.
This goes a long way to let the world know that Islam and the kingdom put so much emphasis on education. This has been the characteristics of Islam and real Muslims right from the inception of the religion hitherto. There are some schools in the kingdom specifically established for full scholarship programmes for foreigners with only a very insignificant percentage of indigenous students allowed in.
3. Free Education and health Care: I have not seen all over the world a country that provides absolute free education with monthly stipends and free health care system to its citizens like is obtainable in Saudi Arabia. Right from the primary school level up to PhD degree, Saudis and hundreds of thousand of foreigners studying in all government established schools are under total free education with monthly stipends and comprehensively free health care system. The cost of running and maintaining such a system can never be overestimated.
4. Financial support: The Kingdom has never for once relented in its financial support to so many Muslim countries and even non Muslim countries of the world. In its scholarship scheme, it has given preference to most populated Muslim countries as well as extended its bilateral bonds to so many of them. Huge sums of money and other items are always been donated by the Kingdom to any Muslim country with afflictions or in need. This same treatment it exercised to even the non Muslim countries too.
In short, the kingdom through these brief four points briefly referred to has contributed a very sound and solid educational model system that is praiseworthy and can be emulated by the world. Nations are to be inclined more to what services they give and provide for the people and not what benefit like taxes etc. they can collect from them. May God continue to bless, guide and protect the Kingdom of Saud Arabia. Ameen. |
Home » Sections » Spotlights » Digital economy 2016
Tax challenges, disruption and the digital economy
Pascal Saint-Amans
Director, OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration
©Serprix
The digital economy is a transformative process, brought about by advances in information and communications technology (ICT) which has made technology cheaper and more powerful, changing business processes and bolstering innovation across all sectors of the economy, including traditional industries. Today, sectors as diverse as retail, media, manufacturing and agriculture are being impacted in some way by the rapid spread of digitalisation. In the broadcasting and media industry, for instance, the expanding role of data through user-generated content and social networking have enabled internet advertising to surpass television as the largest advertising medium.
In other words, “digitalisation” is pervasive, making it very difficult, if not impossible, to ring-fence the digital world from the rest of the economy, including for tax purposes. This is the first finding regarding the tax challenges of the digital economy agreed by all G20 and OECD countries, under the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project. BEPS refers to tax strategies that allow Multinational Enterprises to shift profits away from the locations where the actual economic activity and value creation takes place, into low or no-tax locations.
Action 1 in the 15-point Action Plan to address BEPS, the work on the tax challenges of the digital economy, aimed to consider whether the international tax rules were sufficient to meet the demands arising from new business models and ways of creating value that are emerging with the rise of new technologies.
While finding that the digital economy cannot be separated out from the rest of the economy, it was equally clear that some specific features of the digital economy may exacerbate the risks of base erosion and profit shifting for tax purposes–namely mobility (e.g. intangibles, business functions), reliance on data (and other forms of user input), network effects, and the spread of multi-sided business models.
Thanks to digitalisation, we now see businesses across all sectors having the capacity to design and build their operating models around technological capabilities, with a view to improve flexibility and efficiency and extend their reach into global markets. These advances, coupled with liberalisation of trade policy and reduction in transportation costs, have significantly expanded the ability of certain business models of the digital economy–e.g. electronic commerce, online advertising and cloud computing–to take advantage of BEPS opportunities. The techniques used to achieve BEPS by these businesses however, are generally not different from the ones used in other parts of the economy, and as such, countries agreed that the digital economy does not generate any unique BEPS issues, and that the solutions designed to tackle BEPS practices in the 14 other points of the BEPS Action Plan should suffice to address these concerns.
Second, beyond the issue of BEPS and tax avoidance, the key features of the digital economy raise more systemic challenges for tax policy makers that are generally grouped into three categories–the so-called “broader tax challenges”: (i) the difficulty of collecting VAT/GST in the destination country where goods, services and intangibles are acquired by private consumers from suppliers based overseas which may not have any direct or indirect physical presence in the consumer’s jurisdiction; (ii) the ability of some businesses to earn income from sales from a country with a less significant physical presence in the past, thereby calling into question the relevance of existing rules that look at physical presence when determining tax liabilities; (iii) the ability of some businesses to utilise the contribution of users in their value chain for digital products and services, including through collection and monitoring of data, which raises the issue of how to attribute and value that contribution.
On VAT/GST collection, the project resulted in international agreement on recommendations to allocate the collection of VAT on cross-border B2C supplies to the country where the customer is located. For the remaining two broader tax challenges, the continuing technological developments and business models–the Internet of things, robotics and the “sharing economy”, to name a few–may prove influential and disruptive in the near future, and accordingly, raise questions as to whether the existing paradigm used to determine where economic activities are carried out and where value is generated for income tax purposes continues to be appropriate.
It is still too early to determine whether these challenges are sufficiently critical in scale and impact to justify more fundamental changes of the existing international framework, beyond what is proposed in the package of measures to tackle BEPS endorsed by OECD and G20 in October 2015. Some potential options to address these challenges have been analysed, ranging from a withholding tax on digital sales to a new concept of nexus based on having a “significant economic presence”. In the coming years, the Task Force on the Digital Economy under the Committee on Fiscal Affairs will continue to monitor new developments–both in terms of technologies as well as new tax policy responses governments develop to address them, with a review of the 2015 report on BEPS Action 1 planned for 2020. Needless to say, the stakes in this work are high, and so are the objectives: appropriate policy solutions need to be considered that address these challenges, even while the digital world continues to advance at an exponential rate. In a short period of time, it is possible that we may be confronted with a fully-digital world that disrupts some of the fundamental assumptions of the international tax system.
OECD (2015), Addressing the Tax Challenges of the Digital Economy, Action 1 - 2015 Final Report, OECD/G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Project, OECD Publishing, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264241046-en
OECD (2013), Action Plan on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting, OECD Publishing, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264202719-en
Visit www.oecd.org/tax/beps.htm, www.oecd.org/ctp/beps-actions.htm and www.oecd.org/ctp/consumption/international-vat-gst-guidelines.htm
©OECD Observer No 307 Q3 2016
Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting
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Top risk of stroke for normal-weight adults: Getting under 6 hours of sleep
Mon, 06/11/2012 -- Editor-S
Habitually sleeping less than six hours a night significantly increases the risk of stroke symptoms among middle-age to older adults who are of normal weight and at low risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a study of 5,666 people followed for up to three years.
The participants had no history of stroke, transient ischemic attack, stroke symptoms or high risk for OSA at the start of the study, being presented today at SLEEP 2012. Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham recorded the first stroke symptoms, along with demographic information, stroke risk factors, depression symptoms and various health behaviors.
After adjusting for body-mass index (BMI), they found a strong association with daily sleep periods of less than six hours and a greater incidence of stroke symptoms for middle-age to older adults, even beyond other risk factors. The study found no association between short sleep periods and stroke symptoms among overweight and obese participants.
"In employed middle-aged to older adults, relatively free of major risk factors for stroke such as obesity and sleep-disordered breathing, short sleep duration may exact its own negative influence on stroke development," said lead author Megan Ruiter, PhD. "We speculate that short sleep duration is a precursor to other traditional stroke risk factors, and once these traditional stroke risk factors are present, then perhaps they become stronger risk factors than sleep duration alone."
Further research may support the results, providing a strong argument for increasing physician and public awareness of the impact of sleep as a risk factor for stroke symptoms, especially among persons who appear to have few or no traditional risk factors for stroke, she said.
"Sleep and sleep-related behaviors are highly modifiable with cognitive-behavioral therapy approaches and/or pharmaceutical interventions," Ruiter said. "These results may serve as a preliminary basis for using sleep treatments to prevent the development of stroke."
Ruiter and colleagues collected their data as part of the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, led by George Howard, PhD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health. REGARDS enrolled 30,239 people ages 45 and older between January 2003 and October 2007, and is continuing to follow them for health changes. The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
The abstract "Short sleep predicts stroke symptoms in persons of normal weight" is being presented today at SLEEP 2012, the 26th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) in Boston.
Science news source: American Academy of Sleep Medicine Bookmark or post this science news del.icio.us
more news Related Science News Persons with sleep apnea have twice the risk of suffering a stroke
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Nine Lessons on Making Multi-Family Homes More Resilient
55 Livingston Road, one of Park Property Management’s buildings impacted by Toronto’s 2013 ice storm and power outages.
About 20 years ago, Hardy Stevenson and Associates Limited was part of a team that prepared an aggressive strategy for residential, industrial, commercial and institutional waste reduction, reuse and recycling (3Rs) in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). As the urban planners and social scientists, our role was to both develop and evaluate the effectiveness of the 3Rs policies. The evaluation piece was telling. We realized the proposed residential 3Rs’ policies focused solely on people living in single family homes. Drilling down further, the draft policies were also skewed toward English-speaking, well-educated people with a British heritage, who were middle-aged, fit and moderately affluent.
Given that most Toronto residents live in multiple family housing, do not have a British heritage, are of all ages and have varied domestic situations, education and economic circumstances, it became clear that our report was biased. Why? The team preparing the 3Rs’ policies only saw GTA residents through their own eyes and circumstances.
What does this mean for rethinking sustainable and resilient communities? Our focus across Canada during the last five years has been on planning for sustainable communities and not resilient ones. And, many of the municipal Integrated Community Sustainability Plans (ICSPs) I’ve helped author and I expect many other plans, have the same biases. While broad public consultation tends to improve the representativeness of some Plans, such as the King Township and the Greater Peterborough Area’s ICSPs, this is not enough. Too often ICSPs across Canada recommend a sustainable future as seen through the Steering Committee and consulting team’s world view perspective.
I’ve written elsewhere that social and environmental stress to our urban areas caused by the GTA 2005 power outage, 2013 floods and ice storm give us pause and allow us to think about whether we should give priority to planning for sustainable communities versus planning for resilient ones. A community sustainability plan recommends implementing some of the best ideas about how to improve our social, environmental and economic quality of life in our cities and rural areas. However, when most GTA residents are without power for up to nine days, spending time in idling cars to stay warm, throwing out food and thinking about visiting long-lost relatives who might muster up a warm meal, we really need to shift our thinking to urban and rural resiliency planning.
If we start thinking about planning for resiliency for most urban residents, the first question on our minds should be: how will people in Toronto’s multi-family homes fare? What about people from diverse cultures, age groups and economic circumstances who don’t live in single family homes? And, what lessons can we apply for resiliency planning?
Because they live in rental apartments or condos, most Toronto residents don’t have wood stoves or natural gas fireplaces to help them keep warm. They don’t have to clean up downed branches. But, without electricity, they do have to walk up and down many flights of stairs to reach their front door.
Margaret Herd, Vice President, Residential Property Management, Park Property Management
To better understand where we might begin a conversation about resiliency, we talked to Park Property Management (Park). Park owns and manages 69 buildings across Ontario with the majority being in the GTA. During the 2013 ice storm, three of its buildings were without power for more than one day and two were out for four days. Several of its west end Toronto buildings lost power and experienced flooding during the 2013 flood.
How were Park and its tenants affected? Because Park has resilient practices, its tenants did remarkably well. However, there were challenges, such as providing support to people in the upper floors of high-rises and those who are vulnerable, including a 101 year-old tenant.
Why? Park has corporate management practices and Critical Event Plans that prepare it to deal with social and environmental stress. These plans make it more resilient. Corporate management complies with the Ontario Fire Code, Building Code and other laws applicable to multi-family buildings. However, its property managers and superintendents are also trained to implement the Crisis Event Plan.
What lessons can we learn about building resiliency among residents of multi-family buildings?
1. The Ontario Fire Code requires fire alarm batteries be constantly charged by being hard wired to the electrical system. However, without electricity backup, fire alarm batteries don’t last. As a result, Park needed to assign security staff to actively monitor for fire. Would planning for urban resiliency mean we need to assess the Fire Code in terms of how it performs when cities are without electricity for an extended period of time?
2. Without electricity, boiler rooms went cold and there was the potential for boilers to freeze. Without electricity, during a cold snap the water systems and sprinkler systems were also at risk of freezing. Even if Park drained the water, there was some risk of sump pumps not working.
3. Large multi-family buildings need to have functioning electrical back-up generators. Margaret Herd, Vice President of Residential Property Management for Park stated, “After two GTA power outages in one year, Park decided to implement a five-year plan that would provide backup generators for each building, preferably fueled by natural gas.” Each building’s generator should be able to keep one elevator in service and the fire system operable. While it’s safe to say that adding more fossil-fueled generation is not recommended in any of Canada’s 200 urban sustainability plans, it is a practical recommendation for an urban resiliency plan.
4. Park now sees the need to identify the critical electrical requirements of each building. Supplying electricity to booster pumps to supply water to higher floors, to hallway and stairwell lights and to entry doors is identified as a priority. Current urban sustainability thinking calls for community-based electrical generation and distribution. Given that the Provincial grid was operating with no difficulty, it was community-level electrical distribution that became the problem. Will community-owned electricity generation provide reliability in an urban setting? If we are going to view local electricity generation and distribution through a resiliency lens, should we start by focusing on community electricity demands for which the supply of electricity is critical?
5. The Fire Code requires multi-family apartment building landlords to have a list of people who need assistance in the event of an emergency. Park’s lists are updated monthly. However, the superintendents of each Park building check on vulnerable residents even when there are no emergency situations. They have contact information about next of kin and during the ice storm they helped tenants make phone calls if their telephones didn’t work. Bell Canada land lines worked. Rogers land lines didn’t. Sustainability plans typically suggest that residents make changes in behaviour that will deliver improved social and environmental sustainable outcomes. We can learn from Park that being part of a resilient city means we are expected to take care of our neighbours and those most vulnerable as the primary behaviour for achieving these outcomes.
6. After the 2013 summer floods, Park learned about the importance of supplying tenants with bottled water and glow sticks. Apparently glow sticks are good for both telling rock bands to turn up the volume and lighting up stairwells. During the 2013 ice storm, property managers also had windup flashlights and chargers to allow cell phones to be energized. If you’ve travelled to the developing world, you’d understand how precious these micro conveniences are. Do these developing world devices need to be a fundamental part of a resiliency plan for Canada’s largest city?
7. Park understood that its obligation to tenants extended much deeper than simply providing accommodation. It delivered non-perishable food to the lobby for those tenants who were running out of food. It opened up recreation centres as warming areas in its other buildings with power and encouraged tenants to use them.
8. With respect to road salt, Park was in the same boat as everybody else. Salt supplies sold out across the GTA. Its maintenance crews did what they could to find extra supplies and to use them to help tenants avoid falls. Current thinking about healthy communities tends to require people and municipalities to manage and minimize their use of salt. Does thinking about resiliency mean that we start with the basic premise that applying salt can keep people healthy?
9. As did I, they found that Twitter was an excellent source of communication. However they observed that some municipalities, emergency response organizations and local utilities across the GTA were not active on Twitter. Thus, Park’s property managers couldn’t pass on to their tenants information about how the storm and power outages were being addressed. A significant resiliency lesson is that communications and new forms of social media have become valuable, particularly in an emergency.
What recommendations and advice would Park have for other people living in multi-family housing and other private landlords to improve their responses to social and environmental stress in the future? In general, Park found that because it experienced power losses earlier in the year due to the 2013 floods, the plans put in place served them well during the ice storm later in the year. In terms of resiliency, Margaret Herd, recommends that all landlords develop and adopt Crisis Event Plans. In addition, she states, “We have all of the Plans colour coded. It’s important to get across to building staff that those plans are to be kept current and procedures are to be followed.”
What could the City of Toronto and Toronto Hydro have done to better support tenants in multiple-family homes? Margaret reported, “In our experience, both the City and Toronto Hydro were quite good in supporting Park’s superintendents and property managers.” One building without power with many seniors was located in the Guildwood area of Scarborough. While there was little that the City of Toronto or Toronto Hydro could do on private property, the fact that public sector staff were in constant communication with superintendents and property managers went a long way. “The key was making sure they were talking to someone who knew what was going on,” said Margaret.
What are the lessons for resiliency planning? First, a big shout-out to Park Property Management. Well done. The experience of Park presents lessons for resiliency planning that can be shared across the GTA, particularly for the majority of City of Toronto residents who live in multi-family buildings. Much of its success came down to the desire to exceed the requirements of the Building Code, Fire Code and other regulations. Its team learned about how to be resilient and combined lessons learned by creating a living environment that would protect residents. If we are to move from thinking about ‘sustainable’ communities to thinking about ‘resilient’ communities, there is a lot planners and policy makers can learn.
David Hardy is a Principal of Hardy Stevenson and Associates Limited (HSAL). He is a Registered Professional Planner and trained facilitator and has extensive experience in these areas. Dave has participated in over 125 environmental assessments. He has also facilitated close to 1,000 strategic planning meetings and public consultation plans for public and private clients; conducted multi-stakeholder consultation and mediation in many sectors; and completed environmental planning assignments for a variety of water and waste water projects.
Posted in Communications, Communities, Energy, Management, Planning, Sustainability | Tagged apartment dwellers, apartment tenants, community resiliency, condominiums, emergency planning., Guildwood, resiliency, resiliency versus sustainability, socio-economic, Toronto ice storm | 1 Comment
If there is a ‘positive’ about the July 2005 North Eastern power outage, 2013 Toronto flood and recent Southern Ontario ice storm with power outages, it is, they allow the opportunity to rethink how we can build sustainable and resilient societies. Because these events stress the social and natural environment, they allow us to assess our current approach to planning for sustainability. We can also draw conclusions about how different social and environmental planning might be if seen through the lens of ‘resiliency,’ in addition to sustainability.
Over the last five years, the Government of Canada reallocated the Gas Tax to allow municipalities to develop Integrated Community Sustainability Plans (ICSPs). While I haven’t done a count, I believe 200 municipalities across Canada completed such Plans. Hardy Stevenson and Associates Limited (HSAL) worked with LURA Consulting to complete Sustainability Plans for four municipalities.
Toronto has neither an ICSP nor a Resiliency Plan. If it did, would an Integrated Community Sustainability Plan or Resiliency Plan have helped the City avoid social and environmental disruption?
If the sustainability concepts implemented elsewhere were applied in Toronto, would it have made a difference? What would change if Toronto implemented the same sustainability concepts adopted by other municipalities, such as the Greater Peterborough Area?
The Greater Peterborough Area (GPA) represents a large population (but nowhere near that of Toronto) and captures a large geographic area (twice that of Toronto). Its Sustainability Plan is also current and sets out the sustainability purposes that are typical of these plans across Canada. The Plan sets out, “Goals, Strategic Directions, and Actions to foster healthy environments, people, and economies by guiding the way to reducing environmental impacts, strengthening social networks, and increasing economic prosperity.”
ICSPs look at sustainability through themes. For the GPA, the themes are organized into three pillars: economic, environmental, and social/cultural. While the GPA Plan doesn’t address resiliency, what would a Plan for Southern Ontario look like if it did? If Toronto started down the path of creating a Resiliency Plan what lessons could Torontonians learn from the power outages, floods and ice storms? Here are a few of my observations starting with a big picture shout out.
In spite of the leadership challenges facing Toronto specifically, as well as Southern Ontario Townships, Cities and the Province in general throughout 2013, Mayor Ford, other Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), Southern Ontario Mayors and Councillors, Premier Wynne and MPPs stepped up, showed leadership and performed well.
Municipal staff and Hydro staff across Southern Ontario were excellent. They deserve our full praise.
But what did we learn? If we use the goals of the Peterborough Sustainability Plan as a touchstone, what could we do to improve resiliency?
1. Agriculture & Local Food – We will feed ourselves sustainably with local, healthy foods.
While there is no count on tonnage wasted, it’s clear that the floods, ice storm and related power outages resulted in many people throwing out spoiled food. Just look at the line up for food cards. Retailers and smaller food stores also experienced food spoilage. The outages didn’t last long enough for people to experience starvation and water supplies were always available. However, over the holiday season there were lots of examples of neighbours and families sharing meals. People reverted to eating canned and packaged foods, as the ‘local, healthy foods’ were not to be found. Many people experienced challenges on how to cook the food. While eating locally from local farmers markets is a sustainable option, during an ice storm it is not a resilient option. Does resiliency mean that we take precautionary steps to make sure local foods stores have power and stay open during times of social and environmental stress? Do we inform people earlier to use nature’s natural refrigerator by placing the food in a secure location outside?
2. Climate Change – We will reduce our contributions to climate change, while increasing our ability to adapt to climate change conditions.
There will be many arguments about whether the floods and ice storms are caused by climate change. However, after several visits to China and witnessing the coal-fired pollution there, I added to my thinking about climate change. The worse smog day in Ontario generates many times less pollution than the best day in Shanghai. Ontario’s coal plants are shut down and through Metrolinx we, at least, have a plan for reducing emissions from internal combustion engines. We all share the same atmosphere. As a resiliency action, wouldn’t it be more productive for Ontario’s environmentalists to stand beside the Falun Gong protesters at the Chinese Embassy?
3. Economic Development & Employment – We will create and retain prosperity by providing investment and employment opportunities.
While the holiday season Ice Storm came at a time when many people were off work, there were still thousands of people across Southern Ontario who lost pay because they could not make it to work. People like me who develop Sustainability Plans tend to come up with rather elitist solutions: they can work from home. However, the working poor do not work from home. They lose paid time. Would a resilient solution open the potential for the working poor to make up the time or perhaps get income support due to unique climate events beyond their control?
In terms of investment and employment, parts of the GTHA economy were quite active during the ice storm. Public sector staff got overtime, double and triple time. In my opinion, every dollar on their pay cheque is deserved. In relation to the private sector, I was happy to pay a plumber to repair a burst pipe in my home on Boxing Day at double time. While he was helping our family, he was turning down work. The electricians, tree and debris removal firms were also busy. Resiliency was occurring in the form of urban renewal. The question is, are there parts of our build form (homes, stores, roads, schools and other facilities) that can be strengthened to improve resiliency before the next ice storm?
4. Energy – We will minimize the amount of energy we use and maximize the production of local, dependable sources of renewable energy.
While the summer of 2005 power outage meant people largely lost air conditioning and electrical energy, it was the ice storm that had the greatest implications for resiliency. It was a sustainability sadists dream. Natural gas-fired furnaces are a major local source of climate emissions and they didn’t work. People were forced to minimize the amount of energy they used. The power was out for up to nine days for thousands of people during a Southern Ontario cold snap.
People certainly turned to producing local dependable energy, but it was not renewable. Even though the Provincial energy grid was up and running the whole time of the 2013 Ice Storm, it was the local electrical distribution system that experienced problems. As a consequence, Southern Ontario quickly became a fossil fuel energy system. Many lucky homeowners were able to keep warm by using gas and wood burning fireplaces (most found themselves with a lawn full of wood from downed tree branches). Where installed, some people used gas-fired generators to produce electricity. I expect that there will be quite a demand for the installation of home-based, gas-fired electrical generators over the next few months. The majority of Toronto residents live in apartments and had no way of generating their own heat. Others learned that they owned something called an ‘electrical stand pipe’ that they were responsible for maintaining and repairing.
Current thinking about sustainable energy points to adopting neighbourhood-generated electricity from wind, solar and natural gas co-generation. These sustainability options do not include the installation of a gas-fired electric generator in each home and a diesel-fired back-up generator at each apartment building. But, would these generators be a resilient option? Given weather conditions and the size of the demand, wind and solar would have been ineffective. Natural gas generated electricity would have been the resilient option, but only if it included an underground electrical distribution line to each home.
5. Healthy Communities – We will be a community where everyone has the opportunity and support to achieve their physical, social, mental, emotional and spiritual potential.
The Greater Peterborough Area’s sustainable goal for a healthy community is lofty. Peel Region and other Regional Municipalities are on the forefront of the trend to rethinking how to build healthy communities through land-use planning. That said, what did we see during the ice storm? On day one, Sunnybrook and East York General Hospital were both without power. Calls to City of Toronto Emergency Services spiked to an all-time high. People experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning increased fivefold. Many people couldn’t receive phone messages or make outgoing calls because:
1) They no longer had land lines and they had no electricity to charge their cell phones or computers;
2) They subscribed to a phone company that was not able to energize its customers’ phone lines to enable telephone calls.
If we view urban and rural planning through a sustainability lens, it involves helping people achieve their full health potential. If we view urban and rural planning through a resiliency lens, it means: ensuring the technology that keeps hospitals open works; teaching people not to bring combustion sources indoors; being more rigorous in installing carbon monoxide protectors; and informing people about the need to have a properly functioning land line.
6. Natural Assets – We will preserve, enhance and restore our natural assets to maintain ecological health.
Many urban ICSPs see enhancing and restoring natural assets, as preserving forested areas, maintaining wetlands, building trails and planting more trees in urban areas. Given the significant social and economic effect of trees falling on homes, cars, power lines and across roadways during the ice storm, would a ‘resiliency plan’ require rethinking how we approach our urban and rural tree canopy?
People living in rural areas of Ontario tend to be more understanding of the need for Hydro crews to cut back the tree canopy from power lines and roads. People in the City of Toronto appear to have taken fewer precautions. Indeed Toronto calls itself a “City within a Forest.” If we wanted to become resilient city, would we start asking questions about how we best manage the forest? The Eastern Ontario Model forest has a lot to teach the people of the GTHA as they were a huge source of expertise during the Eastern Ontario ice storm. For example, birch trees and cedars tend to be affected more by ice. Where are these trees closer to power lines? Trees don’t live forever. Are many of the city’s trees reaching the point when they will be falling down anyways? Would resiliency mean we should be replacing these trees with new trees, particularly where they are close to major roads or power lines?
7. Transportation – We will have an accessible transportation network that places priority on active and efficient modes of transportation.
While the transit departments of Southern Ontario municipalities did an admirable job of keeping the fleet on the road/ rails and the road systems operating, there were gaps during both the summer power failure and winter ice storm. Toronto’s subway and streetcar system were out of commission for at least a day for some runs. There were about 500 street intersections where the traffic signals didn’t work for some time during the ice storm and none of them worked when power failed in 2005. There were few automobile accidents in the ice storm, as I expect people already had a cautious winter driving mindset. However, the summer power outage saw a significant rise in accidents. I listened to friends say: “I forgot there were traffic lights at that intersection so I sailed right through.”
Integrated Community Sustainability Plans across Ontario tend to see sustainability as:
Urban planning that locates transportation dependent land uses in closer proximity
Bike paths and trails
If we started to think about resiliency, would we be planning for a power back-up that would allow electricity for a four-way red flashing light at intersections? Do we accelerate options that strengthen the existing transit system? Are there marginal operating improvements that may not be cost effective under normal operating conditions, but would be a prudent resiliency expenditure under social and environmental stress?
When we have a society under social and environmental stress, we are able to test assumptions and plans for how we want to live in a sustainable manner. The recent ice storm, earlier power outages and floods enable us to consider whether municipal sustainability plans should be reconsidered through the lens of resiliency planning.
What do you think? What’s your response to questions posed in this post? Do you have other observations about rethinking Toronto’s resiliency?
’ In honour of World Town Planning Day on November 8, I’d like to highlight a couple of city changing insights beyond the ‘bricks and mortar’ projects that I think helped build the City of Toronto.
My passion has always focused on how urban change affects people and vice versa. And, that’s why Hardy Stevenson and Associates Limited (HSAL) pays so much attention to public consultation and the social, cultural and socioeconomic impacts of projects.
First spotlight on socio-economic and cultural changes in the suburbs
Early in my career, I was actively involved with the Scarborough and then Metro Social Planning Council. The Metro Social Planning Council published what I felt was a ground breaking “Suburbs in Transition” report in the late 1970s. This report prompted many of us to change our thinking about how our City was growing differently than its US urban counterparts. In contrast to the poverty in the inner core of US cities, it highlighted how Toronto’s suburbs were becoming immigrant reception centres with working class characteristics.
Prior to this report, planners directed city building investment dollars toward the inner City, which is where they considered most poverty existed. Fortunately, these perceptions are changing but slowly. It’s still hard to get people to see that denying the suburbs the same resources that wealthy core Toronto neighbourhoods benefit from, such as subway transit, can hinder socio-economic advancement across the City.
Fast forward to a recent weekend in mid-October when our Rotary Club sponsored a career education workshop for 22 high-achieving Scarborough secondary school students, where I spoke to them about careers in urban planning. In the 1960s to 1980s, most students attending this type of educational event would have had European backgrounds. This year, all the students had South Asian or Caribbean roots. I asked the kids if any had parents who were professionals or business owners. Only one student put her hand up and her mom owned a restaurant. All of their parents are essentially striving to help their children have a better life.
When I speak in other cities I point out that as Torontonians, we take pride in our multicultural diversity. We don’t have race riots, sectarian car bombings or inner city ghettos. Toronto (from the Rouge River to Etobicoke Creek boundary) has all races, creeds and cultures working together as city builders to create a better life for their children. Efforts are made to be inclusive. Shouldn’t all cities be like this?
Affordable living for everyone
Second, in the 1970s, I was also actively involved with the Federation of Metro Tenants and sat on the board for a short while before Jack Layton took over as President.
The City was becoming like many US, European and Asian cities where the rental housing market was spinning out of control and rents were in some instances going up 25 to 75 per cent in one year. There were a number of us ‘community organizers’ who helped to organize tenant associations across Toronto and in the suburbs. (North York had its own tenant Council, which became quite powerful.) Together they pressured the Province to bring in ‘Rent Control’ and a full package of tenant rights. While work must continue, Rent Control meant that the City would no longer be ‘gutted’ of affordable housing.
The role of the urban planner must extend beyond the bricks and mortar by taking steps to ensure that a broad spectrum of people, with varied socioeconomic backgrounds and cultures, can thrive for the long-term.
Happy World Town Planning Day to all my colleagues, particularly those who pursue bold, people-focused initiatives that make their cities affordable and viable places for everyone to enjoy a high quality of life.
Integrated Human Services Plans Deliver Major Social and Economic Benefits to Municipalities
When you add costs, public health, community safety, education, social and other human services are typically a municipality’s largest budget item. Canada‐wide research by Hardy Stevenson and Associates Limited (HSAL) found that integrating Human Services Plans with growth management plans, opens doors to improved municipal governance and program performance across a broad range of areas.
Our research and experience show a well‐thought through Human Services Plan (including social services) can:
Improve the effectiveness of human services delivery – The process of developing a Human Services Plan can broaden thinking and encourage cross‐ departmental (Treasury, Works, Planning and Community Services) understanding and collaboration to achieve human service goals.
Encourage economic investment – Companies deciding where to locate and their employees are looking for a municipal commitment to provide a high quality of life for all residents (e.g. early childhood education, immigration support, preventative health care).
Support Triple Bottom Line (TBL) analysis ‐ Human Services Plans provide social data important for TBL assessments (the formal assessment of economic, environmental and social or societal implications of municipal policy decisions).
Improve success of funding requests ‐ Foundations and senior levels of government are more likely to fund collaborative funding requests than multiple, less coordinated requests from organizations with overlapping mandates. A Human Services Plan becomes the action plan supported by the broader community and thereby increases the likelihood of successful funding.
Can a well-thought through Human Services Plan enhance your growing municipality’s governance and performance in one of these ways? If so, please contact us to learn how we can provide the expertise to help you achieve your objectives.
(Note: A version of this article was initially published in HSAL’s Social and Environmental Assessment Bulletin, Summer, 2008 but its principles are still relevant today.)
Posted in Communities, Consultation, Planning, Socio-Economic Impact Analysis, Sustainability | Tagged community relations, economic investment, funding, governance, human services, municipal government, municipal service delivery, municipalities, public consultation, social services
A Strain on Safety: Power Plant Works to Mitigate E. coli at Cherry Beach
Posted on July 24, 2013 by lesliehetherington
This article was written by Leslie Hetherington and first appeared in the July/August, 2013 issue of Water Canada. It is re-printed here with permission.
On a summer day, residents and tourists often flock to one of Toronto’s many Lake Ontario beaches. However, leisure activities can be curtailed by high levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the lake water. Although most E. coli strains are harmless, some can cause serious health problems to humans who swallow them or swim in water that has been contaminated by them. To protect the public, Ontario warns against swimming when tests show 100 E. coli-colony-forming units per 100 millilitres (CFU/100 mL) of water at a specific beach and has set this value as a Provincial Water Quality Objective (PWQO).
As a local natural gas-fired power plant with a community focus and an active ecological sustainability strategy, the Portlands Energy Centre (PEC) is well aware of the threats E. coli pose to nearby Cherry Beach, an eco-labelled Blue Flag beach for its adherence to strict global standards.
The 550-megawatt (MW) PEC was built in 2008 to meet 25 per cent of Toronto’s electricity needs, primarily during peak demand times, and offset emissions from Ontario’s coal-fired generating stations. During operation, it takes water from Toronto Harbour’s ship channel and turning basin for generation processes and cooling, treats it on site, then releases it into the discharge channel and back to Lake Ontario’s Outer Harbour.
Some E. coli in sanitary sewer and stormwater runoff from Toronto neighbourhoods north of the plant enters the ship channel and turning basin from two of the city’s overflows and then enters PEC’s water intake. From there, it may be inadvertently transferred to the Outer Harbour through normal discharge of cooling water, and could potentially reach the popular Cherry Beach.
As part of its Certificate of Approval for water permits, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) requires the PEC to implement an E. coli control program for the water it uses, but the plant’s management chose to go further.
In 2008, it hired EcoMetrix Inc., an environmental consulting firm, and embarked on a comprehensive four-year E. coli monitoring program during the summer months that included the ship channel, the discharge channel, the intake basin, the Outer Harbour, Cherry Beach, and the Eastern Gap.
During the first summer, the firm established a baseline by measuring E. coli concentrations before the plant was operational. As expected, these data revealed no direct relationship between E. coli in the discharge channel or the ship channel during pre- operations.
The consulting firm followed this research in 2009 by looking for relationships between E. coli levels and various aspects of the plant operations. This included studying the effects of operational factors, including volume and temperature of the cooling water intake discharge flows. The team also studied how rainfall influenced E. coli concentrations. In the third summer, team members collected daily samples for 22 weeks to research potential associations between E. coli in cooling water effluent and E. coli at Cherry Beach.
Efforts also included measuring E. coli levels throughout the Outer Harbour after significant rainfall events to narrow down the most probable source of E. coli that could potentially impact Cherry Beach. Findings suggested that the Keating Channel running from the Don River, via the Eastern Gap, was the most likely source of E. coli to affect the popular beach.
Monitoring studies found that changes to flow volume and water temperature caused by plant operations did not appear to influence E. coli concentration in the cooling water effluent. Similarly, E. coli levels in the discharge water were generally the same as those in the intake basin. From this they concluded that on its own, discharged water from the plant was unlikely to increase E. coli concentrations at Cherry Beach.
The same could not be said for precipitation. “We saw E. coli concentrations typically spike to 3,600 to 8,700 CFU/100 mL, during the two to seven hours after we received at least 10 millimetres (mm) of rain within a 24-hour period,” explains Robert J. Eakins, an associate and senior fisheries ecologist at EcoMetrix. “Our modelling studies further indicated that when these E. coli levels reach 3,500 CFU/100 mL, they could potentially cause corresponding levels at Cherry Beach to rise above 100 CFU/100 mL.”
More importantly, in 2011, the team began to test the effectiveness of using a specialized hyper chlorination process to treat the cooling water effluent to reduce E. coli in it. They pumped a small amount of sodium hypochlorite into the effluent, followed by sodium bisulfate to neutralize and reduce chlorine concentrations to levels below 0.01 milligrams per litre before it’s discharged, as specified in the Certificate of Approval. The impact was almost immediate; E. coli levels in the effluent decreased by approximately 90 per cent within five seconds of treatment.
“With these results, we began to ask what steps we could take to treat more than the mandated amount of water we use and create farther reaching benefits,” says Curtis Mahoney, general manager at PEC. “We coordinated with the City of Toronto and the MOE to implement a larger-scale control program to mitigate E. coli that threatens Cherry Beach and help maintain Blue Flag swimming conditions, even during seasonal periods of heavy rainfall.”
Building on four years of research, the team developed an E. coli control program for 2012 and implemented it during the June to Labour Day beach season. Each treatment was triggered by a rainfall in excess of 10 mm within 24 hours, so E. coli was reduced when concentrations were potentially high. Treatment began once the rainfall threshold was reached and continued for 24 hours after the rain had stopped. Since evaluation was a priority, E. coli levels were carefully monitored with water tested from both the plant’s intake and discharge waters.
Results were promising, showing chlorination significantly reduced E. coli concentrations in the effluent relative to the levels measured in the intake water. In fact, E. coli levels in the effluent were usually well below the PWQO of 100 CFU/100 mL after treatment. Furthermore, Cherry Beach was only posted as unsafe for two days in 2012, compared to an average of six days during the previous five years.
This summer, the team plans to collect hourly samples before, during, and after significant rainfall events to explore potential program refinements, such as shortening the duration of each chlorination treatment.
With PEC’s program and concerted efforts from other organizations, this summer should offer residents and tourists many carefree hours enjoying Toronto’s Cherry Beach.
Since 2008, Hardy Stevenson and Associates Limited (HSAL) has been working with the Portlands Energy Centre on its ecological sustainability strategy, as well as its communications and stakeholder relations. To learn how HSAL can advance your organization’s communication goals, visit www.hardystevenson.com.
Posted in Communications, Communities, Consultation, Energy, Sustainability | Tagged Blue Flag beaches, Cherry Beach, E. coli mitigation, Portlands Energy Centre, social responsibility, Toronto beaches, toxic water management
Environmentally Yours on World Environment Day
Posted on June 5, 2013 by Hardy Stevenson and Associates Limited
In recognition of World Environment Day, we are highlighting a link to a recent Macleans article: Environmentally Yours, as featured in the April 29 issue of Macleans, and posted on the Portlands Energy Centre (PEC) website.
Written by award-winning Canadian writer Gabrielle Bauer, this feature provides a comprehensive overview of the global state of the environment, Canada’s perspectives and initiatives and what individuals can do to help.
We worked with PEC to convey its story, which is cited among others from Canadian organizations embracing sustainability. (For more about PEC and other sustainable power plants, check its Sustainable Power Plants site.)
Posted in Communications, Communities, Energy, Sustainability | Tagged emissions, environment, greenhouse gases, honey bees, social responsibility, sustainability
Power Plants and Communities: Rethinking the Relationship
Following the break-up of Ontario Hydro in the late ‘90s, provincial energy policy migrated to the Premier’s office. This, tightly centralized decision-making is reminiscent of the circumstances almost a century earlier when Sir Adam Beck led protests at Queen’s Park. Beck’s cry for ‘Power for the People’ was a demand that an independent body take into account broad public interest when deciding provincial energy policy. Whether it is a wind, solar, nuclear, biomass or natural gas plant, energy facility plant developers and local communities compete for political decisions that will favour their interests.
Land-use and environmental planners play a significant role in the review and approval of electric power plants for most sources of generation. Their involvement can include completing environmental assessments as experts and reviewers, site selection, site plan approval, land use approvals and advising councils regarding the appropriateness of power plants as a land use. Over the last few years, policy, legislation and regulations pertaining to power plant siting have shifted.
Challenge of current relationships
As a proposed land use, all forms of energy generation pose challenges. While municipal approval requirements have largely been removed for wind and solar projects under amendments to the Green Energy Act, public concerns have not abated for some proposed developments. Traditional fossil and nuclear plants require approval under a range of municipal, provincial and federal acts and …..
Download PDF of complete article, which was written by Dave Hardy, MICP, RPP, first appeared in The Ontario Planning Journal, May, 2013 issue, and is re-printed here with permission.
Since 2008, Hardy Stevenson and Associates Limited (HSAL) has been working with the Portlands Energy Centre on its communications, including its stakeholder relations, as well as its ecological sustainability strategy. This experience, prompted us to write the attached article.
Posted in Communications, Communities, Consultation, Energy, Management, Planning, Politics, Sustainability | Tagged community relations, energy sector, natural gas power plants, power plants, power plants and communities, reputation management, stakeholder relations | 2 Comments
This opinion editorial (Op Ed) first appeared on April 25, 2013 in the Telegraph-Journal, Saint John, New Brunswick, and is re-printed here with permission.
Dave Hardy, president of Hardy Stevenson and Associates Limited, believes that the Benefits Blueprint drawn up to combat ‘boom and bust’ in the province still has merit as a way to plan for and secure economic growth. Photo: Peter Walsh/Telegraph-Journal archive.
A generation ago, urban and rural planners worried about “boom bust” effects associated with large mining, energy and infrastructure projects. We observed people, money and machinery coming to communities that were unprepared to address rapid growth during the construction stages and unable to cope with the economic decline and out-migration that often follows construction. These effects also occurred when a single-industry community saw its workforce being laid off due to a company’s changing economic circumstances.
While we still have examples, such as in the early days of Fort McMurray, Alberta, we’ve learned much about how to manage growth. Today, most communities across northern Canada and other high growth areas gather information about a company’s plans well in advance. They identify what community plans and projects need to be in place to foster “best outcomes” for residents. In some instances, they negotiate and sign Impact Benefit Agreements with project proponents. In other cases, they leverage the boost to municipal and provincial tax coffers.
Today’s best examples feature communities that have not only prepared themselves to be resilient, but have embraced economic opportunities as they occurred, and thrived. There is no boom and bust. Instead, there is steady, predictable and managed social and economic development. Infrastructure and institutions expand as the economy expands. Moreover, benefits accrue to all sectors of society, including those people most in need.
In 2006, Saint John area residents and the province faced a watershed moment. Major investments were planned and underway, including a new potash mine in Sussex, a liquefied natural gas facility and pipeline in Saint John, the refurbishment of the New Brunswick Power Point Lepreau Generating Station and a possible second nuclear reactor. The most significant of these was a second oil refinery in Saint John. To plan for effective growth, community leaders developed a “Benefits Blueprint,” which I worked on. The Benefits Blueprint was just that: an action plan that would manage a period of transformative growth and energize sustainable communities across the province.
I believe the Benefits Blueprint got it right and still has merit. The Summary of Phase 1 Findings states,“the ultimate goal is clear: the growth must be about people. We must ensure that everyone in every part of New Brunswick, benefits.”
The unique and most important characteristic of the Benefits Blueprint is its focus on integrated planning. It outlines a process for ensuring growth happens in such a way that benefits the most people across the province of New Brunswick. I’m particularly proud that the Benefits Blueprint considered how to ensure the province’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged citizens would benefit. In addition to ensuring the host communities would be well equipped to address growth, the Benefits Blueprint would set the stage for generations of opportunity.
The process of identifying challenges and priorities was also notable. The Benefits Blueprint brought together a diverse group of individuals and organizations from throughout the Saint John community and the province who shared a common vision – making their community a better place to live, work and play. Today I see that balanced network approach through the True Growth 2.0 initiative.
Community leaders functioned as a working group. A larger advisory forum was established. Individual citizens, community groups and different levels of government were consulted on how to best achieve social and economic transformation.
The Benefits Blueprint was completed in 2008 and continues to be one of the world’s best examples of such a plan. In fact, the Benefits Blueprint won the IPAC Deloitte Public Sector Leadership Silver Medal for Enterprise Saint John in 2010.
Other communities have since taken parts of the Benefit Blueprint and adopted it for their own purposes. For example, the blueprint’s community “action plans” architecture was recently examined by the Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation in Ontario for its Integrated Community Sustainability Plan. As a Canadian model for managing growth, the Benefits Blueprint was, in some ways, ahead of its time.
Innovation was centred on the recognition that economic growth and its resulting benefits and challenges are a shared community responsibility. The Benefits Blueprint recognized that the management of change must be more than the responsibility of government or a single economic development agency. Then, as now, everyone needs to play a role in making growth happen and ensuring the rising tide raises all boats.
In 2009, the timing was not right for proceeding with the Eider Rock Refinery, which was the core project driving economic development. Yet, work towards greater social and economic development did not stop. Saint John area communities have since made important advances in various sectors including information, communications and technology; energy and advanced manufacturing; health and life sciences; and tourism, based on the True Growth 2.0 strategy.
Five years out, the Benefits Blueprint continues to be the key to both local and province-wide prosperity. With the potential opportunity to refine oil from western Canada, it may now be time to revisit the Benefits Blueprint to ensure that all residents of Saint John and New Brunswick benefit.
David Hardy is a Principal of Hardy Stevenson and Associates Limited (HSAL). He is a Registered Professional Planner and trained facilitator and has extensive experience in all of these areas. Dave has participated in over 75 environmental assessments. He has also facilitated close to 1,000 strategic planning meetings and public consultation plans for public and private clients; conducted multi-stakeholder consultation and mediation in numerous sectors; and completed environmental planning assignments for a variety of water and waste water projects.
Honouring Our Forests and their Precious Values on World Forestry Day
Posted on March 20, 2013 by lesliehetherington
Our forests embody a wide range of values, which provide diverse benefits. Historically, the commercial or market value of natural resources has been easier to identify than the non-market values.
When we make policy decisions affecting our forests’ future, how do we know whether we have adequately accounted for “all” the values attributable to them? Do we know if we have encouraged efficient allocation and use of resources, protected limited resources and effectively promoted conservation?
These questions were a starting point when HSAL was retained by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, several years ago after it passed the Crown Forest Sustainability Act.
Our mandate was to provide extensive background research on the non-commercial value of forests, including a colloquium think-tank of field experts in ethics, accounting, First Nation spirituality and theology. From this data, we provided recommendations that played an essential role informing Ontario forest policy decisions, which were central to the Province’s eco-system and economic health, forestry sector’s viability and our communities’ well-being, particularly in the north.
For instance, we identified the need to look holistically at the forest ecosystem as encompassing primarily natural systems, with economic systems and social systems as component parts. Based on extensive landscape data, we also recommended the need for: accounting and evaluation systems to support forest policy decision-making to be guided by Core Principles to encompass intrinsic values; institutional and structural change to establish a Provincial network to enable local, community-based decision making.
At the onset, a literature review and public consultation identified the following values:
Intrinsic Values – the value something has in itself, independent of its value to any other being. For example, if something can be damaged or harmed, it has some value, and this value is independent of, for example, its usefulness to other beings
Spiritual Values – the value attached to something by people because of its importance to their spiritual and cultural sense of identity (e.g., special relationship of First Nations people to the land). It would also include our aesthetic response to the forest
Ecological Values – the value attached to the importance of maintaining forest biodiversity to ensure overall ecosystem health and human survival
Community Values – this value is central to understanding the sense of community identity, community cohesion and the quality of life in many northern forest communities — the northern Ontario ‘sense of cooperation’
Existence Value – the value attached to the satisfaction people obtain from an amenity for various reasons other than their expected personal use. In other words, the satisfaction or peace of mind which comes just from knowing that a natural feature, such as a forest, exists independently of our experience or use of it.’
These values set the stage for a much needed broader consideration of their linkages, divergences and place within a full spectrum of forest values. Integral to this was colloquium participants’ belief that “all forest planning must address the need to Avoid Irrecoverable Harm to the forest ecosystem in the short and long term.”
Additional dialogue and research led to development of recommended Core Principles to preserve ecosystem integrity and the following relevant goals:
To sustain the health and integrity of ecosystems as a whole (including human processes, economics and health).
To sustain the biological diversity of our natural heritage.
To sustain the biological productivity of the natural system.
To sustain natural ecological processes.
To promote environmental education so that the people of Ontario will understand these goals.
We also recommended that these principles explicitly acknowledge the importance of, and accord equal status to the following Core Values:
The well-being of future generations (the First Nation principle of a seven generation time-line is recommended)
The well-being of individuals and local communities
The well-being of forests
The well-being of the forest economy
Many of the policy decisions initiated by our Precious Values Report still stand. The above Core Principles and Core Values are also as relevant today – World Forestry Day, 2013.
Check our website to learn more about our forestry work experience or how our public consultation, environmental or socio-economic impact assessment expertise can meet your needs.
Leslie Hetherington is Communications Director at Hardy Stevenson and Associates Limited. She is an award-winning, Accredited PR Practitioner (APR) and a past president of the Toronto chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Leslie’s project experience includes integrated communications planning and implementation through traditional and online channels for diverse mandates, from managing reputations to stimulating economic development in Canada’s North. Skills include stakeholder and media relations, social media marketing, website development, event management and copy writing.
Posted in Communications, Consultation, Management, Planning, Politics, Sustainability | Tagged consultation, environment, environmental assessment, forest ecosystem, forestry, government relations, landscape data, policy, public engagement, research, sustainability, world forestry day
How to Move Your Home Renovation Forward with Municipal Approvals
You finally have enough saved to start that home renovation. You are ready to build the extension and drive in the first nail. Before breaking a sweat you decide to contact your friend to lend a hand. You share your exciting plans with him and he informs you that you may need permission − not from your family − but from your municipality. Where do you start?
Your friend explains that depending on the nature of your project, you will likely need a building permit from the municipality and will need to apply for a variance from the local Committee of Adjustment (CoA). To appear before the CoA, you will need to complete a CoA application and include a description of your proposal and a review of the Zoning By-law, among other things.
A Zoning By-law is a municipal regulation that controls the use of land in a community. If a land use, such as a single family home, is prohibited by the Zoning By-law then it is not allowed. The Zoning By-law also establishes more specific requirements, including exactly where buildings and other structures can be located, lot size and dimension, building height and setbacks from the street. In a practical sense, the Zoning By-law dictates what you can do on your property. You will also need an authorization form signed by all registered owners of your property, have to pay an application fee and need to prepare scaled plans of your proposal for review. It is also advisable for you to obtain a ‘preliminary project review/pre-application applicable law review’ to identify all aspects of your proposal that don’t comply with the Zoning By-law and to determine if other approvals are required.
Unless you are an urban planner, architect, property developer, municipal planning lawyer or have been involved in a construction project that requires municipal permitting before, you are likely unfamiliar with the municipal development approvals process.
A CoA is appointed by municipal council. It is authorized by the Ontario Planning Act to grant minor variances from the provisions of the Zoning By-law, to permit extensions, enlargements or variations of existing legal non-conforming uses, and give consent to a land owner who wishes to sell, convey or transfer an interest part of their land. The CoA is also authorized to provide consent for terms of an agreement, such as a mortgage, easement or lease that commits land to a use for a period exceeding 21 years. And the CoA has the authority to issue a “certificate of validation” and to give “approval of a foreclosure of or an exercise of a power of sale in a mortgage or charge.”
If you are appearing before the CoA for your renovation project, you are likely seeking approval for a minor variance from the Zoning By-law or permission to extend or enlarge a legal non-conforming use. As seeking approvals for extending or enlarging legal non-conforming uses can be complex, I will limit this post’s focus to minor variances.
If for example, you plan to enlarge your kitchen and this involves moving an exterior wall closer to your neighbour’s property than the minimum 0.5 metre side yard separation required by the Zoning By-law, you cannot obtain a building permit for construction without first applying to, and receiving, a minor variance from Zoning By-law, through the CoA.
How do you maximize your chances of success at a CoA meeting about your minor variance application? Here are some key steps:
1. Educate yourself – Go to your Municipality’s website and review the CoA’s role, hearing procedures and authority. Next, review the Zoning By-law for your location and familiarize yourself with the requirements. Finally, review the Official Plan to gain a better understanding of your municipality’s urban growth and development philosophy. The information you learn will be invaluable.
2. Consult your local councillor and municipality – If you haven’t done so already, speak with the municipal building and planning departments. They can give you further guidance, input and clarification about your project and CoA procedures. Alternatively, consider retaining a professional, such as a land use planner, to represent you at the CoA meeting. Land use planners routinely deal with CoA meetings and are familiar with CoA procedures, as well as planning legislation and regulations.
Next, talk to your local municipal councillor about your project − from constructing a garage or bedroom to extending your kitchen or constructing a gazebo in your backyard. Councillors are familiar with neighbourhood sensitivities and will be able to shed light on where the opposition, if any, will come from. They also understand CoA procedures and may be able to provide good advice. Be sure to ask them what you can do to ensure your project is most suitable for your neighbourhood. Your councillor will appreciate your professionalism and candor. It will also prepare them to respond to your neighbour’s potential concerns. Of course, you will then heed the councillor’s advice, present yourself professionally and express a genuine concern for your neighbours’ interests and how your project fits the neighbourhood’s character.
3. Attend a CoA meeting in advance – If you have time, attend a CoA meeting. A schedule should be posted on your municipality’s website but if not, contact them and inquire. At the meeting, pay attention to the process, the questions the CoA asks, as well as any concerns and recommendations it raises. Also consider the issues, concerns and recommendations voiced by the public. Take notes and think about how this information applies to your project.
The CoA schedule typically cites the purpose or nature of the application; find an application for a project similar to yours and attend that meeting. CoA applications are available for public review. It is also a good idea to review existing applications on file to get a sense of the information provided by applicants with similar projects.
4. Share your proposed project – Honesty is the best policy. Discuss your plans with your neighbours and other homeowners on your street. It is always best to be transparent about your plans, particularly with the people who may be directly affected by your project.
Legally, the Planning Act requires municipalities to notify all registered property owners within 60 metres of your property about your CoA application. It’s best for these people hear about your project from you early on, rather than being surprised by a legal notice from your municipality.
When meeting with your neighbours, discuss any issues they might have and try to resolve as many of their concerns as possible. This is easier said than done and depends on the relationship you have with your neighbours, but it doesn’t hurt to try in good faith.
The CoA will be pleased you sought input from your neighbours, who in turn, will appreciate your willingness to hear their perspective.
5. Prepare a presentation – Be ready to provide an overview of your proposal at the CoA meeting and to articulate why you believe it should be granted approval. Before approving a Minor Variance, the CoA must satisfy itself that the proposal meets the four tests in the Planning Act pursuant to section 45(1). State how your proposal satisfies each of the tests.
The four tests are that the variance is:
Minor in nature
Desirable for the appropriate development or use of the land,
building or structure
In keeping with the general intent of the Zoning By-law
In keeping with the general intent of the Official Plan
If possible, include visual materials, such as architectural renderings, images of your home, your neighbour’s home, your street and neighbourhood’s character. It is also a good idea to take photographs of similar projects that other nearby homeowners have undertaken. This will provide members of the CoA with additional information and support your position.
6. Prepare responses to potential concerns – Prepare to address the Committee’s concerns, which should focus on the four tests cited (step 5). Determine how your proposal passes each test. Then, be ready to address your neighbours’ concerns about your proposal and the impact it has on their property, lifestyle, privacy, etc. Also be set to address the affect your project may have on the neighbourhood’s character. Hopefully no concerns will come as a surprise, as they should have been raised during your initial consultation (step 2).
7. Be organized – Find out how many members sit on your municipality’s CoA. Bring sufficient copies of your presentation and other supporting materials for each committee member; ensure they are neat, well organized and free of spelling mistakes.
8. Look professional, act professional – First impressions count. Wear professional attire and use formal language. Listen to all points of view and be courteous at all times.
Do you think your upcoming renovation requires municipal approval? If so, please contact us if you have questions or would like a professional land use planner to represent you at the CoA meeting.
(Note: This post was initially published on December 13, 2011 but re-issued in February 2013 due to timely relevance.)
Andrzej Schreyer , R.P.P. is a senior land use and environmental planner with Hardy Stevenson and Associates Limited and a member of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and the Canadian Institute of Planners. His experience includes developing and implementing public participation and communication plans, managing social impact assessments and land use studies in support of infrastructure projects and preparing community-based strategic plans.
Posted in Communities, Consultation, Management, Planning, Politics | Tagged building permits, by-laws, Committee of Adjustment, home renovations, homeowners, How to work with the Committee of Adjustment, municipality, planning, real estate, residential, seeking municipal approvals, zoning |
University of Maine at Machias » Building the Eco-Economy Building the Eco-Economy Business, Recreation Management, Psychology, Education, and Economics: they're all disciplines that contribute to the skill set required for success in carving out a niche in Maine's changing economy. UMaine-Machias students are creating an environment for success in rural, coastal Maine communities. Students in Professor Eckart's Program Planning class organize and officiate at the East River Challenge, a statewide public canoe and kayak Class III Whitewater race on the East Machias River, a short drive from campus.
Recreation = Business
All along the coast of Maine, local businesses depend on the region's unique environment to attract customers and to provide the backdrop for adventure tourism, eco-tourism, and family recreation. Maine's more remote coastal communities, such as Machias and Bar Harbor, have a long tradition as recreation and leisure destinations. During the Guilded Age wealthy families from the cities of the Northeast escaped to resorts along the Maine coast, and as the automobile gained popularity, coastal Maine became accessible to greater numbers of visitors. Access vs Protection Of course, more people have meant more impact on this unspoiled environment. How do we balance issues such as access vs protection, or development vs sustainable local resource-based industries? How do we keep people from turning unique environments into the very sort of developed communities from which they sought escape? These are the types of questions we ask at UMaine-Machias, in our Business programs, in Recreation Management courses, Economics and Marketing classes, and even in Teacher Education. Over his 25 year tenure as Professor of Recreation and Tourism Management, Bill Eckart has seen the industry change. Leisure and recreation have evolved into a high-end service industry. "Our program is the most hands-on of any I know. The experience that students get, whether it's leading a kayak expedition, managing a guide service, or organizing athletics competitions, builds a confidence that makes them a very marketable commodity." "One of the greatest rewards during my years at UMaine-Machias was not only the education that I received, but the experience that I received from the people that I had the chance to work with." -- Jody Marston '06
From Classroom to the Chamber
Jody Marston '06 today organizes events across all seasons-- sled dog races, Nordic ski races and canoe races in Fort Kent, at Maine's northern border with New Brunswick, Canada. Now working as the executive director of the Greater Fort Kent Area Chamber of Commerce, she was just months out of the UMaine-Machias classroom when she was hired in 2006. She received her degree in Recreation Management, with a focus in program planning. But it wasn't just her experience in the classroom that made her a natural candidate for the Fort Kent position. A combination of volunteer and paid work while on campus gained her a compelling portfolio during her college years. Active in Student Senate, she also was the senior class representative. As a Student Life Programmer, she organized activities such as The Nutcracker Ballet that comes to campus every November, as well as Homecoming every September and assorted special dinners throughout the year. She also helped organize the fall and spring new student orientations. "One of the greatest rewards during my years at UMaine-Machias was not only the education that I received, but the experience that I received from the people that I had the chance to work with," she says.
"This experience was the perfect bridge between life as a student and one of a professional educator." -- Emily Trundy
Small Is Beautiful
The Teacher Education program at Machias is one of only a handful nationwide that focuses on preparing students to teach in small, rural community schools. Students in the Elementary Education program find themselves in multi-grade classrooms, sometimes even in a one-room schoolhouse. These environments require an interdisciplinary approach to K-6 education, and immerse student teachers in the local community.
Emily Trundy completed the Teacher Certification process while majoring in English. "While my certification will be in grades 7-12, I have fallen in love with middle level education, and my professors at UMM have helped guide me to earning grades 5-8 endorsements on my certificate. My career goal was to become a teacher in Down East Maine; and after a lot of hard work, that dream has come true! This fall I'll begin teaching elementary school in my hometown."
Emily grew up in a small town not far from Machias, and in the spring of 2007 completed her student teaching in that community's elementary school, the Edmunds Consolidated School. The students had combined classes (5-6 and 7-8) with about 13 students in each classroom. "The teaching experience was amazing. Not only did I get the opportunity to develop and teach my own lesson plans, but I began an after-school Drama Club, participated in weekly teacher meetings, met frequently with the principal, and spent hours after school learning from my cooperating teacher. This experience was the perfect bridge between life as a student and one of a professional educator".
Initially Emily had reservations about having her own classroom, but she credits Professor of Education Gael Romei with moving her beyond those fears. "Dr. Gael Romei in the Education department has been one professor I could go to with anything. She has pushed, supported, encouraged, redirected, and motivated me. Her knowledge of the certification process helped me numerous times. She truly kept me charging on!" |
Cochrane review finds little evidence to support use of sleep or wake drugs for shift workers
Shift workers are taking drugs to help them stay awake or get to sleep despite weak evidence for their benefit, according to a new Cochrane review. The authors of the review found only small numbers of trials testing over-the-counter and prescription drugs used by shift workers, and the results suggest that for some people they might do more harm than good.
In most developed countries, at least 10% of the workforce is involved in some form of shift work. European statistics suggest that as many as three quarters of the population have 'non-standard' working hours. Disturbances to normal sleeping and waking patterns increase the risk of accidents and affect shift workers' health. It is therefore important to avoid shift work where possible and improve shift work schedules to help shift workers achieve more normal sleeping and waking patterns. In jobs where shift work cannot be avoided, such as health care, the police force or the military, drugs can potentially offer short-term benefits.
The review included 15 trials involving a total of 718 people. In nine trials, the over-the- counter hormone drug melatonin helped shift workers sleep for around 24 minutes longer during the night or day, compared to placebos. However, it did not help them get to sleep any quicker. Data from only one trial of the hypnotic drug zoplicone was available. The drug was no more effective than placebos for helping shift workers sleep during the day.
The remaining trials focused on caffeine and two drugs, modafinil and armodafinil, that are prescribed for sleepiness during night shifts. In one trial, caffeine reduced sleepiness during night shifts, when workers also napped before shifts. Modafinil and armodafinil, used by shift workers in one and two trials respectively, increased alertness and reduced sleepiness. However, they also caused headaches, nausea and a rise in blood pressure in a substantial number of people. Due to the limited benefits and frequent side effects, neither of these drugs is approved for shift workers in Europe.
Related StoriesClimate change may increase rates of sleep lossExposure to air pollution may disturb good night's sleepSleep disorders have different symptoms and effects in men and women, study finds"For lots of people who do shift work, it would be really useful if they could take a pill that would help them go to sleep or stay awake at the right time," said lead author of the review, Juha Liira, who is based at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in Helsinki, Finland. "But from what we have seen in our review, there isn't good evidence that these drugs can be considered for more than temporary use and some may have quite serious side effects."
Most of the data reported in the review was from small, low quality trials. In addition, trials tended to be carried out in specific settings, such as health care or oil rigs, so their results may be less relevant for workers in other types of roles.
"It's curious that there's such a clear gap in the research," said Liira. "It may well be that studying the effects of these drugs or others drugs in properly designed trials would be seen as unethical because workers should not need drugs to get along with their work. So the studies just haven't been done or if they have, our review has not been able to identify relevant data."
Source:http://www.wiley.com/
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Posted in: Medical Research News | Healthcare News | Pharmaceutical News
Tags: Blood, Blood Pressure, Caffeine, Drugs, Health Care, Hormone, Melatonin, Nausea, Occupational Health, Sleep Comments (0)
Research finds high prevalence of undiagnosed sleep disorders among African AmericansStudy shows that humans reprocess recent memories in sleepObstructive sleep apnea linked to increased risk of developing atrial fibrillationCausal connection between deep sleep and learning efficiencyWomen with obstructive sleep apnea may be at increased risk for pregnancy complicationsStudy examines how noise of mechanical heart valve affects patients' sleepChronic sleep deprivation increases risk of neurological disordersSleep disturbances, long and short duration of sleep may increase risk of dementia and lung cancer
Researchers discover neurons that help fruit flies to balance sleep and sex |
NASA sounding rocket instrument spots signatures of long-sought small solar flares
October 13, 2017 by Sarah Frazier
The NASA-funded FOXSI instrument captured new evidence of small solar flares, called nanoflares, during its December 2014 flight on a suborbital sounding rocket. Nanoflares could help explain why the Sun's atmosphere, the corona, is so much hotter than the surface. Here, FOXSI's observations of hard X-rays are shown in blue, superimposed over a soft X-ray image of the Sun from JAXA and NASA's Hinode solar-observing satellite. Credit: JAXA/NASA/Hinode/FOXSI
Like most solar sounding rockets, the second flight of the FOXSI instrument - short for Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager - lasted 15 minutes, with just six minutes of data collection. But in that short time, the cutting-edge instrument found the best evidence to date of a phenomenon scientists have been seeking for years: signatures of tiny solar flares that could help explain the mysterious extreme heating of the Sun's outer atmosphere.
FOXSI detected a type of light called hard X-rays - whose wavelengths are much shorter than the light humans can see - which is a signature of extremely hot solar material, around 18 million degrees Fahrenheit. These kinds of temperatures are generally produced in solar flares, powerful bursts of energy. But in this case, there was no observable solar flare, meaning the hot material was most likely produced by a series of solar flares so small that they were undetectable from Earth: nanoflares. The results were published Oct. 9, 2017, in Nature Astronomy.
"The key to this result is the sensitivity in hard X-ray measurements," said Shin-nosuke Ishikawa, a solar physicist at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, and lead author on the study. "Past hard X-ray instruments could not detect quiet active regions, and combination of new technologies enables us to investigate quiet active regions by hard X-rays for the first time."
These observations are a step toward understanding the coronal heating problem, which is how scientists refer to the extraordinarily - and unexpectedly - high temperatures in the Sun's outer atmosphere, the corona. The corona is hundreds to thousands of times hotter than the Sun's visible surface, the photosphere. Because the Sun produces heat at its core, this runs counter to what one would initially expect: normally the layer closest to a source of heat, the Sun's surface, in this case, would have a higher temperature than the more distant atmosphere.
"If you've got a stove and you take your hand farther away, you don't expect to feel hotter than when you were close," said Lindsay Glesener, project manager for FOXSI-2 at the University of Minnesota and an author on the study.
The cause of these counterintuitively high temperatures is an outstanding question in solar physics. One possible solution to the coronal heating problem is the constant eruption of tiny solar flares in the solar atmosphere, so small that they can't be directly detected. In aggregate, these nanoflares could produce enough heat to raise the temperature of the corona to the millions of degrees that we observe.
One of the consequences of nanoflares would be pockets of superheated plasma. Plasma at these temperatures emits light in hard X-rays, which are notoriously difficult to detect. For instance, NASA's RHESSI satellite - short for Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager - launched in 2002, uses an indirect technique to measure hard X-rays, limiting how precisely we can pinpoint the location of superheated plasma. But with the cutting-edge optics available now, FOXSI was able to use a technique called direct focusing that can keep track of where the hard X-rays originate on the Sun.
"It's really a completely transformative way of making this type of measurement," said Glesener. "Even just on a sounding rocket experiment looking at the Sun for about six minutes, we had much better sensitivity than a spacecraft with indirect imaging."
FOXSI's measurements - along with additional X-ray data from the JAXA and NASA Hinode solar observatory - allow the team to say with certainty that the hard X-rays came from a specific region on the Sun that did not have any detectable larger solar flares, leaving nanoflares as the only likely instigator.
"This is a proof of existence for these kinds of events," said Steve Christe, the project scientist for FOXSI at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and an author on the study. "There's basically no other way for these X-rays to be produced, except by plasma at around 10 million degrees Celsius [18 million degrees Fahrenheit]. This points to these small energy releases happening all the time, and if they exist, they should be contributing to coronal heating."
There are still questions to be answered, like: How much heat do nanoflares actually release into the corona?
"This particular observation doesn't tell us exactly how much it contributes to coronal heating," said Christe. "To fully solve the coronal heating problem, they would need to be happening everywhere, even outside of the region observed here."
Hoping to build up a more complete picture of nanoflares and their contribution to coronal heating, Glesener is leading a team to launch a third iteration of the FOXSI instrument on a sounding rocket in summer 2018. This version of FOXSI will use new hardware to eliminate much of the background noise that the instrument sees, allowing for even more precise measurements.
A team led by Christe was also selected to undertake a concept study developing the FOXSI instrument for a possible spaceflight as part of the NASA Small Explorers program.
Explore further: New theory on why the sun's corona is hotter than its surface
More information: Shin-nosuke Ishikawa et al. Detection of nanoflare-heated plasma in the solar corona by the FOXSI-2 sounding rocket, Nature Astronomy (2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-017-0269-z
Journal reference: Nature Astronomy
Provided by: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
New theory on why the sun's corona is hotter than its surface
(Phys.org)—A team of researchers from the U.S., Japan and Switzerland has found possible evidence of a source of energy that could be responsible for heating the sun's corona. In their paper published in the journal Nature ...
FOXSI: A next-generation X-ray telescope ready to fly
Those who watch the sun are regularly treated to brilliant shows – dancing loops of solar material rise up, dark magnetic regions called sunspots twist across the surface, and dazzling flares of light and radiation explode ...
Two NASA sounding-rocket missions to explore coronal nanoflares and escaping atoms
Why is the sun's outermost layer 1,000 times hotter than the visible surface of the sun? What are the physical mechanisms that allow oxygen atoms in Earth's atmosphere to overcome gravity and race into Earth's protective ...
FOXSI to observe X-rays from Sun
An enormous spectrum of light streams from the sun. We're most familiar with the conventional visible white light we see with our eyes from Earth, but that's just a fraction of what our closest star emits. NASA regularly ...
SwRI's small satellite mission moves forward
NASA has selected Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) to further develop the concept for a small satellite mission to image the Sun's outer corona. SwRI's "Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere" (PUNCH) program ...
Strong evidence for coronal heating theory presented
The Sun's surface is blisteringly hot at 6,000 kelvins or 10,340 degrees Fahrenheit—but its atmosphere is another 300 times hotter. This has led to an enduring mystery for those who study the Sun: What heats the atmosphere ... |
The Closest Star Formation Regions Has Detected
The closest star formation regions has detected. Research collaboration between the Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie (MPIfR), Onsala Space Observatory (OSO), ESO, using the telescope APEX (Atacama Pathfinder Experiment) with LABOCA camera, stating that the region located in the constellation of Taurus within 450 million light years of the earth.
Within this constellation, there is a cosmic dust filament (The Taurus Molecular Cloud) winding with length more than ten years of light. In it, the hidden number of new stars and dense clouds of gas on the verge of collapse are ready to form other new stars. The image below shows two parts of a long, filamentary structure in this cloud, which are known as Barnard 211 (the upper-right) and Barnard 213 (the lower-left). Their names come from Edward Emerson Barnard’s photographic atlas of the “dark markings of the sky”, compiled in the early 20th century. In visible light, these regions appear as dark lanes, lacking in stars. Barnard correctly argued that this appearance was due to “obscuring matter in space”.
The Taurus Molecular Cloud. (eso.org)
These dark markings are actually clouds of interstellar gas and dust grains. The dust grains — tiny particles similar to very fine soot and sand — absorb visible light, blocking our view of the rich star field behind the clouds. The Taurus Molecular Cloud is particularly dark at visible wavelengths, as it lacks the massive stars that illuminate the nebulae in other star-formation regions such as Orion (see for example eso1103). The dust grains themselves also emit a faint heat glow but, as they are extremely cold at around -260 degrees Celsius, their light can only be seen at wavelengths much longer than visible light, around one millimetre (see image eso1209b and the mouseover comparison eso1209ea to see how the millimetre-range view appears bright where the visible-light view appears dark and obscured).
These clouds of gas and dust are not merely an obstacle for astronomers wishing to observe the stars behind them. In fact, they are themselves the birthplaces of new stars. When the clouds collapse under their own gravity, they fragment into clumps. Within these clumps, dense cores may form, in which the hydrogen gas becomes dense and hot enough to start fusion reactions: a new star is born. The birth of the star is therefore surrounded by a cocoon of dense dust, blocking observations at visible wavelengths. This is why observations at longer wavelengths, such as the millimetre range, are essential for understanding the early stages of star formation.
Revealed the heat glow of the cosmic dust grains, are shown here in orange tones, and are superimposed on a visible light image of the region, which shows the rich background of stars. The bright star above the filament is φ Tauri, while the one partially visible at the left-hand edge of the image is HD 27482. Both stars are closer to us than the filament, and are not associated with it.
Observations show that Barnard 213 has already fragmented and formed dense cores — as illustrated by the bright knots of glowing dust — and star formation has already happened. However, Barnard 211 is in an earlier stage of its evolution; the collapse and fragmentation is still taking place, and will lead to star formation in the future. This region is therefore an excellent place for astronomers to study how Barnard’s “dark markings of the sky” play a crucial part in the lifecycle of stars.
This article has edited by author of threelas
Source: http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1209/ |
Publications Search - Abstract View Print This Page Title: Epidemiology of thymoma and associated malignancies.
Authors: Engels EA
Journal: J Thorac Oncol
Date: 2010 Oct
Branches: IIB
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Thymoma is a rare malignancy of unknown etiology. METHODS: The author examined patterns in thymoma incidence in the US general population using data from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registries. Prior studies concerning the risk of additional malignancies in thymoma patients were reviewed. RESULTS: Based on cancer registry data, the overall incidence of thymoma in the US is 0.13 per 100,000 person-years. Thymoma is exceedingly uncommon in children and young adults, rises in incidence in middle age, and peaks in the seventh decade of life. Thymoma incidence is especially high among Asians and Pacific Islanders in the US. While several studies based at single treatment centers have suggested that thymoma patients have a broadly increased risk for other malignancies, follow up data from US cancer registries support a more limited spectrum of cancer risk. In particular, thymoma patients have a subsequently elevated risk for developing B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Based on limited data, thymoma patients may also have an elevated risk for developing soft tissue sarcomas. DISCUSSION: Thymoma is a rare malignancy. The excess risk for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is consistent with an effect of immune disturbance arising from the thymoma or its treatment. While descriptive epidemiologic data may yield clues to the etiology of thymoma, large multi-center case-control studies will be required to formally evaluate environmental and genetic risk factors. |
Home » Calif proposing new flame retardant regulations
Calif proposing new flame retardant regulations | Associated Press
Jason Dearen
SAN FRANCISCO—California proposed regulations on Friday that would set new flammability standards and allow furniture and some children’s product manufacturers to stop using chemical flame retardants.
The change was proposed after decades of complaints about the spread of chemicals known as PBDEs and TDCPP into the environment.
California is the only U.S. state with a mandatory flammability standard for residential furniture, a standard often achieved by the use of chemically treated foams. The rule has become the de facto standard for the rest of the nation.
In June, Gov. Jerry Brown ordered the state Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation to re-examine the standard to reduce manufacturers’ reliance on toxic chemicals.
Regulators say the new rules would cut fire danger by focusing protection efforts on actual ignition sources such as cigarettes, radiant heaters, extension cords and fireplace embers, rather than on outdated sources such as candle flames.
“All are smoldering sources,” said Tonya Blood, the bureau’s chief.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say people are being exposed to the chemicals by eating fish or breathing dust that has been contaminated.
People tested in the U.S. had levels of the chemicals in their bodies several times higher than people tested in Europe, the CDC said.
Animal studies have shown PBDEs can affect brain development, but human health effects are still unknown, according to the CDC.
While use of the PBDEs and TDCPP—which is listed as a carcinogen under California’s Proposition 65—have been regulated in California, furniture manufacturers have replaced the substances with similar chemicals that have also raised concerns.
So, instead of banning the chemical retardants, the new rules seek to allow manufacturers to stop using the chemicals in treating foam. The proposal came after a federal study found no significant difference in the flammability of foams treated with chemical retardants and those that were not treated.
The current standard requires that foams and other furniture filling withstand exposure to an open flame for 12 seconds.
The regulation exempts a number of baby-related products, including baby mattresses, infant swings, changing pads and some other products.
State studies found that cover fabric in products ignites first in a fire, not the interior foam. The covers can be made from flame-resistant materials without chemical treatment.
The new rules call for cover fabrics and foams to be tested instead with a smoldering cigarette—the leading cause of furniture fires—but would no longer require that the interior padding or foam be able to withstand an open flame for 12 seconds.
“I’ve always stressed that we would not support any new regulations that reduced fire safety,” Donald Lucas, an expert on furniture flammability at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, said in a conference call with reporters. “The nice thing about this is, we’re convinced there will be no reduction in fire safety benefits.”
The regulations will go through 45 days of public comment and also require approval of the state Office of Administrative Law. If the regulations are enacted, manufacturers would have to be in compliance by July 1, 2014.
Consumer groups who have long advocated for these kinds of changes applauded the new rules.
“With this new standard, families will be able to buy furniture and other products without these harmful chemicals, since smart companies will start making products that are fire-safe and do not use toxic flame retardants,” Michael Green, executive director of the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland, said in a statement.
See the original story here: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_22548340/calif-publish-new-flame-retardant-regulations
Tags: flame-retardants
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Keck celebrates 20 years
Published March 8, 2013 - 12:05am
By CAROLYN LUCAS-ZENK
Stephens Media
Few establishments can boast as many landmark discoveries as W.M. Keck Observatory. During the past two decades, its accomplishments include detecting the first planet outside of our solar system, proving the Milky Way has a super massive black hole at its center and helping with research that led to the demise of Pluto as a planet.
Its mission — advancing the frontiers of astronomy and sharing its discoveries as well as inspiring the imagination of all — goes beyond exploring and understanding the cosmos. Here on Earth, at its Waimea headquarters, its staff helps people, especially children, find not only the stars, but also a love of science and astronomy.
Director of Advancement Debbie Goodwin said Keck’s commitment to its mission and educational efforts is reflected by its 2 percent policy. Employees are encouraged to dedicate 2 percent of their annual work time giving back through community projects or in schools. “We feel very much connected to the Big Island and especially to the Waimea community,” she added.
On March 16, the public will have an opportunity to get a glimpse inside the observatory’s universe through a free open house at its headquarters on Mamalahoa Highway. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the observatory’s 125 full-time employees, most of whom are engineers, will share what it takes to run the revolutionary twin Keck telescopes on Mauna Kea, Goodwin said.
Standing eight stories tall, weighing 300 tons and operating with nanometer precision, these fully steerable optical infrared telescopes are able to see objects fainter and farther away than any other research facility. Keck is a 24-hour operation and is managed as a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation whose board of directors includes representatives from the California Institute of Technology and the University of California. Annually, the observatory hosts hundreds of visiting astronomers — experts in their field working on their own research projects, Goodwin said.
“Keck’s purpose is to be a discovery machine,” she said. “Over the past 20 years, we have pushed the frontiers of discovery and obtained knowledge for all of humanity that has helped us better understand the nature of the universe and our place in its vast expanse. Still there is more to discover. For our next 20 years, we will continue to strive to develop new observing capabilities which will allow us to keep being a world leader and take us to the next level of discerning the universe.”
The open house will have more than 20 exhibits, many of which will offer hands-on activities and demonstrations. For instance, attendees will discover what happens to everyday objects when exposed to liquid nitrogen, and be able to use a hydraulic press to create a key ring, build a spectrograph, learn how Keck cleans the telescopes’ primary mirrors, and use the GPS on their smartphones to find geocaches of data around the headquarters.
In addition, there will be presentations on everything from adaptive optics and infrared instruments to engineering marvels in the Hualalai Learning Theater. Keck’s decommissioned near infrared camera will also be on display.
“This is science with aloha,” Goodwin said.
With the help of his fellow co-workers and volunteer students from the University of Hawaii, Instrument and Optics Supervisor Eric Appleby will be teaching people how to solder and fabricate flashing electronic board pins. Besides an appreciation of electronics, what Appleby hopes attendees take away most is “a curiosity for what’s happening in the universe” and “an inkling, perhaps, to join us.” He’s worked for Keck for almost 12 years and says, “it’s more a passion than a job.”
Approximately 2,000 people attended Keck’s last open house in 2008 and the observatory is expecting even more this year. For local students with “a knack for high level math, science, technology and engineering,” Goodwin hopes the open house further encourages them that their highest hopes are within reach, and it’s possible for them to get such jobs in their own backyard.
The open house is part of Keck Week, a series of events happening March 13 through 19 to celebrate the observatory’s 20th anniversary and commemorate its scientific accomplishments.
For more information, visit keckobservatory.org/keck_week_2013.
Email Carolyn Lucas-Zenk at [email protected]. |
The True Cost of Science Publishing
(image by Brendan Monroe via Nature)
An eye-opening piece in Nature about the cost of science publishing:
Michael Eisen doesn’t hold back when invited to vent. “It’s still ludicrous how much it costs to publish research — let alone what we pay,” he declares. The biggest travesty, he says, is that the scientific community carries out peer review — a major part of scholarly publishing — for free, yet subscription-journal publishers charge billions of dollars per year, all told, for scientists to read the final product. “It’s a ridiculous transaction,” he says.
Eisen, a molecular biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, argues that scientists can get much better value by publishing in open-access journals, which make articles free for everyone to read and which recoup their costs by charging authors or funders. Among the best-known examples are journals published by the Public Library of Science (PLoS), which Eisen co-founded in 2000. “The costs of research publishing can be much lower than people think,” agrees Peter Binfield, co-founder of one of the newest open-access journals, PeerJ, and formerly a publisher at PLoS.
But publishers of subscription journals insist that such views are misguided — born of a failure to appreciate the value they add to the papers they publish, and to the research community as a whole. They say that their commercial operations are in fact quite efficient, so that if a switch to open-access publishing led scientists to drive down fees by choosing cheaper journals, it would undermine important values such as editorial quality.
Data from the consulting firm Outsell in Burlingame, California, suggest that the science-publishing industry generated $9.4 billion in revenue in 2011 and published around 1.8 million English-language articles — an average revenue per article of roughly $5,000. Analysts estimate profit margins at 20–30% for the industry, so the average cost to the publisher of producing an article is likely to be around $3,500–4,000.
Most open-access publishers charge fees that are much lower than the industry’s average revenue, although there is a wide scatter between journals. The largest open-access publishers — BioMed Central and PLoS — charge $1,350–2,250 to publish peer-reviewed articles in many of their journals, although their most selective offerings charge $2,700–2,900. In a survey published last year2, economists Bo-Christer Björk of the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki and David Solomon of Michigan State University in East Lansing looked at 100,697 articles published in 1,370 fee-charging open-access journals active in 2010 (about 40% of the fully open-access articles in that year), and found that charges ranged from $8 to $3,900. Higher charges tend to be found in ‘hybrid’ journals, in which publishers offer to make individual articles free in a publication that is otherwise paywalled (see ‘Price of prestige’). Outsell estimates that the average per-article charge for open-access publishers in 2011 was $660.
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"The economy of human time is the next advantage of machinery in manufactures" - Charles Babbage |
[Geology2] Paleontology: Aftermath of a mass extinction
Paleontology: Aftermath of a mass extinction Date:July 19, 2016Source:Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität MünchenSummary:A new study of fossil fishes from Middle Triassic sediments on the shores of Lake Lugano provides new insights into the recovery of biodiversity following the great mass extinction event at the Permo-Triassic boundary 240 million years ago. A specimen of the newly identified fossil species Ticinolepis crassidens (above) and of the species Ticinolepis longaeva. Credit: Adriana López-Arbarello A new study of fossil fishes from Middle Triassic sediments on the shores of Lake Lugano provides new insights into the recovery of biodiversity following the great mass extinction event at the Permo-Triassic boundary 240 million years ago. The largest episode of mass extinction in the history of the Earth, which led to the demise of about 90% of marine organisms and a majority of terrestrial species, took place between the Late Permian and Early Triassic, around 240 million years ago. How long it took for biological communities to recover from such a catastrophic loss of biodiversity remains the subject of controversial debate among paleontologists. A new study of fossil fishes from Middle Triassic strata on the shores of Lake Lugano throws new light on the issue. The study, undertaken by researchers led by Dr. Adriana López-Arbarello, who is a member of the GeoBiocenter at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich and the Bavarian State Collection for Paleontology and Geology, suggests that the process of recovery was well underway within a few million years. The authors, including Dr. Heinz Furrer of Zurich University and Dr. Rudolf Stockar of the Museo Cantonale di Storia Naturale in Lugano, who led the excavations at the sites, and Dr. Toni Bürgin of the Naturmuseum St. Gallen report their findings in the journal PeerJ. The fossil fishes analyzed by López-Arbarello and her colleagues originate from Monte San Giorgio in the canton Ticino in Switzerland, which is one of the most important sources of marine fossils from the Middle Triassic in the world. The Monte San Giorgio rises to an altitude of 1000 m on the promontory that separates the southern arms of Lake Lugano in the Southern Swiss Alps. But in the Middle Triassic, it was part of a shallow basin dotted with islands fringed by lagoons, which were separated by reefs from the open sea. " The particular significance of its fossil fauna lies in the careful stratigraphic work that has accompanied the excavations here. The positions of each of the fossil finds discovered here have been documented to the centimeter," says Adriana López-Arbarello. On the basis of detailed anatomical studies of new material and a taxonomic re-evaluation of previously known specimens from the locality, she and her colleagues have identified a new genus of fossil neopterygians, which they name Ticinolepis. The Neopterygii include the teleost fishes, which account for more than half of all extant vertebrate species. However, the new fossil species are assigned to the second major group of neopterygians, the Holostei, of which only a handful of species survives today. The researchers assign two new fossil species to the genus Ticinolepis, namely T. longaeva and T. crassidens, which occur in different sedimentary beds within the so-called Besano Formation on Monte San Giorgio. The two species coexisted side by side but they occupied distinct ecological niches. T. crassidens fed on mollusks and was equipped with jaws and teeth that could handle their hard calcareous shells. T. longaeva was more of a generalist, and was found in waters in which T. crassidens could not survive. The authors interpret the different distribution patterns as a reflection of changing environmental conditions following the preceding mass extinction event. The less specialized T. longaeva was able to exploit a broader range of food items, and could thus adapt more flexibly to fluctuating conditions. On the other hand, the dietary differentiation between the two species indicates that a variety of well-established ecosystems was available in the Besano Formation at this time. "This in turn suggests that the marine biota is likely to have recovered from the great mass extinction relatively quickly," Adriana López-Arbarello concludes. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Adriana López-Arbarello, Toni Bürgin, Heinz Furrer, Rudolf Stockar. New holostean fishes (Actinopterygii: Neopterygii) from the Middle Triassic of the Monte San Giorgio (Canton Ticino, Switzerland). PeerJ, 2016; 4: e2234 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2234 Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. "Paleontology: Aftermath of a mass extinction." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 July 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160719124254.htm-- Geology is BeautifulVei8Volcanoes of the World WebcamsRoxxfoxx~~Adventures in GeologyPenguin News TodayPenguinology: The Science of PenguinsGentoo Penguins of Gars O'Higgins Station, AntarcticaCanis lupus 101 Through Golden EyesFoxecologyFollow me on Pinterest! __._,_.___ Posted by: Lin Kerns <[email protected]> Visit Your Group • Privacy • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use __,_._,___ Posted by |
Enhanced transmission of drug-resistant parasites to mosquitoes following drug treatment in rodent malaria.
Andrew S Bell, Silvie Huijben, Krijn P Paaijmans, Derek G Sim, Brian H K Chan, William A Nelson, Andrew F Read.
The evolution of drug resistant Plasmodium parasites is a major challenge to effective malaria control. In theory, competitive interactions between sensitive parasites and resistant parasites within infections are a major determinant of the rate at which parasite evolution undermines drug efficacy. Competitive suppression of resistant parasites in untreated hosts slows the spread of resistance; competitive release following treatment enhances it. Here we report that for the murine model Plasmodium chabaudi, co-infection with drug-sensitive parasites can prevent the transmission of initially rare resistant parasites to mosquitoes. Removal of drug-sensitive parasites following chemotherapy enabled resistant parasites to transmit to mosquitoes as successfully as sensitive parasites in the absence of treatment. We also show that the genetic composition of gametocyte populations in host venous blood accurately reflects the genetic composition of gametocytes taken up by mosquitoes. Our data demonstrate that, at least for this mouse model, aggressive chemotherapy leads to very effective transmission of highly resistant parasites that are present in an infection, the very parasites which undermine the long term efficacy of front-line drugs.
An Affordable HIV-1 Drug Resistance Monitoring Method for Resource Limited Settings
Authors: Justen Manasa, Siva Danaviah, Sureshnee Pillay, Prevashinee Padayachee, Hloniphile Mthiyane, Charity Mkhize, Richard John Lessells, Christopher Seebregts, Tobias F. Rinke de Wit, Johannes Viljoen, David Katzenstein, Tulio De Oliveira.
Institutions: University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa, Jembi Health Systems, University of Amsterdam, Stanford Medical School.
HIV-1 drug resistance has the potential to seriously compromise the effectiveness and impact of antiretroviral therapy (ART). As ART programs in sub-Saharan Africa continue to expand, individuals on ART should be closely monitored for the emergence of drug resistance. Surveillance of transmitted drug resistance to track transmission of viral strains already resistant to ART is also critical. Unfortunately, drug resistance testing is still not readily accessible in resource limited settings, because genotyping is expensive and requires sophisticated laboratory and data management infrastructure. An open access genotypic drug resistance monitoring method to manage individuals and assess transmitted drug resistance is described. The method uses free open source software for the interpretation of drug resistance patterns and the generation of individual patient reports. The genotyping protocol has an amplification rate of greater than 95% for plasma samples with a viral load >1,000 HIV-1 RNA copies/ml. The sensitivity decreases significantly for viral loads <1,000 HIV-1 RNA copies/ml. The method described here was validated against a method of HIV-1 drug resistance testing approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Viroseq genotyping method. Limitations of the method described here include the fact that it is not automated and that it also failed to amplify the circulating recombinant form CRF02_AG from a validation panel of samples, although it amplified subtypes A and B from the same panel.
Medicine, Issue 85, Biomedical Technology, HIV-1, HIV Infections, Viremia, Nucleic Acids, genetics, antiretroviral therapy, drug resistance, genotyping, affordable
Separation of Plasmodium falciparum Late Stage-infected Erythrocytes by Magnetic Means
Authors: Lorena Michelle Coronado, Nicole Michelle Tayler, Ricardo Correa, Rita Marissa Giovani, Carmenza Spadafora.
Institutions: Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), Acharya Nagarjuna University, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP).
Unlike other Plasmodium species, P. falciparum can be cultured in the lab, which facilitates its study 1. While the parasitemia achieved can reach the ≈40% limit, the investigator usually keeps the percentage at around 10%. In many cases it is necessary to isolate the parasite-containing red blood cells (RBCs) from the uninfected ones, to enrich the culture and proceed with a given experiment. When P. falciparum infects the erythrocyte, the parasite degrades and feeds from haemoglobin 2, 3. However, the parasite must deal with a very toxic iron-containing haem moiety 4, 5. The parasite eludes its toxicity by transforming the haem into an inert crystal polymer called haemozoin 6, 7. This iron-containing molecule is stored in its food vacuole and the metal in it has an oxidative state which differs from the one in haem 8. The ferric state of iron in the haemozoin confers on it a paramagnetic property absent in uninfected erythrocytes. As the invading parasite reaches maturity, the content of haemozoin also increases 9, which bestows even more paramagnetism on the latest stages of P. falciparum inside the erythrocyte. Based on this paramagnetic property, the latest stages of P. falciparum infected-red blood cells can be separated by passing the culture through a column containing magnetic beads. These beads become magnetic when the columns containing them are placed on a magnet holder. Infected RBCs, due to their paramagnetism, will then be trapped inside the column, while the flow-through will contain, for the most part, uninfected erythrocytes and those containing early stages of the parasite. Here, we describe the methodology to enrich the population of late stage parasites with magnetic columns, which maintains good parasite viability 10. After performing this procedure, the unattached culture can be returned to an incubator to allow the remaining parasites to continue growing.
Infection, Issue 73, Infectious Diseases, Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology, Immunology, Medicine, Parasitology, Plasmodium falciparum, Cell Culture Techniques, Hemozoin, Magnetic Beads, Schizont Purification, paramagnetism, erythrocytes, red blood cells, malaria, parasitemia, parasites, isolation, cell culture
Cellular Biology, Issue 5, mosquito, malaria, genetics, injection, RNAi, Plasmodium, TIssue Culture, Cell Culture, Insect
Intravital Microscopy of the Spleen: Quantitative Analysis of Parasite Mobility and Blood Flow
Authors: Mireia Ferrer, Lorena Martin-Jaular, Maria Calvo, Hernando A. del Portillo.
Institutions: Barcelona Centre for International Health Research, University of Barcelona- Scientific and Technological Centers, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA).
The advent of intravital microscopy in experimental rodent malaria models has allowed major advances to the knowledge of parasite-host interactions 1,2. Thus, in vivo imaging of malaria parasites during pre-erythrocytic stages have revealed the active entrance of parasites into skin lymph nodes 3, the complete development of the parasite in the skin 4, and the formation of a hepatocyte-derived merosome to assure migration and release of merozoites into the blood stream 5. Moreover, the development of individual parasites in erythrocytes has been recently documented using 4D imaging and challenged our current view on protein export in malaria 6. Thus, intravital imaging has radically changed our view on key events in Plasmodium development. Unfortunately, studies of the dynamic passage of malaria parasites through the spleen, a major lymphoid organ exquisitely adapted to clear infected red blood cells are lacking due to technical constraints. Using the murine model of malaria Plasmodium yoelii in Balb/c mice, we have implemented intravital imaging of the spleen and reported a differential remodeling of it and adherence of parasitized red blood cells (pRBCs) to barrier cells of fibroblastic origin in the red pulp during infection with the non-lethal parasite line P.yoelii 17X as opposed to infections with the P.yoelii 17XL lethal parasite line 7. To reach these conclusions, a specific methodology using ImageJ free software was developed to enable characterization of the fast three-dimensional movement of single-pRBCs. Results obtained with this protocol allow determining velocity, directionality and residence time of parasites in the spleen, all parameters addressing adherence in vivo. In addition, we report the methodology for blood flow quantification using intravital microscopy and the use of different colouring agents to gain insight into the complex microcirculatory structure of the spleen. Ethics statement All the animal studies were performed at the animal facilities of University of Barcelona in accordance with guidelines and protocols approved by the Ethics Committee for Animal Experimentation of the University of Barcelona CEEA-UB (Protocol No DMAH: 5429). Female Balb/c mice of 6-8 weeks of age were obtained from Charles River Laboratories.
Immunology, Issue 59, intravital microscopy, GFP, malaria, spleen, mobility, adhesion, Plasmodium yoelii, Balb/c mice
In vivo Imaging of Transgenic Leishmania Parasites in a Live Host
Authors: Colin J. Thalhofer, Joel W. Graff, Laurie Love-Homan, Suzanne M. Hickerson, Noah Craft, Stephen M. Beverley, Mary E. Wilson.
Institutions: University of Iowa, and the VA Medical Center, University of Iowa, and the VA Medical Center, University of Iowa, Washington University School of Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Hanley-Hardison Research Center, Iowa City VA Medical Center, University of Iowa.
Distinct species of Leishmania, a protozoan parasite of the family Trypanosomatidae, typically cause different human disease manifestations. The most common forms of disease are visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Mouse models of leishmaniasis are widely used, but quantification of parasite burdens during murine disease requires mice to be euthanized at various times after infection. Parasite loads are then measured either by microscopy, limiting dilution assay, or qPCR amplification of parasite DNA. The in vivo imaging system (IVIS) has an integrated software package that allows the detection of a bioluminescent signal associated with cells in living organisms. Both to minimize animal usage and to follow infection longitudinally in individuals, in vivo models for imaging Leishmania spp. causing VL or CL were established. Parasites were engineered to express luciferase, and these were introduced into mice either intradermally or intravenously. Quantitative measurements of the luciferase driving bioluminescence of the transgenic Leishmania parasites within the mouse were made using IVIS. Individual mice can be imaged multiple times during longitudinal studies, allowing us to assess the inter-animal variation in the initial experimental parasite inocula, and to assess the multiplication of parasites in mouse tissues. Parasites are detected with high sensitivity in cutaneous locations. Although it is very likely that the signal (photons/second/parasite) is lower in deeper visceral organs than the skin, but quantitative comparisons of signals in superficial versus deep sites have not been done. It is possible that parasite numbers between body sites cannot be directly compared, although parasite loads in the same tissues can be compared between mice. Examples of one visceralizing species (L. infantum chagasi) and one species causing cutaneous leishmaniasis (L. mexicana) are shown. The IVIS procedure can be used for monitoring and analyzing small animal models of a wide variety of Leishmania species causing the different forms of human leishmaniasis.
Microbiology, Issue 41, IVIS, Leishmania, in vivo imaging, parasite, transgenic, bioluminescence, luciferase, cutaneous leishmaniasis, visceral leishmaniasis
A Simple Chelex Protocol for DNA Extraction from Anopheles spp.
Authors: Mulenga Musapa, Taida Kumwenda, Mtawa Mkulama, Sandra Chishimba, Douglas E. Norris, Philip E. Thuma, Sungano Mharakurwa.
Institutions: Malaria Institute at Macha, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Endemic countries are increasingly adopting molecular tools for efficient typing, identification and surveillance against malaria parasites and vector mosquitoes, as an integral part of their control programs1,2,3,4,5. For sustainable establishment of these accurate approaches in operations research to strengthen malaria control and elimination efforts, simple and affordable methods, with parsimonious reagent and equipment requirements are essential6,7,8. Here we present a simple Chelex-based technique for extracting malaria parasite and vector DNA from field collected mosquito specimens. We morphologically identified 72 Anopheles gambiae sl. from 156 mosquitoes captured by pyrethrum spray catches in sleeping rooms of households within a 2,000 km2 vicinity of the Malaria Institute at Macha. After dissection to separate the head and thorax from the abdomen for all 72 Anopheles gambiae sl. mosquitoes, the two sections were individually placed in 1.5 ml microcentrifuge tubes and submerged in 20 μl of deionized water. Using a sterile pipette tip, each mosquito section was separately homogenized to a uniform suspension in the deionized water. Of the ensuing homogenate from each mosquito section, 10 μl was retained while the other 10 μl was transferred to a separate autoclaved 1.5 ml tube. The separate aliquots were subjected to DNA extraction by either the simplified Chelex or the standard salting out extraction protocol9,10. The salting out protocol is so-called and widely used because it employs high salt concentrations in lieu of hazardous organic solvents (such as phenol and chloroform) for the protein precipitation step during DNA extraction9. Extracts were used as templates for PCR amplification using primers targeting arthropod mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase (NADH) subunit 4 gene (ND4) to check DNA quality11, a PCR for identification of Anopheles gambiae sibling species10 and a nested PCR for typing of Plasmodium falciparum infection12. Comparison using DNA quality (ND4) PCR showed 93% sensitivity and 82% specificity for the Chelex approach relative to the established salting out protocol. Corresponding values of sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 78%, respectively, using sibling species identification PCR and 92% and 80%, respectively for P. falciparum detection PCR. There were no significant differences in proportion of samples giving amplicon signal with the Chelex or the regular salting out protocol across all three PCR applications. The Chelex approach required three simple reagents and 37 min to complete, while the salting out protocol entailed 10 different reagents and 2 hr and 47 min' processing time, including an overnight step. Our results show that the Chelex method is comparable to the existing salting out extraction and can be substituted as a simple and sustainable approach in resource-limited settings where a constant reagent supply chain is often difficult to maintain.
Infection, Issue 71, Immunology, Infectious Diseases, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Parasitology, Entomology, Malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, vector, Anopheles, Diptera, mosquitoes, Chelex, DNA, extraction, PCR, dissection, insect, vector, pathogen
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in the Dorsal Skin of Hamsters: a Useful Model for the Screening of Antileishmanial Drugs
Authors: Sara M. Robledo, Lina M. Carrillo, Alejandro Daza, Adriana M. Restrepo, Diana L. Muñoz, Jairo Tobón, Javier D. Murillo, Anderson López, Carolina Ríos, Carol V. Mesa, Yulieth A. Upegui, Alejandro Valencia-Tobón, Karina Mondragón-Shem, Berardo RodrÍguez, Iván D. Vélez.
Institutions: University of Antioquia, University of Antioquia.
Traditionally, hamsters are experimentally inoculated in the snout or the footpad. However in these sites an ulcer not always occurs, measurement of lesion size is a hard procedure and animals show difficulty to eat, breathe and move because of the lesion. In order to optimize the hamster model for cutaneous leishmaniasis, young adult male and female golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) were injected intradermally at the dorsal skin with 1 to 1.5 x l07 promastigotes of Leishmania species and progression of subsequent lesions were evaluated for up to 16 weeks post infection. The golden hamster was selected because it is considered the adequate bio-model to evaluate drugs against Leishmania as they are susceptible to infection by different species. Cutaneous infection of hamsters results in chronic but controlled lesions, and a clinical evolution with signs similar to those observed in humans. Therefore, the establishment of the extent of infection by measuring the size of the lesion according to the area of indurations and ulcers is feasible. This approach has proven its versatility and easy management during inoculation, follow up and characterization of typical lesions (ulcers), application of treatments through different ways and obtaining of clinical samples after different treatments. By using this method the quality of animal life regarding locomotion, search for food and water, play and social activities is also preserved.
Immunology, Issue 62, Cutaneous leishmaniasis, hamster, Leishmania, antileishmanial drugs
A Genetic Screen to Isolate Toxoplasma gondii Host-cell Egress Mutants
Authors: Bradley I. Coleman, Marc-Jan Gubbels.
Institutions: Boston College.
The widespread, obligate intracellular, protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii causes opportunistic disease in immuno-compromised patients and causes birth defects upon congenital infection. The lytic replication cycle is characterized by three stages: 1. active invasion of a nucleated host cell; 2. replication inside the host cell; 3. active egress from the host cell. The mechanism of egress is increasingly being appreciated as a unique, highly regulated process, which is still poorly understood at the molecular level. The signaling pathways underlying egress have been characterized through the use of pharmacological agents acting on different aspects of the pathways1-5. As such, several independent triggers of egress have been identified which all converge on the release of intracellular Ca2+, a signal that is also critical for host cell invasion6-8. This insight informed a candidate gene approach which led to the identification of plant like calcium dependent protein kinase (CDPK) involved in egress9. In addition, several recent breakthroughs in understanding egress have been made using (chemical) genetic approaches10-12. To combine the wealth of pharmacological information with the increasing genetic accessibility of Toxoplasma we recently established a screen permitting the enrichment for parasite mutants with a defect in host cell egress13. Although chemical mutagenesis using N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) or ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) has been used for decades in the study of Toxoplasma biology11,14,15, only recently has genetic mapping of mutations underlying the phenotypes become routine16-18. Furthermore, by generating temperature-sensitive mutants, essential processes can be dissected and the underlying genes directly identified. These mutants behave as wild-type under the permissive temperature (35 °C), but fail to proliferate at the restrictive temperature (40 °C) as a result of the mutation in question. Here we illustrate a new phenotypic screening method to isolate mutants with a temperature-sensitive egress phenotype13. The challenge for egress screens is to separate egressed from non-egressed parasites, which is complicated by fast re-invasion and general stickiness of the parasites to host cells. A previously established egress screen was based on a cumbersome series of biotinylation steps to separate intracellular from extracellular parasites11. This method also did not generate conditional mutants resulting in weak phenotypes. The method described here overcomes the strong attachment of egressing parasites by including a glycan competitor, dextran sulfate (DS), that prevents parasites from sticking to the host cell19. Moreover, extracellular parasites are specifically killed off by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), which leaves intracellular parasites unharmed20. Therefore, with a new phenotypic screen to specifically isolate parasite mutants with defects in induced egress, the power of genetics can now be fully deployed to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying host cell egress.
Immunology, Issue 60, Genetics, Toxoplasma gondii, chemical mutagenesis, egress, genetic screen
Genetic Manipulation in Δku80 Strains for Functional Genomic Analysis of Toxoplasma gondii
Authors: Leah M. Rommereim, Miryam A. Hortua Triana, Alejandra Falla, Kiah L. Sanders, Rebekah B. Guevara, David J. Bzik, Barbara A. Fox.
Institutions: The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
Targeted genetic manipulation using homologous recombination is the method of choice for functional genomic analysis to obtain a detailed view of gene function and phenotype(s). The development of mutant strains with targeted gene deletions, targeted mutations, complemented gene function, and/or tagged genes provides powerful strategies to address gene function, particularly if these genetic manipulations can be efficiently targeted to the gene locus of interest using integration mediated by double cross over homologous recombination. Due to very high rates of nonhomologous recombination, functional genomic analysis of Toxoplasma gondii has been previously limited by the absence of efficient methods for targeting gene deletions and gene replacements to specific genetic loci. Recently, we abolished the major pathway of nonhomologous recombination in type I and type II strains of T. gondii by deleting the gene encoding the KU80 protein1,2. The Δku80 strains behave normally during tachyzoite (acute) and bradyzoite (chronic) stages in vitro and in vivo and exhibit essentially a 100% frequency of homologous recombination. The Δku80 strains make functional genomic studies feasible on the single gene as well as on the genome scale1-4. Here, we report methods for using type I and type II Δku80Δhxgprt strains to advance gene targeting approaches in T. gondii. We outline efficient methods for generating gene deletions, gene replacements, and tagged genes by targeted insertion or deletion of the hypoxanthine-xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HXGPRT) selectable marker. The described gene targeting protocol can be used in a variety of ways in Δku80 strains to advance functional analysis of the parasite genome and to develop single strains that carry multiple targeted genetic manipulations. The application of this genetic method and subsequent phenotypic assays will reveal fundamental and unique aspects of the biology of T. gondii and related significant human pathogens that cause malaria (Plasmodium sp.) and cryptosporidiosis (Cryptosporidium).
Infectious Diseases, Issue 77, Genetics, Microbiology, Infection, Medicine, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Bioengineering, Genomics, Parasitology, Pathology, Apicomplexa, Coccidia, Toxoplasma, Genetic Techniques, Gene Targeting, Eukaryota, Toxoplasma gondii, genetic manipulation, gene targeting, gene deletion, gene replacement, gene tagging, homologous recombination, DNA, sequencing
Preventing the Spread of Malaria and Dengue Fever Using Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
Authors: Anthony A. James.
Institutions: University of California, Irvine (UCI).
In this candid interview, Anthony A. James explains how mosquito genetics can be exploited to control malaria and dengue transmission. Population replacement strategy, the idea that transgenic mosquitoes can be released into the wild to control disease transmission, is introduced, as well as the concept of genetic drive and the design criterion for an effective genetic drive system. The ethical considerations of releasing genetically-modified organisms into the wild are also discussed.
Cellular Biology, Issue 5, mosquito, malaria, dengue fever, genetics, infectious disease, Translational Research
Selection of Plasmodium falciparum Parasites for Cytoadhesion to Human Brain Endothelial Cells
Authors: Antoine Claessens, J. Alexandra Rowe.
Institutions: University of Edinburgh.
Most human malaria deaths are caused by blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Cerebral malaria, the most life-threatening complication of the disease, is characterised by an accumulation of Plasmodium falciparum infected red blood cells (iRBC) at pigmented trophozoite stage in the microvasculature of the brain2-4. This microvessel obstruction (sequestration) leads to acidosis, hypoxia and harmful inflammatory cytokines (reviewed in 5). Sequestration is also found in most microvascular tissues of the human body2, 3. The mechanism by which iRBC attach to the blood vessel walls is still poorly understood. The immortalized Human Brain microvascular Endothelial Cell line (HBEC-5i) has been used as an in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier6. However, Plasmodium falciparum iRBC attach only poorly to HBEC-5i in vitro, unlike the dense sequestration that occurs in cerebral malaria cases. We therefore developed a panning assay to select (enrich) various P. falciparum strains for adhesion to HBEC-5i in order to obtain populations of high-binding parasites, more representative of what occurs in vivo. A sample of a parasite culture (mixture of iRBC and uninfected RBC) at the pigmented trophozoite stage is washed and incubated on a layer of HBEC-5i grown on a Petri dish. After incubation, the dish is gently washed free from uRBC and unbound iRBC. Fresh uRBC are added to the few iRBC attached to HBEC-5i and incubated overnight. As schizont stage parasites burst, merozoites reinvade RBC and these ring stage parasites are harvested the following day. Parasites are cultured until enough material is obtained (typically 2 to 4 weeks) and a new round of selection can be performed. Depending on the P. falciparum strain, 4 to 7 rounds of selection are needed in order to get a population where most parasites bind to HBEC-5i. The binding phenotype is progressively lost after a few weeks, indicating a switch in variant surface antigen gene expression, thus regular selection on HBEC-5i is required to maintain the phenotype. In summary, we developed a selection assay rendering P. falciparum parasites a more "cerebral malaria adhesive" phenotype. We were able to select 3 out of 4 P. falciparum strains on HBEC-5i. This assay has also successfully been used to select parasites for binding to human dermal and pulmonary endothelial cells. Importantly, this method can be used to select tissue-specific parasite populations in order to identify candidate parasite ligands for binding to brain endothelium. Moreover, this assay can be used to screen for putative anti-sequestration drugs7.
Immunology, Issue 59, Plasmodium falciparum, cerebral malaria, cytoadherence, sequestration, endothelial cell, HBEC-5i |
Success Stories in Environmental Health
Did you know that your environment and your health are connected? The National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) protect and promote environmental health across the United States.Your environment is everything around you—the air you breathe, the water you drink, the places where your food is grown or prepared, your workplace, and your home. When your environment is safe and healthy, you are more likely to stay healthy. But when your environment exposes you to dangerous events or harmful amounts of toxic substances, your health can be affected. In fact, 25% of all diseases worldwide are caused by something harmful in the environment. NCEH epidemiologists investigating liver disease in Ethiopia take blood sample from a goat. ATSDR joins EPA, Arizona health and environment agencies and the University of Arizona to educate community members about arsenic and lead exposure from the Iron King Mine and Humboldt Smelter Site in Dewey-Humboldt, AZ. Credit: Leah Butler (EPA) via Wikimedia CommonsHow can my environment affect my health?Here are some actual examples of the many ways your environment can affect your health.Your drinking water well is contaminated by benzene from industrial activities near your home.Your seven-year-old child suffers from severe asthma, and you don't know how to help him.Your child's school is contaminated by mercury found in a science lab.You are suffering from depression following a man-made disaster near your community.The National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a sister agency to the CDC, are committed to keeping people safe from environmental hazards. Each agency works topromote healthy environments,respond to natural and man-made disasters,support public health workers,educate communities,promote environmental justice, andprovide scientific knowledge.How do NCEH and ATSDR work together to promote environmental health?Although NCEH and ATSDR staff frequently work together on common issues, each has a different focus and different types of activities.NCEH focuses on the broader health issues caused by hazards in the environment. The center conducts research; tracks health problems related to the environment; and supports local, state, tribal and national health agencies. NCEH also combats illnesses associated with environmental hazards such as air pollution, lead, contaminated food and water, and animals that carry disease. In addition, the center provides aid to create healthy homes and to ensure that cruise ships are safe for passengers and crew.ATSDR focuses on protecting the public from exposures to toxic substances. The agency investigates hazards in communities by collecting and analyzing information on environmental exposures and health. It provides recommendations to communities and industries to limit or prevent exposure to hazardous substances. ATSDR also provides scientific expertise on toxic substances and their effects on health and collects information about people who have the same health condition or disease.Whatever the activity, NCEH and ATSDR staff members focus on making a real difference in people's lives. "Sharing Our Stories" describes our successes in protecting and improving people's health across the United States. For example, you can read about how ATSDR began a national investigation into the cause of a disease cluster in Pennsylvania or how NCEH's lead poisoning prevention program has protected thousands of children from the mental health effects of lead exposure. Click on the links below to read these stories and more accounts of the work of NCEH and ATSDR. And keep checking back for more news about how these agencies protect people from harm in the environment. More Information
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ResearchKit
Rare Disease Research with ResearchKit
One of the biggest challenges in clinical research is enrolling adequate numbers of patients and this challenge becomes even more difficult when researching rare diseases. Many of the initial ResearchKit apps focused on highly prevalent diseases such as asthma and heart disease, and they fortunately saw unprecedented patient enrollment numbers. With the launch of Penn Medicine’s Sarcoidosis App in January, we extended ResearchKit into the rare disease world.Sarcoidosis, an inflammatory condition that can affect the lungs, skin, eyes, heart, brain, and other organs, is diagnosed in only 11 to 36 out of every 100,000 Americans each year. The largest epidemiologic study of sarcoidosis to date enrolled only about 700 patients across 10 medical centers in the United States over the course of a year and a half. As a result, many critical questions remain unanswered; we still don’t know the cause of the disease or the most effective treatments.Our goal was to use ResearchKit technology to build a larger cohort of more diverse patients in a shorter amount of time, compared to what would be possible using traditional research methods. To accomplish this, we partnered with patient advocacy groups such as the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, and we developed targeted social media strategies to reach potential participants around the country. Since launch, more than 700 people have downloaded the app, and more than 350 are participating in the study.This technology has additional advantages in the rare disease world. Because it’s difficult for patients to find accurate information about their disease, the app delivers informational resources, supplying links to disease information and advocacy groups, and directing them to support groups and specialists in their area.We’re excited about the possibility of extending this model to reach patients with other rare diseases.-Misha Rosenbach, MD, and Dan O'Connor, the Sarcoidosis App research team
There Are 525,600 Minutes in a Year, but We Only Monitor 90 of Them
A First Look at VascTrac PAD Research StudyMillions of Americans over the age of 50 suffer from peripheral artery disease (PAD), a lifestyle-limiting vascular condition that hampers blood flow to the legs. PAD restricts a patient’s ability to walk for continuous distances without experiencing pain, a severe impediment to patient mobility- this symptom is called claudication. What is more, the disease is often coupled with parallel vascular disease in the heart and brain, putting the patient at risk for heart attack or stroke.Treatments for PAD such as angioplasty and stenting often have short-lived effects, and symptoms return as the blood vessels narrow once again from healing or scarring.There are 525,600 minutes in a year, but we only monitor 90 of them. Optimal PAD surveillance is limited by the very structure of physicians’ typical data collection techniques. Patient visits occur periodically with months of unmonitored activity in between; this leaves a “black hole” of unused information that could otherwise be used to detect signs of decline or to find overlooked specificities of a disease.Enter VascTrac, the first mobile health tracker app for PAD, developed using Apple’s ResearchKit framework. ResearchKit modules were used to provide VascTrac’s clinical-grade consent, enrollment, and survey functionality for patients across the nation. Using the iPhone’s HealthKit Activity Tracker and Core Motion framework, we gather passive data about total number of steps taken, flights of stairs climbed, and daily distances covered from consenting participants. In particular, the VascTrac app measures the “maximum steps without stopping” (MSWS), which we believe is the most sensitive and specific metric for PAD patients. Patients with claudication typically have to stop for over a minute to let their leg muscles recover. Interested patients simply download the app, consent to participation, and continue their daily activities. They also perform 6-minute continuous “walk tests” at two week intervals and fill out a survey about symptoms and recent procedures every quarter. All information is gathered, de-identified, and encrypted for security purposes in compliance with HIPAA.VascTrac aims to validate passive activity tracking from a smart phone as a mode of surveillance for disease burden in patients with PAD. Especially after surgical procedures, VascTrac will explore new paradigms for personalized surveillance to predict and prevent treatment failures- a new form of Precision Medicine. We plan to grow with new technology, providing ever-improving tools to help patients move forward, pain-free.To learn more, visit VascTrac.-The VascTrac Team
Phendo, a ResearchKit App to Track and Understand Endometriosis
Phendo is a new mobile app designed by Columbia University’s Citizen Endo project using Apple’s ResearchKit. The aim of the Phendo study is to bridge the gap between patient experience of endometriosis and clinical understanding of the disease.Phendo is differentiated from other ResearchKit apps by capturing variables of a disease that is not well understood and for which phenotypes are still unclear. The research team employed iterative participatory design, engaging patients in building a meaningful tool for self tracking using both moment- and day-level surveys to document living with endometriosis. The app was developed by Applied Informatics.A challenge arose in the need to achieve both individual self-tracking and yet obtain population-level signals. To meet both research and user needs and the unknown nature of endometriosis, Applied Informatics created custom profile questions and a multi-select image choice question for survey answers to capture detailed demographic and disease specific information from participants.Custom Profile Responses FeatureCustom profile questions give participants the ability to personalize responses to track specific medications and foods and exercises that impact endometriosis symptoms. A ResearchKit extension was developed (via ORKStepViewController, code example here) that allows any type of profile question response to be entered, processed through an API and then displayed back to the participant as selectable survey responses.Multi-Select Image Choice QuestionPhendo’s multi-select image choice question is an upgraded version of the ORKImageChoiceAnswerFormat class that added two features. First, image choices no longer scale down and shrink when there are too many options to display in the view and instead allow scrolling horizontally. The second feature added allowed for multiple image choices to be selectable rather than allowing only a single option.The multi-select is implemented using the following ORKImageChoiceAnswerFormat construct (code here) and is currently planned for contribution back into the ResearchKit framework.-Dr. Noémie Elhadad, Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics at Columbia University
Participant-centered research in a rocky data sharing climate
Sage Bionetworks is a non-profit research organization dedicated to accelerating the pace of biomedical research. It is our perspective that innovation and life saving advances have been hamstrung by lack of access to research data. We feel that research participants, as data donors, are the ones who should own and control if and how their data is shared.However, data sharing is causing considerable conversation across the biomedical research community. Researchers are rarely professionally recognized or compensated for sharing data. However, when funders provide incentives we have found that many scientists are up for the challenge. As such, we have created a data sharing path rooted in practical application which we hope will be useful for other ResearchKit studies.In March 2015, we launched the mPower Parkinson Study: an observational study designed to remotely quantify daily changes in symptoms of Parkinson Disease (PD). During the first six months of mPower 12,201 participants completed the consent and enrollment process, a scale never before seen in PD research. 9,520 (78%) participants opted to share their data broadly with qualified researchers, including over 1,000 who self-reported a Parkinson diagnosis. Earlier this year, we made the data available worldwide, and published an article in Nature Scientific Data describing the study’s methodology and data in detail.Since the data release, more than 50 researchers from 14 countries and 5 continents have requested and been granted access to the mPower data. These researchers are the first of a growing community collectively contributing to our understanding of how PD symptoms can be remotely tracked and managed over time. We hope that researchers will rise to match the generosity of the study participants who have shared their data by joining forces to accelerate the insights gleaned from these data.-Brian M. Bot, Sage Bionetworks mPower research team
PPD ACT app
PPD ACT was designed by UNC Chapel Hill researchers in partnership with the PACT Consortium to understand more about the genetic basis of postpartum depression (PPD) and postpartum psychosis (PPP)—devastating disorders that impact 1 in 8 women who give birth. Our goal is to learn about the reasons why some women get PPD or PPP and other women do not. The successful launch of the PPD ACT app in March, 2016 was a result of strong social media campaigns, including outreach by Postpartum Progress, as well as traditional media coverage (New York Times, CNN). Almost 11,000 women have enrolled in the iPhone-based research study, far surpassing expectations.Of those who have enrolled, 5,306 women met criteria for postpartum depression and have been sent a saliva DNA sampling kit (provided free by NIMH). Approximately 3,000 women have already returned their spit kits to the NIMH DNA biobank—some with notes of thanks for conducting this research and having the opportunity to participate in a study that could help prevent suffering in the future.We know that many women have sought care after the PPD ACT app told them of the severity of their PPD symptoms. This has been a wonderful use of the PPD ACT app as a screening tool that has received widespread support from clinicians and advocacy groups across the U.S.Based on the feedback we have received, it is clear that app-based technology is an effective way to engage women in research during the perinatal period. We believe that PPD ACT offers the ability to reach women and provide vital education and resources, in addition to study participation in ways that have not previously been possible. PPD ACT is currently available in the U.S and Australia, but is coming soon to the U.K. and Canada.Samantha Meltzer-Brody, MD, MPHJerry Guintivano, PhDPatrick Sullivan, MD
Using REDCap for Rapid Production and Deployment of ResearchKit Apps
REDCap is a popular web application built to support the data capture and management needs for biomedical clinical and translational research. With the goal of bringing ResearchKit within reach of all investigators regardless of budget and access to developers, I created status/post, an iOS- and supporting web-application that integrates REDCap and ResearchKit for rapid production and deployment of powerful iPhone and iPad apps for medical research. Researchers can now connect ResearchKit to REDCap’s API to take advantage of its capabilities in native applications, allowing them the further advantage of the iOS SDK, for example, implementation of Active Tasks. REDCap can also serve as the required HIPPA-compliant data management solution for storage and analysis of collected data. Perhaps most exciting, investigators can use the REDCap interface that they are already familiar with to design a complete ResearchKit-based application without the need for developer resources.Since announcing the application at Washington University in St. Louis in November 2015, I have partnered with researchers on over fifteen projects. With each project, exciting new features such as geofencing, iBeacon ranging, HealthKit integration, kiosk mode, real-time monitoring and analytics, 23andMe integration, and customized messaging have been added and are available to all future projects. ResearchKit and REDCap are force multipliers, greatly expanding what is possible for me as a developer, and for my research partners. They are natural companions, and building bridges between them continues to be rewarding and fun. I am looking forward to the discoveries this integration will help uncover.- Christopher L. Metts, MD, Assistant Professor in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
Lots to Explore with ResearchKit 1.4!
Today we released ResearchKit 1.4 which provides several new updates and features that will add enhanced functionality to your ResearchKit apps.A new video capture step allows for study participants to submit video responses to surveys and tasks which can provide critical information otherwise lost in a still image. Additionally, we added a review step for users to quickly look back at and revise their survey answers.To address the concerns of researchers and participants who have difficultly locating an unobstructed path for 20 steps, ResearchKit 1.4 introduces the “walk back and forth” activity task. To perform this task, users are instructed to walk and turn in a full circle, allowing the tests to be conducted in smaller spaces.More features to be excited about:Signature Step: Now supports the Apple Pencil and can be added to any task workflow.Voice Task 2.0: Voice task has been updated to account for ambient noises and is now able to advise users to relocate to a quieter area if necessary.Hand Tremor Activity Task: Allows researchers to collect accelerometer and motion data while asking the participant to hold the device in their most affected hand.Data Collection Module: This new module makes it even easier to aggregate data from HealthKit & related device sensors.Tapping Test: New update includes the tapping duration as a part of the result.We can't wait for you to download the new release and take advantage of all the new improvements!- The ResearchKit Team
The 6th Vital Sign Study: Engaging the nation to create a new marker of health
Vital signs are indicators of general physical health status. Body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and pain are easily assessed and used to detect medical problems and show progress toward recovery. Walking speed has also been shown to be an important vital sign; however, uptake in healthcare is slow and there isn’t an easy way for the general population to measure it. The Duke Clinical Research Institute has launched the 6th Vital Sign study, designed using Researchkit, to establish walking speed as a new standard for measuring physical health on iPhone easily, anywhere, and by anyone. Participation is simple. After consenting to the study, users provide basic demographics, complete a two minute walk test using built-in iPhone sensors to monitor stride, and are asked to answer general health questions. Those with an account have a dashboard to track performance, which can be especially useful during recovery from illness or injury. Users receive feedback on their walking speed compared to published norms for their age and sex. Performance reports can be shared as PDFs with others including healthcare providers. The study will help our team validate walking speeds of 0.6 m/s or slower as an indicator of poor health, hospitalization, and dependence for all adults, as has been shown for older adults. Multiple users can participate with their own account on a single device. This was designed to engage non-iPhone users and people of all ages. It also allows entire households, nursing homes and communities to assess walking speed on a single iPhone. We hope this helps create an “off the shelf” smartphone-based approach for the general public to measure and monitor walking speed. It took decades to establish blood pressure as a vital sign and efforts continue today to increase screening and detection of hypertension. Our hope is that technology will accelerate adoption. Please join us to create a new marker of health establishing walking speed as the sixth vital sign.-The 6th Vital Sign Team
A digital tool to collect data on Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms
Chronic inflammation caused by Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), characterized by severe joints pain and swelling, often leads to irreversible joint deformities and physical disability in patients. Wrist function is critically important to our daily lives. Without it, simple tasks like writing, opening a door, brushing teeth, eating, getting dressed, etc. become extremely difficult. The wrist’s normal range of flexo-extension movement drastically reduces over time in patients affected by RA. There is no tool to objectively assess wrist joint function in a quantifiable manner. We developed a wrist exercise for the GSK PARADE Study using a custom ResearchKit active task. During the exercise, ResearchKit collects motion data from the accelerometer, magnetometer and the gyroscope sensors in the device in order to measure the forward and backward bending of each wrist. After the exercise, the data recorded by ResearchKit is packaged and sent to the secure back-end for assessment by the study scientists. A secondary custom feature built into the wrist exercise is an ability check. If the users indicate they cannot perform the exercise, they are automatically opted out.The mobility data gathered via the wrist exercise could potentially represent an objective tool to investigate joint function compared to traditional methods. The wrist exercise may also predict functions that are important to one’s ability for independent living. Outputs from the app will be correlated to the patient’s medical history, medications and other symptom scores to achieve a holistic view of the patient’s RA symptoms. This is our first attempt to develop novel assessment tools from data collected in the PARADE study, but we believe ResearchKit has the potential for industry-wide standardization and re-usability, which is why we chose this open-source platform . We will learn from it and hope to disrupt the model for how we conduct research in the future and ultimately improve patient health. - GSK and POSSIBLE Mobile
Meet the “Addiction Research: There’s an App for that” Challenge Winners
Recently the National Institute on Drug Abuse announced three finalists of the "Addiction Research: There's an App for that" Challenge, launched in November 2015 to improve the scientific understanding of drug use and addiction. Each finalist, selected by an esteemed panel of Federal Judges, has proposed innovative ways to use technical capabilities of ResearchKit for addiction research and to engage the iPhone users for participation in the study and data sharing. Three monetary prizes will be awarded: $50,000 for 1st Place, $30,000 for 2nd Place, and $20,000 for 3rd Place for a total prize award pool of $100,000. Meet the winners: Track the Crave (1st place) Track the Crave is an app developed to target smokers who are trying to quit and willing to provide detailed information about the circumstances surrounding their cravings. This app has the potential to help users in their quit attempt as well as provide a wealth of data that can inform future efforts to provide tailored and adaptive cessation interventions to smokers. The study aims to determine predictors of smoking relapse following a quit attempt, and identify if there are different patterns of quit trajectories. Researchers will be able to use this information to better understand the nuances of the quitting process and better assist smokers in permanently quitting. Substance Abuse Research Assistant, SARA (2nd place) SARA is a flexible app platform that is customizable by researchers to integrate multiple data collection tools including wearable sensors, cognitive tasks, and self-report relevant for substance use research. The SARA study will focus on adolescents and emerging adults to understand initiation and escalation of drug use among youth. The app has an innovative engagement strategy providing data visualization and dynamic feedback to users. Genomics of Addiction (GENA) App (3rd place) GENA app is a platform for adults who are participating in research programs conducted by genomics company 23andMe. The GENA study aims to integrate the existing 23andMe genetic data with substance use information to identify genetic and biological contributors to addiction. Researchers will drive large-scale human genomic studies of substance use disorders, with the goal of discovering important biological mechanisms and ultimately aiding the development of improved treatment and prevention strategies. - "Addiction Research: There's an App for that" Challenge Team Jul 20, 2016
Meet the Mood Challenge Semi-Finalists
Today the Mood Challenge for ResearchKit announced five semi-finalists. The Challenge, a New Venture Fund program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and powered by Luminary Labs, launched in April and sought proposals for ResearchKit studies that will further our understanding of mood and how it relates to our daily lives, health, and well-being. Each semi-finalist has proposed innovative new ways to use sensors in iPhone to help researchers gather data more frequently and more accurately from participants using iPhone apps. The five ambitious proposals aim to bring fresh insights and capabilities around mood, biology, and social context to both researchers and users with new methods for mental health diagnostics, clinical care delivery, daily wellness tracking, and behavioral interventions. They will launch longitudinal studies to study correlations between mood and contextual factors, gather insights and data on daily habits and self-reported mood and test the effectiveness of novel behavioral interventions, to innovate the practice of mental health care delivery and use sensors to demonstrate biological links between mood and health. With studies ranging from new diagnostics for bipolar disorder, to the biomarkers of stressed caregivers, to measuring symptoms in trauma survivors, the semi-finalists each aim to bring new ResearchKit capabilities to the mental health research and clinical community. Following review by an expert Review Panel, the Mood Challenge semi-finalists were selected by an esteemed panel of judges with expertise across psychology, health, and technology.Each semi-finalist will receive $20,000 and enter the Virtual Accelerator, which includes an in-person Boot Camp to develop their proposals into designs with support from experts in research, app design, and ResearchKit. In October, two finalists will be selected to receive $100,000 and develop their designs into prototypes that will be piloted with iPhone users. Meet the semi-finalists: Aware StudyThe Aware Study will measure mood and posttraumatic stress symptoms among the millions of adults living with PTSD. The study will develop and validate mobile methods, including passive data collection, active tasks, and linguistic analysis, while exploring how social and contextual factors such as connectedness and activity levels can be used to rapidly detect changes in posttraumatic stress symptoms. BiAffectBiAffect is a system for understanding mood and neurocognitive functioning in bipolar disorder using keystroke dynamics, such as typing speed and errors, to track and predict mood episodes. Alteration in communication is one of the main, problematic symptoms of bipolar disorder. This study will unobtrusively monitor non-verbal speech/behaviors to improve our understanding of mood disorders and provide a means of predicting future mood fluctuations. Mood CircleMood Circle will improve on mood detection and modeling using passive data tracking and self-reports on mood by incorporating social networking. Users of Mood Circle will enlist their closest companions to track their mood and contribute data to this shared platform, improving the experience and data models for each user while investigating social influences on mood and behavior. MoodSyncMoodSync will identify how daily mood and social environments are associated with biological aging among family caregivers. This population is at high risk for mental and physical health problems caused by chronic emotional distress. By triangulating assessments of social interactions, mood and affect, and cell aging via saliva collections, MoodSync will improve our understanding of how caregivers can thrive under chronic stress. Mood ToolkitMood Toolkit will provide mental health researchers with a configurable toolkit to study daily emotional health and wellbeing through the ResearchKit framework. The study will combine biometric data from external sensors such as heart rate monitors, with user surveys and machine learning to generate and validate personalized insights and interventions to improve emotional health. Stay tuned for the finalist announcement in October! - The Mood Challenge for ResearchKit Team
Understanding the relationship between lifestyle, health, and Alzheimer's disease
47 million people worldwide live with dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, and causes difficulties in memory, attention, and high-level thinking. Although drugs have shown some effectiveness in mediating dementia symptoms their impact has unfortunately been limited. Many studies have shown that physical activity, diet, and social engagement all influence both age-related cognitive decline and the symptoms of dementia, suggesting that factors directly under our control may be the best way to influence cognitive health. However, we don't know exactly how these factors interact within an individual to affect cognition and overall quality of life. The Mindshare studies are designed to directly involve patients and their caregivers in the research process to assess how these factors interact to affect both normal (age-related) and pathologic (dementia-related) cognitive decline. We used the ResearchKit open source platform and integrated our validated cognitive tests with both subjective (questionnaire based) and objective (activity tracking, HealthKit, GPS) measures of behavior, physical activity, and life space. Since our participants include seniors, we felt it was important to provide an iPad version of the application to support larger font and interface components. The iPad version also allows multiple family member participation, with multiple users being able to securely login and participate using a single device. As ResearchKit studies transition into clinical settings, we anticipate that this type of multi-user application support will become more broadly used. To recruit participants, we used IRB reviewed Facebook advertisements to specify ad placement based on location, demographics, devices, and operating systems. We are also able to target participants based on unique interests, allowing us to reach over 30 million people interested in Alzheimer’s disease, caregiving, and dementia. An exciting aspect of mobile ad based recruitment has been obtaining near real-time measures of reach and engagement, providing an effective, direct response mechanism for the success of study recruitment. We're excited that our approach has the opportunity to streamline large-scale neuroscience studies and enhance our ability to discover new relationships between cognition, lifestyle, and health. - Joan Severson, Digital Artefacts and BrainBaseline, and Josh Cosman, Ph.D, Vanderbilt University, on behalf of the Mindshare team.
Uncovering the mysteries of mood, one phone at a time
Behavioral economics, positive psychology, organizational behavior, econometrics… what do all of these fields have in common? A focus on the impact of mood on outcomes and behavior. For too long, mood has been a largely subjective and often ill-defined target of study. Linked to a wide range of environmental factors and social determinants – such as pollution, sleep, social connectedness, and access to food – mood is the subjective, free-floating extension of our emotional experience. We know that mood is one of the keys to health; whether you are happy, depressed, stressed out, anxious – all impact your physical wellbeing. However, our knowledge of the relationship between mood and social, environmental, and economic factors remains limited, despite decades of study.While many previous ResearchKit studies have focused on improving the patient experience for specific ailments and disorders, the recently launched Mood Challenge for ResearchKit, a New Venture Fund program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, seeks to bring new insights and capabilities around psychological health and happiness to everyone with an iPhone.Apps exist to help track mood, and there are clinical assessments used to measure it, but never before has there been an opportunity to combine self-reporting with background data analysis across thousands of subjects to paint a more nuanced picture of mood. The ResearchKit platform combines the standardization and reliability needed for scientific viability with the accessibility of a frictionless tool already in your pocket. Beyond quantifying correlations between mood and social context, and translating analog clinical assessments into frictionless digital tools, we believe the most exciting aspect of the Mood Challenge will emerge from unmeasured and yet unimagined analyses. The most intriguing and successful studies will develop active and passive tasks that combine disparate data streams and user input to answer questions about what our phones know about our mood and mental wellbeing. The fact that these questions are yet unanswered (and, in many cases, unasked) is what makes ResearchKit – and the Mood Challenge – so exciting.The Challenge will award $500,000 in prize money as well as expert mentorship and opportunities to pilot new studies. To learn more about and to submit a proposal, visit: www.moodchallenge.com.- The Mood Challenge for ResearchKit Team
23andMe Enables Genetic Research for ResearchKit Apps
This week 23andMe introduced a module that allows researchers to seamlessly integrate genetics into their ResearchKit apps. The module and its documentation are available on GitHub. "This new technology gives researchers a turnkey way to integrate genetics into their studies," said Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe CEO and co-founder. "This will enable research on a much broader scale. Incorporating genetics into a platform with the reach of ResearchKit will accelerate insights into illness and disease even further." The 23andMe module will allow interested researchers who are using the ResearchKit platform to support the collection of genetic data for their studies from current 23andMe customers and beyond. Using the module, researchers can allow existing 23andMe customers to easily contribute their data to a study. Or, researchers could choose to offer genotyping services to their study participants through 23andMe, with the services being funded by the researchers. Participants will then have access to the full 23andMe service, and researchers will have a simple, low cost way to incorporate genetic data into their studies. Once a participant agrees to share their genetic data with a study, the researcher can then use the credentials they receive from the module to access the participant's genetic data via the 23andMe API. Data sharing within the context of the ResearchKit module has been structured to provide the same robust privacy protections as all 23andMe research. 23andMe only allows a researcher to access data when the user explicitly agrees to share that data with the researcher by providing informed consent, and the participant can disconnect from an app in their 23andMe settings anytime to prevent any future information sharing. The information 23andMe shares on our customer's behalf with third party research apps is de-identified and encrypted, safeguarding the data during transfer. We also require that any partner using the 23andMe ResearchKit module have their study approved by an Institutional Review Board, which is an independent panel of experts which ensures that all research is conducted in accordance with all federal, institutional and ethical guidelines. 23andMe has created a development environment for researchers looking to include the 23andMe module in their app. Send an email to [email protected] for more information on accessing the development environment. If your app will only accept data from existing 23andMe customers, then you may not need access to the development environment. You can create a development API account here.- The 23andMe Team
The statements and opinions expressed in the ResearchKit blog are solely those of the respective author, who may or may not have scientific or legal training. These statements and opinions are not endorsed by and do not represent the opinions of Apple.
ResearchKit and the ResearchKit logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. |
New tools for targeting genes linked to autism
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences
Researchers have combined two tools – gene expression and the use of peripheral blood -- to expand scientists’ arsenal of methods for pinpointing genes that play a role in autism. The findings could help scientists zero in on genes that offer future therapeutic targets for the disorder.
UCLA researchers have combined two tools -- gene expression and the use of peripheral blood -- to expand scientists' arsenal of methods for pinpointing genes that play a role in autism. Published in the June 21 online edition of the American Journal of Human Genetics, the findings could help scientists zero in on genes that offer future therapeutic targets for the disorder.
DNA microarray
"Technological advances now allow us to rapidly sequence the genome and uncover dozens of rare mutations," explained principal investigator Dr. Daniel Geschwind, the Gordon and Virginia MacDonald Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics and a professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "But just because a particular genetic mutation is rare doesn't mean it's actually causing disease. We used a new approach to tease out potential precursors of autism from the occasional genetic glitch."
Geschwind and his colleagues studied DNA contained in blood samples from 244 families with one healthy child and one child on the autism spectrum. The team used a hybrid method that blended tests that read the order of DNA bases with those that analyze gene expression, the process by which genes make cellular proteins.
"Monitoring gene expression provides us with another line of data to inform our understanding of how autism develops," said Geschwind, who is also director of the Center for Autism Research and Treatment at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Behavior at UCLA. "Integrating this method with the sequencing of DNA bases expands our ability to find mutations leading to the disease."
Gene expression offers a molecular signpost pointing scientists in the right direction by narrowing the field and highlighting specific areas of the genome. For example, if a gene is expressed at substantially higher or lower levels in a patient, researchers will review the patient's DNA to check if that gene has changed.
"We found that we can use gene expression to help understand whether a rare mutation is causing disease or playing a role in disease development," said Geschwind. "A true mutation will alter a gene's sequence, modifying the protein or RNA it produces -- or preventing the gene from producing them entirely.
"A gene mutation accompanied by a change in expression clues us to a hot spot on the genome and directs us where to look next," he added. "Not all mutations will influence gene expression, but this approach improves our ability to pinpoint those that do."
The researchers used the combined method to prioritize gene targets that merit closer investigation, potentially explaining why one person develops autism and their sibling does not.
Their search turned up new regions in the genome where genetic variations showed strong links to autism and altered expression patterns. Genes in these regions were more likely to be mutated in the autistic children than in their unaffected siblings.
"When we looked at genes associated with nervous-system function we found significantly more genes were expressed at higher or lower levels in the children diagnosed with autism than we did in their siblings unaffected by the disorder," said Geschwind.
Finally, the research team discovered that the DNA contained in peripheral blood can help shed light on diseases of the central nervous system. Brain cells and genes related to synaptic function are expressed in the blood, offering a window into gene expression.
"Brain tissue from people with autism is not readily available for study, and some people are reluctant to use non-neural tissue in psychiatric disease," explained Geschwind. "But our study demonstrates that even peripheral blood can expand our knowledge of neurological disease."
The team's next step will be to replicate their findings in a larger population.
Autism is a complex brain disorder that strikes in early childhood. The condition disrupts a child's ability to communicate and develop social relationships and is often accompanied by acute behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 110 children in the United States, affecting four times as many boys as girls. Diagnoses have expanded tenfold in the last decade.
The research was supported by grants from the Simons Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health (5R01 MH081754-04), the Wellcome Trust and Autism Speaks. Geschwind's coauthors included first author Rui Luo, Irina Voineagu, Lambertus Klei, Chaochao Cai, Jing Ou, Jennifer Lowe and Matthew State of UCLA; Stephan Sanders of Yale University; Ni Huang and Matthew Hurles of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute; and Su Chu and Bernie Devlin of Carnegie Mellon University.
The above story is based on materials provided by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences. The original article was written by Elaine Schmidt. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Rui Luo, Stephan�J. Sanders, Yuan Tian, Irina Voineagu, Ni Huang, Su�H. Chu, Lambertus Klei, Chaochao Cai, Jing Ou, Jennifer�K. Lowe, Matthew�E. Hurles, Bernie Devlin, Matthew�W. State, Daniel�H. Geschwind. Genome-wide Transcriptome Profiling Reveals the Functional Impact of Rare De Novo and Recurrent CNVs in Autism Spectrum Disorders. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2012.05.011
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences. "New tools for targeting genes linked to autism." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 June 2012. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120621124942.htm>.
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences. (2012, June 21). New tools for targeting genes linked to autism. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 2, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120621124942.htm
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences. "New tools for targeting genes linked to autism." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120621124942.htm (accessed April 2, 2015). |
Will Flood Insurance Cover Storm Surge Damage?
Storm surges from a hurricane are indeed covered by flood insurance.
A storm surge is defined by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) as an abnormal rise in water caused by a storm. If storm surge occurs during high tide, it can create a tide 20 feet higher than usual. The NHC rates storm surge as the primary cause of property damage and death during hurricanes.
Homeowners insurance does not cover property damage from floods, and private flood insurance can be expensive. In 1968, the federal government created the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to provide homeowners in flood zones with affordable flood-insurance policies. These policies do protect against storm surge.
A flood, according to the NFIP, takes place when two acres are temporarily inundated by water from a mudflow, land collapses along the water's edge, there is an unusual accumulation of surface water, or tidal or inland waters overflow. The last category includes storm surge.
Flood insurance is available for homeowners, renters and commercial property. Policies are available to cover just the building, just the contents of the building, or both. Some storm-surge damage will not be covered, however, including loss of money or valuable papers; outdoor property such as trees, septic systems, decks or fences; and cars.
The price of flood insurance varies depending whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency classifies your land as a low-to-moderate flood risk or a high-risk Special Hazard Flood Area. Any property vulnerable to a coastal storm surge is classified as high-risk and will be charged a higher premium. Flood insurance is unavailable in coastal zones that the government has classified as environmentally sensitive Coastal Barrier Resource Areas because the government does not wish to encourage development there.
In adjusting insurance claims after a hurricane, the question of whether damage was caused by wind or storm surge often comes up. Private insurers who can convince a court that their customers' damage was due to storm surge, not wind, do not have to pay the claims.
Flood Smart: Understanding Flood Maps
Flood Smart: What's Covered
Risk and Insurance: How the NFIP, Insurance Law and Climate Change Could Cause the Perfect Storm
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A graduate of Oberlin College, Fraser Sherman began writing in 1981. Since then he's researched and written newspaper and magazine stories on city government, court cases, business, real estate and finance, the uses of new technologies and film history. Sherman has worked for more than a decade as a newspaper reporter, and his magazine articles have been published in "Newsweek," "Air & Space," "Backpacker" and "Boys' Life." Sherman is also the author of three film reference books, with a fourth currently under way.
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Guest Column: Protecting Domestic Violence Victims A Priority In The Ohio House
Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger
[ Clifford A. Rosenberger Home | Clifford A. Rosenberger Press ]
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a cause that focuses on a tragedy that sadly targets millions of Americans every year, including in many cases around the state of Ohio. During this month, there has been a concerted effort by legislators, state leaders and residents all over Ohio to help victims find help and treatment.
There have also been various pieces of legislation introduced in the Ohio House over the past few weeks that specifically address the need for greater protections for those who are affected by these awful crimes, which include stalking, rape and even homicide.
One particular bill would make it easier and safer for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault to register to vote. As it currently stands, going through the process of registering to vote can sometimes put those victims at risk because they have to disclose their home address. Because that information then becomes public record, it makes it easier for others, including those who may wish to harm them, to access those details. Understandably, under current law, most people who have escaped such violent situations choose not to register to vote for this very reason.
House Bill 359, therefore, would allow victims of things like domestic violence, rape, sexual battery, stalking and human trafficking to register to vote and keep their home address confidential. The goal of this legislation is obviously to strike a balance between protecting victims, while also not requiring them to give up their most fundamental civic right—the right to vote.
Another bill, HB 362, was introduced in the House recently that would strengthen penalties for strangulation in domestic violence situations. While strangulation is obviously a crime, it currently only carries with it a misdemeanor offense. This piece of legislation would up the penalty to a third-degree felony.
As we have learned, strangulation is a very common tactic used by perpetrators of domestic violence. As one healthcare expert said during a press conference announcing the bill, “Strangulation is the ultimate form of power and control. One does not need to have a gun. One only needs to reach out his hand and he controls her very next breath.”
It is sad that these types of legislation need to be introduced at all. However, I am proud of the work the state legislature and so many other organizations have done to raise awareness of these concerns and to discuss what more we can do to help the vulnerable. I believe that these efforts will lead to safer families and greater protections for victims, both in the 91st House District and all over Ohio.
Speaker Rosenberger Announces Summer Traveling Committees, Creation Of A New Study Committee
COLUMBUS -
Speaker of the Ohio House Clifford A. Rosenberger (R-Clarksville) today announced that two House standing committees will be touring the state to discuss various issues important to Ohioans.
[ Read Full Story ]
Happy Independence Day From The Ohio House Of Representatives!
Remember those who have served and sacrificed to make this country great.
House Votes To Send State Budget To Conference Committee
Today, following the passage of Am. Sub. House Bill 64 through the Senate, the Ohio House voted to reject Senate amendments and to send the state operating budget to conference committee. Speaker Clifford A. Rosenberger (R-Clarksville) released a statement.
Biennial Budget Clears Ohio House With Bipartisan Support
Today, the Ohio House of Representatives passed Amended Substitute House Bill 64, the biennial state budget bill that allocates funding to schools, community projects and government initiatives as well as providing significant tax relief to all Ohioans and small businesses in the state. |
Martian Dust Devil Whirls into Opportunity's View
In its six-and-a-half years on Mars, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity had never seen a dust devil before this month, despite some systematic searches in past years and the fact that its twin rover, Spirit, has seen dozens of dust devils at its location halfway around the planet.
A tall column of swirling dust appears in a routine image that Opportunity took with its panoramic camera on July 15. The rover took the image in the drive direction, east-southeastward, right after a drive of about 70 meters (230 feet). The image was taken for use in planning the next drive.
"This is the first dust devil seen by Opportunity," said Mark Lemmon of Texas A&M University, College Station, a member of the rover science team.
Spirit's area, inside Gusev Crater, is rougher in ground texture, and dustier, than the area where Opportunity is working in the Meridiani Planum region. Those factors at Gusev allow vortices of wind to form more readily and raise more dust, compared to conditions at Meridiani, Lemmon explained. Orbiters have photographed tracks left by dust devils near Opportunity, but the tracks are scarcer there than near Spirit. Swirling winds at Meridiani may be more common than visible signs of them, if the winds occur where there is no loose dust to disturb.
This is the first dust devil that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has observed in the rover's six-and-a-half years on Mars. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University/Texas A&M Just one day before Opportunity captured the dust devil image, wind cleaned some of the dust off the rover's solar array, increasing electricity output from the array by more than 10 percent.
"That might have just been a coincidence, but there could be a connection," Lemmon said. The team is resuming systematic checks for afternoon dust devils with Opportunity's navigation camera, for the first time in about three years.
Opportunity and Spirit arrived on Mars in January 2004 for missions designed to last for three months. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. For more information about the project and images from the rovers, visit http://www.nasa.gov/rovers .
For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/news/mer20100728.html
Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
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Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University (CS@JHU) is a diverse, collaborative, and intensely research-focused department. Although small, the faculty spans a broad spectrum of disciplines encompassing core computer science and several cross-disciplinary application areas including: Computational Biology and Medicine; Information Security; Machine Learning & Data Intensive Computing; Robotics, Vision & Graphics; Speech & Language Processing; Systems; and Theory & Programming Languages. Many CS faculty members have extra-departmental ties to our various multidisciplinary research centers, which are an important part of the Johns Hopkins intellectual environment. Computer Science collaborates within the Whiting School of Engineering (primarily with Electrical and Computer Engineering and with Mechanical Engineering, and to a lesser extent with Biomedical Engineering) and between divisions (primarily with Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Medicine and the Applied Physics Lab).
The department offers a full spectrum of undergraduate and graduate studies, and our graduates are successful at landing jobs in major companies and universities around the world. In addition, many graduates have started their own companies both here in the Baltimore-Washington area, as well as in other major tech centers. One of the qualities that sets CS@JHU apart is the flexibility of our program and the individualized attention that our students are given through faculty advising, independent studies and undergraduate research opportunities.
CS@JHU also benefits from, and contributes to, the broader research and educational enterprise of the Johns Hopkins University. Our mission in the university is to enhance discovery and innovation in science, engineering and society through computing research and education:
To advance disciplinary science and engineering in core and applied computing with a applications focus on data intensive science and engineering, medicine, information security, language and robotics
To enhance computing science research and education broadly in the school and the university through unique course offerings customized to students of varied backgrounds
To identify and lead new computing-intensive initiatives for the school and the university
One challenge in computing research everywhere is the fast pace of progress and change within the field. In response, our department has grown rapidly over the past three years, and we expect to continue to evolve in carefully selected areas that will advance our twin science and education missions. In particular, we expect to cultivate support for fundamental computer science and systems, while advancing research in Cloud Computing, Data Intensive Computing, and Trusted Computing. Finally, we will strategically hire in applied areas, including robotics, bioinformatics, and language processing, taking advantage of the strengths of Johns Hopkins.
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Lifestyle choices and the cancer connection: what you should know
Almost half of all Americans suffer from chronic health ailments; among these, cancer is second leading cause of death, after heart disease. Although screening and treatment options, as well as a reduction in smoking, have improved the survival odds for many different kinds of cancer, including the 4 most common kinds: lung, colorectal, breast, and lung, the numbers are still high. Over 595,000 Americans are expected to die from cancer in 2016, which translates into over 1600 people per day. In the UK, the latest figures (2014) put cancer deaths at 163,444; in Canada, the estimated figures for 2016 are 78,800 deaths; in Australia, the estimates for 2017 are 46,880 deaths; and there were 8316 deaths in Ireland in 2012. Globally, deaths from cancer totaled 8.2 million in 2012, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.These numbers don’t even reveal the numbers of new cancer cases that have been diagnosed each year, or the demographics of the people who are diagnosed with and/or die from cancer. Some say that the numbers of new cancer cases worldwide are rising, while others say they remain steady. It can all get very confusing when you begin to delve into the data.The one thing that is certain, though, is that too many people continue to develop, suffer from, and die from cancer and cancer-related causes each year.There is a widespread belief that everyone already has cancer cells inside them, and that if you live long enough, you’ll eventually develop cancer. There is some truth in this statement: all of us have cells that might be described as “pre-cancerous”, if you understand this to mean abnormal cells whose DNA is damaged. As long as there are few of these types of cells in the body and they are kept under control by a healthy immune system, the cancer risk is low. When they begin replicating in earnest, a tumor forms – if it is malignant, it can spread to other parts of the body and cause other tumors to develop.The things that trigger these cancerous cells to metastasize are varied: genetics play a small part for most people, but lifestyle choices and exposure to cancer-causing chemicals definitively account for the development of malignant cancers. These chemicals include tobacco and secondhand smoke, alcohol (when used in excess), and certain toxic chemicals that are routinely used in household cleaners, personal care products, and the food we eat every day.There's no foolproof way to completely eliminate your risk of developing cancer, but there are several ways to decrease your chances. These begin with making the kinds of lifestyle choices that will ensure that your immune system has the strength it needs to keep your body healthy and fight disease effectively. Avoiding toxic chemicals that have been definitively linked with cancer (some of which have been discussed in detail in my Little Guidebook) is made easier if you know what to look for. The list of “known” and “probable” carcinogens (these terms refer to classifications that were developed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and are the most widely used system) is long. And yet, not all carcinogens will definitely cause cancer in each person who is exposed to it. Some chemicals will cause cancer in people of a certain genetic makeup, while others will cause cancer after an exposure to large amounts of it, or alternatively, to small amounts. Occupations in which workers have a high risk of developing cancer from the chemicals they work with include conventional agriculture workers (who are regularly exposed to synthetic pesticides and herbicides), and people who work with chemicals like arsenic, formaldehyde, radon, silica, and benzene.While regulatory agencies and national public health institutes routinely claim that small amounts of exposure to known and probable carcinogens will not likely result in human health problems, including cancer, the truth is, people are exposed to small amounts of multiple harmful chemicals every day, all day. Whether or not a person’s natural defenses are enough to guard against diseases like cancer therefore becomes a guessing game. The less your body’s natural defenses are equipped to battle the forces that can deteriorate and destroy your health, the more likely you will develop a disease like cancer.Reducing stress is also known to be an effective means of promoting wellness and enabling your body to defend itself against an onslaught of disease-causing agents, though most people (especially those in urban environments) do not take steps to reduce the stress they experience on a daily basis. There are 3 things you can do every day to help reduce stress, and they only take a few minutes a day.First, take 5 minutes every day when you wake up in the morning to meditate on what you want to accomplish, or how you’d like your day to go. Don’t focus on all the things that are demanding your time and attention. Instead, create a scenario in your mind of how your day would ideally be, singling out a few (1-3) things you’d like to accomplish during the day. These don’t have to be work related, but if they are, imagine yourself engaging in those activities.Second, take 5-10 minutes each day to stop and breathe. I mean that literally: close your eyes and focus on the breath coming in and out of your nose. You might try breathing in your nose and out of your mouth. If errant thoughts enter your mind during those 5-10 minutes, just let them come, and notice them pass. Don’t try to fight them, or be worried that you are getting “distracted” from your breath. Just bring your focus back to your breath if it temporarily wanders. The more you do this, the easier it becomes each day. Photo via VisualHunt.com
Third, take 15 minutes at night to stretch your arms, legs, neck, or wherever you feel the most physical tension. Be mindful of how your body feels, and you’ll begin to develop a greater awareness, over time, of when your body is beginning to feel run down, sick, or ill-at-ease. It’s hard to ignore these feelings when you take time each day to reconnect with your physical self, and you’ll find yourself more encouraged to take care of yourself when you feel your body beginning to wear down with exhaustion or illness.Set an alarm (or several alarms) to do these things each day if you can’t remember, until you get used to the new schedule. Once you get into the habit, it’s easy to engage in these activities every day without having to remind yourself.Eat real food. Other things you can do to reduce your cancer risk and boost your immune system include eating whole foods and cutting way down on your consumption of packaged, over-processed foods; taking vitamins and supplements, including vitamin D (which also plays a role in combating diabetes), iron, zinc, and selenium (which also combat free radicals). Learning how to do this, if you haven’t already been eating healthy, or learning how to incorporate more healthy food into your diet doesn’t need to be hard, or expensive. You can learn more about this and other ways to create a healthier lifestyle for your family in the forthcoming book, Go Green without Going Broke. Seek healthy social relationships. Maintaining, or cultivating, healthy relationships and a social network of people (in real time, not online) that support you and can help you reach your highest potential. Cutting out people from your life who make you feel bad about yourself, or who constantly drag you down with their problems, is key do developing healthy relationships. The health risks for people who do not have offline social networks (especially older, single men) increase dramatically, meaning that you are more likely to suffer from mental and physical ailments like clinical depression and cardiovascular disease. Nowadays, offline social relationships are easier to cultivate through online resources like https://www.meetup.com/, which serves as a portal for groups that engage in a wide variety of activities. Don’t see anything you like? Start your own meetup group. Want more tips like these? Sign up for the Green and Prosperous mailing list for more tips and first access to free reports and information about forthcoming publications. (You can use the link below to sign up.) November 05, 2016/
cancer, go green, toxic chemicals
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Is Standardized Testing a Civil-Rights Issue?
Advocacy groups worry that if states are given more flexibility around testing, at-risk students will slip through cracks.
US President George W. Bush poses with students from New York Public School 76 after making remarks on the No Child Left Behind Act in September 2007. Civil rights groups say the law's mandated testing is valuable for tracking how well low-income and minority students are being taught.
Sophie Quinton
This article is from the archive of our partner
Understanding the opportunity and achievement gaps in U.S. universitiesRead more
Last week, after leaders of the new Republican-led Senate made it clear that rewriting No Child Left Behind is a top priority, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., stood on the Senate floor and called standardized testing a civil-rights issue. "We know that if we don't have ways to measure students' progress, and if we don't hold our states accountable, the victims will invariably be the kids from poor neighborhoods, children of color, and students with disabilities," she said.Civil-rights advocates want to make sure that any reworking of No Child Left Behind, the 2001 version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act maintains regular testing and reporting of test score data. Yet even as they gear up for a debate over education standards, we don't actually know how well standardized tests measure student learning. Nineteen groups, including the NAACP and the Children's Defense Fund, recently released a statement backing the law's core testing requirement. "ESEA must continue to require high-quality, annual statewide assessments for students in grades 3-8 and at least once in high school," Wade Henderson, head of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said at a Senate hearing on Wednesday.Tests should track students' progress toward state standards, said Henderson, and those standards have to align with what students need to know to succeed in college or in the workforce. Without data to show that students are on track, it could be all too easy for disadvantaged children to receive a substandard education.A similar logic drove No Child Left Behind through Congress in the first place. The law also set in motion a nationwide move toward standardized testing. State and local governments have added their own tests. Waivers from No Child Left Behind's requirements, granted by the Obama administration, push districts to add additional tests in order to evaluate teachers.But many educators say that the current tests used to measure student progress—and hold schools and teachers accountable—don't measure learning well. "Standardized tests measure the wrong things," Stephen Lazar, a teacher at Harvest Collegiate High School, told the packed hearing room. They measure mindless repetition of facts, he said.Pressure to raise student test scores can turn classes into cramming sessions. Lazar said he spends the entire month of May training his students to pass the Regents, New York state exams. "The learning and opportunity gap widens" when students with low scores spend so much time on test prep, while students with high scores can take on more complex assignments, he said.Better assessments could, in theory, create better data. But it's hard for the federal government to address that problem. The United States doesn't have a national curriculum. Any federal attempt to create better tests would involve influencing their content and would be politically controversial.The primary question legislators are debating now isn't whether standardized tests should exist, but whether the federal government should have so much control over them. A draft version of ESEA, circulated by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., would require states to submit test data less often, potentially from a patchwork of local assessments rather than a statewide test."I just don't think Washington has any business dictating to states and school districts what's best for the students that they serve," Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said at the hearing. Democrats, meanwhile, signaled that they feared the law gave states too much flexibility.Jia Lee, a special-education teacher who testified on Wednesday, told Politico that the fight over testing is really about trust. "There needs to be more local autonomy, and what needs to change is the culture of 'the schools can't be trusted,' " she said.That trust may be hard to win. While most Americans say they have confidence in their local school, the latest Gallup polling finds that just 26 percent of Americans have confidence in the public school system as a whole, down from 58 percent in the 1970s.
National Journal.
This article is part of our Next America: Higher Education project, which is supported by grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Lumina Foundation.
Sophie Quinton is a staff reporter for National Journal.
’s Politics & Policy Daily, a roundup of ideas and events in American politics. |
Assembly of nano-machines mimics human muscle
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
For the first time, an assembly of thousands of nano-machines capable of producing a coordinated contraction movement extending up to around ten micrometers, like the movements of muscular fibers, has been synthesized by researchers in France.
Researchers have succeeded in synthesizing an assembly of thousands of nano-machines capable of producing a coordinated contraction movement extending up to around ten micrometers, like the movements of muscular fibers.
Credit: � microcozm / Fotolia
For the first time, an assembly of thousands of nano-machines capable of producing a coordinated contraction movement extending up to around ten micrometers, like the movements of muscular fibers, has been synthesized by a CNRS team from the Institut Charles Sadron.
Motor neuron
Fish migration
Skeletal muscle
Essential nutrient
This innovative work, headed by Nicolas Giuseppone, professor at the Universit� de Strasbourg, and involving researchers from the Laboratoire de Mati�re et Syst�mes Complexes (CNRS/Universit� Paris Diderot), provides an experimental validation of a biomimetic approach that has been conceptualized for some years in the field of nanosciences. This discovery opens up perspectives for a multitude of applications in robotics, in nanotechnology for the storage of information, in the medical field for the synthesis of artificial muscles or in the design of other materials incorporating nano-machines (endowed with novel mechanical properties). This work has been published in the online version of the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
Nature manufactures numerous machines known as "molecular." Highly complex assemblies of proteins, they are involved in essential functions of living beings such as the transport of ions, the synthesis of ATP (the "energy molecule"), and cell division. Our muscles are thus controlled by the coordinated movement of these thousands of protein nano-machines, which only function individually over distances of the order of a nanometer. However, when combined in their thousands, such nano-machines amplify this telescopic movement until they reach our scale and do so in a perfectly coordinated manner. Even though synthetic chemists have made dazzling progress over the last few years in the manufacture of artificial nano-machines (the mechanical properties of which are of increasing interest for research and industry), the coordination of several of these machines in space and in time hitherto remained an unresolved problem.
Not anymore: for the first time, Giuseppone's team has succeeded in synthesizing long polymer chains incorporating, via supramolecular bonds, thousands of nano-machines each capable of producing linear telescopic motion of around one nanometer. (A supramolecular bond is an interaction between different molecules that is not based on a traditional "covalent" chemical bond but instead on what are known as "weak interactions," thereby constituting complex molecular structures.) Under the influence of pH, their simultaneous movements allow the whole polymer chain to contract or extend over about 10 micrometers, thereby amplifying the movement by a factor of 10,000, along the same principles as those used by muscular tissues. Precise measurements of this experimental feat have been performed in collaboration with the team led by Eric Buhler, a physicist specialized in radiation scattering at the Laboratoire Mati�re et Syst�mes Complexes (CNRS/Universit� Paris Diderot).
These results, obtained using a biomimetic approach, could lead to numerous applications for the design of artificial muscles, micro-robots or the development of new materials incorporating nano-machines endowed with novel multi-scale mechanical properties.
The above story is based on materials provided by Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Guangyan Du, Emilie Moulin, Nicolas Jouault, Eric Buhler, Nicolas Giuseppone. Muscle-like Supramolecular Polymers: Integrated Motion from Thousands of Molecular Machines. Angewandte Chemie, 2012; DOI: 10.1002/ange.201206571
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). "Assembly of nano-machines mimics human muscle." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 October 2012. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121023100940.htm>.
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). (2012, October 23). Assembly of nano-machines mimics human muscle. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 29, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121023100940.htm
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). "Assembly of nano-machines mimics human muscle." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121023100940.htm (accessed November 29, 2014).
Nano World: Where Towers Construct Themselves
June 2, 2014 � A tower which builds itself is absurd -- and however, in the nano world self-assembly is reality. Physicists have investigated how to control the ordering of such self-assembling structures at the ... full story
Nanosciences: All Systems Go at the Biofactory
Sep. 28, 2012 � In order to assemble novel biomolecular machines, individual protein molecules must be installed at their site of operation with nanometer precision. Researchers have now found a way to do just ... full story
Microwave Oven Key to Self-Assembly Process Meeting Semi-Conductor Industry Need
Oct. 25, 2010 � The fundamental nanotechnology process of self assembly may soon replace the lithographic processing use to make the ubiquitous semi-conductor chips. By using microwaves, researchers in Canada have ... full story
Chemists Create DNA Assembly Line
May 12, 2010 � Chemists have created a DNA assembly line that has the potential to create novel materials efficiently on the ... full story
'Nanodragster' Races Toward the Future of Molecular Machines
Jan. 6, 2010 � Scientists in Texas are reporting the development of a "nanodragster" that may speed the course toward development of a new generation of futuristic molecular machines. The vehicle -- only ... full story |
Moraine Research May Alter Thinking On Climate’s Effect On Glaciers
redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports - Your Universe Online
A Dartmouth College-led study published in the latest edition of the journal Quaternary Geochronology describes a newly discovered, more accurate method to date the soil and rock debris left behind by high altitude tropical glaciers.
The research could alter pre-existing interpretations of how climate change affected equatorial ice masses, the study authors explained in a statement Tuesday. Currently, scientists use a variety of different dating methods to determine the ages of these glacial moraines, which are sedimentary deposits marking the past extents of glaciers.
The timing of glacial fluctuations marked by these moraines can help scientists better understand past variations in the climate because the ice masses are sensitive to weather changes, especially at high altitudes and latitudes, the researchers said. Furthermore, the research could help experts predict how glaciers will respond to future changes.
“In the tropics, glacial scientists commonly use beryllium-10 surface exposure dating. Beryllium-10 is an isotope of beryllium produced when cosmic rays strike bedrock that is exposed to air,” the New Hampshire-based Ivy League school said. “Predictable rates of decay tell scientists how long ago the isotope was generated and suggest that the rock was covered in ice before then.”
While the production rate of beryllium-10 is often influenced by factors such as elevation and latitude, scientists have typically used rates obtained from calibration sites around the world rather than rates determined locally at the sites being studied. For their study, the Dartmouth-led research team looked at beryllium-10 concentrations in moraine boulders deposited by the Quelccaya Ice Cap.
Quelccaya is the largest ice mass in the tropics and is located 18,000 feet above sea level in the Peruvian Andres, the study authors said. Over the past few decades, it has retreated significantly, and the study authors determined a new locally-calibrated production rate that is between 11 and 15 percent lower than the traditional global rate.
“The use of our locally calibrated beryllium-10 production rate will change the surface exposure ages reported in previously published studies at low latitude, high altitude sites and may alter prior paleoclimate interpretations,” explained lead author Meredith Kelly, an assistant professor and glacial geomorphologist at Dartmouth College.
“The new production rate yields beryllium-10 ages that are older than previously reported, which means the boulders were exposed for longer than previously estimated,” the school added. “Prior studies suggested glaciers in the Peruvian Andes advanced during early Holocene time 8,000 -10,000 years ago, a period thought to have been warm but perhaps wet in the Andes. But the new production rate pushes back the beryllium-10 ages to 11,000 -12,000 years ago when the tropics were cooler and drier.”
In addition, glaciers expanded in the northern hemisphere during this time, indicating a relationship between the mechanisms that caused cooling in both that region and the southern tropics. The discoveries suggest that using the new production rate could more precisely date the ages of moraines in low-latitude, high-altitude regions such as the tropical Andes. This would allow scientists to accurately reconstruct past glacial and climatic variations, Kelly said. |
NASA Scientist Figures Way to Weigh Space Rock
(Continued from page 1) The final piece to the puzzle was provided by Josh Emery of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who used NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope in 2007 to study the space rock's thermal characteristics. Emery's measurements of the infrared emissions from 1999 RQ36 allowed him to derive the object's temperatures. From there he was able to determine the degree to which the asteroid is covered by an insulating blanket of fine material, which is a key factor for the Yarkovsky effect.
With the asteroid's orbit, size, thermal properties and propulsive force (Yarkovsky effect) understood, Chesley was able to perform the space rock scientist equivalent of solving for "X" and calculate its bulk density.
"While 1999 RQ36 weighs in at about 60 million metric tons, it is about a half kilometer across," said Chesley. "That means it has about the same density as water, so it's more than likely a very porous jumble of rocks and dust."
Asteroid 1999 RQ36 is of particular interest to NASA as it is the target of the agency's OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) mission. Scheduled for launch in 2016, ORIRIS-Rex will visit 1999 RQ36, collect samples from the asteroid and return them to Earth.
NASA detects, tracks and characterizes asteroids and comets passing relatively close to Earth using both ground- and space-based telescopes. The Near-Earth Object Observations Program, commonly called "Spaceguard," discovers these objects, characterizes a subset of them, and establishes their orbits to determine if any could be potentially hazardous to our planet. JPL manages the Near-Earth Object Program Office for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. JPL also manages the Spitzer Space Telescope and Goldstone Solar System Radar.
More information about asteroids and near-Earth objects is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch. |
| Chapter 5. Protecting Cropland: Introduction
"World on Edge details the vice closing around us: a quadruple squeeze of global warming and shortages in food, water and energy. Then it explains the path out—and how little time we have left to take that path. Got anything more important to read than that?" —Peter Goldmark, former head of the Port authority of New York and New Jersey, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, and CEO of the International Herald Tribune Books
Outgrowing the Earth: The Food Security Challenge in an Age of Falling Water Tables and Rising Temperatures
Chapter 5. Protecting Cropland: Introduction
On April 18, 2001, the western United States—from the Arizona border north to Canada—was blanketed with dust. The dirt came from a huge dust storm that originated in northwestern China and Mongolia on April 5. Measuring 1,800 kilometers across when it left China, the storm carried up to 100 million tons of topsoil, a vital resource that would take centuries to replace through natural processes. 1
Almost exactly one year later, on April 12, 2002, South Korea was engulfed by a huge dust storm from China that left people in Seoul literally gasping for breath. Schools were closed, airline flights were cancelled, and clinics were overrun with patients having difficulty breathing. Retail sales fell. Koreans have come to dread the arrival of what they now call “the fifth season,” the dust storms of late winter and early spring. 2
These two dust storms, among some 20 or more major dust storms in China during 2001 and 2002, are one of the externally visible indicators of the ecological catastrophe unfolding in northern and western China. Overgrazing and overplowing are converting productive land to desert on an unprecedented scale. Other dust storms are occurring in Africa, mostly in the southern Sahara and the Sahelian zone. Scientists estimate that Chad alone may be exporting 1.3 billion tons of topsoil each year to the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean islands, and even Florida in the United States. Wind erosion of soil and the resulting desert creation and expansion are shrinking the cropland base in scores of countries. 3
Another powerful pressure on cropland is the automobile. Worldwide, close to 400,000 hectares (1 million acres) of land, much of it cropland, are paved each year for roads, highways, and parking lots. In densely populated, low-income developing countries, the car is competing with farmers for scarce arable land. 4
The addition of more than 70 million people each year requires land for living and working—driving the continuous construction of houses, apartment buildings, factories, and office buildings. Worldwide, for every 1 million people added, an estimated 40,000 hectares of land are needed for basic living space. 5
These threats to the world’s cropland, whether advancing deserts, expanding automobile fleets, or housing developments, are gaining momentum, challenging some of the basic premises on which current population, transportation, and land use policies rest.
1. Ann Schrader, “Latest Import From China: Haze,” Denver Post, 18 April 2001; Paul Brown, “4x4s Replace the Desert Camel and Whip Up a Worldwide Dust Storm,” (London) Guardian, 20 August 2004. 2. Howard W. French, “China’s Growing Deserts Are Suffocating Korea,” New York Times, 14 April 2002.
3. Brown, op. cit. note 1.
4. Calculations for paved area by Janet Larsen, Earth Policy Institute, based on U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Highway Statistics 1999 (Washington, DC: 2001), on Mark Delucchi, “Motor Vehicle Infrastructure and Services Provided by the Public Sector,” cited in Todd Litman, Transportation Land Valuation (Victoria, BC, Canada: Victoria Transport Policy Institute, 2000), p. 4, on Ward’s Communications, Ward’s World Motor Vehicle Data (Southfield, MI: 2000), on Jeffrey Kenworthy, Associate Professor in Sustainable Settlements, Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy, Murdoch University, Australia, e-mail message to Larsen, and on David Walterscheid, FHWA Real Estate Office, discussion with Larsen.
5. United Nations, World Population Prospects: The 2002 Revision (New York: 2003); land requirements are author’s estimate. |
Home / News / Government / Underwater WWII battlefield gets a closer look Underwater WWII battlefield gets a closer look By Ashley Herriman
Bluefields as it was configured near the time of the attack. USCG photo courtesy NARA.
July 15, 1942. Off Cape Hatteras, N.C., the German U-boat U-576 sank the Nicaraguan-flagged freighter Bluefields. The crew of the Bluefields was able to escape without casualty, but U-576 felt the full wrath of the remaining merchant ship convoy and its U.S. military escorts. As the Navy air cover bombed the sub from above, the merchant ship Unicoi attacked with its deck gun. U-576 sank within minutes.
That convoy skirmish was just one encounter in the “Battle of the Atlantic,” the longest continuous military campaign in WWII pitting German and Italian naval vessels against Canadian, British and U.S. forces defending Allied merchant ships ferrying supplies and equipment.
As the war waged on, the Bluefields and U-576 were lost to history. In 2014, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration discovered the vessels 35 miles offshore and approximately 700 feet underwater — just 240 yards apart.
A sonar image shows the final resting place of U-576. NOAA/SRI photo.
Now, a new mission to the vessels will attempt to visualize and virtually recreate the underwater battlefield using information collected by manned submersibles.
“This discovery is the only known location in U.S. waters that contains archaeologically preserved remains of a convoy battle where both sides are so close together,” said Joe Hoyt, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary archaeologist and chief scientist for the expedition. “By studying this site for the first time, we hope to learn more about the battle, as well as the natural habitats surrounding the shipwrecks.”
Underwater robots and advanced remote sensing technology, provided by 2G Robotics and SRI International, will generate bathymetric data and detailed acoustical models of the wrecks and surrounding seafloor. University of North Carolina’s Coastal Studies Institute will provide three-dimensional modeling of the wrecks. Project Baseline, a global conservation non-profit, is supplying the GlobalSubDive assets including the research vessel Baseline Explorer, and two manned submersibles.
U-576 at sea. Photo courtesy Ed Caram Collection.
The expedition runs through Sept. 6 and builds on previous work by NOAA and its partners to document nationally significant shipwrecks in the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” off North Carolina’s Outer Banks. During the expedition, NOAA will also visit several other WWI, WWII and Civil War vessels including the famed Civil War ironclad, USS Monitor.
The Bluefields and U-576 were placed on the National Register of Historic Place last year, and NOAA is considering expanding the National Marine Sanctuary around the Monitor to increase protections for these two wrecks, and others.
“The significance of these sites cannot be overstated,” said David Alberg, superintendent of Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. “This area off North Carolina is the best representation of a WW II battlefield off the East coast. Now, working with our partners, we have an opportunity to study it, characterize it, and, like other historic battlefields in this country, hopefully protect it.”
Learn more about the research mission.
Ashley Herriman Ashley Herriman is WorkBoat's online editor.
Leave A Reply Cancel Reply RelatedImages from the deep: Expedition reveals WWII vessels off NCTwo vessels from WWII convoy discovered off North CarolinaSleuths explore shipwreck ‘graveyard’NOAA, Coast Guard join to preserve historic World War I…Lake Michigan sanctuary proposal has shippers’… |
Iceland's Bárðarbunga volcano: Europe could soon be under another giant ash cloud
Europe is keeping an anxious eye on the north as one of Iceland's biggest volcanoes shows signs of activity. Will a new ash cloud paralyze our aviation industry? Here's 10 facts you need to know.
One of Bárðarbunga's neighbors erupting in 1998
1. Bárðarbunga lies in central Iceland, rises to 2009 meters above sea level and is the country's second highest mountain. It is completely covered by the Vatna Glacier and is part of Iceland's largest volcanic system, which comprises several volcanoes and is 190 kilometers long. 2. Iceland's Meteorological Office has detected more than 2000 earthquakes in the Bárðarbunga area - at a depth of five to ten kilometers - since Saturday. Scientists see earthquakes as an early warning that a volcano may erupt. When magma moves deep down, the pressure breaks rocks and the earth starts to shake. 3. It's hard to say with any certainty whether Bárðarbunga will erupt. Researchers have very few data about this particular volcano. It is in a remote area and has only erupted a few times in the past. Volcano researchers at the GFZ Helmholtz Centre Potsdam say their statistics suggest that magma activity leads to a volcanic eruption in less than 10 percent of all cases. Bárðarbunga is hidden under this glacier - together with several other volcanoes 4. The last time Bárðarbunga erupted was in 1996. Its biggest eruption was about 500 years ago. Researchers say it was one of the biggest volcano eruptions worldwide of the past 10,000 years. 5. Eyjafjallajökull is another volcano in Iceland. It erupted in 2010, causing an ash cloud to cover Europe. Eyjafjallajökull and Bárðarbunga have a lot in common. They were both created by the same tectonic activities underground. They are both covered with ice. They have many geological properties in common. And their magma lies at similar depths. But Bárðarbunga is much bigger than Eyjafjallajökull and would release a lot more magma. 6. When Eyjafjallajökull erupted in 2010, hot magma came into close contact with cold ice. When the water started to evaporate abruptly, an explosion occurred which tore magma and rocks apart - and an ash cloud formed. Due to the nature of the magma on Iceland, the ash particles were very small, and they stayed in the air for several days without coming down. As Bárðarbunga is also covered by a glacier - that is, frozen water - the same could happen, if indeed the volcano erupts. 7. Winds can transport an ash cloud from Iceland to the European mainland. It all depends on which direction the wind is blowing. When Eyjafjallajökull erupted in 2010, it set free a gigantic cloud of ash and steam 8. Planes are not allowed to fly through ash clouds. That's why so many flights were cancelled when Eyjafjallajökull erupted in 2010. Ash particles can harm a plane's engines. When the particles get into the burning chamber, they melt and settle permanently on the cooler blades. Eventually, the engine breaks down. 9. Eyjafjallajökull's eruption in 2010 had an enormous economic impact. It is estimated that the total loss for the airline industry was more than a billion euro. Iceland is said to have suffered several million euro in economic damage - farmers were hit especially hard. 10. In the event of Bárðarbunga erupting, the biggest threat to Iceland would be flooding. If Bárðarbunga erupts, magma could melt the glacier and send large amounts of water down into the valleys. The German researchers at Potsdam say it is a good thing that Iceland is keeping such a close eye on developments at Bárðarbunga. But there is no reason to panic, they say. Chances are, nothing will happen - apart from more earthquakes.
Indonesia volcano eruption closes three international airports
A powerful eruption on Indonesia's main island, Java, has led to the temporary closure of three international airports. Authorities had called for the evacuation of residents within 10 km of the volcano. (14.02.2014)
Sumatran volcano spews fatal ash clouds
Indonesia's reawakened volcano Sinabung has spewed lava and hot gas, killing at least 11 people, including four pupils who were reportedly on a sightseeing visit. Villagers had returned home during an apparent lull. (01.02.2014)
On the slopes of Mexico's Tacaná volcano coffee growers adjust to new ways
The Mexican volcano Tacaná provides its surroundings with mineral-rich and fertile soil. But with increasingly heavy rains and erosion, local farmers are adopting new practices to preserve the environment. (04.02.2014)
Ryanair passengers win volcano damages at EU court
The European Union's top court has ruled that low-budget carrier Ryanair of Ireland has to pay more compensation to passengers stranded during the 2012 volcano eruption in Iceland. It had so far refused many claims. (31.01.2013)
As Icelandic volcano stirs, experts assess the risks of an eruption
The 2010 eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano caused transatlantic travel chaos. Now, all eyes are on Katla, which has been eerily active in recent months. Could Europe be facing another volcanic catastrophe? (14.10.2011)
WWW links
Update on Bárðarbunga from the Icelandic Met Office
Italy: Europe's Mightiest Volcano (23.07.2014)
Visiting the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in Iceland (09.03.2014)
Icelandic volcano threatens travel chaos (23.05.2011)
Brigitte Osterath
volcanoes,
Bardarbunga,
Eyjafjallajökull,
eruption,
http://p.dw.com/p/1Cy1H
Iceland: coping with the threat of volcanic eruptions 21.11.2016
The tourism boom in Iceland continues. Annual visitors are expected to soon outnumber the locals by seven to one. But like the Icelanders, tourists have to cope with the risks of volcanic eruptions. Earthquakes, volcanoes give Japan the jitters 01.06.2015
Last Saturday's 8.1-magnitude earthquake was the fourth major seismic event to strike Japan in one week, suggesting that a period of relative stability in the tectonic plates beneath the country has come to an end. Date
more science & technology
Wolf-like golden jackal discovered in northern Germany Golden jackals, similar to small grey wolves, have been making their way across Europe into new territory. A German farmer is claiming compensation after the protected, wolf-like predator killed a sheep. As cyberattacks slow, potential North Korea links emerge Cybersecurity experts have detected similarities between the ransomware used in the recent global attacks and earlier code from a North Korean hacking ring. However, they have warned that the clues could be misleading. Opinion: When spies lose their secrets Several hundred thousand computer systems were hit by the "WannaCry" virus. Those who created it aren't to blame, but rather the intelligence community, which was trying to exploit a security gap, says Konstantin Klein. German Federal Court to decide whether the government can store user IP addresses On Tuesday Germany's Federal Court decides whether it's legal for federal bodies to store the IP addresses of internet users who visit their websites. They say it's to protect us, but does it really? environment
Berlin environment blog: no more cars! Berlin is not the place for committed cyclists. That's according to two rankings and it confirms the experience of DW's Klaus Esterluss who pedals around the city every day. As mainstream parties flounder, why aren't the Greens cashing in? A recent victory for the Dutch Greens belies a wider trend. Ahead of elections In Austria, France, Germany and the UK, the Greens are struggling to woo disaffected voters who have turned away from the center. Sea level rising at triple speed since 1990 According to a new study, the world's oceans are rising almost three times as fast as they were 25 years ago. Scientists say coastal regions face a much greater risk than previously thought. Natural fungicide could restore French winemaking glory Grape rot fungus costs the global wine industry millions each year. Amid health concerns over chemical solutions, a natural alternative is being tested in France's Bordeaux region - with positive initial results. business
Democrats want Deutsche Bank info on Trump accounts US Democrats have asked German lender Deutsche Bank to provide detailed information about the loans it provided to Donald Trump when he was not yet US president and whether they were guaranteed by Russia. China carmaker Geely secures stakes in Proton and Lotus China's Geely Group has stepped up its global expansion drive by buying into Malaysia's troubled carmaker Proton. It also secured a huge stake in British automaker Lotus as part of the Kuala Lumpur investment. Germany's Gabriel sees 'deal' with China on e-car quota Germany's top diplomat Sigmar Gabriel is expecting Beijing to relax its new rules on electric cars. After China announced strict e-car quotas, Berlin sought compromise to protect the interests of its powerful carmakers. Moody's China downgrade rattles Asian markets After ratings agency Moody's cut China's sovereign credit rating, Asian shares have fallen and the Australian dollar skidded on renewed worries about the impact of rising debt in Asia's economic powerhouse. TOP STORIES |
Encyclopedia > Vertebra
The vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are the bones that compose the spine.
There are 33 of them including the five that are fused to form the sacrum, and the four coccygeal bones.
The 24 remaining are divided into:
Seven cervical vertebrae.
Twelve thoracic vertebrae.
Five lumbar vertebrae.
A diagram of a thoracic vertebra, notice the articulations for the ribs.
Table of contents 1 General Structure
1.1 Cervical vertebrae
1.2 Thoracic vertebrae
1.3 Lumbar vertebrae
General Structure
The anterior (front) of a vertebra is the vertebral body. In the spine, intervertebral discs separate adjacent vertebral bodies.
Behind the vertebral body, a vetebral foramen[?] (hole) is formed by two pedicles and two laminae. The spinal column runs through through this foramen.
Two transverse processess and one spinous process are posterior to (behind) the vertebral body. The spinous process comes out the back, one transverse process comes out the left, and one on the right. The spinous processes of the cervical and lumbar regions can be felt through the skin.
Superior and inferior articular facets on each vertebra act to restrict the range of movement possible.
These are generally small and delicate. Their spinous processes are short, and often split. Numbered top-to-bottom from C1-C7, atlas (C1) and axis (C2), are the vertebrae that allow the neck so much rotation.
Thoracic vertebrae
Their spinous processes point downwards, and are quite long. They have surfaces that articulate with the ribs. Some rotation can occur at the thoracic vertebrae, but the ribs prevent much flexion.
These are very heavily built, as they must support more weight from above them. They allow flexion and extension, and sideways flexion, but not rotation.
930s BC
... Contents
Centuries: 11th century BC - 10th century BC - 9th century BC
Decades: 980s BC 970s BC 960s BC 950s BC 940s BC - 930s ... |
Keith Allan
The Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics (Oxford Handbooks)
In this outstanding book leading scholars from around the world examine the history of linguistics from ancient origins to the present. They consider every aspect of the field from language origins to neurolinguistics, explore linguistic traditions in east and west, chronicle centuries of explanations for language structures, meanings, and usage, and look at how it has been practically applied.The book is organized in six parts. The first looks at the origins of language, the invention of writing, the nature of gesture, and sign languages. Part II examines the history of the analysis and description of sound systems. Part III considers the history of linguistics in China, Korea, Japan, India, and the Middle East, as well as the history of the study of Semitic and Afro-Asiatic. Part IV examines the history of grammar and morphology in the west from the classical world to the present. Part V surveys the history of lexicography semantics, pragmatics, and text and discourse studies. Part VI looks at the history the application of linguistics in fields that include the language classification; social and cultural theory; psychology and the brain sciences; education and translation; computational science; and the development of linguistic corpora. The book ends with a history of the philosophy of linguistics. The Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics makes a significant contribution to the historiography of linguistics. It will also be a valuable reference for scholars and students in linguists and related fields, including philosophy and cognitive science.
Keith Allan is Emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Monash University. His books include Linguistic Meaning (two volumes, Routledge 1986), Natural Language Semantics (Blackwell, 2001), and The Western Classical Tradition in Linguistics, Second edition (Equinox, 2010). He is co-author with Kate Burridge of Euphemism and Dysphemism (OUP, 1991) and Forbidden Words (CUP, 2006) and co-editor with K. M. Jaszczolt of the Cambridge Handbook of Pragmatics (CUP, 2012). Review:
"[A] fine resource for scholars and teachers who want to go beyond textbook treatments in introductory courses... Highly recommended." --Choice
1. Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics
Keith Allan (ed)
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Descrizione libro Oxford University Press, 2013. Hardcover. Condizione libro: New. Condizione sovraccoperta: New. Table of Contents 1. The Origins and the Evolution of Language, Salikoko S. Mufwene 2. The History of Writing as a History of Linguistics, Peter T. Daniels 3. History of the Study of Gesture, Adam Kendon 4. The History of Sign Language Linguistics, Bencie Woll 5. Orthography and the Early History of Phonetics, Michael K. C. MacMahon 6. From IPA to PRAAT and Beyond, Deborah Loakes 7. Nineteenth Century Study of Sound Change From Rask to Saussure, Kate Burridge 8. Discoverers of the Phoneme, harry van der Hulst 9. A History of Sound Symbolism, Magaret Magnus 10. East Asian Linguistics, Karen Steffen Chung 11. Linguistics in India, Peter M. Scharf 12. From Semitic to Afro-Asiatic, Edward Lipinski 13. From Plato to Priscian: Philosophy's legacy to grammar, Catherine Atherton and David Blank 14. Pedagogical Grammars Before the Eighteenth Century, Anneli Luhtala 15. Vernaculars and the Idea of a Standard Language, Andrew Linn 16. Word-based Morphology From Aristotle to Modern WP, James P. Blevins 17. General or Universal Grammar From Plato to Chomsky, Jaap Maat 18. American Descriptivism ('structuralism'), James P. Blevins 19. Noam Chomsky's Contribution to Linguistics: a sketch, Robert Freidin 20. European Linguistics Since Saussure, Giorgio Graffi 21. Functional and Cognitive Grammars, Anna Siewierska 22. Lexicography From Earliest Times to the Present, Patrick Hanks 23. The Logico-philosophical Tradition, Pieter A. M. Seuren 24. Lexical Semantics From Speculative Etymology to Structuralist Semantics, Dirk Geeraerts 25. Post-structuralist and Cognitive Approaches to Meaning, Dirk Geeraerts 26. A Brief Sketch of teh Historic Developments of Pragmatics, jacob L. Mey 27. Meaning in Texts and Contexts , Linda R. Waugh and Jose Aldemar Alvarez Valencia, with Tom Hong Do, Kristen Michelson, and M'Balia Thomas 28. Comparative, Historical, and Typological Linguistics Since the Eighteenth Century, Kurt R. Jankowsky 29. Language, Culture, and Society, Ana Deumert 30. Language, The Mind, and The Brain, Alan Garnham 31. Translation: the intertranslatability of languages; translation and language teaching, Kirsten Malmkjaer 32. Computational Linguistics, Graeme Hirst 33. The History of Corpus Linguistics, Tony McEnery and Andrew hardie 34. Philosophy of Linguistics, Esa Itkonen References Index. Codice libro della libreria 62951
2. The Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics (Oxford Handbooks)
Allan, Keith
Descrizione libro Oxford University Press, 2017. Hardcover. Condizione libro: New. This item is printed on demand. Codice libro della libreria P110199585849
3. The Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics (Hardback)
Descrizione libro Oxford University Press, United Kingdom, 2013. Hardback. Condizione libro: New. Language: English . Brand New Book. In this outstanding book leading scholars from around the world examine the history of linguistics from ancient origins to the present. They consider every aspect of the field from language origins to neurolinguistics, explore linguistic traditions in east and west, chronicle centuries of explanations for language structures, meanings, and usage, and look at how it has been practically applied. The book is organized in six parts. The first looks at the origins of language, the invention of writing, the nature of gesture, and sign languages. Part II examines the history of the analysis and description of sound systems. Part III considers the history of linguistics in China, Korea, Japan, India, and the Middle East, as well as the history of the study of Semitic and Afro-Asiatic. Part IV examines the history of grammar and morphology in the west from the classical world to the present. Part V surveys the history of lexicography semantics, pragmatics, and text and discourse studies. Part VI looks at the history the application of linguistics in fields that include the language classification; social and cultural theory; psychology and the brain sciences; education and translation; computational science; and the development of linguistic corpora. The book ends with a history of the philosophy of linguistics. The Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics makes a significant contribution to the historiography of linguistics. It will also be a valuable reference for scholars and students in linguists and related fields, including philosophy and cognitive science. Codice libro della libreria AAU9780199585847
5. The Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics
Keith Allan (editor)
Descrizione libro OUP Oxford, 2013. HRD. Condizione libro: New. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Codice libro della libreria BB-9780199585847
Descrizione libro 2013. HRD. Condizione libro: New. New Book. Shipped from US within 10 to 14 business days. Established seller since 2000. Codice libro della libreria VU-9780199585847
9. Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics (Oxford Handbooks)
Descrizione libro OUP Oxford, 2013. Condizione libro: New. Codice libro della libreria EH9780199585847
10. The Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics
Descrizione libro OUP Oxford, 2013. HRD. Condizione libro: New. New Book. Delivered from our US warehouse in 10 to 14 business days. THIS BOOK IS PRINTED ON DEMAND.Established seller since 2000. Codice libro della libreria IP-9780199585847 |
Opinion » Viewpoint
Business must play its role in upgrading local education.
Memphis City Schools superintendent Johnnie Watson is on the right track in pledging to reconstitute those schools still on the state's low-performing list in 2004. Under an approach based on high standards and accountability, reconstituting schools should be viewed as the final sanction for schools that are not achieving.
The first step is regular assessments, required by the state and now by the federal government under the "No Child Left Behind Act." Whether we like it or not, annual testing is a fact of life. If tests are aligned with curricula, they can be an important tool to identify schools and students that are not measuring up.
Our community is now faced with the second and perhaps most crucial step in turning around our failing schools: giving them the resources they need to achieve.
School districts like Memphis face myriad challenges, such as a shortage of qualified teachers, high concentrations of poverty, and inadequate facilities and resources. They cannot be expected to shoulder the burden alone. The No Child Left Behind Act was tied to a 15 percent increase in federal education funding for this very purpose.
Although the Bush administration's 2003 budget only provided a 2.8 percent increase in education dollars, I am working with my colleagues in Congress to make good on the promise to help states and school districts like Memphis meet this new federal mandate.
At the local level, the school board, administrators, and elected officials have offered a number of proposals to improve student performance, including school uniforms, extending the school year, tutoring, and after-school programs. I am encouraged by these proposals.
The next step should be to leverage the expertise, resources, and time of our leading corporate citizens and employers to get the schools off the state's list. In major cities throughout the nation, school systems have partnered with civic-minded business leaders to promote and maintain high standards. If there was ever a time to initiate such a partnership in Memphis, it is now.
Since December, I have worked with various corporate leaders, students, principals, and teachers to formulate a turnaround plan to encourage companies to become directly involved with the 64 schools on the state's poor-performing list. Under the proposal, participating businesses would work with principals and teachers in low-performing schools. They would identify specific needs and then provide the schools with assistance in exchange for a federal tax credit for the amount of committed resources. Companies would be expected to look within their own organizations for volunteers to provide tutoring, mentoring, or other expertise.
Participating businesses should look to the efforts at Snowden and Carnes elementary schools, among others, where principals are using performance data to raise test scores, identify under-performing students, and hold teachers accountable. This approach not only helps students perform better on tests, it serves as an "early warning system" to identify where they are falling short and need help.
Business leaders should not be expected to meet the challenge of improving our schools just because it is the right thing to do. They should also partner with schools because it is in their self-interest. It puts a premium on knowledge in a global marketplace in which employers are increasingly having difficulty recruiting skilled workers.
The Business Roundtable estimates that the percentage of U.S. companies reporting a lack of skilled employees as a barrier to growth has increased from 27 percent to 69 percent over the last 10 years. Maintaining high standards will pay dividends in the form of an educated workforce, and the entire community will benefit.
A "turnaround team" is not a silver bullet that will solve all of our education problems, but it is a vital element of a broader community effort to give students the knowledge and skills to succeed in today's marketplace.
Harold Ford Jr. is congressman for Tennessee's 7th District and is a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. |
Plants adapt their defenses to the local pest community
Populations of the same plant species produce specific defenses that are effective against the predominant local pest community.
Variation in the local pest community can therefore maintain genetic variation in plants across large geographical scales. Ecologists from the University of Zurich used controlled experiments coupled with observations on natural plant populations and their pests to demonstrate how genetic variation in plant defenses is maintained. The results could be used to develop customized seeds that are more resistant to the local pest community. Populations of the same plant species produce specific defenses that are effective against the predominant local pest community. Variation in the local pest community can therefore maintain genetic variation in plants across large geographical scales. Ecologists from the University of Zurich used controlled experiments coupled with observations on natural plant populations and their pests to demonstrate how genetic variation in plant defenses is maintained. The results could be used to develop customized seeds that are more resistant to the local pest community.
Test set-up of the selection experiment. Different genotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana were exposed to different aphids in parallel. Each individual Plexiglas box simulates a plant population with a particular composition of aphids.UZH
Detailed view of the selection experiment. Plant populations are harmed to varying degrees by the different aphid species. From left to right: Population without aphids, mustard aphid, cabbage aphid, aphid mixture, mustard aphid, peach aphid.
Herbivorous insects, such as aphids, damage plants and can substantially reduce yields in agricultural settings; however, they can play a major role in maintaining genetic diversity. Ecologists Tobias Züst and Lindsay Turnbull from the University of Zurich together with colleagues from California and Great Britain demonstrated the importance of variation in herbivore communities using the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, also known as wall cress. According to Züst, the work is one of the first experimental confirmations of a forty-year-old theory that herbivorous insects exert strong selective pressure on their host plants. Moreover, plants were quick to abandon defense mechanisms when pests were absent, confirming the high costs of these defenses.
Like many other plants, Arabidopsis thaliana, or wall cress, defends itself against pests with a sophisticated chemical arsenal. The pests, however, continually evolve mechanisms to tolerate or metabolize particular chemical components. This means that depending on the abundance of different pest species, different compounds will provide optimal protection, and thus the plant needs to produce a carefully tailored cocktail that will be effective against the most likely attackers. The researchers’ first step was to study the distribution of different chemical defenses in natural populations of Arabidopsis thaliana across Europe and compare it to the geographic distribution of two important pest species: the cabbage and the mustard aphid. ... more about:»Arabidopsis thaliana »Mobile phone »Plants »Variation »ant species »aphid population »chemical compounds »chemical defense »ecologists »environmental change »evolutionary history »genetic diversity »genetic variation »pest population »pest species »plant populations »plant species Local pest populations as an evolutionary force The scientists demonstrate that the main chemical compounds produced by Arabidopsis thaliana in South-western Europe differ from those in North-eastern Europe. This pattern correlates directly with a shift in the composition of the aphid communities. In the second step, the researchers studied experimentally whether different aphid species could directly select for these different chemical compounds under controlled conditions. To this end, they exposed mixed populations of Arabidopsis thaliana to the cabbage and mustard aphid populations typical of North-eastern or South-western Europe. After five plant generations, continuous feeding by the different aphid species led to the selection of different chemical profiles, and these were consistent with the patterns seen in nature. “There is natural variation in chemical defenses which is under genetic control”, explains Züst “and this variation is maintained by geographic variation in the composition of aphid communities”. “Genetic variation is the raw material for evolution”, he continues, “so the maintenance of genetic diversity is essential if populations are to respond to future environmental changes such as climate change or environmental degradation”. The costs of defense In the control populations with no aphid feeding, some of the successful genotypes from aphid populations were lost. According to Turnbull, this occurred because defense mechanisms are costly for the plant and often come at the expense of growth: “Genetic diversity was only maintained across the different treatments; within each treatment much of the diversity was lost. In the control populations, this meant the loss of defended genotypes, as here investment in costly defenses brings no benefit to the plant”. Today, the genetic diversity of many plant species is being eroded. For example, agricultural plants are selected for rapid growth and maximum yield at the expense of natural defenses, making the use of pesticides inevitable. In future, the new findings could be used to develop customized seeds that are more resistant to specific local pest communities, thus limiting the use of pesticides. Further reading: Tobias Züst, Christian Heichinger, Ueli Grossniklaus, Richard Harrington, Daniel J. Kliebenstein, Lindsay Turnbull. Natural enemies drive geographic variation in plant defenses. Science. October 5, 2012, doi: 10.1126/science.1226397. Contact: Dr Tobias Züst Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Cornell University Phone +1 607 319 99 05 e-mail: [email protected] Dr. Lindsay Turnbull Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Zurich Phone +41 44 635 61 20 e-mail: [email protected]
Nathalie Huber | Universität Zürich
http://www.uzh.ch
Further reports about: > Arabidopsis thaliana
> Plants
> Variation
> ant species
> aphid population
> chemical compounds
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> ecologists
> evolutionary history
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> genetic variation
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> pest species
> plant populations
> plant species |
Could olfactory loss point to Alzheimer's disease?
Credit: McGill University
By the time you start losing your memory, it's almost too late. That's because the damage to your brain associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) may already have been going on for as long as twenty years. Which is why there is so much scientific interest in finding ways to detect the presence of the disease early on. Scientists now believe that simple odour identification tests may help track the progression of the disease before symptoms actually appear, particularly among those at risk.
"Despite all the research in the area, no effective treatment has yet been found for AD," says Dr. John Breitner, the director of the Centre for Studies on Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease at the Douglas Mental Health Research Centre of McGill University. He is one of the authors of the study on the subject that was recently published in the journal Neurology. "But, if we can delay the onset of symptoms by just five years, we should be able to reduce the prevalence and severity of these symptoms by more than 50%."
Bubble gum or gasoline?
Close to 300 people with an average age of 63 who are at risk of developing AD because they had a parent who had suffered from the disease, were asked to take multiple choice scratch-and-sniff tests to identify scents as varied as bubble gum, gasoline or the smell of a lemon. One hundred of them also volunteered to have regular lumbar punctures to measure the quantities of various AD-related proteins whose presence in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
The researchers found that those with the most difficulty in identifying odours were those in whom other, purely biological indicators of AD, were most evident.
"This is the first time that anyone has been able to show clearly that the loss of the ability to identify smells is correlated with biological markers indicating the advance of the disease," says Marie-Elyse Lafaille-Magnan, a doctoral student at McGill and the first author on the study. "For more than 30 years, scientists have been exploring the connection between memory loss and the difficulty that patients may have in identifying different odours. This makes sense because it's known that the olfactory bulb (involved with the sense of smell) and the entorhinal cortex (involved with memory and naming of odours) are among the first brain structures first to be affected by the disease."
"This means that a simple smell test may potentially be able to give us information about the progression of the disease that is similar to the much more invasive and expensive tests of the cerebrospinal fluid that are currently being used," the director of research program on Aging, Cognition and Alzheimer's disease of the Douglas Institute and one of the authors on the study. "However, problems identifying smells may be indicative of other medical conditions apart from AD and so should not be substituted for the current tests."
The researchers caution more that far more work needs to be done to see how changes in a person's ability to identify smells over time relates to the progression of the disease itself. For the time being, smell tests are simply one more avenue to explore as researchers look for ways to identify the disease before the symptoms actually begin to appear.
"Odor identification as a biomarker of preclinical AD in older adults at risk," was published in Neurology.
Explore further: Detecting Alzheimer's disease before symptoms emerge
More information: Odor identification as a biomarker of preclinical AD in older adults at risk. Neurology. July 25, 2017 doi: dx.doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000004159
Journal reference: Neurology
Provided by: McGill University
Detecting Alzheimer's disease before symptoms emerge
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(HealthDay)—Losing your sense of smell may mark the start of memory problems and possibly Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests.
Study confirms 'sniff test' may be useful in diagnosing early Alzheimer's disease
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Ability to recognize and recall odors may identify those at risk for Alzheimer's disease
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Poor odor identification may be early warning for dementia
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How SORLA protects against Alzheimer's disease
Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) have identified a new protective function for a brain protein genetically linked to Alzheimer's. The findings, published in the Journal of Experimental ...
Saving neurons may offer new approach for treating Alzheimer's disease
Treatment with a neuroprotective compound that saves brain cells from dying also prevents the development of depression-like behavior and the later onset of memory and learning problems in a rat model of Alzheimer's disease. ... |
The fame of Varanasi or Banaras as an ancient metropolis, in many ways, overpowers its mundane urban histories. Diana Eck suggests that the city of Varanasi may have the world’s longest history of human habitation, being a key urban centre at the time of the Mauryan and Gutpa Empires, as well as a millennium of Muslim and British domination. It was a centre for the development of a range of religious traditions, reform movements, site of Buddha’s first sermon at Sarnath, and the location of some of the most important educational institutions of the last two centuries. In many ways it is an archetypal ‘mythical city’, shaped and sometimes weighted down by representations of its past. Deeper historical notions of the city merge with its utopian trajectories: Perhaps it was the location of the fortress of the Kashi tribe mentioned in the Mahabharata, and capital of the Kashi kingdoms discussed in Vedic literature. Myth merges more clearly into narrative of a thriving trading and commercial centre in the 6th Century BC, at the confluence of the Varuna and Ganges, dotted with inland pools and lakes and colonies of ashrams – each adding to the value of the city as a Hindu centre (Eck, 5-25). We can think of Varanasi as the spatial framing of cosmological thought across at least two millennia – a place that transformed, for example, through humankind’s shift from ritual sacrifice to theism and the rise of more universal notions of god.
The city as ancient religious centre has shaped modern responses to social conflicts and consensus, as well as how its populations have reconciled its heritage with notions of urban development. Banaras, in common with other north Indian centres was a key location in the development of middle class notions of urban improvement from the late 19th Century. The focus of its philanthropists, patrons of religion, and commercial communities, was often the reform of the urban poor. This colonial/Victorian notion of improvement sat well with Hindu notions of ‘dharma’ but distanced urban elites from the popular cultures of urban workers. The latter always straddled the formal and informal sectors, moving between each over time. The existence of this interchangeability and mobility, manual work in bazaars, multiple small enterprises, transport and construction, and street-vending complicated the city’s industrial histories. More importantly, it created a rich array of social perspectives on the idea of the civic space itself: Citizens of Banaras, recently invited into bids for Smart City status, were drawn from all of these sectors as in the past, or from long term migration of cultivators into the city, floating populations of workers and seasonal labourers. In addition, the city has been the home for a diverse array of public arts practices, theatre, poetry and music.
Other visions for the modern city have been driven by administrative and commercial elites, and Banaras continues to be high on the list of state and central government initiatives around heritage and tourism development. From the early Twentieth Century, Varanasi was near the top of the urban commercial and administrative hierarchy of the colonial state of UP. From Mughal times it had been a centre for the production of silk fabric, muslin and perfumes. Eventually, as well as a town for silks, it also became a key city for agricultural redistribution and for brassware and artisanal industries. It emerged as a key political and commercial centre in the early colonial period, while under the patronage of the Rajas of Banaras. Under direct colonial rule from 1794, the city’s rail infrastructure gradually developed through the 19th Century, but it was unable to compete with the large industrial city of Kanpur. As civil service and military personnel settled in the town, its territorial boundaries extended, to accommodate municipal services, sanitary infrastructure and new residential settlements. From the early twentieth century, financial services also expanded to finance new (especially small scale) urban manufacturing units. Nandini Gooptu has explained the significance of the focus of financiers on small scale units: able to by-pass factory legislation, fundraise capital and find capital from within family networks, and a greater ability to adapt to rapidly fluctuating market conditions. (Gooptu, 37-8).
Over the Twentieth Century and new millennium then, the mobility and vibrancy of Varanasi’s population and built environment has been integral to its political and cultural iconography. It has always been a key focal point for the development of political, social and environmental activism, which was historically rooted not only in its diverse cultural institutions, but also in movements for ‘social service’ in the late colonial period. This history has allowed the city to spawn a wide range of arts and environmental NGOs in recent decades, not least those concentrated on sanitation and water supply – for example the BHU led Shrishti Sanrakshanam. Such movements have started to consider the relationship between demographic change, the built environment and alternative notions of heritage. These are rooted in urban realities: The city has experienced considerable changes in land use, significant slum populations, and a water supply system that is around 125 years old. Only 30% of the total area of the city is provided with an underground sewer network, which means that most sewage is directly disposed, untreated, in the Ganga. Door to door waste collection does not cover the whole of the city either. Ganga pollution is perhaps one of the key challenges for the city, with toxins in the waters reaching levels estimated to be around 3000 times over the ‘safe’ limit suggested by the WHO.
With a population of around 1.4 million today, which is gender skewed, the city is currently divided into 5 zones – the Core area, Trans Varuna, which includes Sarnath, the densely populated central area of South Varuna, South Assi, the location of the Banaras Hindu University, and the Trans Ganga Zone, outside municipal but inside planning boundaries. Although earmarked for the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (Hriday) project, Varanasi’s leaders were unable to its potential benefits. This is despite its 300 significant monuments, the preservation of 20 sites by the Archaeological Survey of India, 84 ghats and around 3500 temples and mosques which have been a significant draw for international tourists. Despite this palimpsest of utopian visions for the city, thrown up by its multiple social histories, Varanasi, like the other cities of UP, failed to make it to the final list of 20 cities identified within the Smart Cities initiative. Yet, its utopias continue to shape Varanasi as mythical city as well as key metropolis of the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Details of our Varanasi workshop can be found here
Eck, Diana, Banaras: City of Light (Arkana, 1982)
Gooptu, Nandini, The Politics of the Urban Poor in early twentieth-century India (Cambridge University Press, 2001)
Kumar, Nita, The Artisans of Banaras: Popular Culture and Identity, 1880-1986 (Princeton, 1989)
Text by William Gould
Image Courtesy of Jan Bella |
Immunity paper signals a possible new antiviral therapy
Monash Institute of Medical Research scientists may have found a way to block infection from a range of viruses, according to a paper published today in the prestigious journal Immunity.
The paper, Regulation of Actin Dynamics by Protein Kinase R Control of Gelsolin Enforces Basal Innate Immune Defense, looks at the role of the cellular scaffold in blocking the movement of viruses through our bodies.
The research team, led by Dr Anthony Sadler, identified that our immune system is able to resist the first step in viral infection, entry to the cell. By discovering how this is achieved, the team has revealed an approach that could be exploited to enable broad protection from viral infection.
Dr Sadler said the findings showed that the Protein Kinase R (PKR), which had already been shown to repress viral infection, inhibited the activity of a second protein, Gelsolin.
As Gelsolin functions to remodel the actin constituent of the cellular scaffold, this activity of PKR increased the rigidity of the cell membrane, thereby preventing virus from entering the cell.
“A novel aspect of this paper was recognising that PKR is constantly inhibiting viral entrance to our cells, prior to infection,” Dr Sadler said.
“This low-level protection is enhanced during a viral infection by induction of PKR during the antiviral response.”
Dr Sadler and his team demonstrated that directly reducing the levels of Gelsolin reinforced this protective barrier against a range of viruses, including the agent of the common cold, Rhinovirus, another agent of respiratory infection, Adenovirus, and the human herpes simplex virus 1, which produces cold sores.
“Our objective now is to identify a drug to target Gelsolin and other actin-modifying proteins for potential use as a generic antiviral treatment,” Dr Sadler said.
MIMR’s Director and study co-author Professor Bryan Williams said this work was the culmination of many years of effort and with funding originally from the US National Institutes of Health.
“The challenge now is to take the next step and translate these observations into clinical utility.
“With an appropriate level of funding, such studies can be contemplated in the new Monash Health Translation Precinct facility, currently being planned at the Monash Medical Centre with support from the Commonwealth Government,” Prof. Williams said.
http://www.monashinstitute.org/media-releases.aspx |
Sample records for uc riverside botanist
Strong Earthquake Motion Estimates for Three Sites on the U.C. Riverside Campus
Archuleta, R.; Elgamal, A.; Heuze, F.; Lai, T.; Lavalle, D.; Lawrence, B.; Liu, P.C.; Matesic, L.; Park, S.; Riemar, M.; Steidl, J.; Vucetic, M.; Wagoner, J.; Yang, Z.
The approach of the Campus Earthquake Program (CEP) is to combine the substantial expertise that exists within the UC system in geology, seismology, and geotechnical engineering, to estimate the earthquake strong motion exposure of UC facilities. These estimates draw upon recent advances in hazard assessment, seismic wave propagation modeling in rocks and soils, and dynamic soil testing. The UC campuses currently chosen for application of our integrated methodology are Riverside, San Diego, and Santa Barbara. The procedure starts with the identification of possible earthquake sources in the region and the determination of the most critical fault(s) related to earthquake exposure of the campus. Combined geological, geophysical, and geotechnical studies are then conducted to characterize each campus with specific focus on the location of particular target buildings of special interest to the campus administrators. We drill and geophysically log deep boreholes next to the target structure, to provide direct in-situ measurements of subsurface material properties, and to install uphole and downhole 3-component seismic sensors capable of recording both weak and strong motions. The boreholes provide access below the soil layers, to deeper materials that have relatively high seismic shear-wave velocities. Analyses of conjugate downhole and uphole records provide a basis for optimizing the representation of the low-strain response of the sites. Earthquake rupture scenarios of identified causative faults are combined with the earthquake records and with nonlinear soil models to provide site-specific estimates of strong motions at the selected target locations. The predicted ground motions are shared with the UC consultants, so that they can be used as input to the dynamic analysis of the buildings. Thus, for each campus targeted by the CEP project, the strong motion studies consist of two phases, Phase 1--initial source and site characterization, drilling, geophysical logging, installation of the seismic station, and initial seismic monitoring, and Phase 2--extended seismic monitoring, dynamic soil testing, calculation of estimated site-specific earthquake strong motions at depth and at the surface, and, where applicable, estimation of the response of selected buildings to the CEP-estimated strong motions.
Joseph Hooker: a philosophical botanist.
Endersby, Jim
The nineteenth-century British botanist, Joseph Dalton Hooker,was one of the people whose career became a model for that of the modern,professional scientist.However,he preferred to refer to himself as a philosophical botanist, rather than a professional. This paper explores the reasons for this choice,and analyses Hooker's imperial approach to plant classification, the consequences of which are still with us. PMID:18535350
The Greatest Natural Botanist in the World.
Fishman, Ann
Considers the contributions of John Bartram, a self-taught botanist and farmer in Colonial America. Bartram collected and classified hundreds of North American plant species, eventually enjoying international renown as a botanist. His 102-acre farm and garden in Pennsylvania have been restored and preserved. (MJP)
High energy physics at UC Riverside
This report discusses progress made for the following two tasks: experimental high energy physics, Task A, and theoretical high energy physics, Task B. Task A1 covers hadron collider physics. Information for Task A1 includes: personnel/talks/publications; D0: proton-antiproton interactions at 2 TeV; SDC: proton-proton interactions at 40 TeV; computing facilities; equipment needs; and budget notes. The physics program of Task A2 has been the systematic study of leptons and hadrons. Information covered for Task A2 includes: personnel/talks/publications; OPAL at LEP; OPAL at LEP200; CMS at LHC; the RD5 experiment; LSND at LAMPF; and budget notes. The research activities of the Theory Group are briefly discussed and a list of completed or published papers for this period is given.
UV - RIVERSIDE CA
EPA Science Inventory
Brewer 112 is located in Riverside CA, measuring ultraviolet solar radiation. Irradiance and column ozone are derived from this data. Ultraviolet solar radiation is measured with a Brewer Mark IV, single-monochrometer, spectrophotometer manufactured by SCI-TEC Instruments, Inc. o...
9. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Library, Local ...
Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey
9. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Library, Local History Collection), photographer unknown, ca. 1903-04. VIEW OF WORKERS AND BRIDGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION - Union Pacific Railroad Bridge, Spanning Santa Anna River, west of Riverside, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
[A Prussian in Venice: the botanist Melchior Wieland (1520-1589), pioneer in botanical field research in the Levant].
Herrmann, Sabine
The Italian physician and botanist Prospero Alpini (1553-1617) is considered as one of the most famous 16th Century Italian botanists having explored the plant species of Egypt and the Near East. Alpinis best-known works as for example De medicina Egyptiorum (Venetijs 1591) or De plantis Aegypti liber (Venetijs 1592), however, wouldn't certainly have been made possible without the influence of his academic teacher, the Prussian physician and botanist Melchior Wieland (ca. 1520-1589), having been applied director of the botanical garden of Padua in 1561. This study is therefore dedicated to the life, academic career, works and reception of this nearly forgotten botanist. PMID:26427159
Transfer to UC.
California Community Colleges, Sacramento.
This student informational booklet reports that more than 11,000 students transferred from California community colleges to the University of California (UC) in 2000. The publication also answers frequently asked questions. There are three ways to become eligible to attend UC: (1) meet the requirements upon graduating from high school; (2) make up…
16. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Library, Local ...
16. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Library, Local History Collection), photographer and date unknown. VIEW OF MAGNOLIA AVENUE WITH ELECTRIC STREET CAR - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
19. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Library, Local History Collection), photographer and date unknown. VIEW OF CITRUS EXPERIMENT STATION - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
18. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Library, Local History Collection), photographer and date unknown. VIEW OF MISSION INN, SEVENTH STREET ENTRANCE - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
17. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Library, Local History Collection), photographer and date unknown. VIEW OF MAGNOLIA AVENUE - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
10. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Library, Local History Collection), photographer and date unknown. VIEW OF DUFFERIN AVENUE AND VEHICLE - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
5. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Library, Local History Collection), photographer and date unknown. VIEW OF ARLINGTON HEIGHTS CITRUS GROVES - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
30. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Library, Local History Collection), photographer and date unknown. VIEW OF SANTA FE RAILROAD TRACKS AND PACHAPPA AVENUE (COMMERCE STREET) LOOKING NORTH - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
11. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Library, Local History Collection), photographer and date unknown. VIEW OF WORKERS HARVESTING ORANGES IN GROVES - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
8. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Municipal Museum, ...
8. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Municipal Museum, Historical Resources Department), photographer unknown, ca. 1916. VIEW OF VICTORIA AVENUE FROM COUNTRY CLUB PARK - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
32. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Municipal Museum, ...
32. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Municipal Museum, Historical Resources Department), photographer and date unknown. VIEW OF EARLY ROPE AND ROLL PONY SIZER - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
31. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Municipal Museum, Historical Resources Department), photographer unknown, ca. 1900-1910. VIEW OF INTERIOR OF UNKNOWN PACKING HOUSE - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
20. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Municipal Museum, Historical Resources Department), S.P. Tresslar, photographer and date unknown. EARLY VIEW OF UNLINED GAGE IRRIGATION CANAL. - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
7. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Municipal Museum, Historical Resources Department), photographer and date unknown. VIEW OF VICTORIA AVENUE NEAR MYRTLE STREET - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
15. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Library, Local History Collection), photographer and date unknown. VIEW OF BARNS, STABLE AND FIELD EQUIPMENT, ARLINGTON HEIGHTS FRUIT COMPANY, EXACT LOCATION UNKNOWN - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
14. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Library, Local History Collection), photographer and date unknown. VIEW OF OSBORNE CAMP AND STABLES, ARLINGTON HEIGHTS FRUIT COMPANY - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
A brief history of the Bioengineering Institute of California and the UC System-wide Symposia.
Chien, Shu
The plan to establish a Multicampus Research Unit (MRU) on Bioengineering in the University of California (UC) System started in August 1999. The cooperative efforts of the UC campuses led to the formal establishment of the Bioengineering Institute of California (BIC) in October 2003. Three years prior to the BIC establishment, the System-wide Annual Bioengineering Symposium was started at UC Davis. The Symposia were then hosted sequentially by UC Santa Barbara, UC Berkeley, UCSD, UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, UCSF, UCLA, and UC Riverside, with the completion of the first cycle of a decade in the newest campus of UC Merced in 2009. The second cycle began in 2010 with the Symposium returning again to UC Davis. Each campus hosted a wonderful Symposium, with the active participation of students and faculty from all campuses, with the motto of "Ten campuses united as one, learning and growing together." These Symposia have contributed significantly to the collaborative research and training of students and young scientists in bioengineering, as well as fruitful interactions with industry and government agencies, which have provided strong support for these valuable meetings. The BIC will endeavor to further enhance these efforts by fostering research collaborations and joint education and training activities, with the ultimate goal of advancing bioengineering for the improvement of human health and wellbeing. PMID:21384235
Cessna UC-78 Bobcat
Cessna UC-78 Bobcat: Known by some as the 'Double-breasted Cub, ' the Cessna UC-78 Bobcat was the Cessna model T-50 produced for the Air Corps during World War II as a light personnel transport. Versions were also ordered to train pilots on multi-engine aircraft. This example served with the NACA at Langley from the summer 1944 until summer 1945.
Bouvia v. County of Riverside.
The plaintiff, a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, had admitted herself voluntarily to the psychiatric department of Riverside General Hospital in September 1983. She then revealed her intention of starving herself to death, requested that hospital personnel administer only pain medication and hygienic care, and sought preliminary and permanent injunctions to prevent the hospital from either force feeding, transferring, or discharging her. The essence of her legal claim was that society was obliged to honor, and to assist her in carrying out, her privacy right to end her life. While the Superior Court recognized a patient's right to refuse life-sustaining care under some circumstances, it ruled that because Bouvia's condition was not terminal, her rights must yield to the interests of the state and other third parties in preserving life. PMID:11644050
75 FR 226 - Establishment of Class E Airspace; Riverside/Rubidoux Flabob Airport, Riverside, CA
... establish controlled airspace at Riverside/Rubidoux Flabob Airport, Riverside, CA (74 FR 52704). Interested... ``significant rule'' under DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures (44 FR 11034; February 26, 1979); and (3) does.... 10854, 24 FR 9565, 3 CFR, 1959-1963 Comp., p. 389. Sec. 71.1 0 2. The incorporation by reference in...
75 FR 14465 - Notice of Inventory Completion: Riverside Metropolitan Museum, Riverside, CA
... From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Notice of Inventory Completion: Riverside Metropolitan Museum, Riverside, CA AGENCY... American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C. 3003, of the completion of an...
76 FR 1150 - City of Riverside, CA; Notice of Filing
... From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission City of Riverside, CA; Notice of Filing December 30, 2010. Take notice that on December 20, 2010, the City of Riverside, California (Riverside) filed a Petition for...
9. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Library, Local History Collection), photographer unknown, October 1916. FORMER 'VICTORIA BRIDGE' (HOWE DECK TRUSS SUPPORTED BY TRESTLE) LOOKING SOUTHWEST, SHOWING STREETCAR AND THATCH-ROOFED, CANTILEVERED PEDESTRIAN PLATFORM - Victoria Bridge, Spanning Tequesquite Arroyo, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
6. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riverside Municipal Museum, Historic Resources Department), photographer unknown, ca. 1902. VIEW OF ARLINGTON HEIGHTS CITRUS GROVES, VICTORIA HILL AND VICTORIA RANCH CHASE HOUSE IN BACKGROUND - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
Educational and Demographic Profile: Riverside County.
California Postsecondary Education Commission, 2004
This profile uniquely presents a variety of educational and socioeconomic information for Riverside County, nearby counties, and the state. The profile highlights the relationship between various factors that affect the economic well-being of individuals and communities. This presentation of information provides a framework for enhanced…
Adriaan van den Spiegel (1578-1625): anatomist, physician, and botanist.
Ghosh, Sanjib Kumar; Sharma, Suranjali; Biswas, Sudipa; Chakraborty, Soumya
Adriaan van den Spiegel (1578-1625) was a Flemish anatomist and physician. He was one of the most prominent anatomists at the University of Padua during the 17th century and became professor of anatomy and surgery there in 1619. He was privileged to have two of the most accomplished anatomists of that period, Fabricius ab Aquapendente and Iulius Casserius, as his teachers. His anatomical works were published after his death by his pupil Bucretius and his son-in-law Liberalis Crema, with illustrations procured from Casserius's unpublished anatomical atlas. He contributed significantly to establishing basic morphological facts about the developing embryo in his text De formato foetu liber singularis. In his book De humani corporis fabrica libri decem, Spiegel's lobe (caudate lobe) of the liver and the linea semilunaris (Spiegel's line) on the lateral side of the rectus abdominis muscle were described for the first time. Subsequently, Spigelian aponeurosis (between the lateral margin of the rectus abdominis and the linea semilunaris) and Spigelian hernia (lateral ventral hernia) were named after him. He was a renowned physician in his time and was the first to give a detailed description of malaria. He made significant contributions as a botanist: the genus Spigelia, which has six species, is named after him. PMID:24811238
76 FR 3655 - Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin, Riverside-Corona Feeder Project, San Bernardino and Riverside...
... of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on February 24, 2010 (75 FR 8395). The... Bureau of Reclamation Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin, Riverside-Corona Feeder Project, San Bernardino and... project, including new groundwater wells and a 28- mile water pipeline with pump stations and a...
... Bureau of Reclamation Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin, Riverside-Corona Feeder Project, San Bernardino and... recovery project. The project will install new groundwater wells at the Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin in... flows in the Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin during wet years for delivery to communities in...
78 FR 77448 - City of Riverside, California; Notice of Filing
... From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission City of Riverside, California; Notice of Filing Take notice that on December 11, 2013, City of Riverside, California submitted its tariff filing per 35.28(e): 2014...
... From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission City of Riverside, California; Notice of Filing December 21, 2010. Take notice that on December 13, 2010, the City of Riverside, California submitted its annual revision to...
78 FR 936 - City of Riverside, California; Notice of Filing
... Energy Regulatory Commission City of Riverside, California; Notice of Filing Take notice that on December 17, 2012, City of Riverside, California ] submitted its tariff filing per 35.28(e): Filing 2013 TRBAA... the ``eFiling'' link at http://www.ferc.gov . Persons unable to file electronically should submit...
2. 'SANTA ANA RIVER AT CHINO CREEK, RIVERSIDE COUNTY.' This ...
2. 'SANTA ANA RIVER AT CHINO CREEK, RIVERSIDE COUNTY.' This is an oblique aerial view to the north, looking over the flooded fields between Chino Creek and the Santa Ana River, just upstream of the Prado Dam site. File number written on negative: R & H 80 024. - Prado Dam, Santa Ana River near junction of State Highways 71 & 91, Corona, Riverside County, CA
10. View of Riverside Bridge with Steel Reinforcing Rods in ...
10. View of Riverside Bridge with Steel Reinforcing Rods in Place and with 'Tower for Concrete' in the Background. The function of the 'tower for concrete' is uncertain, but may have to do with the transport of concrete from the point of mixing to the point of use (suggestion by NDOT Bridge Section personnel, February 1990). Original snapshot taken July, 1920. - Riverside Bridge, Spanning Truckee River at Booth Street, Reno, Washoe County, NV
View of elevated West Side (Joe Dimaggio) Highway, Riverside Park ...
View of elevated West Side (Joe Dimaggio) Highway, Riverside Park South, and Trump Place development from 71st to 66th streets. Shot taken from Pier 1 (Riverside Park South) looking southeast. Henry Hudson Parkway (HHP) starts just to the left of the view, one block north. 69th Street Transfer Bridge in center. - Henry Hudson Parkway, Extending 11.2 miles from West 72nd Street to Bronx-Westchester border, New York County, NY
Initial source and site characterization studies for the U.C. Santa Barbara campus
Archuleta, R.; Nicholson, C.; Steidl, J.; Gurrola, L.; Alex, C.; Cochran, E.; Ely, G.; Tyler, T.
The University of California Campus-Laboratory Collaboration (CLC) project is an integrated 3 year effort involving Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and four UC campuses - Los Angeles (UCLA), Riverside (UCR), Santa Barbara (UCSB), and San Diego (UCSD) - plus additional collaborators at San Diego State University (SDSU), at Los Alamos National Laboratory and in industry. The primary purpose of the project is to estimate potential ground motions from large earthquakes and to predict site-specific ground motions for one critical structure on each campus. This project thus combines the disciplines of geology, seismology, geodesy, soil dynamics, and earthquake engineering into a fully integrated approach. Once completed, the CLC project will provide a template to evaluate other buildings at each of the four UC campuses, as well as provide a methodology for evaluating seismic hazards at other critical sites in California, including other UC locations at risk from large earthquakes. Another important objective of the CLC project is the education of students and other professional in the application of this integrated, multidisciplinary, state-of-the-art approach to the assessment of earthquake hazard. For each campus targeted by the CLC project, the seismic hazard study will consist of four phases: Phase I - Initial source and site characterization, Phase II - Drilling, logging, seismic monitoring, and laboratory dynamic soil testing, Phase III - Modeling of predicted site-specific earthquake ground motions, and Phase IV - Calculations of 3D building response. This report cover Phase I for the UCSB campus and incudes results up through March 1997.
Sections. March Air Force Base, Riverside, California, Combat Operations Center, ...
Sections. March Air Force Base, Riverside, California, Combat Operations Center, Combat Operations Building. By Moffatt and Nichol, Engineers, 122 West Fifth Street, Long Beach, California; for the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, Office of the District Engineer, Los Angeles, California. Drawing no. AW-60-02-03, sheet no. 14, approved March, 1962; specifications no. ENG-04-353-62-66; D.O. series AW 1596/15, Rev. "A"; file drawer 1290. Last revised 3 October 1966. Scale one-eighth inch to one foot. 30x36 inches. pencil on paper - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
Elevations. March Air Force Base, Riverside, California, Combat Operations Center, ...
Elevations. March Air Force Base, Riverside, California, Combat Operations Center, Combat Operations Building. By Moffatt and Nichol, Engineers, 122 West Fifth Street, Long Beach, California; for the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, Office of the District Engineer, Los Angeles, California. Drawing no. AW-60-02-03, sheet no. 14, approved March, 1962; specifications no. ENG-04-353-62-66; D.O. series AW 1596/14, Rev. "B"; file drawer 77-1/102. Last revised 3 October 1966. Scale one-eighth inch to one foot. 30x36 inches. photocopy on paper - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
76 FR 30754 - Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Riverside and Orange Counties...
...: Riverside and Orange Counties, CA AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of... the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed highway project in Riverside and Orange... in Riverside and Orange Counties. The State Route 91 Corridor Improvement Project proposes to...
Zr uc(iii) and Nb uc(iv) Energy Levels and f values
Beck, Donald R.; Pan, Lin
Relativistic configuration-interaction (RCI) calculations have been done for the 4d^2, 5s^2 J=0 and the 4d 5p, 5s 5p J=1 levels of Zr uc(iii) and Nb uc(iv.) Except for the Nb uc(iv) 5s^2 J=0 level which we place 107 013 cm-1 above the 4d^2 ^3P J=0 level, we are in good agreement with published experimental results (J. Reader and N. Acquista, Phys. Scr. 55), 310 (1997). (E. Meinders, F. G. Meijer, and L. Remijn, Phys. Scr. 25), 527 (1982).. The Nb uc(iv) 5s^2 level is, however, in good agreement with unpublished results of Ahmad and Reader (Unpublished results of Ahmad and Reader (private communication).). For both Zr uc(iii) and Nb uc(iv) J=1, second order effects added to the 4d vf configuration are important in positioning the 5s 5p levels, whereas correlation of vp^2 is essential to energy positioning in Zr uc(iii) and Nb uc(iv) J=0. Gauge agreement for all larger (>.01) f values averages 5.6% (4.2%) for Zr uc(iii) (Nb uc(iv).) Where differences exist among the experimental Zr uc(iii) f values, we tend to favor the result of Reader and Acquista ^2.
Knowledge structures in UC, the UNIX consultant
Chin, D.N.
The knowledge structures implemented in UC, the UNIX consultant are sufficient for UC to reply to a large range of user queries in the domain of the UNIX operating system. The author describes how these knowledge structures are used in the natural language tasks of parsing, inference, planning, goal detection, and generation, and how they are organized to enable efficient access even with the large database of an expert system. The structuring of knowledge to provide direct answers to common queries and the high usability and efficiency of knowledge structures allow UC to hold an interactive conversation with a user. 12 references.
Anza-Terwilliger hydrogeologic structures in Riverside County, California
Morita, Andrew; Clark, Dennis A.; Morita, Andrew Y.; Martin, Peter
This digital geospatial dataset documents the fault traces in the Anza and Terwilliger area of southwest Riverside County, California, that were modified from Moyle (1971) by Woolfenden and Bright (1988, figure 8). The fault information is used to help assess ground-water level changes in the area of Anza and Terwilliger between 2004 and 2005.
Anza-Terwilliger study wells in Riverside County, California
Morita, Andrew; Clark, Dennis A.; Martin, Peter
This digital data set contains the locations, water-level altitude, and water-level differences of 70 wells selected to document water-level changes between fall 2004 and spring 2005 in the Anza-Terwilliger area of Riverside County, California. The winter of 2005 was one of the wettest periods on record. Links to the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information Systems Website (NWISWeb) have been established to interactively view recent water-level information via the internet by clicking on a specific well.
Rogue Community College Student Satisfaction Survey, Winter 2001: Management Report. Redwood and Riverside Campuses.
Wild, Nancy
This document is a 2001 report on student satisfaction at the Redwood and Riverside campuses of Rogue Community College (RCC) (Oregon). Surveys were used to help assess the community college's overall effectiveness and address the needs of students. A total of 269 (120 from Redwood and 149 from Riverside) student surveys were returned--most…
Riverside Park Overlook and Promenade over railroad at West 116th ...
Riverside Park Overlook and Promenade over railroad at West 116th Street from Greenway, looking southeast. Note Cobra light on left, Riverside Park lampposts in front of arcades. - Henry Hudson Parkway, Extending 11.2 miles from West 72nd Street to Bronx-Westchester border, New York County, NY
Strong earthquake motion estimates for three sites on the U.C. San Diego campus
Day, S; Doroudian, M; Elgamal, A; Gonzales, S; Heuze, F; Lai, T; Minster, B; Oglesby, D; Riemer, M; Vernon, F; Vucetic, M; Wagoner, J; Yang, Z
The approach of the Campus Earthquake Program (CEP) is to combine the substantial expertise that exists within the UC system in geology, seismology, and geotechnical engineering, to estimate the earthquake strong motion exposure of UC facilities. These estimates draw upon recent advances in hazard assessment, seismic wave propagation modeling in rocks and soils, and dynamic soil testing. The UC campuses currently chosen for application of our integrated methodology are Riverside, San Diego, and Santa Barbara. The procedure starts with the identification of possible earthquake sources in the region and the determination of the most critical fault(s) related to earthquake exposure of the campus. Combined geological, geophysical, and geotechnical studies are then conducted to characterize each campus with specific focus on the location of particular target buildings of special interest to the campus administrators. We drill, sample, and geophysically log deep boreholes next to the target structure, to provide direct in-situ measurements of subsurface material properties, and to install uphole and downhole 3-component seismic sensors capable of recording both weak and strong motions. The boreholes provide access below the soil layers, to deeper materials that have relatively high seismic shear-wave velocities. Analyses of conjugate downhole and uphole records provide a basis for optimizing the representation of the low-strain response of the sites. Earthquake rupture scenarios of identified causative faults are combined with the earthquake records and with nonlinear soil models to provide site-specific estimates of strong motions at the selected target locations. The predicted ground motions are shared with the UC consultants, so that they can be used as input to the dynamic analysis of the buildings. Thus, for each campus targeted by the CEP project, the strong motion studies consist of two phases, Phase 1--initial source and site characterization, drilling, geophysical logging, installation of the seismic station, and initial seismic monitoring, and Phase 2--extended seismic monitoring, dynamic soil testing, calculation of estimated site-specific earthquake strong motions at depth and at the surface, and , where applicable, estimation of the response of selected buildings to the CEP-estimated strong motions.
Radiogenic Risk of Malignant Neoplasms for Techa Riverside Residents
Akleyev, A. V.; Krestinina, L. Y.; Preston, D. L.; Davis, Faith; Degteva, M. O.; Anspaugh, L. R.; Startsev, N. V.; Napier, Bruce A.; Ron, E.
As a result of releases of liquid radioactive waste into the Techa River from the Mayak PA in the 1950s, residents of the riverside villages were for decades exposed to external and internal radiation resulting from consumption of locally produced food and river water. Presented in the paper is a brief description of the radiation conditions, organization of medical follow-up of the exposed population, principles for dose estimation, epidemiological analyses of cancer mortality and incidence for residents of the Techa RIverside villages. The estimates of excess relative risk of radiation-related leukemia and solid cancer mortality and incidence obtained for members of the Techa River cohort point to a clear-cut dependence of the rates on radiation exposure. Attributive risk of cancer incidence characterizing the proportion of radiation-related cancer cases among the total cancers was comparable with that for mortality: 3.2% derived for cancer incidence and 2.5% for cancer mortality. Based on the non-CLL leukemia excess relative risk (ERR) estimates calculated using the linear dose-effect model and the nature of the cohort, it was estimated that 31 (60%) out of 49 leukemia death cases (with the exclusion of 12 cases of chronic lymphatic leukemia) can be related to a long-term radiation exposure due to the contamination of the Techa River.
Cued UCS rehearsal and the impact of painful conditioned stimuli: UCS rehearsal increases SCRs but reduces experienced pain.
Arntz, A; Spit, S; Merckelbach, H
The effects of cued UCS rehearsal on responses to a mildly painful CS previously paired with a highly painful UCS were investigated. Following CS pretest and CS-UCS pairings, subjects either mentally rehearsed the UCS (condition 1), received the real UCS (condition 2), mentally rehearsed an unrelated painful experience (condition 3), or waited (condition 4). In a fifth condition, subjects received CS and UCS unpaired before engaging in UCS rehearsal. During a posttest, subjects received CS-alone presentations and rated experienced pain and anxiety, while electrodermal responses were assessed. These responses were compared to pretest and acquisition responses. UCS rehearsal led to pain reduction of the CS comparable to the habituation effect of real UCS confrontation. In line with an associative basis for this effect, UCS rehearsal did not influence the pain experience of an unpaired CS. Yet, rehearsal of a memory of an unrelated painful experience also reduced the pain experience of the CS. Electrodermal responses showed delayed extinction and incubation after UCS rehearsal, but there were no significant effects on subjective anxiety. Incubation of electrodermal responses was related to low self-consciousness and the combination of low self-consciousness and high trait anxiety. Trait anxiety and worry proneness per se did not relate to incubation. The findings suggest that worry-like processes can have functional values like reducing pain impact, and cast doubt upon the contention that UCS rehearsal leads to an overall incubation of fear. PMID:9193123
75 FR 7029 - Lonza, Inc., Riverside Plant, Lonza Exclusive Synthesis Section, Custom Manufacturing Division...
... From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration Lonza, Inc., Riverside Plant, Lonza Exclusive Synthesis Section, Custom Manufacturing Division Including On-Site Leased Workers of Lab Support, Aerotek, Job Exchange,...
75 FR 1363 - City of Riverside, CA, California Independent System Operator Corporation; Notice of Filing
... From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission City of Riverside, CA, California Independent System Operator Corporation... and the California Independent System Operator Corporation filed its seventh annual revision to...
A Study of Desegregation in the Public Schools, Riverside, California. Riverside School Study, Progress Report 1968-1969. Project No. M8-14.
Purl, Mabel C.; Singer, Harry
This progress report of the Riverside Unified School District comprises a summary of the effect of integration on the achievement of elementary pupils. Little change is considered to have occurred in the achievement of these students following integration. However, the achievement of many minority pupils, it is held, may eventually improve through…
CWhatUC: a visual acuity simulator
Garcia, Daniel D.; Barsky, Brian A.; Klein, Stanley A.
CWhatUC (pronounced 'see what you see') is a computer software system which will predict a patient's visual acuity using several techniques based on fundamentals of geometric optics. The scientific visualizations we propose can be clustered into two classes: retinal representations and corneal representations; however, in this paper, we focus our discussion on corneal representations. It is important to note that, for each method listed below, we can illustrate the visual acuity with or without spectacle correction. Corneal representations are meant to reveal how well the cornea focuses parallel light onto the fovea of the eye by providing a pseudo-colored display of various error metrics. These error metrics could be: (1) standard curvature representations, such as instantaneous or axial curvature, converted to refractive power maps by taking Snell's law into account; (2) the focusing distance from each refracted ray's average focus to the computed fovea; (3) the retinal distance on the retinal plane from each refracted ray to the chief ray (lateral spherical aberration). For each error metric, we show both real and simulated data, and illustrate how each representation contributes to the simulation of visual acuity.
C. Judson King of UC Berkeley
Prausnitz, John
In the middle of the UC Berkeley campus, next to the Main Library, South Hall is the last surviving building from the original campus, founded about 135 years ago. A tiny tree-shaded appendix to this venerated classical building houses Berkeley's Center for Studies in Higher Education, directed by C. Judson King, former Provost and Senior Vice President--Academic Affairs of the ten-campus University of California and long-time Professor of Chemical Engineering at Berkeley. Jud came to Berkeley in 1963 as assistant professor of chemical engineering, following receipt of a doctor's degree from MIT and a subsequent short appointment as director of the MIT chemical engineering practice school station at what was then Esso (now Exxon) in New Jersey. His undergraduate degree is from Yale. Starting with his MIT doctoral dissertation on gas absorption, Jud has devoted much of his professional career to separation processes. His teaching and research activities have been primarily concerned with separation of mixtures with emphasis on liquid-liquid extraction and drying. As a consultant to Procter and Gamble, he contributed to the technology of making instant coffee. His life-long activities in hiking and camping stimulated Jud's interest in the manufacture of freeze-dried foods (e.g. turkey meat) to minimize the weight of his hiking back-pack. Jud is internationally known not only for his many research publications but even more, for his acclaimed textbook ''Separation Processses'' (McGraw-Hill, second edition 1980) that is used in standard chemical engineering courses in the US and abroad.
Light atom quantum oscillations in UC and US
Yiu, Yuen; Aczel, Adam A.; Granroth, Garrett E.; Abernathy, Douglas L.; Stone, Matthew B.; Buyers, W. J. L.; Lin, J. Y. Y.; Samolyuk, German D.; Stocks, George Malcolm; Nagler, Stephen E.
High energy vibrational scattering in the binary systems UC and US is measured using time-of-flight inelastic neutron scattering. A clear set of well-defined peaks equally separated in energy is observed in UC, corresponding to harmonic oscillations of the light C atoms in a cage of heavy U atoms. The scattering is much weaker in US and only a few oscillator peaks are visible. We show how the difference between the materials can be understood by considering the neutron scattering lengths and masses of the lighter atoms. Monte Carlo ray tracing is used to simulate the scattering, with near quantitative agreement with the data in UC, and some differences with US. The possibility of observing anharmonicity and anisotropy in the potentials of the light atoms is investigated in UC. Lastly, the observed data is well accounted for by considering each light atom as a single atom isotropic quantum harmonic oscillator.
DOE PAGESBeta
High energy vibrational scattering in the binary systems UC and US is measured using time-of-flight inelastic neutron scattering. A clear set of well-defined peaks equally separated in energy is observed in UC, corresponding to harmonic oscillations of the light C atoms in a cage of heavy U atoms. The scattering is much weaker in US and only a few oscillator peaks are visible. We show how the difference between the materials can be understood by considering the neutron scattering lengths and masses of the lighter atoms. Monte Carlo ray tracing is used to simulate the scattering, with near quantitative agreementmore » with the data in UC, and some differences with US. The possibility of observing anharmonicity and anisotropy in the potentials of the light atoms is investigated in UC. Lastly, the observed data is well accounted for by considering each light atom as a single atom isotropic quantum harmonic oscillator.« less
Yiu, Yuen; Aczel, A. A.; Granroth, G. E.; Abernathy, D. L.; Stone, M. B.; Buyers, W. J. L.; Lin, J. Y. Y.; Samolyuk, G. D.; Stocks, G. M.; Nagler, S. E.
High-energy vibrational scattering in the binary systems UC and US is measured using time-of-flight inelastic neutron scattering. A clear set of well-defined peaks equally separated in energy is observed in UC, corresponding to harmonic oscillations of the light C atoms in a cage of heavy U atoms. The scattering is much weaker in US and only a few oscillator peaks are visible. We show how the difference between the materials can be understood by considering the neutron scattering lengths and masses of the lighter atoms. Monte Carlo ray tracing is used to simulate the scattering, with near quantitative agreement with the data in UC, and some differences with US. The possibility of observing anharmonicity and anisotropy in the potentials of the light atoms is investigated in UC. Overall, the observed data is well accounted for by considering each light atom as a single atom isotropic quantum harmonic oscillator.
Coupling the uc(pest) and uc(spark) Codes for δ W Stability Analyses with 3 D Wall Configurations
Bialek, J.; Chance, M. S.; Jardin, S.; Manickam, J.; Pomphrey, N.
To obtain estimates of uc(mhd) stability from the non-axisymmetric portions of the enclosing shell in tokamaks we interleave our 2 D uc(vacuum) code with the uc(spark) code which calculates the eddy currents generated in non-axisymmetric shell configurations. The magnetic field from the eddy currents is combined with that of the generating perturbations themselves to obtain a modified vacuum energy which contains the 3 D nature of the shell: ( δ Wv = - int_Sp \\cal J dθ dφ [\\chi^p*B\\cdot nablaξ_ψ + ξ_ψ hatB\\cdotδ Bs ]. ) Here, \\chi^p is the magnetic scalar potential due to the plasma displacement, ξ_ψ, and hatB\\cdotδ Bs originates from the eddy current contribution of uc(spark.) δB_s\\cdotn is also needed for the boundary condition on the magnetic field. Several harmonics in the toroidal angle, φ, are required for a 3 D shell. The interfacing of the codes requires obtaining the vector potential form the scalar potential and involves intensive checks against semi-analytic long wavelength circular and concentric elliptic cylindrical models. It is then checked against 2 D configurations. The eddy current patterns of the uc(pest) and uc(spark) codes are compared, and finally, 3 D calculations are obtained. This work supported by DoE contract No. DE-AC02-76-CHO-3073.
78 FR 23969 - In the Matter of UC Hub Group, Inc.; Order of Suspension of Trading
... COMMISSION In the Matter of UC Hub Group, Inc.; Order of Suspension of Trading April 19, 2013. It appears to... concerning the securities of UC Hub Group, Inc. (``UC Hub'') because it has not filed a periodic report since... trading in the securities of UC Hub. Therefore, it is ordered, pursuant to Section 12(k) of the...
75 FR 878 - Lonza, Inc. Riverside Plant; Lonza Exclusive Synthesis Section Custom Manufacturing Division...
... From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration Lonza, Inc. Riverside Plant; Lonza Exclusive Synthesis Section Custom Manufacturing Division Including On-Site Leased Workers of Lab Support, Aerotek, Job Exchange, and...
75 FR 13303 - Notice of Realty Action: Direct Sale of Public Lands in Riverside County, CA
... appraised fair market value of $2,102,000. DATES: Comments regarding the proposed sale must be received by... the appraised fair market value: San Bernardino Meridian T. 3 S., R. 4 E., Sec. 34, those remaining... approximately 119.37 acres in Riverside County. The appraised fair market value is $2,102,000. The public...
Assessing Riverside Community College Nursing Student Attitudes toward Exposure to AIDS/HIV-Positive Patients.
Kross, Carolyn Sue
In fall 1990, a study was conducted to assess the attitudes of nursing students who were attending Riverside Community College (RCC), in California, toward exposure to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome/Human Immunodeficiency Virus (AIDS/HIV) positive patients in a hospital setting. All students enrolled in RCC's associate degree nursing program…
75 FR 28055 - General Management Plan; Joshua Tree National Park; San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, CA...
... National Park Service General Management Plan; Joshua Tree National Park; San Bernardino and Riverside... Management Plan (GMP) for Joshua Tree National Park, California. The new GMP will update the overall..., Joshua Tree National Park, Joshua, 74485 National Park Drive, Twentynine Palms, California...
76 FR 31685 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revised Critical Habitat for the Riverside Fairy...
... designation (70 FR 19154; April 12, 2005), and new information on the status and distribution of Riverside... refer to the final listing rule published in the Federal Register on August 3, 1993 (58 FR 41384); the..., 2000 (65 FR 57136), and April 27, 2004 (69 FR 23024), respectively; and the subsequent final...
78 FR 24983 - Domestic Dates Produced or Packed in Riverside County, California; Decreased Assessment Rate
... Agricultural Marketing Service 7 CFR Part 987 Domestic Dates Produced or Packed in Riverside County, California; Decreased Assessment Rate AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA. ACTION: Affirmation of interim rule... hundredweight of dates handled. The Committee locally administers the ] marketing order which regulates...
Rogue Community College Student Satisfaction Survey, Winter 2000. Management Report: Redwood and Riverside Campuses.
The Annual Student Satisfaction Survey at Oregon's Rogue Community College (RCC) allows the school to measure achievement in services, classes, and facilities. Three hundred and eleven students responded to this winter 2000 survey. Findings include: (1) seventeen percent of all respondents at the Redwood and Riverside campuses were very satisfied…
Soccer field at West 101st102nd streets, Riverside Park, looking south ...
Soccer field at West 101st-102nd streets, Riverside Park, looking south with railroad retaining wall in background. - Henry Hudson Parkway, Extending 11.2 miles from West 72nd Street to Bronx-Westchester border, New York, New York County, NY
... Marketing Service 7 CFR Part 987 Domestic Dates Produced or Packed in Riverside County, California; Decreased Assessment Rate AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA. ACTION: Interim rule with request... hundredweight of dates handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order, which regulates...
77 FR 59244 - Environmental Impact Statement: Riverside County, CA; Notice of Intent
...The FHWA, on behalf of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), is issuing this notice to advise the public that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for a proposed highway project in Riverside County, California. Caltrans will be responsible for production of the EIS in accordance with assignment of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) responsibilities......
INDOOR, OUTDOOR, AND PERSONAL AIR EXPOSURES TO PARTICLES, ELEMENTS, AND NICOTINE FOR 178 RESIDENTS OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA
Personal, indoor, and outdoor concentrations of inhalable particles and 15 elements were measured for a probability sample of 178 persons representing 139,000 nonsmoking residents of Riverside, California. ewly designed personal monitors were employed. ersonal exposures often exc...
Countering fear renewal: changes in the UCS representation generalize across contexts.
Leer, Arne; Engelhard, Iris M
After treatment of anxiety disorders, fear often returns. Analogue studies show that outside the extinction context the conditional stimulus (CS) activates the acquisition memory (CS predicts unconditional stimulus; UCS), rather than the extinction memory (CS does not predict UCS). Conditioning theory postulates that fear also diminishes after a reduction in the subjective cost of the UCS, which can occur in absence of any changes in the CS-UCS association. We hypothesized that fear reduction via "UCS deflation" generalizes across context. Healthy students underwent acquisition in context A with neutral CSs and 100dB white noise as UCS. One group received post-conditioning UCS exposure, in which UCS intensity decreased over time ("ABAdefl"). Another group received UCS presentations at equal intensity ("ABActrl"). Two groups did a filler task ("ABB"; "ABA"). Then, all groups underwent extinction in context B and were retested in context A (ABA-groups) or B (ABB-group). During each CS participants rated UCS expectancy and UCS cost. Results showed the typical increase in UCS expectancy following the context switch from extinction to test phase. In contrast, UCS deflation caused a reduction in cost ratings that was maintained after the context change. Findings suggest that UCS deflation techniques may reduce fear renewal. PMID:25645174
Persistence and Graduation of UC Davis Undergraduates: 1971-1983.
Amos, Arthur K., Jr.
Persistence and graduation rates of four types of undergraduate students at the University of California, Davis, (UC Davis) are examined: domestic students with fewer than 12.5 college transfer units, including both regularly admitted students and those admitted by special action; and domestic students admitted with at least 84 but less than 135…
UCS-PROMOVE: The Engineer of the Future
Villas-Boas, V.
The Universidade de Caxias do Sul (UCS) elaborated the cooperative project called "The engineer of the future", with the objective of promoting science and engineering among high school teachers and students. This project aims to improve the quality of the teaching and to increase the interest of students in technological areas, leading to a�
The uc(Polarbear)-2 and the Simons Array Experiments
Suzuki, A.; Ade, P.; Akiba, Y.; Aleman, C.; Arnold, K.; Baccigalupi, C.; Barch, B.; Barron, D.; Bender, A.; Boettger, D.; Borrill, J.; Chapman, S.; Chinone, Y.; Cukierman, A.; Dobbs, M.; Ducout, A.; Dunner, R.; Elleflot, T.; Errard, J.; Fabbian, G.; Feeney, S.; Feng, C.; Fujino, T.; Fuller, G.; Gilbert, A.; Goeckner-Wald, N.; Groh, J.; Haan, T. De; Hall, G.; Halverson, N.; Hamada, T.; Hasegawa, M.; Hattori, K.; Hazumi, M.; Hill, C.; Holzapfel, W.; Hori, Y.; Howe, L.; Inoue, Y.; Irie, F.; Jaehnig, G.; Jaffe, A.; Jeong, O.; Katayama, N.; Kaufman, J.; Kazemzadeh, K.; Keating, B.; Kermish, Z.; Keskitalo, R.; Kisner, T.; Kusaka, A.; Jeune, M. Le; Lee, A.; Leon, D.; Linder, E.; Lowry, L.; Matsuda, F.; Matsumura, T.; Miller, N.; Mizukami, K.; Montgomery, J.; Navaroli, M.; Nishino, H.; Peloton, J.; Poletti, D.; Puglisi, G.; Rebeiz, G.; Raum, C.; Reichardt, C.; Richards, P.; Ross, C.; Rotermund, K.; Segawa, Y.; Sherwin, B.; Shirley, I.; Siritanasak, P.; Stebor, N.; Stompor, R.; Suzuki, J.; Tajima, O.; Takada, S.; Takakura, S.; Takatori, S.; Tikhomirov, A.; Tomaru, T.; Westbrook, B.; Whitehorn, N.; Yamashita, T.; Zahn, A.; Zahn, O.
We present an overview of the design and status of the uc(Polarbear)-2 and the Simons Array experiments. uc(Polarbear)-2 is a cosmic microwave background polarimetry experiment which aims to characterize the arc-minute angular scale B-mode signal from weak gravitational lensing and search for the degree angular scale B-mode signal from inflationary gravitational waves. The receiver has a 365 mm diameter focal plane cooled to 270 mK. The focal plane is filled with 7588 dichroic lenslet-antenna-coupled polarization sensitive transition edge sensor (TES) bolometric pixels that are sensitive to 95 and 150 GHz bands simultaneously. The TES bolometers are read-out by SQUIDs with 40 channel frequency domain multiplexing. Refractive optical elements are made with high-purity alumina to achieve high optical throughput. The receiver is designed to achieve noise equivalent temperature of 5.8 \\upmu K_CMB√{s} in each frequency band. uc(Polarbear)-2 will deploy in 2016 in the Atacama desert in Chile. The Simons Array is a project to further increase sensitivity by deploying three uc(Polarbear)-2 type receivers. The Simons Array will cover 95, 150, and 220 GHz frequency bands for foreground control. The Simons Array will be able to constrain tensor-to-scalar ratio and sum of neutrino masses to σ (r) = 6× 10^{-3} at r = 0.1 and sum m_{\\upnu } (σ =1) to 40 meV.
The Universidade de Caxias do Sul (UCS) elaborated the cooperative project called "The engineer of the future", with the objective of promoting science and engineering among high school teachers and students. This project aims to improve the quality of the teaching and to increase the interest of students in technological areas, leading to a…
Airborne radioactivity surveys in the Mojave Desert region, Kern, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties, California
Moxham, Robert M.
Airborne radioactivity surveys in the Mojave Desert region Kern, Riverside, and Bernardino counties were made in five areas recommended as favorable for the occurrence of radioactive raw materials: (1) Rock Corral area, San Bernardino County. (2) Searles Station area, Kern county. (3) Soledad area, Kern County. (4) White Tank area, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. (5) Harvard Hills area, San Bernardino County. Anomalous radiation was detected in all but the Harvard Hills area. The radioactivity anomalies detected in the Rock Corral area are of the greatest amplitude yet recorded by the airborne equipment over natural sources. The activity is apparently attributable to the thorium-beating mineral associated with roof pendants of crystalline metamorphic rocks in a granitic intrusive. In the Searles Station, Soledad, and White Tank area, several radioactivity anomalies of medium amplitude were recorded, suggesting possible local concentrations of radioactive minerals.
Reconstruction of Long-Lived Radionuclide Intakes for Techa Riverside Residents: Cesium-137
Tolstykh, E. I.; Degteva, M. O.; Peremyslova, L. M.; Shagina, N. B.; Vorobiova, M. I.; Anspaugh, L. R.; Napier, Bruce A.
Radioactive contamination of the Techa River (Southern Urals, Russia) occurred from 1949–1956 due to routine and accidental releases of liquid radioactive wastes from the Mayak Production Association. The long-lived radionuclides in the releases were 90Sr and 137Cs. Contamination of the components of the Techa River system resulted in chronic external and internal exposure of about 30,000 residents of riverside villages. Data on radionuclide intake with diet are used to estimate internal dose in the Techa River Dosimetry System (TRDS), which was elaborated for the assessment of radiogenic risk for Techa Riverside residents. The 90Sri ntake function was recently improved taking into account the recently available archival data on radionuclide releases and in-depth analysis of the extensive data on 90Sr measurements in Techa Riverside residents. The main purpose of this paper is to evaluate the dietary intake of 137Cs by Techa Riverside residents. The 137Cs intake with river water used for drinking was reconstructed on the basis of the 90Sr intake-function and the concentration ratio 137Cs/90Sr in river water. Intake via 137Cs transfer from floodplain soil to grass and cows’ milk was evaluated for the first time. As a result, the maximal 137Cs intake level was indicated near the site of releases in upper-Techa River settlements (8,000–9,000 kBq). For villages located on the lower Techa River the 137Cs intake was significantly less (down to 300 kBq). Cows’ milk was the main source of 137Cs in diet in the upper-Techa.
Zoonotic Intestinal Trematodes in Stray Cats (Felis catus) from Riverside Areas of the Republic of Korea
Shin, Sung-Shik; Oh, Dae-Sung; Ahn, Kyu-Sung; Cho, Shin-Hyeong; Lee, Won-Ja; Na, Byoung-Kuk; Sohn, Woon-Mok
The present study was performed to survey the infection status of zoonotic intestinal trematode (ZIT) in stray cats from 5 major riverside areas in the Republic of Korea. Total 400 stray cats were captured with live-traps in riverside areas of Seomjingang (‘gang’ means river) (203 cats) from June to October 2010, and of Yeongsangang (41), Nakdonggang (57), Geumgang (38), and Hangang (61 cats) from June to October 2011, respectively. Small intestines resected from cats were opened with a pair of scissors in a beaker with 0.85% saline and examined with naked eyes and under a stereomicroscope. More than 16 ZIT species were detected in 188 (92.6%) cats from Seomjingang areas, and the number of worms recovered was 111 per cat infected. In cats from riverside areas of Yeongsangang, Nakdonggang, Geumgang, and Hangang, more than 9, 8, 3, and 5 ZIT species were recovered, and the worm burdens were 13, 42, 11, and 56 specimens per infected cat, respectively. As the members of family Heterophyidae, more than 10 species, i.e., Metagonimus spp., Pygidiopsis summa, Heterophyes nocens, Stellantchasmus falcatus, Heterophyopsis continua, Acanthotrema felis, Centrocestus armatus, Procerovum varium, Cryptocotyle concava, and Stictodora lari, were recovered. More than 5 species of echinostomes, i.e., Echinostoma hortense, Echinochasmus japonicus, Echinochasmus sp., Echinoparyphium sp., and unidentified larval echinostomes, were collected. Plagiorchis spp. were detected in cats from areas of Seomjin-gang and Yeongsangang. From the above results, it has been confirmed that stray cats in 5 major riverside areas of Korea are highly infected with various species of ZITs. PMID:25925180
Reconstruction of long-lived radionuclide intakes for Techa riverside residents: 137Cs.
Tolstykh, E I; Degteva, M O; Peremyslova, L M; Shagina, N B; Vorobiova, M I; Anspaugh, L R; Napier, B A
Radioactive contamination of the Techa River (Southern Urals, Russia) occurred from 1949-1956 due to routine and accidental releases of liquid radioactive wastes from the Mayak Production Association. The long-lived radionuclides in the releases were Sr and Cs. Contamination of the components of the Techa River system resulted in chronic external and internal exposure of about 30,000 residents of riverside villages. Data on radionuclide intake with diet are used to estimate internal dose in the Techa River Dosimetry System (TRDS), which was elaborated for the assessment of radiogenic risk for Techa Riverside residents. The Sr intake function was recently improved, taking into account the recently available archival data on radionuclide releases and in-depth analysis of the extensive data on Sr measurements in Techa Riverside residents. The main purpose of this paper is to evaluate the dietary intake of Cs by Techa Riverside residents. The Cs intake with river water used for drinking was reconstructed on the basis of the Sr intake-function and the concentration ratio Cs-to-Sr in river water. Intake via Cs transfer from floodplain soil to grass and cows' milk was evaluated for the first time. As a result, the maximal Cs intake level was indicated near the site of releases in upper-Techa River settlements (8,000-9,000 kBq). For villages located on the lower Techa River, the Cs intake was significantly less (down to 300 kBq). Cows' milk was the main source of Cs in diet in the upper-Techa River region. PMID:23532077
Emergency Pulloff on HHP southbound, in Riverside Park, West 114th ...
Emergency Pulloff on HHP southbound, in Riverside Park, West 114th Street vicinity, looking southwest. HHP northbound and sloped median on left, galvanized steel W-style guide rails line river side of roadway, Cherry Walk (Hudson River Valley Greenway) and Hudson River on right. - Henry Hudson Parkway, Extending 11.2 miles from West 72nd Street to Bronx-Westchester border, New York, New York County, NY
Monitoring and analysis of combined sewer overflows, Riverside and Evanston, Illinois, 1997-99
Waite, Andrew M.; Hornewer, Nancy J.; Johnson, Gary P.
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, collected and analyzed flow data in combined sewer systems in Riverside and Evanston, northeastern Illinois, from March 1997 to December 1999. Continuous 2- and 5-minute stage and velocity data were collected during surcharged and nonsurcharged conditions at 12 locations. Mass balances were calculated to determine the volume of water flowing through the tide-gate openings to the Des Plaines River and the North Shore Channel and to determine the volume of water flowing past the sluice gate to the deep tunnel. The sewer systems consist of circular pipes ranging in diameter from 0.83 feet to 10.0 feet, elliptical siphon pipes, ledges, and tide and sluice gates. Pipes were constructed of either brick and mortar or concrete, and ranged from having smooth surfaces to rough, pitted and crumbling surfaces. One pipe was noticeably affected by water infiltration from saturated ground. During data analysis, many assumptions were necessary because of the complexity of the flow data and sewer-system configurations. These assumptions included estimating the volume of water entering an interceptor sewer at the ''Gage Street pipe'' at Riverside, the effect of infiltration on the ''brick pipe'' at Riverside, and the minimum velocity required for the meter to make an accurate velocity determination. Other factors affecting the analysis of flow data included possible non-instrumented sources of inflow, and backwater conditions in some pipes, which could have caused error in the data analysis. Variations of these assumptions potentially could cause appreciable changes to the final massbalance calculations. Mass-balance analysis at Riverside indicated a total inflow volume into chamber 3 of approximately 721,000 cubic feet (ft3) during April 22-26, 1999. Outflow volume to the Des Plaines River at Riverside through the tide gate was approximately 132,000 ft3; outflow volume to the deep tunnel through the sluice gate was approximately 267,000 ft3. The mass-balance analysis at Evanston indicated a total inflow volume into chamber 3 of approximately 5,970,000 ft3 during April 21-26, 1999. The outflow volume to the North Shore Channel through the tide gates at Evanston was approximately 2,920,000 ft3; outflow volume to the deep tunnel through the sluice gates was approximately 3,050,000 ft3.
The College Selection Process of Freshmen Admitted to UC Davis: The Range of Choice.
MacKenzie, Bonnie L.
Considerations in selecting a college were studied with a random sample of 768 freshmen admitted to the University of California (UC), Davis, in fall 1984. Major findings are: freshmen admitted to UC Davis had considerable breadth of knowledge about many other colleges and academic programs; over 80 percent applied to colleges besides UC Davis;…
20 CFR 603.4 - What is the confidentiality requirement of Federal UC law?
... Federal UC law? 603.4 Section 603.4 Employees' Benefits EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FEDERAL-STATE UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION (UC) PROGRAM; CONFIDENTIALITY AND DISCLOSURE OF STATE UC INFORMATION Confidentiality and Disclosure Requirements § 603.4 What is the...
The UC-LLNL Regional Climate System Model
Miller, N.L.; Kim, Jinwon
The UC-LLNL Regional Climate System Model has been under development since 1991. The unique system simulates climate from the global scale down to the watershed catchment scale, and consists of data pre- and post- processors, and four model components. The four model components are (1) a mesoscale atmospheric simulation model, (2) a soil-plant-snow model, (3) a watershed hydrology-riverflow model, and (4) a suite of crop response models. The first three model components have been coupled, and the system includes two-way feedbacks between the soil-plant-snow model and the mesoscale atmospheric simulation model. This three-component version of RCSM has been tested, validated, and successfully used for operational quantitative precipitation forecasts and seasonal water resource studies over the southwestern US. We are currently implementation and validating the fourth component, the Decision Support system for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT). A description of the UC-LLNL RCSM and some recent results are presented.
The UC2-x - Carbon eutectic: A laser heating study
Manara, D.; Boboridis, K.; Morel, S.; De Bruycker, F.
The UC2-x - carbon eutectic has been studied by laser heating and fast multi-wavelength pyrometry under inert atmosphere. The study has been carried out on three compositions, two of which close to the phase boundary of the UC2-x - C miscibility gap (with C/U atomic ratios 2 and 2.1), and one, more crucial, with a large excess of carbon (C/U = 2.82). The first two compositions were synthesised by arc-melting. This synthesis method could not be applied to the last composition, which was therefore completed directly by laser irradiation. The U - C - O composition of the samples was checked by using a combustion method in an ELTRA® analyser. The eutectic temperature, established to be 2737 K ± 20 K, was used as a radiance reference together with the cubic - tetragonal (α → β) solid state transition, fixed at 2050 K ± 20 K. The normal spectral emissivity of the carbon-richer compounds increases up to 0.7, whereas the value 0.53 was established for pure hypostoichiometric uranium dicarbide at the limit of the eutectic region. This increase is analysed in the light of the demixing of excess carbon, and used for the determination of the liquidus temperature (3220 K ± 50 K for UC2.82). Due to fast solid state diffusion, also fostered by the cubic - tetragonal transition, no obvious signs of a lamellar eutectic structure could be observed after quenching to room temperature. The eutectic surface C/UC2-x composition could be qualitatively, but consistently, followed during the cooling process with the help of the recorded radiance spectra. Whereas the external liquid surface is almost entirely constituted by uranium dicarbide, it gets rapidly enriched in demixed carbon upon freezing. Demixed carbon seems to quickly migrate towards the inner bulk during further cooling. At the α → β transition, uranium dicarbide covers again the almost entire external surface.
UC Merced Center for Computational Biology Final Report
Colvin, Michael; Watanabe, Masakatsu
Final report for the UC Merced Center for Computational Biology. The Center for Computational Biology (CCB) was established to support multidisciplinary scientific research and academic programs in computational biology at the new University of California campus in Merced. In 2003, the growing gap between biology research and education was documented in a report from the National Academy of Sciences, Bio2010 Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists. We believed that a new type of biological sciences undergraduate and graduate programs that emphasized biological concepts and considered biology as an information science would have a dramatic impact in enabling the transformation of biology. UC Merced as newest UC campus and the first new U.S. research university of the 21st century was ideally suited to adopt an alternate strategy - to create a new Biological Sciences majors and graduate group that incorporated the strong computational and mathematical vision articulated in the Bio2010 report. CCB aimed to leverage this strong commitment at UC Merced to develop a new educational program based on the principle of biology as a quantitative, model-driven science. Also we expected that the center would be enable the dissemination of computational biology course materials to other university and feeder institutions, and foster research projects that exemplify a mathematical and computations-based approach to the life sciences. As this report describes, the CCB has been successful in achieving these goals, and multidisciplinary computational biology is now an integral part of UC Merced undergraduate, graduate and research programs in the life sciences. The CCB began in fall 2004 with the aid of an award from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), under its Genomes to Life program of support for the development of research and educational infrastructure in the modern biological sciences. This report to DOE describes the research and academic programs made possible by the CCB from its inception until August, 2010, at the end of the final extension. Although DOE support for the center ended in August 2010, the CCB will continue to exist and support its original objectives. The research and academic programs fostered by the CCB have led to additional extramural funding from other agencies, and we anticipate that CCB will continue to provide support for quantitative and computational biology program at UC Merced for many years to come. Since its inception in fall 2004, CCB research projects have continuously had a multi-institutional collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as individual collaborators at other sites. CCB affiliated faculty cover a broad range of computational and mathematical research including molecular modeling, cell biology, applied math, evolutional biology, bioinformatics, etc. The CCB sponsored the first distinguished speaker series at UC Merced, which had an important role is spreading the word about the computational biology emphasis at this new campus. One of CCB's original goals is to help train a new generation of biologists who bridge the gap between the computational and life sciences. To archive this goal, by summer 2006, a new program - summer undergraduate internship program, have been established under CCB to train the highly mathematical and computationally intensive Biological Science researchers. By the end of summer 2010, 44 undergraduate students had gone through this program. Out of those participants, 11 students have been admitted to graduate schools and 10 more students are interested in pursuing graduate studies in the sciences. The center is also continuing to facilitate the development and dissemination of undergraduate and graduate course materials based on the latest research in computational biology.
77 FR 7655 - Riverside Micro-Cap Fund II, L.P.; Notice Seeking Exemption Under Section 312 of the Small...
... ADMINISTRATION Riverside Micro-Cap Fund II, L.P.; Notice Seeking Exemption Under Section 312 of the Small Business Investment Act, Conflicts of Interest Notice is hereby given that Riverside Micro-Cap Fund II, L.P... Micro-Cap Fund II, L.P. proposes to provide equity security financing to Employment Law Training,...
76 FR 76802 - Riverside Micro-Cap Fund II, L.P.; Notice Seeking Exemption Under Section 312 of the Small...
... ADMINISTRATION Riverside Micro-Cap Fund II, L.P.; Notice Seeking Exemption Under Section 312 of the Small Business Investment Act, Conflicts of Interest Notice is hereby given that Riverside Micro-Cap Fund II, L.P... Micro-Cap Fund II, L.P. proposes to provide equity security financing to DrugTest Holding Company,...
Telehealth at UC Davis--a 20-year experience.
Nesbitt, Thomas S; Dharmar, Madan; Katz-Bell, Jana; Hartvigsen, Gunnar; Marcin, James P
Telehealth at the University of California Health System began as a telefetal monitoring connection with a rural hospital in 1992 and evolved to become the Center for Health and Technology (CHT) in 2000. The Center supports the vision of the University of California Davis (UC Davis) Health System-a healthier world through bold innovation. The CHT focuses on the four pillars of the academic health center: clinical services, research and scholarly work, education, and public service. Since 1996, the Center has provided more than 33,000 telemedicine consultation (excluding teleradiology, telepathology, and phone consultations) in over 30 clinical specialties and at more than 90 locations across California. Research and continuous evaluation have played an integral role in shaping the telehealth program, as well as strategic collaborations and partnerships. In an effort to expand the field of telehealth the CHT provides telehealth training for health professionals, technical specialists, and administrators. Furthermore, it also plays an integral role in workforce development through the education of the next generation of community primary care physicians through Rural Programs In Medical Education (Rural PRIME) and continuing educational programs for working health professionals through videoconferencing and Web-based modalities. The Center is supported through a variety of funding sources, and its sustainability comes from a mix of fee-for-service payment, contracts, grants, gifts, and institutional funding. Together with key partners, UC Davis has educated and informed initiatives resulting in legislation and policies that advance telehealth. Looking toward the future, UC Davis is focused on technology-enabled healthcare and supporting synergy among electronic health records, health information exchange, mobile health, informatics, and telehealth. PMID:23343257
Approaches to improve the stability of the antiviral agent UC781 in aqueous solutions.
Damian, Festo; Fabian, Judit; Friend, David R; Kiser, Patrick F
In this work, we evaluated the chemical stability profiles of UC781 based solutions to identify excipients that stabilize the microbicidal agent UC781. When different antioxidants were added to UC781 in sulfobutylether-beta-cyclodextrin (SBE-beta-CD) solutions and subjected to a 50 degrees C stability study, it was observed that EDTA was a better stabilizing agent than sodium metabisulfite, glutathione or ascorbic acid. Some antioxidants accelerated the degradation of UC781, suggesting metal-catalyzed degradation of UC781. Furthermore, we observed substantial degradation of UC781 when stored in 1% Tween 80 and 1% DMSO solutions alone or in those with 10mM EDTA. On the other hand, improved stability of UC781 in the presence of 100 and 200mM of EDTA was observed in these solutions. The addition of both EDTA and citric acid in the stock solutions resulted in recovery of more than 60% of UC781 after 12 weeks. Generally, 10% SBE-beta-CD in the presence of EDTA and citric acid stabilized UC781 solutions: the amount of UC781 recovered approaching 95% after 12 weeks of storage at 40 degrees C. We also showed that the desulfuration reaction of the UC781 thioamide involves oxygen by running solution stability studies in deoxygenated media. Improved stability of UC781 in the present study indicates that the incorporation of EDTA, citric acid and SBE-beta-CD and the removal of oxygen in formulations of this drug will aid in increasing the stability of UC781 where solutions of the drug are required. PMID:20510342
Mercury Exposure in a Riverside Amazon Population, Brazil: A Study of the Ototoxicity of Methylmercury
Hoshino, Ana; Pacheco-Ferreira, Heloisa; Sanches, Seisse Gabriela G.; Carvallo, Renata; Cardoso, Nathália; Perez, Maurício; Câmara, Volney de Magalhães
Introduction Mercury poisoning causes hearing loss in humans and animals. Acute and long-term exposures produce irreversible peripheral and central auditory system damage, and mercury in its various forms of presentation in the environment is ototoxic. Objective We investigated the otoacoustic emissions responses in a riverside population exposed to environmental mercury by analyzing the inhibitory effect of the medial olivocochlear system (MOCS) on transient otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE). Methods The purpose of the research was to evaluate the entire community independently of variables of sex and age. All of the participants were born and lived in a riverside community. After otolaryngologic evaluation, participants were received tympanometry, evaluation of contralateral acoustic reflexes, pure tone audiometry, and recording of TEOAEs with nonlinear click stimulation. Hair samples were collect to measure mercury levels. Results There was no significant correlation between the inhibitory effect of the MOCS, age, and the level of mercury in the hair. Conclusions The pathophysiological effects of chronic exposure may be subtle and nonspecific and can have a long period of latency; therefore, it will be important to monitor the effects of mercury exposure in the central auditory system of the Amazon population over time. Longitudinal studies should be performed to determine whether the inhibitory effect of the MOCS on otoacoustic emissions can be an evaluation method and diagnostic tool in populations exposed to mercury. PMID:25992169
78 FR 78349 - Cities of Anaheim, Azusa, Banning, Colton, Pasadena, Riverside, CA v. Trans Bay Cable LLC; Notice...
... From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Cities of Anaheim, Azusa, Banning, Colton, Pasadena, Riverside, CA v. Trans Bay Cable LLC; Notice of Complaint Take notice that on December 17, 2013, pursuant to sections 206 and 306 of the Federal Power Act (FPA);...
75 FR 28650 - Notice of Realty Action: Proposed Direct Sale of Public Lands in Riverside County, CA
... Bureau of Land Management Notice of Realty Action: Proposed Direct Sale of Public Lands in Riverside... market value of $77,000. DATES: Comments regarding the proposed sale must be received by the BLM on or before July 6, 2010. ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning the proposed sale should be sent to the...
APPLICATION OF PSCF TO PMF-MODELED SOURCES OF PM2.5 IN RIVERSIDE USING 1-HR AVERAGED DATA
Data from semi-continuous instruments employed during a sampling campaign in Riverside, CA in July-August 2005 was used in a PMF2 analysis and sixteen sources were identified. Factors attributed to being primarily from local automobile emissions, local diesel emissions, wood comb...
76 FR 16474 - Union Pacific Railroad Company-Abandonment Exemption-in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, CA
... From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board Union Pacific Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, CA On March 3, 2011, Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) filed with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) a...
76 FR 34618 - Domestic Dates Produced or Packed in Riverside County, CA; Proposed Amendments to Marketing Order
...Five amendments to Marketing Agreement and Order No.987 which regulates the handling of domestic dates produced or packed in Riverside County, California, were proposed by the California Date Administrative Committee (CDAC or committee), which is responsible for local administration of the order. These proposed amendments are intended to improve administration of and compliance with the order......
76 FR 69678 - Domestic Dates Produced or Packed in Riverside County, CA; Proposed Amendments to Marketing Order...
...This rule proposes seven amendments to Marketing Agreement and Order No. 987 (order), which regulates the handling of domestic dates produced or packed in Riverside County, California, and provides growers with the opportunity to vote in a referendum to determine if they favor the changes. Five amendments were proposed by the California Date Administrative Committee (CDAC or committee), which......
Molecular structure of uranium carbides: isomers of UC3.
Zalazar, M Fernanda; Rayón, Víctor M; Largo, Antonio
In this article, the most relevant isomers of uranium tricarbide are studied through quantum chemical methods. It is found that the most stable isomer has a fan geometry in which the uranium atom is bonded to a quasilinear C3 unit. Both, a rhombic and a ring CU(C2) structures are found about 104-125 kJ/mol higher in energy. Other possible isomers including linear geometries are located even higher. For each structure, we provide predictions for those molecular properties (vibrational frequencies, IR intensities, dipole moments) that could eventually help in their experimental detection. We also discuss the possible routes for the formation of the different UC3 isomers as well as the bonding situation by means of a topological analysis of the electron density. PMID:23534639
Asymmetric ( UC)albumin transport across bullfrog alveolar epithelium
Kim, K.J.; LeBon, T.R.; Shinbane, J.S.; Crandall, E.D.
Bullfrog lungs were prepared as planar sheets and bathed with Ringer solution in Ussing chambers. In the presence of a constant electrical gradient (20, 0, or -20 mV) across the tissue, UC-labeled bovine serum albumin or inulin was instilled into the upstream reservoir and the rate of appearance of the tracer in the downstream reservoir was monitored. Two lungs from the same animal were used to determine any directional difference in tracer fluxes. An apparent permeability coefficient was estimated from a relationship between normalized downstream radioactivities and time. Results showed that the apparent permeability of albumin in the alveolar to pleural direction across the alveolar epithelial barrier is 2.3 X 10(-7) cm/s, significantly greater (P less than 0.0005) than that in the pleural to alveolar direction (5.3 X 10(-8) cm/s) when the tissue was short circuited. Permeability of inulin, on the other hand, did not show any directional dependence and averaged 3.1 X 10(-8) cm/s in both directions. There was no effect on radiotracer fluxes permeabilities of different electrical gradients across the tissue. Gel electrophoretograms and corresponding radiochromatograms suggest that the large and asymmetric isotope fluxes are not primarily due to digestion or degradation of labeled molecules. Inulin appears to traverse the alveolar epithelial barrier by simple diffusion through hydrated paracellular pathways. On the other hand, ( UC)albumin crosses the alveolar epithelium more rapidly than would be expected by simple diffusion. These asymmetric and large tracer fluxes suggest that a specialized mechanism is present in alveolar epithelium that may be capable of helping to remove albumin from the alveolar space.
Electrical methods of detecting contaminated groundwater at the stringfellow waste disposal site, riverside county, California
Stierman, Donald J.
At the Stringfellow Class I waste-disposal site near Riverside, California, the influence of variations in groundwater chemistry and saturation on electrical measurements made from the surface was tested Spontaneous potential, D C electrical sounding, dipole-dipole resistivity profiles, and mise-a-la-masse measurements were employed to investigate the sub-surface migration of the acidic fluids deposited in this site between 1956 and 1972 Mise-a-la-masse exploration conducted at the downstream edge of the site detected a major anomaly which, on excavation, proved to be the signature of a previously unsuspected leak from the surface disposal ponds on the site Downstream from the site, a dipole-dipole profile and electrical soundings correlate well with electrical conductivity of groundwater obtained from monitoring wells This study demonstrates that geophysical methods may be used to search for and map leaks from toxic chemical waste dumps
Electrical methods of detecting contaminated groundwater at the Stringfellow Waste Disposal Site, Riverside, California
Stierman, D.J.
At the Stringfellow Class I waste-disposal site near Riverside, California, the influence of variations in groundwater chemistry and saturation on electrical measurements made from the surface was tested. Spontaneous potential, D.C. electrical sounding, dipole-dipole resistivity profiles, and mise-a-la-masse measurements were employed to investigate the sub-surface migration of the acidic fluids deposited in this site between 1956 and 1972. Mise-a-la-masse exploration conducted at the downstream edge of the site detected a major anomaly which, on excavation, proved to be the signature of a previously unsuspected leak from the surface disposal ponds on the site. Downstream from the site, a dipole-dipole profile and electrical soundings correlate well with electrical conductivity of groundwater obtained from monitoring wells. This study demonstrates that geophysical methods may be used to search for and map leaks from toxic chemical waste dumps. 6 references, 2 figures, 1 table.
... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What is the confidentiality requirement of Federal UC law? 603.4 Section 603.4 Employees' Benefits EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FEDERAL-STATE UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION (UC) PROGRAM; CONFIDENTIALITY AND DISCLOSURE...
46 CFR 54.25-7 - Requirement for postweld heat treatment (modifies UCS-56).
... 46 Shipping 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Requirement for postweld heat treatment (modifies UCS-56... ENGINEERING PRESSURE VESSELS Construction With Carbon, Alloy, and Heat Treated Steels § 54.25-7 Requirement for postweld heat treatment (modifies UCS-56). (a) Postweld heat treatment is required for all...
Uncarboxylated matrix Gla protein (ucMGP) is associated with coronary artery calcification in haemodialysis patients.
Cranenburg, Ellen C M; Brandenburg, Vincent M; Vermeer, Cees; Stenger, Melanie; Mühlenbruch, Georg; Mahnken, Andreas H; Gladziwa, Ulrich; Ketteler, Markus; Schurgers, Leon J
Matrix gamma-carboxyglutamate (Gla) protein (MGP) is a potent local inhibitor of cardiovascular calcification and accumulates at areas of calcification in its uncarboxylated form (ucMGP). We previously found significantly lower circulating ucMGP levels in patients with a high vascular calcification burden. Here we report on the potential of circulating ucMGP to serve as a biomarker for vascular calcification in haemodialysis (HD) patients. Circulating ucMGP levels were measured with an ELISA-based assay in 40 HD patients who underwent multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) scanning to quantify the extent of coronary artery calcification (CAC). The mean ucMGP level in HD patients (193 +/- 65 nM) was significantly lower as compared to apparently healthy subjects of the same age (441 +/- 97 nM; p < 0.001) and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) without CAC (560 +/- 140 nM; p < 0.001). Additionally, ucMGP levels correlated inversely with CAC scores (r = -0.41; p = 0.009), and this correlation persisted after adjustment for age, dialysis vintage and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Since circulating ucMGP levels are significantly and inversely correlated with the extent of CAC in HD patients, ucMGP may become a tool for identifying HD patients with a high probability of cardiovascular calcification. PMID:19190822
The 2005 Study of Organic Aerosols at Riverside (SOAR-1): instrumental intercomparisons and fine particle composition
Docherty, K. S.; Aiken, A. C.; Huffman, J. A.; Ulbrich, I. M.; Decarlo, P. F.; Sueper, D.; Worsnop, D. R.; Snyder, D. C.; Grover, B. D.; Eatough, D. J.; Goldstein, A. H.; Ziemann, P. J.; Jimenez, J. L.
Multiple state-of-the-art instruments sampled ambient aerosol in Riverside, California during the 2005 Study of Organic Aerosols at Riverside (SOAR) to investigate sources and chemical composition of fine particles (PMf) in the inland region of Southern California. This paper briefly summarizes the spatial, meteorological and gas-phase conditions during SOAR-1 (15 July-15 August) and provides detailed intercomparisons of complementary measurements and average PMf composition during this period. Daily meteorology and gas-phase species concentrations were highly repetitive with meteorological and gas-phase species concentrations displaying clear diurnal cycles and weekday/weekend contrast, with organic aerosol (OA) being the single largest component contributing approximately one-third of PMf mass. In contrast with historical characterizations of OA in the region, several independent source apportionment efforts attributed the vast majority (~80%) of OA mass during SOAR-1 to secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Given the collocation of complementary aerosol measurements combined with a dominance of SOA during SOAR-1, this paper presents new results on intercomparisons among several complementary measurements and on PMf composition during this period. Total non-refractory submicron (NR-PM1) measurements from a high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-AMS) are compared with measurements by tapered element oscillating microbalances (TEOM) including a filter dynamics measurement system (TEOMFDMS). NR-PM1 is highly correlated with PM2.5 TEOMFDMS measurements and accounts for the bulk of PM2.5 mass with the remainder contributed primarily by refractory material. In contrast, measurements from a heated TEOM show substantial losses of semi-volatile material, including ammonium nitrate and semi-volatile organic material. Speciated HR-AMS measurements are also consistent and highly correlated with several complementary measurements, including those of a collocated compact AMS (C-AMS). Finally, elemental analysis (EA) of HR-AMS OA spectra allows direct comparison of HR-AMS organic carbon (OC) with measurements from two collocated Sunset thermal-optical semi-continuous monitors, and investigation of the elemental composition of OA in Riverside. While HR-AMS and base OC measurements from both Sunset instruments are similar within the combined uncertainties, a correction intended to account for the loss of semivolatile OC from the Sunset yields OC measurements ~30% higher than either HR-AMS or base Sunset measurements. Oxygen is the main heteroatom of ambient OA during SOAR-1 with a minimum atomic O/C of 0.28 during the morning rush hour and maximum of 0.42 during the afternoon. H/C is broadly anti-correlated with O/C, while N/C and S/C (excluding organonitrate (ON) and organosulfate (OS) functionalities) are far lower than O/C at about 0.015 and ~0.001, respectively. O/C, N/C, and S/C increase by 21%, a factor of 2, and a factor of 30, respectively, while H/C changes little when ON and OS estimates are included. This implies that ON account for ~1/2 of the organic nitrogen while OS dominate organic sulfur at this location. Accounting for the estimated ON and OS also improves the agreement between anions and cations measured by HR-AMS by ~8%, while amines have a very small impact (1%) on this balance.
The 'first' instead of the 'oldest'. St. John's Riverside, in Yonkers, N.Y., markets its history.
Botvin, Judith D
St. John's Riverside Hospital, Yonkers, N.Y., built an integrated campaign upon its long history. Using billboards, print ads, bus shelters, radio and TV it touted its 130-plus years and its long history of firsts. Its integrated campaign proclaimed these "firsts." It specifically targeted its marketing to middle to upper-middle income residents of the surrounding area, particularly females between ages 25 and 54. PMID:12238239
Initial Performance of uc(Bicep3): A Degree Angular Scale 95 GHz Band Polarimeter
Wu, W. L. K.; Ade, P. A. R.; Ahmed, Z.; Alexander, K. D.; Amiri, M.; Barkats, D.; Benton, S. J.; Bischoff, C. A.; Bock, J. J.; Bowens-Rubin, R.; Buder, I.; Bullock, E.; Buza, V.; Connors, J. A.; Filippini, J. P.; Fliescher, S.; Grayson, J. A.; Halpern, M.; Harrison, S. A.; Hilton, G. C.; Hristov, V. V.; Hui, H.; Irwin, K. D.; Kang, J.; Karkare, K. S.; Karpel, E.; Kefeli, S.; Kernasovskiy, S. A.; Kovac, J. M.; Kuo, C. L.; Megerian, K. G.; Netterfield, C. B.; Nguyen, H. T.; O'Brient, R.; Ogburn, R. W.; Pryke, C.; Reintsema, C. D.; Richter, S.; Sorensen, C.; Staniszewski, Z. K.; Steinbach, B.; Sudiwala, R. V.; Teply, G. P.; Thompson, K. L.; Tolan, J. E.; Tucker, C. E.; Turner, A. D.; Vieregg, A. G.; Weber, A. C.; Wiebe, D. V.; Willmert, J.; Yoon, K. W.
uc(Bicep3) is a 550-mm aperture telescope with cold, on-axis, refractive optics designed to observe at the 95-GHz band from the South Pole. It is the newest member of the uc(Bicep)/Keck family of inflationary probes specifically designed to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at degree angular scales. uc(Bicep3) is designed to house 1280 dual-polarization pixels, which, when fully populated, totals to ˜ 9× the number of pixels in a single Keck 95-GHz receiver, thus further advancing the uc(Bicep)/Keck program's 95 GHz mapping speed. uc(Bicep3) was deployed during the austral summer of 2014-2015 with nine detector tiles, to be increased to its full capacity of 20 in the second season. After instrument characterization, measurements were taken, and CMB observation commenced in April 2015. Together with multi-frequency observation data from Planck, uc(Bicep2), and the Keck Array, uc(Bicep3) is projected to set upper limits on the tensor-to-scalar ratio to r ≲ 0.03 at 95 % C.L.
A hot-melt extruded intravaginal ring for the sustained delivery of the antiretroviral microbicide UC781.
Clark, Meredith R; Johnson, Todd J; McCabe, R Tyler; Clark, Justin T; Tuitupou, Anthony; Elgendy, Hoda; Friend, David R; Kiser, Patrick F
Microbicide intravaginal rings (IVRs) are a promising woman-controlled strategy for preventing sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). An IVR was prepared and developed from polyether urethane (PU) elastomers for the sustained delivery of UC781, a highly potent nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor of HIV-1. PU IVRs containing UC781 were fabricated using a hot-melt extrusion process. In vitro release studies of UC781 demonstrated that UC781 release profiles are loading dependent and resemble matrix-type, diffusion-limited kinetics. The in vitro release methods employed over predicted the in vivo release rates of UC781 in rabbits. Accelerated stability studies showed good chemical stability of UC781 in prototype formulations, but surface crystallization of UC781 was observed following long-term storage at higher UC781 loadings, unless formulated with a polyvinylpyrrolidone/glycerol surface coating. Mechanical stability testing of prototype rings showed moderate stiffening upon storage. The PU and UC781 had minimal to no impact on viability, tissue integrity, barrier function, or cytokine expression in the tissue irritation model, and UC781 was shown to be delivered to and permeate through this tissue construct in vitro. Overall, UC781 was formulated in a stable PU IVR and provided controlled release of UC781 both in vitro and in vivo. PMID:21976110
20 CFR 603.23 - What information must State UC agencies obtain from other agencies, and crossmatch with wage...
... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false What information must State UC agencies... UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION (UC) PROGRAM; CONFIDENTIALITY AND DISCLOSURE OF STATE UC INFORMATION Mandatory Disclosure for Income and Eligibility Verification System (IEVS) § 603.23 What information must State...
Evolution of spatial resolution in breast CT at UC Davis
Gazi, Peymon M.; Yang, Kai; Burkett, George W.; Aminololama-Shakeri, Shadi; Anthony Seibert, J.; Boone, John M.
Purpose: Dedicated breast computed tomography (bCT) technology for the purpose of breast cancer screening has been a focus of research at UC Davis since the late 1990s. Previous studies have shown that improvement in spatial resolution characteristics of this modality correlates with greater microcalcification detection, a factor considered a potential limitation of bCT. The aim of this study is to improve spatial resolution as characterized by the modulation transfer function (MTF) via changes in the scanner hardware components and operational schema. Methods: Four prototypes of pendant-geometry, cone-beam breast CT scanners were designed and developed spanning three generations of design evolution. To improve the system MTF in each bCT generation, modifications were made to the imaging components (x-ray tube and flat-panel detector), system geometry (source-to-isocenter and detector distance), and image acquisition parameters (technique factors, number of projections, system synchronization scheme, and gantry rotational speed). Results: Characterization of different generations of bCT systems shows these modifications resulted in a 188% improvement of the limiting MTF properties from the first to second generation and an additional 110% from the second to third. The intrinsic resolution degradation in the azimuthal direction observed in the first generation was corrected by changing the acquisition from continuous to pulsed x-ray acquisition. Utilizing a high resolution detector in the third generation, along with modifications made in system geometry and scan protocol, resulted in a 125% improvement in limiting resolution. An additional 39% improvement was obtained by changing the detector binning mode from 2 × 2 to 1 × 1. Conclusions: These results underscore the advancement in spatial resolution characteristics of breast CT technology. The combined use of a pulsed x-ray system, higher resolution flat-panel detector and changing the scanner geometry and image acquisition logic resulted in a significant fourfold improvement in MTF. PMID:25832088
Purpose: Dedicated breast computed tomography (bCT) technology for the purpose of breast cancer screening has been a focus of research at UC Davis since the late 1990s. Previous studies have shown that improvement in spatial resolution characteristics of this modality correlates with greater microcalcification detection, a factor considered a potential limitation of bCT. The aim of this study is to improve spatial resolution as characterized by the modulation transfer function (MTF) via changes in the scanner hardware components and operational schema. Methods: Four prototypes of pendant-geometry, cone-beam breast CT scanners were designed and developed spanning three generations of design evolution. To improve the system MTF in each bCT generation, modifications were made to the imaging components (x-ray tube and flat-panel detector), system geometry (source-to-isocenter and detector distance), and image acquisition parameters (technique factors, number of projections, system synchronization scheme, and gantry rotational speed). Results: Characterization of different generations of bCT systems shows these modifications resulted in a 188% improvement of the limiting MTF properties from the first to second generation and an additional 110% from the second to third. The intrinsic resolution degradation in the azimuthal direction observed in the first generation was corrected by changing the acquisition from continuous to pulsed x-ray acquisition. Utilizing a high resolution detector in the third generation, along with modifications made in system geometry and scan protocol, resulted in a 125% improvement in limiting resolution. An additional 39% improvement was obtained by changing the detector binning mode from 2 × 2 to 1 × 1. Conclusions: These results underscore the advancement in spatial resolution characteristics of breast CT technology. The combined use of a pulsed x-ray system, higher resolution flat-panel detector and changing the scanner geometry and image acquisition logic resulted in a significant fourfold improvement in MTF.
Modeling analysis of the lymphocytopoiesis dynamics in chronically irradiated residents of Techa riverside villages.
Smirnova, Olga A; Akleyev, Alexander V; Dimov, Georgy P
A biologically motivated dynamical model of the lymphocytopoietic system in irradiated humans is applied here to analyze the data obtained under hematological examinations of residents of Techa riverside villages. Those people were exposed to chronic irradiation with varying dose rates, due to the radioactive contamination of the river basin by the Mayak Production Association. Modeling studies revealed the relationship between the dynamics of the lymphocytopoietic system in the examined individuals and the variation of dose rate over the considered period of time. It is found that the developed model is capable of reproducing the decreased level of blood lymphocyte concentration observed during the period of maximum radiation exposure, the recovery processes in the system observed during the period of decreasing dose rate, as well as the enhanced mitotic activity of bone marrow precursor cells in this hematopoietic lineage observed during the entire period under consideration. Mechanisms of these effects of chronic irradiation on the human lymphocytopoietic system are elucidated based on the applied model. The results obtained demonstrate the efficiency of the developed model in the analysis, investigation, and prediction of effects of chronic irradiation with varying dose rate on the human lymphocytopoietic system. In particular, the developed model can be used for predicting any radiation injury of this vital system in people exposed to chronic irradiation due to environmental radiological events, such as anthropogenic radiation accidents or radiological terroristic attacks. PMID:24682332
Hydrologic and Geologic Reconnaissance of Pinto Basin, Joshua Tree National Monument, Riverside County, California
Kunkel, Fred
Pinto basin, in the north-central part of Riverside County, Calif., is a typical desert valley formed by downfaulting along several major fault zones. The valley is filled with alluvium, and ground water in the alluvium discharges as subsurface outflow through an alluvium-filled gap at the east end of the valley. Occasionally surface water from cloudburst floods also discharges in a wash through the gap at the east end of the valley. A northeastward extension of the major fault along the south side of the valley acts as a barrier to the discharge of ground water from the valley. The average ground-water gradient is less than 1 foot per mile across the main part of the valley above this barrier, but the water level drops abruptly across the fault. The ground-water storage capacity of the uppermost 100 feet of saturated alluvium beneath the central valley area is estimated to be about 230,000 acre-feet. All this water in storage occurs at depths greater than 95 feet below the land surface and cannot be reached by plants or animals. During 1959 virtually all the water pumped in the area was withdrawn from storage. However, the quantity of water pumped is small in relation to the total quantity in storage. Except for a small decline in head, no evidence indicates that the pumping will greatly impair the yield for many years or cause the water to deteriorate in quality.
Longitudinal hair mercury concentration in riverside mothers along the Upper Madeira river (Brazil).
Boischio, A A; Cernichiari, E
Mercury releases from gold mining occurred during the 1980s in the Upper Madeira river, a Southern tributary of the Amazon. Downstream from these areas, riverside residents rely on fish consumption for subsistence. In July of 1993, hair samples were collected for mercury analysis from a group of mothers and their infants and one pregnant woman. By assuming a constant rate of hair growth (1.1 cm per month), a temporal profile of the methylmercury exposure was determined for the previous 2 to 3 years. The length of hair segments corresponded to hair growth during pregnancy and the subsequent breastfeeding periods. During all periods, hair mercury concentrations in six mothers were in the range of 4.5-26.8 ppm, slightly lower than those of their infants (8.2-28.4 ppm). Further segmental analyses of hair mercury from another six mothers showed concentrations in the range of 12.2-41.0 ppm during the three trimesters of pregnancy and 4.0-33.5 ppm during breast feeding-slightly lower than their infants (11.6-50.4 ppm). Another four mothers showed hair mercury concentrations in the range of 21. 3-84.4 ppm. PMID:9600799
Engineering excellence in breakthrough biomedical technologies: bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside.
Schultz, Jane S; Rodgers, V G J
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), was established in 2006 and is the youngest department in the Bourns College of Engineering. It is an interdisciplinary research engine that builds strength from highly recognized experts in biochemistry, biophysics, biology, and engineering, focusing on common critical themes. The range of faculty research interests is notable for its diversity, from the basic cell biology through cell function to the physiology of the whole organism, each directed at breakthroughs in biomedical devices for measurement and therapy. The department forges future leaders in bioengineering, mirroring the field in being energetic, interdisciplinary, and fast moving at the frontiers of biomedical discoveries. Our educational programs combine a solid foundation in bio logical sciences and engineering, diverse communication skills, and training in the most advanced quantitative bioengineering research. Bioengineering at UCR also includes the Bioengineering Interdepartmental Graduate (BIG) program. With its slogan Start-Grow-Be-BIG, it is already recognized for its many accomplishments, including being third in the nation in 2011 for bioengineering students receiving National Science Foundation graduate research fellowships as well as being one of the most ethnically inclusive programs in the nation. PMID:22850835
User's guide for the UC Systemwide Labor Relations Communication (LRC) System at LBL
Konrad, A.
This manual describes labor relations communication system at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Particular topics described are: Using the UC systemwide system; Printing; File transfer; and using the Berkeley campus system.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY (UC-CEIN)
EPA GRANT NUMBER: 0830117Title: University of California – Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC-CEIN)Investigator: Andre E. NelInstitution: University of California - Los AngelesEPA Project Officer: Nor...
Microbiotas from UC patients display altered metabolism and reduced ability of LAB to colonize mucus
Vigsnaes, Louise Kristine; van den Abbeele, Pieter; Sulek, Karolina; Frandsen, Henrik Lauritz; Steenholdt, Casper; Brynskov, Jørn; Vermeiren, Joan; van de Wiele, Tom; Licht, Tine Rask
We compared fecal microbial communities derived either from Ulcerative Colitis (UC) patients in remission (n = 4) or in relapse (n = 4), or from healthy subjects (n = 4). These communities were used for inoculation of a dynamic in vitro gut model, which contained integrated mucin-covered microcosms. We found that the microbiota of the ‘mucus’ largely differed from that of the ‘lumen’. This was partly due to decreased mucus-associated populations of lactic acid producing bacterial populations (LAB), as LAB originating from UC patients had a significantly decreased capacity to colonize the mucin-covered microcosms as compared to those originating from healthy subjects. We found significant differences between the metabolomes of UC patients in relapse and remission, respectively, while the metabolome of patients in remission resembled that of healthy subjects. These novel findings constitute an important contribution to the understanding of the complex etiology of UC. PMID:23346367
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA � CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY (UC-CEIN)
EPA GRANT NUMBER: 0830117Title: University of California � Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC-CEIN)Investigator: Andre E. NelInstitution: University of California - Los AngelesEPA Project Officer: Nor...
46 CFR 54.25-3 - Steel plates (modifies UCS-6).
...; see 46 CFR 54.01-1) will be allowed only in Class III pressure vessels (see Table 54.01-5(b)). ... 46 Shipping 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Steel plates (modifies UCS-6). 54.25-3 Section 54.25-3... Construction With Carbon, Alloy, and Heat Treated Steels § 54.25-3 Steel plates (modifies UCS-6). The...
Contamination and harm relevant UCS-expectancy bias in spider phobic individuals: influence of treatment.
van Overveld, Mark; de Jong, Peter J; Huijding, Jorg; Peters, Madelon L
Phobic individuals expect aversive UCS's following encounters with phobic stimuli. Previous research using a thought-experiment procedure showed that contamination rather than harm-related outcome expectancies differentiated best between high and low spider fearful undergraduates. This study investigated the alleged role of these UCS-expectancy biases in the maintenance of phobic complaints. First, this study sought to replicate these earlier findings in a community sample of high spider fearful individuals who applied for treatment (n = 60) and a sample of low spider fear controls (n = 30). Second, the present study tested if UCS-expectancies disappear following successful treatment and whether there were any differences between harm and contamination-related UCS expectancies in this respect. If contamination- and/or harm-related UCS-expectancy biases play a critical role in the maintenance of spider fear, these biases should be substantially reduced after successful treatment. The results showed that spider fearful individuals associated spiders relatively strongly with both harm- and contamination-related outcomes. Consistent with the alleged reciprocal relationship between phobic fear and UCS expectancy bias, both types of biased expectancies were effectively reduced following treatment. PMID:20146198
Experimental study of UC polycrystals in the prospect of improving the as-fabricated sample purity
Raveu, Gaëlle; Martin, Guillaume; Fiquet, Olivier; Garcia, Philippe; Carlot, Gaëlle; Palancher, Hervé; Bonnin, Anne; Khodja, Hicham; Raepsaet, Caroline; Sauvage, Thierry; Barthe, Marie-France
Uranium and plutonium carbides are candidate fuels for Generation IV nuclear reactors. This study is focused on the characterization of uranium monocarbide samples. The successive fabrication steps were carried out under atmospheres containing low oxygen and moisture concentrations (typically less than 100 ppm) but sample transfers occurred in air. Six samples were sliced from four pellets elaborated by carbothermic reaction under vacuum. Little presence of UC2 is expected in these samples. The α-UC2 phase was indeed detected within one of these UC samples during an XRD experiment performed with synchrotron radiation. Moreover, oxygen content at the surface of these samples was depth profiled using a recently developed nuclear reaction analysis method. Large oxygen concentrations were measured in the first micron below the sample surface and particularly in the first 100-150 nm. UC2 inclusions were found to be more oxidized than the surrounding matrix. This work points out to the fact that more care must be given at each step of UC fabrication since the material readily reacts with oxygen and moisture. A new glovebox facility using a highly purified atmosphere is currently being built in order to obtain single phase UC samples of better purity.
Docherty, K. S.; Aiken, A. C.; Huffman, J. A.; Ulbrich, I. M.; Decarlo, P. F.; Sueper, D.; Worsnop, D. R.; Snyder, D. C.; Peltier, R. E.; Weber, R. J.; Grover, B. D.; Eatough, D. J.; Williams, B. J.; Goldstein, A. H.; Ziemann, P. J.; Jimenez, J. L.
Multiple state-of-the-art instruments sampled ambient aerosol in Riverside, California during the 2005 Study of Organic Aerosols at Riverside (SOAR) to investigate the chemical composition and potential sources of fine particles (PMf) in the inland region of Southern California. In this paper, we briefly summarize the spatial, meteorological and gas-phase conditions during SOAR-1 (15 July-15 August), provide detailed intercomparisons of high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-AMS) measurements against complementary measurements, and report the average composition of PMf including the composition of the organic fraction measured by the HR-AMS. Daily meteorology and gas-phase species concentrations were highly consistent, displaying clear diurnal cycles and weekday/weekend contrast. HR-AMS measurements of non-refractory submicron (NR-PM1) mass are consistent and highly correlated with those from a filter dynamics measurement system tapered-element oscillating microbalance (TEOM), while the correlation between HR-AMS and heated TEOM measurements is lower due to loss of high volatility species including ammonium nitrate from the heated TEOM. Speciated HR-AMS measurements are also consistent with complementary measurements as well as with measurements from a collocated compact AMS while HR-AMS OC is similar to standard semi-continuous Sunset measurements within the combined uncertainties of both instruments. A correction intended to account for the loss of semi-volatile OC from the Sunset, however, yields measurements ~30% higher than either HR-AMS or standard Sunset measurements. On average, organic aerosol (OA) was the single largest component of PMf. OA composition was investigated using both elemental analysis and positive matrix factorization (PMF) of HR-AMS OA spectra. Oxygen is the main heteroatom during SOAR-1, with O/C exhibiting a diurnal minimum of 0.28 during the morning rush hour and maximum of 0.42 during the afternoon. O/C is broadly anti-correlated with H/C, while N/C and S/C (excluding organonitrate (ON) and organosulfate (OS) functionalities) are far lower than O/C at about 0.015 and ~0.001, respectively. When ON and OS estimates are included O/C, N/C, and S/C increase by factors of 1.21, 2, and 30, respectively, while H/C changes are insignificant. The increase in these ratios implies that ON accounts for ~1/2 of the organic nitrogen while OS dominate organic sulfur at this location. Accounting for the estimated ON and OS also improves the agreement between anions and cations measured by HR-AMS by ~8%, while amines have only a very small impact (1%) on this balance. Finally, a number of primary and secondary OA components were resolved by PMF. Among these a hydrocarbon-like OA and two minor, local OA components, one of which was associated with amines, were attributed to primary emissions and contributed a minor fraction (~20%) of OA mass. The remaining OA mass was attributed to a number of secondary oxidized OA (OOA) components including the previously-identified low-volatility and semi-volatile OOA components. In addition, we also report for the first time the presence of two additional OOA components.
Preliminary geologic map of the Perris 7.5' quadrangle, Riverside County, California
Morton, Douglas M.; Digital preparation by Bovard, Kelly R.; Alvarez, Rachel M.
Open-File Report 03-270 contains a digital geologic map database of the Perris 7.5’ quadrangle, Riverside County, California that includes: 1. ARC/INFO (Environmental Systems Research Institute, http://www.esri.com) version 7.2.1 coverages of the various elements of the geologic map. 2. A Postscript file to plot the geologic map on a topographic base, and containing a Correlation of Map Units diagram (CMU), a Description of Map Units (DMU), and an index map. 3. Portable Document Format (.pdf) files of: a. A Readme file b. The same graphic as described in 2 above. Test plots have not produced precise 1:24,000- scale map sheets. Adobe Acrobat page size setting influences map scale. The Correlation of Map Units and Description of Map Units is in the editorial format of USGS Geologic Investigations Series (I-series) maps but has not been edited to comply with I-map standards. Within the geologic map data package, map units are identified by standard geologic map criteria such as formationname, age, and lithology. Where known, grain size is indicated on the map by a subscripted letter or letters following the unit symbols as follows: lg, large boulders; b, boulder; g, gravel; a, arenaceous; s, silt; c, clay; e.g. Qyfa is a predominantly young alluvial fan deposit that is arenaceous. Multiple letters are used for more specific identification or for mixed units, e.g., Qfysa is a silty sand. In some cases, mixed units are indicated by a compound symbol; e.g., Qyf2sc.
Personal exposure to airborne particles and metals: results from the Particle TEAM study in Riverside, California.
Ozkaynak, H; Xue, J; Spengler, J; Wallace, L; Pellizzari, E; Jenkins, P
The PTEAM Study was the first large-scale probability-based study of personal exposure to particles. Sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Air Resources Board of California, it was carried out by the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and the Harvard University School of Public Health (HSPH). HSPH designed and constructed a 4-lpm, battery-operated personal monitor for inhalable particles (PM10) that could be worn comfortably for up to 14 hours by persons from 10 to 70 years old. The monitor was worn for two consecutive 12-hour periods (day and night) during the fall of 1990 by 178 participants representing 139,000 nonsmoking residents of Riverside, California. Nearly identical monitors were employed to collect concurrent indoor and outdoor samples. The monitors were equipped with a different sampling nozzle to collect fine particles (PM2.5). Population-weighted daytime personal PM10 exposures averaged 150 +/- 9 (SE) micrograms/m3, compared to concurrent indoor and outdoor concentrations of 95 +/- 6 micrograms/m3. This suggested the existence of excess mass near the person, a "personal cloud" that appeared related to personal activities. Fourteen of 15 prevalent elements also were evaluated in the personal samples. The two major indoor sources of indoor particles were smoking and cooking; even in these homes, however, more than half of the indoor particles came from outdoors, and a substantial portion of the indoor particles were of undetermined indoor origin. Outdoor concentrations near the homes were well correlated with outdoor concentrations at the central site, supporting the idea of using the central site as an indicator of of ambient concentrations over a wider area. Indoor concentrations were only weakly correlated with outdoor concentrations, however, and personal exposures were even more poorly correlated with outdoor concentrations. Elemental profiles were obtained for environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) (major contributions from potassium and chlorine) and cooking emissions (aluminum, iron, calcium, and chlorine). These profiles can be used in future source apportionment studies. PMID:8777374
Preliminary geologic map of the Elsinore 7.5' Quadrangle, Riverside County, California
Morton, Douglas M.; Weber, F. Harold, Jr.; Digital preparation: Alvarez, Rachel M.; Burns, Diane
Open-File Report 03-281 contains a digital geologic map database of the Elsinore 7.5’ quadrangle, Riverside County, California that includes: 1. ARC/INFO (Environmental Systems Research Institute, http://www.esri.com) version 7.2.1 coverages of the various elements of the geologic map. 2. A Postscript file to plot the geologic map on a topographic base, and containing a Correlation of Map Units diagram (CMU), a Description of Map Units (DMU), and an index map. 3. Portable Document Format (.pdf) files of: a. This Readme; includes in Appendix I, data contained in els_met.txt b. The same graphic as plotted in 2 above. Test plots have not produced precise 1:24,000-scale map sheets. Adobe Acrobat page size setting influences map scale. The Correlation of Map Units and Description of Map Units is in the editorial format of USGS Geologic Investigations Series (I-series) maps but has not been edited to comply with I-map standards. Within the geologic map data package, map units are identified by standard geologic map criteria such as formation-name, age, and lithology. Where known, grain size is indicated on the map by a subscripted letter or letters following the unit symbols as follows: lg, large boulders; b, boulder; g, gravel; a, arenaceous; s, silt; c, clay; e.g. Qyfa is a predominantly young alluvial fan deposit that is arenaceous. Multiple letters are used for more specific identification or for mixed units, e.g., Qfysa is a silty sand. In some cases, mixed units are indicated by a compound symbol; e.g., Qyf2sc. Even though this is an Open-File Report and includes the standard USGS Open-File disclaimer, the report closely adheres to the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. Descriptions of units can be obtained by viewing or plotting the .pdf file (3b above) or plotting the postscript file (2 above).
What are the Chances of Getting into a UC School? A Look at the Course-Taking Patterns of High School Students For UC Admissions Eligibility. CSE Report 623
Choi, Kilchan; Shin, Edward
The University of California Office of the President (UCOP) has been concerned about the disproportionately low rate of some racial/ethnic groups on campuses of the University of California (UC) and is committed to increasing the enrollment of traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic groups on UC campuses. To this end, course-taking …
Follow the Money: Engineering at Stanford and UC Berkeley during the Rise of Silicon Valley
Adams, Stephen B.
A comparison of the engineering schools at UC Berkeley and Stanford during the 1940s and 1950s shows that having an excellent academic program is necessary but not sufficient to make a university entrepreneurial (an engine of economic development). Key factors that made Stanford more entrepreneurial than Cal during this period were superior…
A novel UCS memory retrieval-extinction procedure to inhibit relapse to drug seeking
Luo, Yi-xiao; Xue, Yan-xue; Liu, Jian-feng; Shi, Hai-shui; Jian, Min; Han, Ying; Zhu, Wei-li; Bao, Yan-ping; Wu, Ping; Ding, Zeng-bo; Shen, Hao-wei; Shi, Jie; Shaham, Yavin; Lu, Lin
We recently reported that a conditioned stimulus (CS) memory retrieval-extinction procedure decreases reinstatement of cocaine and heroin seeking in rats and heroin craving in humans. Here we show that non-contingent cocaine or methylphenidate injections (UCS retrieval) 1 h before the extinction sessions decreases cocaine-priming-induced reinstatement, spontaneous recovery, and renewal of cocaine seeking in rats. Unlike the CS-based memory retrieval-extinction procedure, the UCS memory retrieval manipulation decreases renewal and reinstatement of cocaine seeking in the presence of cocaine cues that were not present during extinction training and also decreases cocaine seeking when the procedure commences after 28 days of abstinence. The inhibitory effect of the UCS retrieval manipulation on cocaine-priming-induced reinstatement is mediated by regulation of AMPA-receptor endocytosis in the basolateral amygdala. The UCS memory retrieval-extinction procedure has superior relapse prevention characteristics than the CS memory retrieval-extinction procedure and could be a promising method for decreasing relapse in human addicts. PMID:26169171
A comparison of the engineering schools at UC Berkeley and Stanford during the 1940s and 1950s shows that having an excellent academic program is necessary but not sufficient to make a university entrepreneurial (an engine of economic development). Key factors that made Stanford more entrepreneurial than Cal during this period were superior�
...; see 46 CFR 54.01-1) will be allowed only in Class III pressure vessels (see table 54.01-5(b)). ... Construction With Carbon, Alloy, and Heat Treated Steels § 54.25-3 Steel plates (modifies UCS-6). The...
UC Davis Fuel Cell, Hydrogen, and Hybrid Vehicle (FCH2V) GATE Center of Excellence
Erickson, Paul
This is the final report of the UC Davis Fuel Cell, Hydrogen, and Hybrid Vehicle (FCH2V) GATE Center of Excellence which spanned from 2005-2012. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established the Graduate Automotive Technology Education (GATE) Program, to provide a new generation of engineers and scientists with knowledge and skills to create advanced automotive technologies. The UC Davis Fuel Cell, Hydrogen, and Hybrid Vehicle (FCH2V) GATE Center of Excellence established in 2005 is focused on research, education, industrial collaboration and outreach within automotive technology. UC Davis has had two independent GATE centers with separate well-defined objectives and research programs from 1998. The Fuel Cell Center, administered by ITS-Davis, has focused on fuel cell technology. The Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Design Center (HEV Center), administered by the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, has focused on the development of plug-in hybrid technology using internal combustion engines. The merger of these two centers in 2005 has broadened the scope of research and lead to higher visibility of the activity. UC Davisâs existing GATE centers have become the campusâs research focal points on fuel cells and hybrid-electric vehicles, and the home for graduate students who are studying advanced automotive technologies. The centers have been highly successful in attracting, training, and placing top-notch students into fuel cell and hybrid programs in both industry and government.
A New Campus Building on Efficiency: University of California (UC) Merced Case Study
The University of California (UC), Merced partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop and implement solutions to retrofit two existing buildings to reduce energy consumption by at least 30% as part of DOE’s Commercial Buildings Partnerships (CBP) Program.
Environmental Profiles of Paper vs. Electronic UC-CEAS Annual Reports
In 2010, the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (UC-CEAS) created a new electronic format for the Annual Report that could be distributed through the college’s website to replace the prior print version. In order to determine the environmental co...
Draft Genome Sequence of Vancomycin-Heteroresistant Staphylococcus epidermidis Strain UC7032, Isolated from Food
Pietta, Ester; Bassi, Daniela; Fontana, Cecilia; Puglisi, Edoardo; Cappa, Fabrizio; Cocconcelli, Pier Sandro
Staphylococcus epidermidis strain UC7032 was isolated from ready-to-eat cured meat and is heteroresistant to glycopeptide antibiotics. The draft whole-genome analysis revealed that this strain shows common characteristics typical of strains that are involved in nosocomial infections. PMID:24072859
Draft Genome Sequence of Vancomycin-Heteroresistant Staphylococcus epidermidis Strain UC7032, Isolated from Food.
Gazzola, Simona; Pietta, Ester; Bassi, Daniela; Fontana, Cecilia; Puglisi, Edoardo; Cappa, Fabrizio; Cocconcelli, Pier Sandro
In 2010, the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (UC-CEAS) created a new electronic format for the Annual Report that could be distributed through the college�s website to replace the prior print version. In order to determine the environmental co...
What Was It like? Being in the Pioneer Class at UC Merced
Perry, Lisa
Entering the UC Merced campus and turning onto Scholars Lane, students saw, in this order, large cow pastures surrounding the campus, tall chainlink fences enclosing construction materials, orange fences stating "limits of construction," and across the small road, the residence facilities. Students who were willing to brave this combination of…
Entering the UC Merced campus and turning onto Scholars Lane, students saw, in this order, large cow pastures surrounding the campus, tall chainlink fences enclosing construction materials, orange fences stating "limits of construction," and across the small road, the residence facilities. Students who were willing to brave this combination of�
First-principles study of UC 2 and U 2C 3
Shi, Hongliang; Zhang, Ping; Li, Shu-Shen; Wang, Baotian; Sun, Bo
The electronic structure and mechanical properties of UC2 and U2C3 have been systematically investigated using first-principles calculations by the projector-augmented-wave (PAW) method. Furthermore, in order to describe precisely the strong on-site Coulomb repulsion among the localized U 5f electrons, we adopt the generalized gradient approximation +U formalisms for the exchange-correlation term. We show that our calculated structural parameters and electronic properties for UC2 and U2C3 are in good agreement with the experimental data by choosing an appropriate Hubbard U = 3 eV. As for the chemical bonding nature, the contour plot of charge density and total density of states suggest that UC2 and U2C3 are metallic mainly contributed by the 5f electrons, mixed with significant covalent component resulted from the strong Csbnd C bonds. The present results also illustrate that the metal-carbon (Usbnd C) bonding and the carbon-carbon covalent bonding in U2C3 are somewhat weaker than those in UC2, leading to the weaker thermodynamic stability at high temperature as observed by experiments.
A novel UCS memory retrieval-extinction procedure to inhibit relapse to drug seeking.
We recently reported that a conditioned stimulus (CS) memory retrieval-extinction procedure decreases reinstatement of cocaine and heroin seeking in rats and heroin craving in humans. Here we show that non-contingent cocaine or methylphenidate injections (UCS retrieval) 1 h before the extinction sessions decreases cocaine-priming-induced reinstatement, spontaneous recovery, and renewal of cocaine seeking in rats. Unlike the CS-based memory retrieval-extinction procedure, the UCS memory retrieval manipulation decreases renewal and reinstatement of cocaine seeking in the presence of cocaine cues that were not present during extinction training and also decreases cocaine seeking when the procedure commences after 28 days of abstinence. The inhibitory effect of the UCS retrieval manipulation on cocaine-priming-induced reinstatement is mediated by regulation of AMPA-receptor endocytosis in the basolateral amygdala. The UCS memory retrieval-extinction procedure has superior relapse prevention characteristics than the CS memory retrieval-extinction procedure and could be a promising method for decreasing relapse in human addicts. PMID:26169171
Draft Genome Sequence of Clostridium sporogenes Strain UC9000 Isolated from Raw Milk
La Torre, Angela; Zotta, Teresa; Orrù, Luigi; Lamontanara, Antonella; Cocconcelli, Pier Sandro
Clostridium sporogenes is a causative agent of food spoilage and is often used as the nontoxigenic surrogate for Clostridium botulinum. Here, we described the draft genome sequence and annotation of C. sporogenes strain UC9000 isolated from raw milk. PMID:27081128
Draft Genome Sequence of Clostridium sporogenes Strain UC9000 Isolated from Raw Milk.
La Torre, Angela; Bassi, Daniela; Zotta, Teresa; Orrù, Luigi; Lamontanara, Antonella; Cocconcelli, Pier Sandro
Clostridium sporogenesis a causative agent of food spoilage and is often used as the nontoxigenic surrogate forClostridium botulinum Here, we described the draft genome sequence and annotation ofC. sporogenesstrain UC9000 isolated from raw milk. PMID:27081128
20 CFR 603.22 - What information must State UC agencies disclose for purposes of an IEVS?
... of HHS (in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture) and set forth in 42 CFR 435.960... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false What information must State UC agencies... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FEDERAL-STATE UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION (UC) PROGRAM; CONFIDENTIALITY...
Feasibility Study of Economics and Performance of Solar Photovoltaics at the Stringfellow Superfund Site in Riverside, California
Mosey, G.; Van Geet, O.
This report presents the results of an assessment of the technical and economic feasibility of deploying a photovoltaics (PV) system on the Stringfellow Superfund Site in Riverside, California. The site was assessed for possible PV installations. The cost, performance, and site impacts of different PV options were estimated. The economics of the potential systems were analyzed using an electric rate of $0.13/kWh and incentives offered by Southern California Edison under the California Solar Initiative. According to the assessment, a government-owned, ground-mounted PV system represents a technically and economically feasible option. The report recommends financing options that could assist in the implementation of such a system.
Pteam: Monitoring of phthalates and PAHs in indoor and outdoor air samples in Riverside, California. Volume 2. Final report
Sheldon, L.; Clayton, A.; Keever, J.; Perritt, R.; Whitaker, D.
The primary purpose of the study was to obtain indoor and outdoor air concentration data for benzo(a)pyrene, other polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and phthalates in California residences to be used in making exposure predictions. To meet these objectives, a field monitoring study was performed in 125 homes in Riverside, California in the fall of 1990. In each home, two 12-hour indoor air samples were collected during daytime and overnight periods. In a subset of 65 homes, outdoor air samples were also collected. PAH and phthalate concentrations were measured in collected air samples using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry techniques. Along with field monitoring, information on potential source usage in the home was collected using questionnaires.
A transcribed ultraconserved noncoding RNA, Uc.173, is a key molecule for the inhibition of lead-induced neuronal apoptosis
Chen, Lijian; Liu, Meiling; Zhang, Nan; Zhang, Li; Luo, Yuanwei; Liu, Zhenzhong; Dai, Lijun; Jiang, Yiguo
As a common toxic metal, lead has significant neurotoxicity to brain development. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) function in multiple biological processes. However, whether lncRNAs are involved in lead-induced neurotoxicity remains unclear. Uc.173 is a lncRNA from a transcribed ultra-conservative region (T-UCR) of human, mouse and rat genomes. We established a lead-induced nerve injury mouse model. It showed the levels of Uc.173 decreased significantly in hippocampus tissue and serum of the model. We further tested the expression of Uc.173 in serum of lead-exposed children, which also showed a tendency to decrease. To explore the effects of Uc.173 on lead-induced nerve injury, we overexpressed Uc.173 in an N2a mouse nerve cell line and found Uc.173 had an inhibitory effect on lead-induced apoptosis of N2a. To investigate the molecular mechanisms of Uc.173 in apoptosis associated with lead-induced nerve injury, we predicted the target microRNAs of Uc.173 by using miRanda, TargetScan and RegRNA. After performing quantitative real-time PCR and bioinformatics analysis, we showed Uc.173 might inter-regulate with miR-291a-3p in lead-induced apoptosis and regulate apoptosis-associated genes. Our study suggests Uc.173 significantly inhibits the apoptosis of nerve cells, which may be mediated by inter-regulation with miRNAs in lead-induced nerve injury. PMID:26683706
UC781 Microbicide Gel Retains Anti-HIV Activity in Cervicovaginal Lavage Fluids Collected following Twice-Daily Vaginal Application
Evans-Strickfaden, Tammy; Holder, Angela; Pau, Chou-Pong; McNicholl, Janet M.; Chaikummao, Supraporn; Chonwattana, Wannee; Hart, Clyde E.
The potent nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor UC781 has been safety tested as a vaginal microbicide gel formulation for prevention of HIV-1 sexual transmission. To investigate whether UC781 retained anti-infective activity following exposure to the female genital tract, we conducted an ex vivo analysis of the UC781 levels and antiviral activity in cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) fluids from 25 Thai women enrolled in a 14-day safety trial of twice-daily vaginal application of two concentrations of the UC781 microbicide gel. CVL samples were collected from women in the 0.1% (n = 5), 0.25% (n = 15), and placebo (n = 5) gel arms following the first application of gel (T15 min) and 8 to 24 h after the final application (T8-24 h) and separated into cell-free (CVL-s) and pelletable (CVL-p) fractions. As UC781 is highly hydrophobic, there were significantly higher levels of UC781 in the CVL-p samples than in the CVL-s samples for the UC781 gel arms. In T8-24 h CVL-p samples, 2/5 and 13/15 samples collected from the 0.1% and 0.25% UC781 gel arms, respectively, efficiently blocked infection with ≥4 log10 50% tissue culture infective dose (TCID50) of a CCR5-tropic CRF01_AE HIV-1 virus stock. Independent of the arm, the 11 CVL-p samples with UC781 levels of ≥5 μg/CVL sample reduced infectious HIV by ≥4 log10 TCID50. Our results suggest that the levels and anti-infective activities of UC781 gel formulations are likely to be associated with a cellular or pelletable component in CVL samples. Therefore, cellular and pelletable fractions should be assayed for drug levels and anti-infective activity in preclinical studies of candidate microbicides. PMID:22508307
MF2KtoMF05UC, a Program To Convert MODFLOW-2000 Files to MODFLOW-2005 and UCODE_2005 Files
Harbaugh, Arlen W.
The program MF2KtoMF05UC has been developed to convert MODFLOW-2000 input files for use by MODFLOW-2005 and UCODE_2005. MF2KtoMF05UC was written in the Fortran 90 computer language. This report documents the use of MF2KtoMF05UC.
Sixteen years of collaborative learning through active sense-making in physics (CLASP) at UC Davis
Potter, Wendell; Webb, David; Paul, Cassandra; West, Emily; Bowen, Mark; Weiss, Brenda; Coleman, Lawrence; De Leone, Charles
This paper describes our large reformed introductory physics course at UC Davis, which bioscience students have been taking since 1996. The central feature of this course is a focus on sense-making by the students during the 5 h per week discussion/labs in which the students take part in activities emphasizing peer-peer discussions, argumentation, and presentations of ideas. The course differs in many fundamental ways from traditionally taught introductory physics courses. After discussing the unique features of CLASP and its implementation at UC Davis, various student outcome measures are presented that show increased performance by students who took the CLASP course compared to students who took a traditionally taught introductory physics course. Measures we use include upper-division GPAs, MCAT scores, FCI gains, and MPEX-II scores.
Space Station UCS antenna pattern computation and measurement. [UHF Communication Subsystem
Hwu, Shian U.; Lu, Ba P.; Johnson, Larry A.; Fournet, Jon S.; Panneton, Robert J.; Ngo, John D.; Eggers, Donald S.; Arndt, G. D.
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the interference to the Space Station Ultrahigh Frequency (UHF) Communication Subsystem (UCS) antenna radiation pattern due to its environment - Space Station. A hybrid Computational Electromagnetics (CEM) technique was applied in this study. The antenna was modeled using the Method of Moments (MOM) and the radiation patterns were computed using the Uniform Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (GTD) in which the effects of the reflected and diffracted fields from surfaces, edges, and vertices of the Space Station structures were included. In order to validate the CEM techniques, and to provide confidence in the computer-generated results, a comparison with experimental measurements was made for a 1/15 scale Space Station mockup. Based on the results accomplished, good agreement on experimental and computed results was obtained. The computed results using the CEM techniques for the Space Station UCS antenna pattern predictions have been validated.
In vitro batch cultures of gut microbiota from healthy and ulcerative colitis (UC) subjects suggest that sulphate-reducing bacteria levels are raised in UC and by a protein-rich diet.
Khalil, Nazeha A; Walton, Gemma E; Gibson, Glenn R; Tuohy, Kieran M; Andrews, Simon C
Imbalances in gut microbiota composition during ulcerative colitis (UC) indicate a role for the microbiota in propagating the disorder. Such effects were investigated using in vitro batch cultures (with/without mucin, peptone or starch) inoculated with faecal slurries from healthy or UC patients; the growth of five bacterial groups was monitored along with short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. Healthy cultures gave two-fold higher growth and SCFA levels with up to ten-fold higher butyrate production. Starch gave the highest growth and SCFA production (particularly butyrate), indicating starch-enhanced saccharolytic activity. Sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were the predominant bacterial group (of five examined) for UC inocula whereas they were the minority group for the healthy inocula. Furthermore, SRB growth was stimulated by peptone presumably due to the presence of sulphur-rich amino acids. The results suggest raised SRB levels in UC, which could contribute to the condition through release of toxic sulphide. PMID:23941288
An Integrated Study of Geoelectric Vertical Sounding and Hydrogeochemistry in the Riverside Alluvium around Buyeo Area, Korea
Doh, S.; Park, Y.; Yun, S.
The water quality of alluvial aquifers in agricultural areas is sensitive to the behaviour of agricultural chemicals (e.g., fertilizers, pesticides, and lime) and, also, to the geologic conditions. It is important to know the characteristics of the aquifers (e.g., depth, spatial distribution, and soil types) and the relationship between subsurface geology and the groundwater contamination for its effective use and management in the future. In order to provide the subsurface information of the lithology and the groundwater zone for hydrogeologic interpretations, an integrated study using twenty vertical electric soundings (VES), direct observation of lithology from two boreholes and hydrochemical data from irrigation well has been conducted in the riverside alluvium near Buyeo area, Korea. Main results of this study are as follows. The depth of main groundwater table is getting slightly deeper toward the river. The boundary between surface sandy and silty soils extends to the subsurface at depth of groundwater table. The vestige of an ancient river channel, such as an oxbow lake, can be identified by a lateral continuation of perched aquifer parallel to the river on the resistivity profiles. This perched aquifer materials are composed of clay-rich silt soils, which prohibit the infiltration of oxygen and nitrate from the land surface. Therefore, the groundwater of the main aquifer below the oxbow lake shows the very low NO3 level and Eh values under the strong anoxic condition. Surface resistivity contour map indicates that the resistivity varies with a NW-SE trending zonal distribution and increases toward the river. This result shows an agreement with the spatial distribution of surface soils, implying that the variation of surface resistivity is mainly controlled by surface lithology or soil type. On the other hand, the distribution of water resistivities is correlated with that of total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration, while the earth resistivity of aquifer shows a different spatial distribution from those of water resistivity and TDS. It is interpreted that the earth resistivity of aquifer might represent the variations of soil type rather than water chemistry in the study area. The present study shows that the geoelectric sounding survey with the complement of borehole lithology and hydrochemical data can provide an inexpensive and useful method for delineating the subsurface hydrogeology in the riverside alluvial aquifer.
Bandwidth and gain enhancement of optically transparent 60-GHz CPW-fed antenna by using BSIS-UC-EBG structure
Wang, Ning; Tian, Huiping; Guo, Zheng; Yang, Daquan; Zhou, Jian; Ji, Yuefeng
A method in terms of bandwidth and gain enhancement is presented for optically transparent coplanar waveguide fed (CPW-Fed) antenna, which supports unlicensed 60 GHz band (57-66 GHz) applications. The original antenna and mesh antenna in [8] were designed on a transparent material that is made of a 0.2-mm-thick fused silica 7980 Corning substrate (ɛr: 3.8 and tan δ: 0.0001). However, the peak gains of -5.3 and -5.4 dBi at 60 GHz of those antennas can be further improved. Thus, in this paper, a novel bidirectional symmetric I-shaped slot uniplanar compact electromagnetic band-gap (BSIS-UC-EBG) structure with a reflection phase band of 58.0-62.1 GHz is proposed to improve antenna performance. Based on this BSIS-UC-EBG structure, both transparent BSIS-UC-EBG antenna and transparent mesh BSIS-UC-EBG antenna with enhanced properties are presented and discussed. The analysis results show that the impedance bandwidth (the peak gain) of transparent BSIS-UC-EBG antenna and transparent mesh BSIS-UC-EBG antenna are enhanced to 36.6% (4.7 dBi) and 44.7% (5.8 dBi), respectively. In addition, we also discuss the comparison of radiation patterns at 60 GHz, and the results illustrate that the radiation patterns are basically identical.
Analysis of hematopoiesis dynamics in residents of Techa riverside villages chronically exposed to nonuniform radiation: modeling approach.
Smirnova, O A; Akleyev, A V; Dimov, G P
A profound approach to the analysis of clinical data on the dynamics of major hematopoietic lineages (granulocytopoietic, thrombocytopoietic, and erythrocytopoietic systems) in chronically irradiated humans is proposed. It is based on recently developed mathematical models of these systems in humans, which enable one to study and interpret clinical hematological data. The developed approach is applied to the analysis of statistically processed clinical data, which were obtained under hematological examinations of residents of Techa riverside villages. These people were exposed to chronic irradiation with varying dose rate due to the radioactive contamination of the river basin by the Mayak Production Association. In the course of modeling studies, the relationship between the dynamics of aforementioned systems in examined individuals and the variation of chronic exposure dose rate over the considered period of time is revealed. It is found that the models are capable of reproducing common regularities and peculiarities of the dynamics of systems on hand, including the decreased stationary levels of blood cell concentrations during the period of maximum radiation exposure, the recovery processes during the period of decrease of exposure dose rate, and the prevalence of younger bone marrow granulocytopoietic cells over more mature ones during the entire period. The mechanisms of such effects of chronic irradiation on the hematopoietic lineages are revealed on the basis of modeling studies. All this testifies to the efficiency of employment of the developed models in the analysis, investigation, and prediction of effects of chronic irradiation on human hematopoietic system. PMID:24562065
Use of airborne remote sensing to detect riverside Brassica rapa to aid in risk assessment of transgenic crops
Elliott, Luisa M.; Mason, David C.; Allainguillaume, Joel; Wilkinson, Mike J.
High resolution descriptions of plant distribution have utility for many ecological applications but are especially useful for predictive modeling of gene flow from transgenic crops. Difficulty lies in the extrapolation errors that occur when limited ground survey data are scaled up to the landscape or national level. This problem is epitomized by the wide confidence limits generated in a previous attempt to describe the national abundance of riverside Brassica rapa (a wild relative of cultivated rapeseed) across the United Kingdom. Here, we assess the value of airborne remote sensing to locate B. rapa over large areas and so reduce the need for extrapolation. We describe results from flights over the river Nene in England acquired using Airborne Thematic Mapper (ATM) and Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) imagery, together with ground truth data. It proved possible to detect 97% of flowering B. rapa on the basis of spectral profiles. This included all stands of plants that occupied >2m square (>5 plants), which were detected using single-pixel classification. It also included very small populations (<5 flowering plants, 1-2m square) that generated mixed pixels, which were detected using spectral unmixing. The high detection accuracy for flowering B. rapa was coupled with a rather large false positive rate (43%). The latter could be reduced by using the image detections to target fieldwork to confirm species identity, or by acquiring additional remote sensing data such as laser altimetry or multitemporal imagery.
Yuma District Resource Management Plan, Yuma, La Paz, and Mohave Counties, Arizona and San Bernardino, Riverside and Imperial Counties, California
Implementation of a resource management plan is proposed for 1.2 million acres within the 2.7-million-acre Yuma District, located in Yuma, La Paz, and Mohave counties, Arizona and San Bernardino, Riverside, and Imperial counties, California. Under the preferred alternative, wildlife habitat would be a priority consideration on approximately 247,740 acre, and nine special management areas would be designated. A portion of the Cactus Plain and the Chemehuevi/Needles wilderness study areas would be recommended for wilderness designation. Two areas totaling 31,360 acres would be designated as special management areas, and another six areas totaling 155,705 acres would be managed to protect their natural values. Livestock grazing would be authorized at 3998 animal unit months on four allotments. Approximately 55,490 acres of federal lands would be available for disposal and 31,220 acres would be acquired. Nine utility corridors and nine communication sites would be designated. Existing recreational facilities would be maintained, with additional facilities provided when warranted. Along Parker Strip, only floodproofed day-use facilities would be allowed within the 100-year flood plain. Off-road vehicle (ORV) use designations would be made on 640 acres and ORV use in the remainder of the district would be limited to existing roads and trails. Continuous occupancy of mobile home sites would be restricted to one five-month period in a single year. Permanent residential use would be phased out.
Superfund Record of Decision (EPA Region 9): Stringfellow Hazardous Waste site, Riverside County, CA. (Fourth remedial action), September 1990
The Stringfellow site is an inactive hazardous waste disposal facility in Riverside County, California, approximately 50 miles east of Los Angeles. The site is divided into four zones. From 1956 to 1972, approximately 34 million gallons of industrial waste from metal finishing, electroplating, and DDT production were disposed of in unlined evaporation ponds located throughout Zone 1. Some of the wastes from these ponds migrated into the ground water system. In 1980, EPA removed approximately 10 million gallons of contaminated water, reinforced containment barriers, and improved a truck loading area. Further removal actions included installing french drain system fences; removal of all remaining surface liquids; partially neutralizing and capping the wastes; installing a gravel drain network, monitoring wells, and surface channels; and contructing a surface barrier and leachate collection system downgradient from the original evaporation ponds. In 1983, the first Record of Decision (ROD) provided an interim remedial measure and addressed additional fencing of the site and implemented erosion control and offsite disposal of the extracted leachate. The fourth ROD addresses the contaminated ground water in Zone 1 and in Zone 4, and proposes treatability studies to remediate the source material in Zone 1.
Detection and genome analysis of a novel (dima)rhabdovirus (Riverside virus) from Ochlerotatus sp. mosquitoes in Central Europe.
Reuter, Gábor; Boros, Ákos; Pál, József; Kapusinszky, Beatrix; Delwart, Eric; Pankovics, Péter
During an investigation for potential arboviruses present in mosquitoes in Hungary (Central Europe) three highly similar virus strains of a novel rhabdovirus (family Rhabdoviridae) called Riverside virus (RISV, KU248085-KU248087) were detected and genetically characterized from Ochlerotatus sp. mosquito pools collected from 3 geographical locations using viral metagenomic and RT-PCR methods. The ssRNA(-) genome of RISVs follows the general genome layout of rhabdoviruses (3'-N-P-M-G-L-5') with two alternatives, small ORFs in the P and G genes (Px and Gx). The genome of RISVs contains some unusual features such as the large P proteins, the short M proteins with the absence of N-terminal region together with the undetectable "Late budding" motif and the overlap of P and M genes. The unusually long 3' UTRs of the M genes of RISVs probably contain a remnant transcription termination signal which is suggesting the presence of an ancestral gene. The phylogenetic analysis and sequence comparisons show that the closest known relative of RISVs is the recently identified partially sequenced mosquito-borne rhabdovirus, North Creek virus (NOCRV), from Australia. The RISVs and NOCRV form a distinct, basally rooted lineage in the dimarhabdovirus supergroup. The host species range of RISVs is currently unknown, although the presence of these viruses especially in Ochlerotatus sp. mosquitoes which are known to be fierce biting pests of humans and warm-blooded animals and abundant and widespread in Hungary could hold some potential medical and/or veterinary risks. PMID:26883377
q-Painlevé VI Equation Arising from q-UC Hierarchy
Tsuda, Teruhisa; Masuda, Tetsu
We study the q-difference analogue of the sixth Painlevé equation ( q- P VI) by means of tau functions associated with the affine Weyl group of type D 5. We prove that a solution of q- P VI coincides with a self-similar solution of the q-UC hierarchy. As a consequence, we obtain in particular algebraic solutions of q- P VI in terms of the universal character which is a generalization of the Schur polynomial attached to a pair of partitions.
UCS protein Rng3p activates actin filament gliding by fission yeast myosin-II
Lord, Matthew; Pollard, Thomas D.
We purified native Myo2p/Cdc4p/Rlc1p (Myo2), the myosin-II motor required for cytokinesis by Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The Myo2p heavy chain associates with two light chains, Cdc4p and Rlc1p. Although crude Myo2 supported gliding motility of actin filaments in vitro, purified Myo2 lacked this activity in spite of retaining full Ca-ATPase activity and partial actin-activated Mg-ATPase activity. Unc45-/Cro1p-/She4p-related (UCS) protein Rng3p restored the full motility and actin-activated Mg-ATPase activity of purified Myo2. The COOH-terminal UCS domain of Rng3p alone restored motility to pure Myo2. Thus, Rng3p contributes directly to the motility activity of native Myo2. Consistent with a role in Myo2 activation, Rng3p colocalizes with Myo2p in the cytokinetic contractile ring. The absence of Rlc1p or mutations in the Myo2p head or Rng3p compromise the in vitro motility of Myo2 and explain the defects in cytokinesis associated with some of these mutations. In contrast, Myo2 with certain temperature-sensitive forms of Cdc4p has normal motility, so these mutations compromise other functions of Cdc4p required for cytokinesis. PMID:15504913
The Plasmid Complement of Lactococcus lactis UC509.9 Encodes Multiple Bacteriophage Resistance Systems
Ainsworth, Stuart; Mahony, Jennifer
Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris strains are used globally for the production of fermented dairy products, particularly hard cheeses. Believed to be of plant origin, L. lactis strains that are used as starter cultures have undergone extensive adaptation to the dairy environment, partially through the acquisition of extrachromosomal DNA in the form of plasmids that specify technologically important phenotypic traits. Here, we present a detailed analysis of the eight plasmids of L. lactis UC509.9, an Irish dairy starter strain. Key industrial phenotypes were mapped, and genes that are typically associated with lactococcal plasmids were identified. Four distinct, plasmid-borne bacteriophage resistance systems were identified, including two abortive infection systems, AbiB and AbiD1, thereby supporting the observed phage resistance of L. lactis UC509.9. AbiB escape mutants were generated for phage sk1, which were found to carry mutations in orf6, which encodes the major capsid protein of this phage. PMID:24814781
Transformation of Escherichia coli JM109 using pUC19 by the Yoshida effect.
Mendes, G P; Vieira, P S; Lanceros-Méndez, S; Kluskens, L D; Mota, M
Transformation of non-competent Escherichia coli JM109 was accomplished using pUC19 as donor plasmid and sepiolite as the acicular material to promote cell piercing via application of friction with a polystyrene stick or a magnetic bar on the surface of a hydrogel containing agar. An automatic spreading setup was built with a conventional stirring plate and compared to manual spreading. Several parameters were optimized, namely, the agar content of the hydrogel (2%), concentration of cells (OD=1.3 corresponding to 1.4×10(9) bacterial cells/mL), concentration of sepiolite (0.01%), manual versus mechanical spreading (automatic spreading more consistent) and spreading time (30s). Efficiency values up to 4.1×10(4) CFU/μg pUC19 were obtained. The method proved to be suitable for a rapid and low cost transformation of non-competent E. coli JM109, where higher values of efficiency do not need to be attained. PMID:25966644
Insertion sequence ISPst4 activates pUC plasmid replication in Pseudomonas stutzeri.
Coleman, Nicholas V; Richardson-Harris, Jodie; Wilson, Neil L; Holmes, Andrew J
Insertion sequences (IS) are important drivers of bacterial evolution. Here, we report a previously undescribed IS element (ISPst4) in Pseudomonas stutzeri, and its unusual interaction with plasmids introduced into this species. Transformation of the pUC19 derivative plasmid pUS23 into P. stutzeri yielded ampicillin-resistant transformants in P. stutzeri, but these grew very poorly. Plasmids recovered from the transformants frequently contained insertions of the IS elements ISPst4 and ISPst5. Hybridisation analysis showed that these two IS elements were common in P. stutzeri strains, but were not found in other pseudomonads. Insertions of ISPst4 in pUS23 were found predominantly between bla and oriV, and plasmids with this type of insertion were capable of robust replication in P. stutzeri, unlike pUS23. A promoter-containing region was localised to a 74 bp NcoI-SacI fragment within ISPst4, and we postulate that this promoter drives expression of the pUC oriV in P. stutzeri. This is the first report of IS transposition directly leading to an expansion of the effective host range of a plasmid, adding a new dimension to our understanding of the relationship between plasmids and IS elements. PMID:24606121
A New Center for Science Education at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory
Hawkins, I.
The Space Sciences Laboratory at UC Berkeley has established a new Center for Science Education through the Laboratory's Senior Fellow program. The Center has a two-fold mission: (1) science education research through collaborations with UCB Graduate School of Education faculty, and (2) education and outreach projects that bring NASA research to the K-14 and general public communities. The Center is the host of two major education and outreach programs funded by NASA - The Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum (SECEF) and the Science Education Gateway (SEGway) Project. The SECEF - a collaborative between UC Berkeley and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center - is one of four Forums that have been funded through the Office of Space Science as part of their Education Ecosystem. SEGway is a partnership between science research centers, science museums, and teachers, for the purpose of developing Internet-based, inquiry activities for the K-12 classroom that tap NASA remote sensing data. We will describe the Center for Science Education's history and vision, as well as summarize our core programs.
Development of telescope control system for the 50cm telescope of UC Observatory Santa Martina
Shen, Tzu-Chiang; Soto, Ruben; Reveco, Johnny; Vanzi, Leonardo; Fernández, Jose M.; Escarate, Pedro; Suc, Vincent
The main telescope of the UC Observatory Santa Martina is a 50cm optical telescope donated by ESO to Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. During the past years the telescope has been refurbished and used as the main facility for testing and validating new instruments under construction by the center of Astro-Engineering UC. As part of this work, the need to develop a more efficient and flexible control system arises. The new distributed control system has been developed on top of Internet Communication Engine (ICE), a framework developed by Zeroc Inc. This framework features a lightweight but powerful and flexible inter-process communication infrastructure and provides binding to classic and modern programming languages, such as, C/C++, java, c#, ruby-rail, objective c, etc. The result of this work shows ICE as a real alternative for CORBA and other de-facto distribute programming framework. Classical control software architecture has been chosen and comprises an observation control system (OCS), the orchestrator of the observation, which controls the telescope control system (TCS), and detector control system (DCS). The real-time control and monitoring system is deployed and running over ARM based single board computers. Other features such as logging and configuration services have been developed as well. Inter-operation with other main astronomical control frameworks are foreseen in order achieve a smooth integration of instruments when they will be integrated in the main observatories in the north of Chile
Numerical simulation of magnetically-driven solid shell implosions with uc(mach2)
Peterkin, Robert E., Jr.
When a 10 MA current flows through a 4 cm radius metal shell, a 50 Tesla magnetic induction is produced that exerts a 10 kbar pressure on the outside of the shell causing it to implode. During the implosion, the magnetic induction increases inversely with the radius, so that if the magnetic pressure approaches 1 Mbar for a 10:1 radial compression ratio. We performed numerical simulations of such a compressing system with the 2 1/2-dimensional finite-volume MHD code uc(mach2.) We have been particularly interested in reproducing the experimental results of Degnan et al. in which an initially solid 47 gm quasi-spherical aluminum shell was filled with a 1 eV, 5.3 × 10^19 heavy particle/cc unmagnetized hydrogen plasma. In these some of these experiments, a small initially solid 0.5 gm, 1 cm tall, 12 mil thick cylindrical copper shell of radius 3.3 mm was placed inside the aluminum shell and was surrounded by the hydrogen plasma. As the aluminum shell compressed the hydrogen plasma to high pressure, the copper target was compressed. We illustrate the dynamics of this imploding system with graphical results from uc(mach2) simulations.
Tissue distribution and pharmacokinetics of 3-t-(methyl- UC) butyl-4-hydroxyanisole in rats
Ansari, G.A.; Hendrix, P.Y.
Tissue distribution and pharmacokinetics of 3-t-(methyl- UC)butyl-4-hydroxyanisole was studied in male rats. 3-t-(methyl- UC)butyl-4-hydroxyanisole was administered by gavage at a single dose of 1.5 mmol/kg. Urine, feces, blood, and 20 major tissues were collected at 0.5, 1, 3, 6, 12, 16, 17, 18, 24, 48, 72, 168, and 240 hr after dosing and were analyzed for radioactivity. Almost all radioactivity was eliminated from rats in 48 hrs. Forty one per cent of the administered dose was recovered in urine, while feces accounted for 53%. At early time points radioactivity was mainly found in gastrointestinal tissues with concentrations remaining high up to 16-18 hr after administration indicating a slow absorption and elimination of the compound. The maximum concentration of radiolabel in kidney, liver, bladder, spleen, heart, pancreas, and brain was reached at 6 hr and remained up to 24 hr. The concentration of radioactivity in liver and kidney was approximately 10-fold higher than other tissues at the peak time of 16-18 hrs. Calculated absorption and elimination rate constants demonstrated slow uptake and clearance of label by many tissues. Covalent binding in eight representative tissues at 10 time points was also studied. Results indicate that binding increases slowly and exponentially with time reaching maximum levels at 12-24 hr in most of the tissues followed by a slow decline with time.
A new paradigm in ulcerative colitis: regulatory T cells are key factor which induces/exacerbates UC through an immune imbalance.
Hanai, Hiroyuki; Iida, Takayuki; Ikeya, Kentaro; Abe, Jinrou; Maruyama, Yasuhiko; Shimura, Teruyuki; Sugimoto, Ken; Watanabe, Fumitoshi
Leukocytapheresis (LCAP) appears to remove or inactivate inflammatory cells and to reset immunological responses, resulting to cure responders of ulcerative colitis (UC). The changes of T cell subsets were investigated in UC patients treated with LCAP. Levels of T cell subsets in peripheral blood before and after LCAP were analysed by flow cytometric analysis. Of 20 UC patients, 13 (65%) achieved remission and 2 (10%) showed the improvement of UC symptoms. Ratios of some T cell subtypes such as regulatory T (Treg) cells and memory T cells to CD4(+) T cells changed significantly only in responders. Especially, ratio of resting Treg/CD4(+) T cells was significantly increased after the first LCAP session, and then one of activated Treg/CD4(+) T cells was increased after 2 week. This may lead to the development of a new UC paradigm in which an imbalance in Treg cell subsets triggers the onset and/or exacerbation of UC. PMID:23280396
Prevalence and risk factors of clonorchiasis among residents of riverside areas in Muju-gun, Jeollabuk-do, Korea.
Park, Do-Soon; Na, Sung-Jin; Cho, Shin Hyeong; June, Kyung Ja; Cho, Young-Chae; Lee, Young-Ha
We evaluated the status of Clonorchis sinensis infection and potential risk factors among residents of riverside areas (Geumgang) in Muju-gun, Jeollabuk-do (Province), Korea. From January to February 2010, a total of 349 (171 males, 178 females) stool samples were collected and examined by the formalin-ether concentration technique. Also, village residents were interviewed using questionnaires to obtain information about C. sinensis infection-related risk factors. Overall egg-positive rate of C. sinensis was 13.2%. Egg-positive rates were significantly higher in males, farmers, and residents who had lived there more than 20 years, and in residents who had eaten raw freshwater fish than in opposite groups, respectively. However, there was no significant difference between age groups, education levels, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, health status, past history of infection, and experience of clonorchiasis medication and examination. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine risk factors for clonorchiasis. On univariate analysis, the odds ratios for males, farmers, those who had lived there more than 20 years, and who had eaten raw freshwater fish were 2.41, 4.44, 3.16, and 4.88 times higher than those of the opposites, respectively. On multivariate analysis, the odds ratio of residents who had eaten raw freshwater fish was 3.2-fold higher than that of those who had not. These results indicate that residents living in Muju-gun, along the Geum River, Korea, have relatively high C. sinensis egg-positive rates, and the habit of eating raw freshwater fish was the major factor for the maintenance of clonorchiasis. PMID:25246718
Weathering of Mine Tailings Deposited on the Riverside and Related Impact of Heavy Metals on the River Water
Park, K.; Kim, Y.; Kim, B.; Jeon, S.; Kim, M.
The weathering of ore minerals is very important because it controls the migration and distribution of toxic heavy metals in the geologic environment. In general, the soils, stream water, and groundwater are severely polluted near abandoned mines. The tailings can be also moved away by natural or anthropogenic ways to the other sites and it can cause severe environmental problems especially in river near the urban areas. In Bonghwa area, Korea, the red deposits of weathered mine tailings are easily found, which are considered to be removed by flood from the abandoned mine and deposited on the riverside of the upper stream of Nakdong river more than ten years ago. We studied the weathering of deposited mine tailings and their impact on the rive water. To study the mineral compositions and weathering products in the tailing deposits, XRD and SEM with EDS were used. Quartz and feldspar with minor amount of mica were main primary minerals identified in the deposits. It was very hard to characterize some poor crystalline secondary minerals formed by weathering of ore minerals. Gypsum was identified as major sulfate minerals with minor component of bannite. From EDS analysis, Fe oxide and sulfate probably goethite and schwertmannite were the main iron minerals, indicating schwertmannite was precipitated first and transformed into goethite later by the removal of sulfate. Heavy metals such as As and Pb were detected from some secondary precipitates, probably due to the adsorption or coprecipitation with iron minerals. Mn oxide was the major secondary minerals composing black layers in the deposits. As and Pb in precipitates indicate that galena and arsenopyrite may be the main constituents of ore minerals in addition to pyrite. The behaviors of heavy metals and their influences on the river water are particularly controlled by secondary minerals and those relationship will be discussed with the results of the sequential extraction and secondary mineral compositions.
Prevalence and Risk Factors of Clonorchiasis among Residents of Riverside Areas in Muju-gun, Jeollabuk-do, Korea
Park, Do-Soon; Na, Sung-Jin; Cho, Shin Hyeong; June, Kyung Ja; Cho, Young-Chae
Role of oral nitrate in the nitrosation of ( UC)proline by conventional microflora and germ-free rats
Mallett, A.K.; Rowland, I.R.; Walters, D.G.; Gangolli, S.D.; Cottrell, R.C.; Massey, R.C.
The urinary excretion of N-nitroso-L-(U- UC)proline by conventional microflora and germ free rats was used to assess the role of the gut bacteria and oral nitrate in the endogenous formation of N-nitroso compounds. The formation of nitrosoproline was qualitatively similar in conventional and germfree rats suggesting no involvement of the intestinal flora in this reaction. Furthermore, nitrosamino acid production was similar following the administration of nitrate and (U- UC)proline or (U- UC)proline alone, demonstrating no involvement of exogenous nitrate under the conditions of the experiment. Dietary contamination with nitrate/nitrite was negligible. The results are consistent with the suggestion that nitrate/nitrite reserves in the body are important in the formation of nitrosoproline in vivo.
Distinguishing features of an infectious molecular clone of the highly divergent and noncytopathic human immunodeficiency virus type 2 UC1 strain.
Barnett, S W; Quiroga, M; Werner, A; Dina, D; Levy, J A
A full-length infectious molecular clone was derived from the noncytopathic human immunodeficiency virus type 2 UC1 strain (HIV-2UC1) that was originally recoverd from an individual from the Ivory Coast. Like the parental isolate, the molecularly cloned virus (HIV-2UC1mc or UC1 mc) demonstrates a reduced ability to induce syncytium formation, to kill cells, and to down-modulate the cell surface CD4 receptor in infected cells. Phylogenetic analysis of the DNA sequence of UC1mc revealed that it is the first full-length infectious molecular clone in the second HIV-2 subgroup previously identified by partial sequence analysis of the HIV-2D205 and HIV-2GH-2 strains. These highly divergent HIV-2 strains appear to be genetically equidistant from other HIV-2 and simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmac/sm strains. UC1mc is unlike any other HIV-2 or SIVmac/sm strain in that it lacks a cysteine residue at the proposed signal peptide cleavage site in Env. However, site-directed mutagenesis experiments indicate that this missing cysteine is not alone important in the noncytopathic phenotype of UC1mc. Like other HIV-2 and SIV strains, the UC1mc Env transmembrane protein (gp43) is mutated to a truncated form (gp34) after passage in certain T-cell lines. The UC1 molecular clone should be helpful in determining the genetic sequences associated with HIV-2 cytopathicity. Images PMID:8419635
Commission Review of a Proposal by Riverside Community College District To Convert the Norco Educational Center to College Status. A Report to the Governor and Legislature in Response to a Request from the California Community College Board of Governors. Commission Report 04-02
This report reviews a proposal by the Riverside Community College District and the California Community College Chancellor's Office to convert the Norco Education Center to college status. The center is situated in the western section of Riverside County on 144 acres of land that had been occupied by the U.S. Navy until it was donated by the…
Fractionation of radioactivity in the milk of goats administered UC-aflatoxin B1
Goto, T.; Hsieh, D.P.
A detailed fractionation of radioactivity in the milk of goats administered UC-aflatoxin B1 at low doses was performed. The milk collected in the first 24 h following dosing contained radioactivity equivalent to 0.45-1.1% of the dose given. The radioactivity in each sample was partitioned into 4 fractions: ether, protein, dichloromethane, and water-alcohol. Over 80% of the radioactivity was detected in the dichloromethane fraction, of which over 95% was attributable to aflatoxin M1. No aflatoxin B1 or other known aflatoxin metabolites were detected in any fraction. The results indicate that the major metabolite of aflatoxin B1 in goat milk is aflatoxin M1 and that other metabolites, including conjugates, are of minor significance.
FIFI: The MPE Garching/UC Berkeley Far-Infrared Imaging Fabry-Perot Interferometer
Geis, Norbert; Genzel, Reinhard; Haggerty, M.; Herrmann, F.; Jackson, J.; Madden, Suzanne C.; Nikola, T.; Poglitsch, Albrecht; Rumitz, M.; Stacey, G. J.
We describe the performance characteristics of the MPE Garching/UC Berkeley Far-Infrared Imaging Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FIFI) for the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO). The spectrometer features two or three cryogenic tunable Fabry-Perot filters in series giving spectral resolution R of up to 10(exp 5) in the range of 40 microns less than lambda less than 200 microns, and an imaging 5x5 array of photoconductive detectors with variable focal plane plate scale. The instrument works at background limited sensitivity of up to 2 x 10(exp -19) W cm(exp -2) Hz(exp -1/2) per pixel per resolution element at R = 10(exp 5) on the KAO.
The Chicago Public Schools (CPS)/University of Chicago (UC) Internet Project (CUIP)
Richardson, D.; Rebull, L. M.; Munoz-Franco, L.; Jay, M. J.; Burke, R. D.; Fenstermacher, K. D.; Lenz, D. D.; MacNaught, H.; Marks, M. D.; Murphy, J.; Thomas, C.; York, D. G.; Anderson, D.; Chisom, Y.; Dynis, R.; Letts, J.; Lewis, E.; Harris, E.; Segneri, L.
The Chicago Public Schools (CPS)/University of Chicago (UC) Internet Project (CUIP) is a collaborative pilot project among the UC, CPS Central Administration, and 24 public schools in the Woodlawn, Hyde Park/ South Kenwood, and North Kenwood/Oakland neighborhoods. Our primary goal is connecting these schools to the Internet, emphasizing the continued support of the schools and their teachers after the computers and connections are in place. We work with principals, department heads, and individual teachers to create and nurture a self-sustaining computer culture that will both maintain the network systems and incorporate the technology into the curriculum. We also encourage the schools to take advantage of ther new connectivity by collaborating and sharing resources among themselves. Formal interactions are fostered with museums and research centers, locally and nationally. CUIP is committed to supporting these schools as they use the Internet to enhance student learning. CUIP's goals include: providing T-1 internet connectivity to 24 local schools, supporting the technology coordinator in each school in order to ensure continuous Internet connectivity, and developing effective technology plans, including technology upgrades; nurturing and supporting teachers interested in incorporating technology in their classroom; fostering an environment in which the students can acquire a wide range of comptuer skills appropriate to the current job market; and fostering similar community-based efforts, around Chicago and the nation. CUIP's milestones include: internet service connected to 12 schools; technology interns placed in some CUIP schools in collaboration with Governors State University; email provided to more than half of the 660 teachers in connected schools; and World Wide Web for Teachers, a summer class on curriculum uses of the Web, taught by CUIP staff to 23 of over 100 public school teacher applicants.
Results of a shallow seismic-refraction survey in the Little Valley area near Hemet, Riverside County, California
Duell, L.F., Jr.
Little Valley, a small locally named valley southeast of the city of Hemet in Riverside County, California, is being evaluated for development of a constructed wetland and infiltration area as part of a water-resources management program in the area. The valley is a granitic basin filled with unconsolidated material. In August 1993 and June and July 1994, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a seismic-refraction survey consisting of four lines northwest of the valley, eight lines in the valley, and six lines northeast of the valley. Two interpretations were made for the lines: a two-layer model yielded an estimate of the minimum depths to bedrock and a three-layer model yielded the most likely depths to bedrock. Results of the interpretation of the three-layer model indicate that the unsaturated unconsolidated surface layer ranges in thickness from 12 to 83 feet in the valley and 24 to 131 feet northeast of the valley. The mean compressional velocity for this layer was about 1,660 feet per second. A saturated middle layer was detected in some parts of the study area, but not in others--probably because of insufficient thickness in some places; however, in order to determine the "most likely" depths to bedrock, it was assumed that the layer was present throughout the valley. Depths to this layer were verified on three seismic lines using the water level from the only well in the valley. Data for additional verification were not available for wells near Little Valley. The bedrock slope from most of Little Valley is down toward the northeast. Bedrock profiles show that the bedrock surface is very uneven in the study area. The interpreted most likely depth to bedrock in the valley ranged from land surface (exposed) to a depth of 176 feet below land surface, and northeast of the valley it ranged from 118 to 331 feet below land surface. Bedrock depths were verified using lithologic logs from test holes drilled previously in the area. On the basis of a measured mean compressional velocity of about 12,000 feet per second, the bedrock was interpreted to be weathered granite.
Independent technical review and analysis of hydraulic modeling and hydrology under low-flow conditions of the Des Plaines River near Riverside, Illinois
Over, Thomas M.; Straub, Timothy D.; Hortness, Jon E.; Murphy, Elizabeth A.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has operated a streamgage and published daily flows for the Des Plaines River at Riverside since Oct. 1, 1943. A HEC-RAS model has been developed to estimate the effect of the removal of Hofmann Dam near the gage on low-flow elevations in the reach approximately 3 miles upstream from the dam. The Village of Riverside, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources-Office of Water Resources (IDNR-OWR), and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers-Chicago District (USACE-Chicago) are interested in verifying the performance of the HEC-RAS model for specific low-flow conditions, and obtaining an estimate of selected daily flow quantiles and other low-flow statistics for a selected period of record that best represents current hydrologic conditions. Because the USGS publishes streamflow records for the Des Plaines River system and provides unbiased analyses of flows and stream hydraulic characteristics, the USGS served as an Independent Technical Reviewer (ITR) for this study.
Tackling the Transition to UC: To Implement Unified Communications on Campus, It Often Pays to Take a Phased Approach
Ramaswami, Rama
In this article, the author talks about the challenges faced by two schools that lie, coincidentally, just 110 miles apart in the vast spaces of North Dakota. Both schools, members of the North Dakota University System, decided to forge ahead with a unified communications (UC) implementation. And while their final solutions differ, how the two�
... of HHS (in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture) and set forth in 42 CFR 435.960... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What information must State UC agencies disclose for purposes of an IEVS? 603.22 Section 603.22 Employees' Benefits EMPLOYMENT AND...
... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false What information must State UC agencies obtain from other agencies, and crossmatch with wage information, for purposes of an IEVS? 603.23 Section 603.23 Employees' Benefits EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR...
Resveratrol Exerts Dosage-Dependent Effects on the Self-Renewal and Neural Differentiation of hUC-MSCs
Wang, Xinxin; Ma, Shanshan; Meng, Nan; Yao, Ning; Zhang, Kun; Li, Qinghua; Zhang, Yanting; Xing, Qu; Han, Kang; Song, Jishi; Yang, Bo; Guan, Fangxia
Resveratrol (RES) plays a critical role in the fate of cells and longevity of animals via activation of the sirtuins1 (SIRT1) gene. In the present study, we intend to investigate whether RES could promote the self-renewal and neural-lineage differentiation in human umbilical cord derived MSCs (hUC-MSCs) in vitro at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 10 μM, and whether it exerts the effects by modulating the SIRT1 signaling. Herein, we demonstrated that RES at the concentrations of 0.1, 1 and 2.5 μM could promote cell viability and proliferation, mitigate senescence and induce expression of SIRT1 and Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) while inhibit the expression of p53 and p16. However, the effects were reversed by 5 and 10 μM of RES. Furthermore, RES could promote neural differentiation in a dose-dependent manner as evidenced by morphological changes and expression of neural markers (Nestin, βIII-tubulin and NSE), as well as pro-neural transcription factors Neurogenin (Ngn)1, Ngn2 and Mash1. Taken together, RES exerts a dosage-dependent effect on the self-renewal and neural differentiation of hUC-MSCs via SIRT1 signaling. The current study provides a new strategy to regulate the fate of hUC-MSCs and suggests a more favorable in vitro cell culture conditions for hUC-MSCs-based therapies for some intractable neurological disorders. PMID:27109421
Heat transfer characteristics of uc(d)-mannitol as a phase change material for a medium thermal energy system
Shibahara, Makoto; Liu, Qiusheng; Fukuda, Katsuya
Melting process and heat transfer characteristics of uc(d)-mannitol were investigated experimentally and numerically to construct a fundamental database of the waste heat recovery systems for ships. uc(d-)Mannitol which has relatively high latent heat was selected in this study as a phase-change material for medium thermal energy storage. Experimental results indicate that the melting temperature and latent heat of uc(d)-mannitol were affected by the heating rate. The weight of uc(d)-mannitol did not decrease with the increase in temperature between 436 and 455 K. Moreover, numerical simulation was conducted using the commercial CFD code, ANSYS FLUENT. On the basis of the numerical simulation, melting process was affected by natural convection at the inner wall. As the heat flux of the cartridge heater input came from the inner wall, the liquid fraction increased from the inner wall to the outer wall through natural convection. The numerical result was compared with the experimental data. The temperature of the numerical simulation was approximately consistent with the experimental data. Moreover, the local heat transfer coefficients at the heater surface were calculated by the result of the numerical simulation. The heat transfer coefficients decreased during the phase change. It was considered that the heat transfer process changed from conductive heat transfer of solid state to natural convection heat transfer of liquid state as the liquid fraction increased with time.
Costs, Culture, and Complexity: An Analysis of Technology Enhancements in a Large Lecture Course at UC Berkeley
Harley, Diane; Henke, Jonathan; Lawrence, Shannon; McMartin, Flora; Maher, Michael; Gawlik, Marytza; Muller, Parisa
As colleges and universities nationwide anticipate enrolling more than two million new students over the next decade, UC Berkeley is exploring options for serving more students, more cost effectively, in large lecture courses. This research project analyzes economic and pedagogical questions related to the use of on-line lecture and laboratory…
Resveratrol Exerts Dosage-Dependent Effects on the Self-Renewal and Neural Differentiation of hUC-MSCs.
Former University of California Chancellors Urge New Funding Models for UC. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.15.11
Center for Studies in Higher Education, 2011
In this era of massive budget cuts, the survival of the University of California as a great institution of learning has become the subject of increasingly urgent debate. Twenty-two of the twenty-nine living former UC chancellors met in San Francisco on June 26-28, 2011 to discuss the current threats facing the University and all of California…
In this article, the author talks about the challenges faced by two schools that lie, coincidentally, just 110 miles apart in the vast spaces of North Dakota. Both schools, members of the North Dakota University System, decided to forge ahead with a unified communications (UC) implementation. And while their final solutions differ, how the two…
Recent Changes in UC Admissions Policies. Parent/Student Guide = Unos cambios recientes en los reglamentos de ingreso de la universidad de California. Guia de padres/estudiantes.
EdSource, Inc., Palo Alto, CA.
This parent/student guide describes recent changes in admissions policies at the University of California (UC). Traditionally, UC admitted the top 12.5% of high school graduating seniors, but beginning in 2001, the top 4% of students in the graduating class of every high school are eligible if they have completed 11 specific "a-f" courses by the…
Palouse prairie - synaptic relics from a senior pseudo-botanist
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Historically, vegetation of the Missoula Valley prairie has been regarded as "Agropyron-Festuca community," otherwise described as "Palouse bunchgrass prairie" or just "Palouse prairie." Synecology of this association has been well described starting in the 1920s, however there is no description of...
Adventures with Doug: An Interview with Dot Wade, Prairie Botanist.
Wiener, Morris; Wade, Dot
The wife of the late Doug Wade discusses the course of his career in outdoor education and nature interpretation; the relationship he had with his mentor, Aldo Leopold; his success as a teacher and his relationship with his students; and how a background in botany enabled her to assist her husband with field trips. (LP)
REVIEW OF UCR (UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-RIVERSIDE) PROTOCOL FOR DETERMINATION OF OH (HYDROXYL RADICALS) RATE CONSTANTS WITH VOC (VOLATILE ORGANIC CHEMICALS) AND ITS APPLICABILITY TO PREDICT PHOTOCHEMICAL OZONE PRODUCTION
The experimental protocol for determining the rate constants for reactions of hydroxyl radicals (OH) with volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) as developed by the University of California-Riverside group is evaluated. Limits of detection and precision are discussed. The protocol is ...
Frontiers of Plant Cell Biology: Signals and Pathways, System-Based Approaches 22nd Symposium in Plant Biology (University of California-Riverside)
Minorsky, Peter V.
The symposium ''Frontiers of Plant Cell Biology: Signals and Pathways, Systems-Based Approaches'' was held January 15-18, 2003 at the Riverside Convention Center in Riverside, California. The host organization for the symposium was the Center for Plant Cell Biology (CEPCEB) at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). The meeting, focusing on systems-based approaches to plant cell biology research, was the first of this kind in the field of plant biology. The speakers and nearly 100 posters placed emphasis on recent developments in plant cellular biology and molecular genetics, particularly those employing emerging genomic tools, thereby sharing the most current knowledge in the field and stimulating future advances. In attendance were many well-established scientists and young investigators who approach plant cell biology from different but complementary conceptual and technical perspectives. Indeed, many disciplines are converging in the field of cell biology, producing synergies that will enable plant scientists to determine the function of gene products in the context of living cells in whole organisms. New, cross-disciplinary collaborations, as well as the involvement of computer scientists and chemists in plant biology research, are likely additional outcomes of the symposium. The program included 39 invited session speakers and workshop/panel speakers. Sessions were convened on the following themes: Cell-Cell Communication; Protein Trafficking; Cell Surface, Extracellular Matrix and Cell Wall; Signal Transduction; Signal Transduction and Proteosome; and Systems-Based Approaches to Plant Cell Biology. Workshops on Chemical Genetics and Visual Microscopy were also presented. Abstracts from each of the speaker presentations, as well as the posters presented at the meeting were published in a program booklet given to the 239 faculty members, researchers, postdoctoral scientists and graduate students in attendance. The booklet thus serves as a reference for symposium attendees to locate additional information about a topic of their particular interest and to contact other investigators. In addition, an article reviewing the symposium by science writer Peter V. Minorsky appeared in the June 2003 issue of Plant Physiology, a special issue devoted to systems-based approaches in the study of the model plant Arabidopsis (article submitted as part of this Final Technical Report).
Source apportionment of 1 h semi-continuous data during the 2005 Study of Organic Aerosols in Riverside (SOAR) using positive matrix factorization
Eatough, Delbert J.; Grover, Brett D.; Woolwine, Woods R.; Eatough, Norman L.; Long, Russell; Farber, Robert
Positive matrix factorization (PMF2) was used to elucidate sources of fine particulate material (PM 2.5) for a study conducted during July and August 2005, in Riverside, CA. One-hour averaged semi-continuous measurements were made with a suite of instruments to provide PM 2.5 mass and chemical composition data. Total PM 2.5 mass concentrations (non-volatile plus semi-volatile) were measured with an R&P filter dynamic measurement system (FDMS TEOM) and a conventional TEOM monitor was used to measure non-volatile mass concentrations. PM 2.5 chemical species monitors included a dual-oven Sunset monitor to measure both non-volatile and semi-volatile carbonaceous material, an ion chromatographic-based monitor to measure sulfate and nitrate and an Anderson Aethalometer to measure black carbon (BC). Gas phase data including CO, NO 2, NO x and O 3 were also collected during the sampling period. In addition, single-particle measurements were made using aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ATOFMS). Twenty different single-particle types consistent with those observed in previous ATOFMS studies in Riverside were identified for the PMF2 analysis. Finally, time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometry (ToF-AMS) provided data on markers of primary and secondary organic aerosol. Two distinct PMF2 analyses were performed. In analysis 1, all the data except for the ATOFMS and ToF-AMS data were used in an initial evaluation of sources at Riverside during the study. PMF2 was able to identify six factors from the data set corresponding to both primary and secondary sources, primarily from automobile emissions, diesel emissions, secondary nitrate formation, a secondary photochemical associated source, organic emissions and Basin transported pollutants. In analysis 2, the ATOFMS and ToF-AMS data were included in the analysis. In the second analysis, PMF2 was able to identify 16 factors with a variety of both primary and secondary factors being identified, corresponding to both primary and secondary material from both anthropogenic and natural sources. Based on relationships with Basin meteorology, the PMF identified source profiles and diurnal patterns in the source concentrations, sources were identified as being of local origin or resulting from transport of pollutants across the Basin due to onshore flow. Good agreement was observed between the PMF2 predicted mass and the FDMS measured mass for both analyses.
THE NASA-UC ETA-EARTH PROGRAM. I. A SUPER-EARTH ORBITING HD 7924
Howard, Andrew W.; Marcy, Geoffrey W.; Johnson, John Asher; Fischer, Debra A.; Giguere, Matthew J.; Isaacson, Howard; Wright, Jason T.; Henry, Gregory W.; Valenti, Jeff A.; Anderson, Jay; Piskunov, Nikolai E.
We report the discovery of the first low-mass planet to emerge from the NASA-UC Eta-Earth Program, a super-Earth orbiting the K0 dwarf HD 7924. Keplerian modeling of precise Doppler radial velocities reveals a planet with minimum mass M{sub P} sin i = 9.26 M {sub +} in a P = 5.398 d orbit. Based on Keck-HIRES measurements from 2001 to 2008, the planet is robustly detected with an estimated false alarm probability of less than 0.001. Photometric observations using the Automated Photometric Telescopes at Fairborn Observatory show that HD 7924 is photometrically constant over the radial velocity period to 0.19 mmag, supporting the existence of the planetary companion. No transits were detected down to a photometric limit of {approx}0.5 mmag, eliminating transiting planets with a variety of compositions. HD 7924b is one of only eight planets detected by the radial velocity technique with M{sub P} sin i < 10 M {sub +} and as such is a member of an emerging family of low-mass planets that together constrain theories of planet formation.
Development of Readout Electronics for uc(POLARBEAR-2) Cosmic Microwave Background Experiment
Hattori, K.; Akiba, Y.; Arnold, K.; Barron, D.; Bender, A. N.; Cukierman, A.; de Haan, T.; Dobbs, M.; Elleflot, T.; Hasegawa, M.; Hazumi, M.; Holzapfel, W.; Hori, Y.; Keating, B.; Kusaka, A.; Lee, A.; Montgomery, J.; Rotermund, K.; Shirley, I.; Suzuki, A.; Whitehorn, N.
The readout of transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers with a large multiplexing factor is key for the next generation cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment, uc(Polarbear)-2 (Suzuki in J Low Temp Phys 176:719, 2014), having 7588 TES bolometers. To enable the large arrays, we have been developing a readout system with a multiplexing factor of 40 in the frequency domain. Extending that architecture to 40 bolometers requires an increase in the bandwidth of the SQUID electronics, above 4 MHz. This paper focuses on cryogenic readout and shows how it affects cross talk and the responsivity of the TES bolometers. A series resistance, such as equivalent series resistance of capacitors for LC filters, leads to non-linear response of the bolometers. A wiring inductance modulates a voltage across the bolometers and causes cross talk. They should be controlled well to reduce systematic errors in CMB observations. We have been developing a cryogenic readout with a low series impedance and have tuned bolometers in the middle of their transition at a high frequency (> 3 MHz).
The Broadband Anti-reflection Coated Extended Hemispherical Silicon Lenses for uc(Polarbear-2) Experiment
Siritanasak, P.; Aleman, C.; Arnold, K.; Cukierman, A.; Hazumi, M.; Kazemzadeh, K.; Keating, B.; Matsumura, T.; Lee, A. T.; Lee, C.; Quealy, E.; Rosen, D.; Stebor, N.; Suzuki, A.
uc(Polarbear-2) (PB-2) is a next-generation receiver that is part of the Simons Array cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiment which is located in the Atacama desert in Northern Chile. The primary scientific goals of the Simons Array are a deep search for the CMB B-mode signature of gravitational waves from inflation and the characterization of large-scale structure using its effect on CMB polarization. The PB-2 receiver will deploy with 1897 dual-polarization sinuous antenna-coupled pixels, each with a directly contacting extended hemispherical silicon lens. Every pixel has dual polarization sensitivity in two spectral bands centered at 95 and 150 GHz, for a total of 7588 transition edge sensor bolometers operating at 270 mK. To achieve the PB-2 detector requirements, we developed a broadband anti-reflection (AR) coating for the extended hemispherical lenses that uses two molds to apply two layers of epoxy, Stycast 1090 and Stycast 2850FT. Our measurements of the absorption loss from the AR coating on a flat surface at cryogenic temperatures show less than 1 % absorption, and the coating has survived multiple thermal cycles. We can control the diameter of the coating within 25 \\upmu m and translation errors are within 25 \\upmu m in all directions, which results in less than 1 % decrease in transmittance. We also find the performance of the AR-coated lens matches very well with simulations.
Antioxidant activity-guided fractionation of blue wheat (UC66049 Triticum aestivum L.).
Tyl, Catrin E; Bunzel, Mirko
Antioxidant activity-guided fractionation based on three in vitro antioxidant assays (Folin-Ciocalteu, TEAC, and leucomethylene blue assays) was used to identify major antioxidants in blue wheat (UC66049 Triticum aestivum L.). After consecutive extractions with solvents of various polarities and multiple chromatographic fractionations, several potent antioxidants were identified by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Anthocyanins (delphinidin-3-glucoside, delphinidin-3-rutinoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, and cyanidin-3-rutinoside), tryptophan, and a novel phenolic trisaccharide (β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside) were the most active water-extractable constituents. However, anthocyanins were found to be major contributors to the overall blue wheat antioxidant activity only when the extraction steps were performed under acidic conditions. Alkylresorcinols were among the most active antioxidants extractable with 80% ethanol in the TEAC assay. However, this may be due to a color change instead of a bleaching of the ABTS radical. Ferulic acid was found to be the major antioxidant in alkaline cell-wall hydrolysates. The contents of the most active antioxidants were determined. PMID:22225003
Examination of UC-ZrC after long term irradiation at thermionic temperature
Yang, L.; Johnson, H. O.
Two fluoride tungsten clad UC-ZrC fueled capsules, designated as V-2C and V-2D, were examined a hot cell after irradiation in NASA Plum Brook Reactor at a maximum cladding temperature of 1930 K for 11,089 and 12,031 hours to burnups of 3.0 x 10 to the 20th power and 2.1 x 10 to the 20th power fission/c.c. respectively. Percentage of fission gas release from the fuel material was measured by radiochemical means. Cladding deformation, fuel-cladding interaction and microstructures of fuel, cladding, and fuel-cladding interface were studied metallographically. Compositions of dispersions in fuel, fuel matrix and fuel-cladding interaction layer were analyzed by electron microprobe techniques. Axial and radial distributions of burnup were determined by gamma-scan, autoradiography and isotopic burnup analysis. The results are presented and discussed in conjunction with the requirements of thermionic fuel elements for space power application.
Chemical barriers to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection: retrovirucidal activity of UC781, a thiocarboxanilide nonnucleoside inhibitor of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.
Borkow, G; Barnard, J; Nguyen, T M; Belmonte, A; Wainberg, M A; Parniak, M A
UC781, a thiocarboxanilide nonnucleoside inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT), inhibited RT DNA polymerase activity in vitro with marked potency. Significant inhibition was noted at a 1:1 molar ratio of UC871 to RT, characteristic of a tight-binding inhibitor. Infectivity of the HIV-1(IIIB) laboratory strain was eliminated in a concentration-dependent manner following short exposure of isolated virion particles to UC781. Neither nevirapine nor certain other carboxanilide nonnucleoside inhibitors were effective in this manner. Endogenous reverse transcription in UC781-treated virus particles was markedly reduced. Treatment of chronically HIV-1-infected H9 cells with UC781 did not alter virus production, but the infectivity of the virus produced by the cells during drug exposure was markedly reduced. Moreover, the infectivity of nascent virus produced by the UC781-treated H9 cells after removal of exogenous drug was dramatically attenuated. Similarly, pretreatment of peripheral blood lymphocytes isolated from HIV-infected patients abolished the infectivity of virus produced by these cells after removal of exogenous drug, as measured by coculture experiments with uninfected cord blood mononuclear cells, indicating the utility of UC781 against a variety of clinical HIV samples. Importantly, preincubation of uninfected MT2 cells with UC781 rendered these cells refractory to subsequent HIV infection in the absence of extracellular drug, an effect that persisted for several days following removal of exogenous drug. These unique properties of UC781 indicate that this nonnucleoside inhibitor may have considerable promise for use in retrovirucidal formulations to minimize the spread of HIV from infected to noninfected individuals. PMID:9060662
TRANSLATIONAL NUTRITION RESEARCH AT UC DAVIS – THE KEY ROLE OF THE CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE CENTER
Kasim-Karakas, Sidika; Hyson, Dianne; Halsted, Charles; van Loan, Marta; Chedin, Erica; Berglund, Lars
The National Institutes of Health’s Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program has had a profound impact on clinical research and training methods at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). UC Davis was among the first 12 institutions to receive NIH funding for this award, and created its Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) in 2006. The funding accelerated and further integrated an existing conscientious and careful planning effort for translational research with a stepwise approach to gradually increase our institutional competencies, capabilities, and resources in this area. The development of our CTSC has led us to develop new ways of bringing together a diverse faculty and facilitating research. The CTSC has impacted virtually every area and infrastructure resource involved in promoting clinical and translational research at our institution. PMID:20388150
Formation of Diastereoisomeric Piperazine-2,5-dione from uc(dl)-Alanine in the Presence of Olivine and Water
Fuchida, Shigeshi; Naraoka, Hiroshi; Masuda, Harue
uc(dl)-Alanine (Ala) was heated with/without powdered olivine and water at 120 °C for 8 days to investigate the formation of the diastereoisomers of piperazine-2,5-dione (diketopiperazine, DKP). When only uc(dl)-Ala was heated with a small amount of water, 3.0 % of uc(dl)-Ala changed to cis- and trans-DKP after 8 days. DKPs were not detected after heating when no water was added. The presence of a small amount of water is important factor controlling peptide production rates under thermal conditions. When DL-Ala was heated with olivine powder for 8 days, the yields of cis- and trans-DKP were 6.8 and 4.9 %, respectively. The high yield of cis-DKP compared with trans-DKP was attributed to greater thermal stability of cis-DKP. After heating for 8 days, the diastereoisomeric excess of cis-DKP without olivine was 7.3 %, whereas a much higher value of 16.3 % was obtained in the presence of olivine. Taken together, these results show that olivine is not only an efficient catalyst for the formation of DKPs but that it also play a significant role in determining the diastereoisomer selectivity of these cyclic dipeptides.
Production of Cs and Fr isotopes from a high-density UC targets with different grain dimensions
Panteleev, V. N.; Alyakrinskiy, O.; Barbui, M.; Barzakh, A. E.; Fedorov, D. V.; Ivanov, V. S.; Lhersonneau, G.; Mezilev, K. A.; Molkanov, P. L.; Moroz, F. V.; Orlov, S. Yu.; Stroe, L.; Tecchio, L. B.; Tonezzer, M.; Volkov, Yu. M.
A UC target material of 11.3±0.5 g/cm^3 uranium density with the grain size of 20 and 5μm manufactured in a form of pills by the method of powder metallurgy has been tested on-line within the temperature range of 1800-2100 ° C . The mass of uranium exposed to the beam was 4-7g. The yields and release rates of Cs and Fr isotopes produced by fission and spallation reactions of 238U by 1GeV protons have been measured. The yields of Cs and Fr isotopes obtained from the tested target materials have been compared, including yields of very short-lived Fr isotopes with half-lives down to 1ms. Temperature-resistant materials (porous graphite and tantalum foil) have been used for the internal-container construction, which holds the UC target pills inside a tungsten external container heated by the resistant heating. The fastest release and the highest efficiency for short-lived isotopes have been obtained for the targets with the internal container manufactured from the tantalum foil. Results of on-line tests of a big mass target (730g of 5μm grain UC target material) have been discussed.
LLNL/UC (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)/(University of California) AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) facility and research program
Davis, J.C.; Proctor, I.D.; Southon, J.R.; Caffee, M.W.; Heikkinen, D.W.; Roberts, M.L.; Moore, T.L.; Turteltaub, K.W.; Nelson, D.E.; Loyd, D.H.; Vogel, J.S.
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the University of California (UC) now have in operation a large AMS spectrometer built as part of a new multiuser laboratory centered on an FN tandem. AMS measurements are expected to use half of the beam time of the accelerator. LLNL use of AMS is in research on consequences of energy usage. Examples include global warming, geophysical site characterization, radiation biology and dosimetry, and study of mutagenic and carcinogenic processes. UC research activities are in clinical applications, archaeology and anthropology, oceanography, and geophysical and geochemical research. Access is also possible for researchers outside the UC system. The technological focus of the laboratory is on achieving high rates of sample through-put, unattended operation, and advances in sample preparation methods. Because of the expected growth in the research programs and the other obligations of the present accelerator, we are designing a follow-on dedicated facility for only AMS and microprobe analysis that will contain at least two accelerators with multiple spectrometers. 10 refs., 1 fig.
Evaluation of Potential Hydrocarbon Transport at the UC-4 Emplacement Hole, Central Nevada Test Area
Lyles, Brad F.; Papelis, Charalambos; Pohll, Greg; Sloop, Derek
Emplacement hole UC-4 was drilled in 1969 at the Central Nevada Test Area and left filled with drilling mud. Surface characterization samples collected from abandoned mud pits in the area yielded elevated concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbon, thereby raising a concern that the mud-filled emplacement hole may be leaching hydrocarbons into alluvial aquifers. This study was initiated to address this concern. An analytical solution for flow near a wellbore was used to calculate the amount of time it would take for a contaminant to move through the mud-filled well and into the surrounding aquifer. No hydraulic data are available from the emplacement hole; therefore, ranges of hydraulic conductivity and porosity were used in 100 Monte Carlo realizations to estimate a median travel time. Laboratory experiments were performed on samples collected from the central mud pit to determine the hydrocarbon release function for the bentonite drilling mud. The median contaminant breakthrough took about 12,000 years to travel 10 m, while the initial breakthrough took about 300 years and the final breakthrough took about 33,000 years. At a distance of about 10 m away from the emplacement hole, transport velocity is dominated by the hydraulics of the aquifer and not by the emplacement hole hydraulics. It would take an additional 45,500 years for the contaminant to travel 800 m to the U.S. Department of Energy land exclusion boundary. Travel times were primarily affected by the hydraulic conductivity and porosity of the drilling mud, then by the hydraulic conductivity, porosity and hydraulic gradient of the alluvial aquifer, followed by the hydrocarbon release function.
The migration and differentiation of hUC-MSCs(CXCR4/GFP) encapsulated in BDNF/chitosan scaffolds for brain tissue engineering.
Huang, Chuanjun; Zhao, Longxiang; Gu, Jun; Nie, Dekang; Chen, Yinan; Zuo, Hao; Huan, Wei; Shi, Jinlong; Chen, Jian; Shi, Wei
We previously developed a biomaterial scaffold that could effectively provide seed cells to a lesion cavity resulting from traumatic brain injury. However, we subsequently found that few transplanted human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) are able to migrate from the scaffold to the lesion boundary. Stromal derived-cell factor-1α and its receptor chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor (CXCR)4 are chemotactic factors that control cell migration and stem cell recruitment to target areas. Given the low expression level of CXCR4 on the hUC-MSC membrane, lentiviral vectors were used to generate hUC-MSCs stably expressing CXCR4 fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) (hUC-MSCs(CXCR4/GFP)). We constructed a scaffold in which recombinant human brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was linked to chitosan scaffolds with the crosslinking agent genipin (CGB scaffold). The scaffold containing hUC-MSCs(CXCR4/GFP) was transplanted into the lesion cavity of a rat brain, providing exogenous hUC-MSCs to both lesion boundary and cavity. These results demonstrate a novel strategy for inducing tissue regeneration after traumatic brain injury. PMID:27147644
Simulation of rice plant temperatures using the UC Davis Advanced Canopy-Atmosphere-Soil Algorithm (ACASA)
Maruyama, A.; Pyles, D.; Paw U, K.
The thermal environment in the plant canopy affects plants’ growth processes such as flowering and ripening. High temperatures often cause grain sterility and poor filling in serial crops, and reduce their production in tropical and temperate regions. With global warming predicted, these effects have become a major concern worldwide. In this study, we observed the plant body temperature profiles for the rice canopy and simulate them using a higher-order closure micrometeorological model to understand the relationship between plant temperatures and atmospheric condition. Experiments were conducted in rice paddy during 2007-summer season under warm temperate climate in Japan. Leaf temperatures at three different height (0.3, 0.5, 0.7m) and panicle temperatures at 0.9m were measured using fine-thermocouples. The UC Davis Advanced Canopy-Atmosphere-Soil Algorithm (ACASA) was used to calculate plant body temperature profiles in the canopy. ACASA is based on the radiation transfer, higher-order closure of turbulent equations for mass and heat exchange, and detailed plant physiological parameterization for the canopy-atmosphere-soil system. Water temperature was almost constant of 21-23 C throughout the summer because of continuous irrigation. Therefore, larger difference between air temperature at 2 m and water temperature was found on daytime. Observed leaf/panicle temperature was lower near the water surface and higher on upper layer in the canopy. Difference of temperatures between 0.3 m and 0.9 m was around 3-4 C for daytime, and around 1-2 C for nighttime. Calculated result of ACASA recreated these trends of plant temperature profile sufficiently. However, the relationship between plant and air temperature in the canopy was a little different from observed, i.e. observed leaf/panicle temperature were almost the same as air temperature, in contrast the simulated air temperature was 0.5-1.5 C higher than plant temperatures for the both of daytime and night time. This could be mainly due to the overestimation of latent heat flux in the day, and longwave cooling at night, although the precise reasons are unclear. ACASA can calculate the plant temperatures from given boundary condition, so that it is expected that it will elucidate how canopy structure (mainly leaf area index) affects thermal conditions in the canopy.
Geologic map of the west half of the Blythe 30' by 60' quadrangle, Riverside County, California and La Paz County, Arizona
Stone, Paul
The Blythe 30' by 60' quadrangle is located along the Colorado River between southeastern California and western Arizona. This map depicts the geology of the west half of the Blythe quadrangle, which is mostly in California. The map area is a desert terrain consisting of mountain ranges surrounded by extensive alluvial fans and plains, including the flood plain of the Colorado River which covers the easternmost part of the area. Mountainous parts of the area, including the Big Maria, Little Maria, Riverside, McCoy, and Mule Mountains, consist of structurally complex rocks that range in age from Proterozoic to Miocene. Proterozoic gneiss and granite are overlain by Paleozoic to Early Jurassic metasedimentary rocks (mostly marble, quartzite, and schist) that are lithostratigraphically similar to coeval formations of the Colorado Plateau region to the east. The Paleozoic to Jurassic strata were deposited on the tectonically stable North American craton. These rocks are overlain by metamorphosed Jurassic volcanic rocks and are intruded by Jurassic plutonic rocks that represent part of a regionally extensive, northwest-trending magmatic arc. The overlying McCoy Mountains Formation, a very thick sequence of weakly metamorphosed sandstone and conglomerate of Jurassic(?) and Cretaceous age, accumulated in a rapidly subsiding depositional basin south of an east-trending belt of deformation and east of the north-trending Cretaceous Cordilleran magmatic arc. The McCoy Mountains Formation and older rocks were deformed, metamorphosed, and locally intruded by plutonic rocks in the Late Cretaceous. In Oligocene(?) to Miocene time, sedimentary and minor volcanic deposits accumulated locally, and the area was deformed by faulting. Tertiary rocks and their Proterozoic basement in the Riverside and northeastern Big Maria Mountains are in the upper plate of a low-angle normal (detachment) fault that lies within a region of major Early to Middle Miocene crustal extension. Surficial deposits of the flanking alluvial fans and plains range in age from late Miocene to Holocene. Among the oldest of these deposits are limestone and fine-grained clastic sediments of the late Miocene and (or) Pliocene Bouse Formation, which is commonly interpreted to represent an estuary or marine embayment connected to the proto-Gulf of California. Most of the surficial deposits younger than the Bouse Formation are composed of alluvium either derived from local mountain ranges or transported into the area by the Colorado River. Large parts of the area, particularly near the northern margin, are covered by eolian sand, and small parts are covered by playa sediments.
Enabling Technologies at the Expression Analysis and DNA Technologies Core Facilities at the UC Davis Genome Center
Rashbrook, V.K.; Witt, H.N.; Nguyen, O.; Nicolet, C.
CF-34 The UC Davis Genome Center (GC) opened several years ago in a state-of-the-art facility and combines bench science with computational approaches to investigate questions in genomics. An important part of the GC is its five technology service cores providing access to enabling technologies to researchers within and outside the UC Davis campus. The DNA Technologies and Expression Analysis Cores are linked entities providing numerous services related to genotyping, genome structure, and sequencing. We operate three Illumina Genome Analyzer high throughput sequencers and two paired end modules. These instruments have been involved in numerous projects, including ChIP-seq, mRNA-seq, de novo genome assembly, and resequencing for SNP discovery. The Bioinformatics Core, another service entity associated with the GC, has been invaluable in rapidly allowing this instrumentation to provide full research value to the UC Davis campus. The DNA Technologies Core also utilizes all the available Illumina platforms for SNP genotyping, including the Golden Gate assay on both the iScan and BeadXpress, and the Infinium assay with associated Tecan liquid handling capability. The Expression Analysis Core provides array services and analysis on a subset of the available commercial platforms, focusing our efforts on Illumina expression arrays, as well as on NimbleGen and Agilent custom arrays. Because of local scientific expertise provided in the GC there is an emphasis on services related to chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) techniques, a methodology generally unavailable in most technology service cores. We offer hands-on workshops in the basic manipulations required for ChIP as well as carrying out ChIP as a service with user-provided cells and antibodies. More information is available at http://genomecenter.ucdavis.edu/corefacilities.html.
Motor carrier safety evaluation conducted at University of California, Los Alamos National Laboratory (UC/LANL), Los Alamos, NM
Garrison, R.F.
The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (DOT) conducts motor carrier safety evaluations for the purpose of determining a motor carrier`s safety fitness rating. Because it was believed that DOT or the State of New Mexico may not recognize UC/LANL exempt status and desire to inspect its transportation system and evaluate compliance with applicable laws and regulations, the lab contracted Garrison Associates to conduct a simulated motor carrier safety evaluation. This report enumerates the goals of this evaluation relevant to the Hazardous Materials Transportation Uniform Safety Act (HMTUSA) of 1990. The report describes the methodology of the evaluation and lists observations in order of importance.
Well-construction, water-quality, and water-level data, and pond-infiltration estimates, for three ground-water subbasins, Riverside County, California
Burton, C.A.; Kaehler, C.A.; Christensen, A.H.
Reclaimed water in the Eastern Municipal Water District of Riverside County,California, is used within the service area for agricultural irrigation.Owing to the seasonal demand for reclaimed water, storage/infiltration ponds were constructed in the Winchester, Menifee, and south Perris subbasins.Reclaimed water infiltrates from these ponds and enters the groundwater system. Little is known of the effects of the reclaimed water on groundwater quality. In cooperation with the Eastern MunicipalWater District, the U.S. Geological Survey began a study in 1995 to determine the quantity and fate of reclaimed water percolating from these storage ponds. Data compiled during the first phase of this study are presented in this report. Field reconnaissance of the Winchester, Menifee, and south Perris subbasins indicated the existence of many wells. Wellconstruction data for 115 of these wells were tabulated. Available historical waterquality and waterlevel data for 178 wells in the subbasins also were tabulated. In addition, water levels in 86 wells were measured during the spring and autumn of 1995. On the basis of these data, waterlevel contour lines were drawn and the direction of groundwater flow was determined.Three lithologic sections through the subbasins were constructed from drillers' logs of 26 wells.
Geoelectric resistivity sounding of riverside alluvial aquifer in an agricultural area at Buyeo, Geum River watershed, Korea: an application to groundwater contamination study
Park, Yong-Hee; Doh, Seong-Jae; Yun, Seong-Taek
Twenty profiles of vertical electric soundings (VES) were obtained in a riverside alluvium at the Buyeo area, South Korea, to examine the variations of subsurface geology and associated groundwater chemistry. The combination of the VES data with the borehole data provided useful information on subsurface hydrogeologic conditions. The vestige of an ancient river channel (e.g. oxbow lake) was identified on the resistivity profiles by the lateral continuation of a near-surface perched aquifer parallel to the river. Such a perched aquifer is typically developed in the area with a clay-rich silty surface alluvium which prohibits the infiltration of oxygen. Therefore, groundwater below the oxbow lake shows a very low nitrate concentration and Eh values under the strong anoxic condition. The distribution of water resistivity is correlated with that of measured total dissolved solids concentration in groundwater, while the earth resistivity of the aquifer shows a significant spatial variation. It is interpreted that the earth resistivity of the aquifer is mainly controlled by the soil type rather than by the water chemistry in the study area.
Issues and challenges of non-tenure-track research faculty: the UC Davis School of Medicine experience.
Howell, Lydia Pleotis; Chen, Chao-Yin; Joad, Jesse P; Green, Ralph; Callahan, Edward J; Bonham, Ann C
Nationally, medical schools are appointing growing numbers of research faculty into non-tenure-track positions, paralleling a similar trend in universities. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) issued a statement expressing concern that the marked growth in non-tenure-track faculty can undermine educational quality, academic freedom, and collegiality. Like other medical schools, the UC Davis School of Medicine has had a rise in non-tenure-track faculty in order to enhance its research mission, in particular in the Salaried Adjunct faculty track (SalAdj). SalAdj faculty have more difficulty in achieving promotion, report inequitable treatment and less quality of life, have less opportunity to participate in governance, and feel second-class and insecure. These issues reflect those described by the AAUP. The authors describe the efforts at UC Davis to investigate and address these issues, implementation of a plan for improvement based on task force recommendations, and the lessons learned. Supporting transfer to faculty tracks in the academic senate, enhancing financial support, ensuring eligibility for internal grants, and equitable space assignments have contributed to an improved career path and more satisfaction among SalAdj faculty. Challenges in addressing these issues include limited availability of tenure-track positions, financial resources, adequate communication regarding change, and compliance with existing faculty search policies. PMID:20505407
Objects earlier than precursors of UC HII regions: Inflow-signpost for a common way of star formation
Wu, Y.; Zhu, M.; Xu, D.; Wei, Y.; Zhu, L.
Searching for objects in the earliest phases of star formation, e.g sources at the beginning of a gravitational collapse, are essential to our understanding of massive star formation. Today a number of precursors of ultra compact HII regions (PUCHs) have been found. Embedded in dense gas and dust, these PUCHs have a high bolometric luminosity but little or no 6 cm radio continuum emission (Molinari, et al. 2000; Beuther, et al. 2002). Evidence for Collapse was found in ultra compact (UC) HII regions and 12 water maser sources (Zhang, et al. 1998; Wu & Evans II 2003). This paper presents the identification of massive cores with no detectable infrared and radio sources. These kinds of cores usually have strong sub-mm emission. A special case is the SCUBA core JCMT 18354-0649S which has both infall and outflow motions as indicated by the profiles of high excitation molecular lines. This core is at a stage earlier than PUCHs. Blue profiles are also found in UC HII region, which indicates that material is still infalling in this phase. Our observations suggest that infall exists in different evolutionary stages for high mass star formation, similar to the low mass cases.
Genetic characterization of UCS region of Pneumocystis jirovecii and construction of allelic profiles of Indian isolates based on sequence typing at three regions.
Gupta, Rashmi; Mirdha, Bijay Ranjan; Guleria, Randeep; Kumar, Lalit; Luthra, Kalpana; Agarwal, Sanjay Kumar; Sreenivas, Vishnubhatla
Pneumocystis jirovecii is an opportunistic pathogen that causes severe pneumonia in immunocompromised patients. To study the genetic diversity of P. jirovecii in India the upstream conserved sequence (UCS) region of Pneumocystis genome was amplified, sequenced and genotyped from a set of respiratory specimens obtained from 50 patients with a positive result for nested mitochondrial large subunit ribosomal RNA (mtLSU rRNA) PCR during the years 2005-2008. Of these 50 cases, 45 showed a positive PCR for UCS region. Variations in the tandem repeats in UCS region were characterized by sequencing all the positive cases. Of the 45 cases, one case showed five repeats, 11 cases showed four repeats, 29 cases showed three repeats and four cases showed two repeats. By running amplified DNA from all these cases on a high-resolution gel, mixed infection was observed in 12 cases (26.7%, 12/45). Forty three of 45 cases included in this study had previously been typed at mtLSU rRNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region by our group. In the present study, the genotypes at those two regions were combined with UCS repeat patterns to construct allelic profiles of 43 cases. A total of 36 allelic profiles were observed in 43 isolates indicating high genetic variability. A statistically significant association was observed between mtLSU rRNA genotype 1, ITS type Ea and UCS repeat pattern 4. PMID:22917655
Metabolism of high density lipoproteins reconstituted with (TH)cholesteryl ester and ( UC)cholesterol in the rat, with special reference to the ovary
Nestler, J.E.; Bamberger, M.; Rothblat, G.H.; Strauss, J.F. III
In order to study the metabolism of high density lipoprotein (HDL)-carried sterol in the rat, human HDL was reconstituted with ( UC)cholesterol and (TH)cholesteryl ester. After iv injection into immature PMSG-human CG primed rats pretreated with 4-aminopyrazolopyrimidine and aminoglutethimide, there was time-dependent accumulation of TH and UC in various organs which reached a maximum by 15-90 min. On a milligram wet weight basis, uptake of TH and UC was greatest in the adrenals, next in ovaries, followed by the liver, with little uptake by kidneys and spleen. On an organ basis, accumulation was greatest by the liver. Coadministration of excess unlabeled HDL, but not human low density lipoprotein, reduced accumulation of radioactivity by the ovaries and adrenals by 60%, indicating a specific and saturable uptake process. Granulosa cells cultured in lipoprotein-deficient medium with reconstituted HDL formed TH- and UC-labeled 20 alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one. Over a 24-h period, utilization of both ( UC)cholesterol and (TH)cholesteryl ester was linear, but rates of utilization of the two sterol moieties were not parallel. Lysosomotropic agents had no effect on utilization of either free or esterified cholesterol for steroidogenesis but reduced degradation of SVI-labeled low density lipoprotein apoprotein. These findings lend further support to the concept of a distinct HDL pathway in steroidogenic cells of the rat.
Development of a Real-Time GPS/Seismic Displacement Meter: Applications to Civilian Infrastructure in Orange and Western Riverside Counties, California
Bock, Yehuda
We propose a three-year applications project that will develop an Integrated Real-Time GPS/Seismic System and deploy it in Orange and Western Riverside Counties, spanning three major strike-slip faults in southern California (San Andreas, San Jacinto, and Elsinore) and significant populations and civilian infrastructure. The system relying on existing GPS and seismic networks will collect and analyze GPS and seismic data for the purpose of estimating and disseminating real-time positions and total ground displacements (dynamic, as well as static) during all phases of the seismic cycle, from fractions of seconds to years. Besides its intrinsic scientific use as a real-time displacement meter (transducer), the GPS/Seismic System will be a powerful tool for local and state decision makers for risk mitigation, disaster management, and structural monitoring (dams, bridges, and buildings). Furthermore, the GPS/Seismic System will become an integral part of California's spatial referencing and positioning infrastructure, which is complicated by tectonic motion, seismic displacements, and land subsidence. Finally, the GPS/Seismic system will also be applicable to navigation in any environment (land, sea, or air) by combining precise real-time instantaneous GPS positioning with inertial navigation systems. This development will take place under the umbrella of the California Spatial Reference Center, in partnership with local (Counties, Riverside County Flood and Water Conservation District, Metropolitan Water District), state (Caltrans), and Federal agencies (NGS, NASA, USGS), the geophysics community (SCIGN/SCEC2), and the private sector (RBF Consulting). The project will leverage considerable funding, resources, and R&D from SCIGN, CSRC and two NSF-funded IT projects at UCSD and SDSU: RoadNet (Real-Time Observatories, Applications and Data Management Network) and the High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network (HPWREN). These two projects are funded to develop both the wireless networks and the integrated, seamless, and transparent information management system that will deliver seismic, geodetic, oceanographic, hydrological, ecological, and physical data to a variety of end users in real-time in the San Diego region. CSRC is interested in providing users access to real-time, accurate GPS data for a wide variety of applications including RTK surveying/GIS and positioning of moving platforms such as aircraft and emergency vehicles. SCIGN is interested in upgrading sites to high-frequency real-time operations for rapid earthquake response and GPS seismology. The successful outcome of the project will allow the implementation of similar systems elsewhere, particularly in plate boundary zones with significant populations and civilian infrastructure. CSRC would like to deploy the GPS/Seismic System in other parts of California, in particular San Diego, Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Mercury levels assessment in hair of riverside inhabitants of the Tapaj�s River, Par� State, Amazon, Brazil: fish consumption as a possible route of exposure.
Faial, Kleber; Deus, Ricardo; Deus, Simonny; Neves, Ramiro; Jesus, Iracina; Santos, Elisabeth; Alves, Cl�udio Nahum; Brasil, Davi
The study present evaluated the levels of mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in hair samples of people from Barreiras community, riverside inhabitants of the Tapaj�s River (Par�, Brazil), an area impacted by clandestine gold mining, as well as we analyzed the levels of Hg and Se (selenium) in nine fish species (carnivores and non-carnivorous) from the Tapaj�s River, which stand out as the main species consumed by riverside inhabitants, to evaluate a relationship between frequency of fish consumption and Hg concentration, and also to evaluate possible mechanisms of fish protection (or non-protection) to Hg exposure by Se. Furthermore we analyze the water quality to evaluate the environmental trophic state, fact responsible by creating conditions that can potentiate the effects of toxic mercury. Concentrations of Hg and MeHg were analyzed in hair samples of 141 volunteers in different age band. Of those, 84.40% of samples present values above the threshold for biological tolerance, which is 6.00?gg(-1) of total Hg in hair. Total Hg, in men there was a variation of 2.07-24.93?gg(-1), while for women the variation was 4.84-27.02?gg(-1). Consequently, the level of MeHg in men presented a variation of 1.49-19.57?gg(-1), with an average of 11.68?gg(-1), while with women the variation was from 3.73 to 22.35?gg(-1), with an average of 10.38?gg(-1). In fish species, Hg concentrations in carnivorous species had an average of 0.66?gg(-1), higher than that permitted by current legislation, ranging from 0.30 to 0.98?gg(-1), while the non-carnivorous species have values below the recommended by the legislation averaging 0.09?gg(-1), ranging between 0.02 and 0.44?gg(-1). For Se in fish, show that among carnivores, the contents of Se ranged between 0.18 and 0.54?gg(-1) with a mean of 0.34?gg(-1), while for non-carnivores these values were of the order of 0.16-0.56?gg(-1), with an average of 0.32?gg(-1). In surface water quality variables at the sampling points all showed values in accordance with the range established by current legislation. In this regard, the results provided by this study, while not conclusive, are strong indicators that despite not having been shown the relationship between the concentration of mercury in hair and feeding habits along the Tapaj�s River basin communities showed that a plausible correlation exists between levels of mercury and selenium in fish. This fact may serve as a subsidy to research human health, because in the Amazon, there is still a lot to examine with regards to the full understanding of the Se cycle. PMID:25467850
Does the cortical bone resorption rate change due to 90Sr-radiation exposure? Analysis of data from Techa Riverside residents.
Tolstykh, Evgenia I; Shagina, Natalia B; Degteva, Marina O; Anspaugh, Lynn R; Napier, Bruce A
The Mayak Production Association released large amounts of (90)Sr into the Techa River (Southern Urals, Russia) with peak amounts in 1950-1951. Techa Riverside residents ingested an average of about 3,000 kBq of (90)Sr. The (90)Sr-body burden of approximately 15,000 individuals has been measured in the Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine in 1974-1997 with use of a special whole-body counter (WBC). Strontium-90 had mainly deposited in the cortical part of the skeleton by 25 years following intake, and (90)Sr elimination occurs as a result of cortical bone resorption. The effect of (90)Sr-radiation exposure on the rate of cortical bone resorption was studied. Data on 2,022 WBC measurements were selected for 207 adult persons, who were measured three or more times before they were 50-55 years old. The individual-resorption rates were calculated with the rate of strontium recirculation evaluated as 0.0018 year(-1). Individual absorbed doses in red bone marrow (RBM) and bone surface (BS) were also calculated. Statistically significant negative relationships of cortical bone resorption rate were discovered related to (90)Sr-body burden and dose absorbed in the RBM or the BS. The response appears to have a threshold of about 1.5-Gy RBM dose. The radiation-induced decrease in bone resorption rate may not be significant in terms of health. However, a decrease in bone remodeling rate can be among several causes of an increased level of degenerative dystrophic bone pathology in exposed persons. PMID:21523463
The Dynamics of Transmission and Spatial Distribution of Malaria in Riverside Areas of Porto Velho, Rondônia, in the Amazon Region of Brazil
Katsuragawa, Tony Hiroshi; Gil, Luiz Herman Soares; Tada, Mauro Shugiro; de Almeida e Silva, Alexandre; Costa, Joana D'Arc Neves; da Silva Araújo, Maisa; Escobar, Ana Lúcia; Pereira da Silva, Luiz Hildebrando
The study area in Rondônia was the site of extensive malaria epidemic outbreaks in the 19th and 20th centuries related to environmental impacts, with large immigration flows. The present work analyzes the transmission dynamics of malaria in these areas to propose measures for avoiding epidemic outbreaks due to the construction of two Hydroelectric Power Plants. A population based baseline demographic census and a malaria prevalence follow up were performed in two river side localities in the suburbs of Porto Velho city and in its rural vicinity. The quantification and nature of malaria parasites in clinical patients and asymptomatic parasite carriers were performed using microscopic and Real Time PCR methodologies. Anopheles densities and their seasonal variation were done by monthly captures for defining HBR (hourly biting rate) values. Main results: (i) malaria among residents show the riverside profile, with population at risk represented by children and young adults; (ii) asymptomatic vivax and falciparum malaria parasite carriers correspond to around 15% of adults living in the area; (iii) vivax malaria relapses were responsible for 30% of clinical cases; (iv) malaria risk for the residents was evaluated as 20–25% for vivax and 5–7% for falciparum malaria; (v) anopheline densities shown outdoors HBR values 5 to 10 fold higher than indoors and reach 10.000 bites/person/year; (vi) very high incidence observed in one of the surveyed localities was explained by a micro epidemic outbreak affecting visitors and temporary residents. Temporary residents living in tents or shacks are accessible to outdoors transmission. Seasonal fishermen were the main group at risk in the study and were responsible for a 2.6 fold increase in the malaria incidence in the locality. This situation illustrates the danger of extensive epidemic outbreaks when thousands of workers and secondary immigrant population will arrive attracted by opportunities opened by the Hydroelectric Power Plants constructions. PMID:20169070
The interaction of heavy metals and nutrients present in soil and native plants with arbuscular mycorrhizae on the riverside in the Matanza-Riachuelo River Basin (Argentina).
Mendoza, Rodolfo E; García, Ileana V; de Cabo, Laura; Weigandt, Cristian F; Fabrizio de Iorio, Alicia
This study assessed the contamination by heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn), and nutrients (N, P) in soils and native plants, and the effect of the concentration of those elements with the density of arbuscular-mycorrhizal (AM) spores in soil and colonization in roots from the riverside of the Matanza-Riachuelo River Basin (MRRB). The concentration of metals and nutrients in soils and plants (Eleocharis montana, Cyperus eragrostis, Hydrocotyle bonariensis) increased from the upper sites (8 km from headwaters) to the lower sites (6 km from the mouth of the Riachuelo River) of the basin. AM-colonization on the roots of H. bonariensis and spore density in soil decreased as the concentrations of metals in soil and plant tissues increased from the upper to lower sites of the basin within a consistent gradient of contamination associated with land use, soil disturbance, population, and chemicals discharged into the streams and rivers along the MRRB. The general trends for all metals in plant tissue were to have highest concentrations in roots, then in rhizomes and lowest in aerial biomass. The translocation (TF) and bioconcentration (BCF) factors decreased in plants which grow from the upper sites to the lower sites of the basin. The plants tolerated a wide range in type and quantity of contamination along the basin by concentrating more metals and nutrients in roots than in aboveground tissue. The AM spore density in soil and colonization in roots of H. bonariensis decreased with the increase of the degree of contamination (Dc) in soil. PMID:25461058
Evaluation of toxic effects of a diet containing fish contaminated with methylmercury in rats mimicking the exposure in the Amazon riverside population.
Grotto, Denise; Valentini, Juliana; Serpeloni, Juliana Mara; Monteiro, Patrícia Alves Ponte; Latorraca, Elder Francisco; de Oliveira, Ricardo Santos; Antunes, Lusânia Maria Greggi; Garcia, Solange Cristina; Barbosa, Fernando
This study was designed to evaluate the effects of a diet rich in fish contaminated with MeHg, mimicking the typical diet of the Amazon riverside population, in rats. Animals were randomly assigned to one of three groups with eight rats in each group: Group I-control, received commercial ration; Group II-received a diet rich in uncontaminated fish; Group III-received a diet rich in fish contaminated with MeHg. Treatment time was 12 weeks. Oxidative stress markers were evaluated, as well as the effects of this diet on DNA stability, systolic blood pressure (SBP), nitric oxide (NO) levels and histological damage in different tissues. There was a significant increase in SBP values in rats fed with MeHg-contaminated fish diet after the 10th week of the treatment. As far as oxidative stress biomarkers are concerned, no differences were observed in reduced glutathione and protein carbonyl levels, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase or δ-aminolevulinate dehydratase activities between the groups of animals receiving contaminated and uncontaminated fish diets. On the other hand, malondialdehyde levels increased significantly in rats fed with contaminated fish. NO levels were similar in all groups. DNA migration showed augmented in rats exposed to contaminated fish and histopathological analyses showed weak but significant leukocyte infiltration. Thus, we conclude that the MeHg-contaminated fish diet induced a slight lipid peroxidation and genotoxicity. However, these effects seem to be much less pronounced than when rats are exposed to aqueous solution containing CH3HgCl. Our findings support the contention that the chemical form of MeHg in fish or fish nutrients such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, Se or vitamin E could minimize the toxic effects of MeHg exposure in fish-eating communities. PMID:22000760
Linear regression models of methyl mercury exposure during prenatal and early postnatal life among riverside people along the upper Madeira river, Amazon.
Boischio, A A; Henshel, D S
This research is focused on prenatal and early postnatal mercury (Hg) exposure among the riverside people along the Upper Madeira river in the Amazon. Linear regression models were developed to predict the hair Hg concentration in infants. The independent variables included in the model of Group 1 (87 pairs of mothers and their infants) were the average maternal hair Hg concentration and maternal age. Group 2 (31 pairs) included maternal segmental hair Hg concentrations. For the segmental hair Hg analysis over time, it was assumed that hair grows at a rate of 11 cm per month. Thus, information on the timing of the dates of pregnancy and breast feeding from the birth history was used to cut the hair strands into segments, making them correspond to the mother's reproductive stage of life (31 pairs of mothers and their infants). Breast milk Hg concentration results were included with segmental and average maternal hair Hg concentration values (22 and 44 pairs of mothers and their infants, respectively). The models including the breast milk Hg concentration indicated that 61 and 55% of the variability of the infant hair Hg concentrations were due to the independent variables: segmental maternal hair Hg with breast milk Hg and average maternal hair Hg with breast milk Hg, respectively. The regression coefficients were in the range of 0.19 to 0.90, and P values were in the range of 0.0001 to 0.1490. Further recommendations include fish advisories to prevent critical Hg exposures during reproductive life and investigation of neurobehavioral performance of this study population. PMID:10856188
Does the cortical bone resorption rate change due to 90Sr-radiation exposure? Analysis of data from Techa Riverside residents
Tolstykh, E I; Shagina, N B; Degteva, M O; Anspaugh, L R; Napier, Bruce A
The Mayak Production Association released large amounts of 90Sr into the Techa River (Southern Urals, Russia) with peak amounts in 1950-1951. Techa Riverside residents ingested an average of about 3,000 kBq of 90Sr. The 90Sr-body burden of approximately 15,000 individuals has been measured in the Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine in 1974-1997 with use of a special whole-body counter (WBC). Strontium-90 had mainly deposited in the cortical part of the skeleton by 25 years following intake, and 90Sr elimination occurs as a result of cortical bone resorption. The effect of 90Sr-radiation exposure on the rate of cortical bone resorption was studied. Data on 2,022 WBC measurements were selected for 207 adult persons, who were measured three or more times before they were 50-55 years old. The individual-resorption rates were calculated with the rate of strontium recirculation evaluated as 0.0018 year-1. Individual absorbed doses in red bone marrow (RBM) and bone surface (BS) were also calculated. Statistically significant negative relationships of cortical bone resorption rate were discovered related to 90Sr-body burden and dose absorbed in the RBM or the BS. The response appears to have a threshold of about 1.5-Gy RBM dose. The radiation induced decrease in bone resorption rate may not be significant in terms of health. However, a decrease in bone remodeling rate can be among several causes of an increased level of degenerative dystrophic bone pathology in exposed persons.
VLT near- to mid-IR imaging and spectroscopy of the M 17 UC1 - IRS5 region
Chen, Zhiwei; Nürnberger, Dieter E. A.; Chini, Rolf; Jiang, Zhibo; Fang, Min
Aims: We investigate the surroundings of the hypercompact H ii region M 17 UC1 to probe the physical properties of the associated young stellar objects and the environment of massive star formation. Methods: We use diffraction-limited near-IR (VLT/NACO) and mid-IR (VLT/VISIR) images to reveal the different morphologies at various wavelengths. Likewise, we investigate the stellar and nebular content of the region with VLT/SINFONI integral field spectroscopy with a resolution R ˜ 1500 at H + K bands. Results: Five of the seven point sources in this region show L-band excess emission. A geometric match is found between the H2 emission and near-IR polarized light in the vicinity of IRS5A, and between the diffuse mid-IR emission and near-IR polarization north of UC1. The H2 emission is typical for dense photodissociation regions (PDRs), which are initially far-ultraviolet pumped and repopulated by collisional de-excitation. The spectral types of IRS5A and B273A are B3-B7 V/III and G4-G5 III, respectively. The observed infrared luminosity LIR in the range 1-20 μm is derived for three objects; we obtain 2.0 × 103 L⊙ for IRS5A, 13 L⊙ for IRS5C, and 10 L⊙ for B273A. Conclusions: IRS5 might be a young quadruple system. Its primary star IRS5A is confirmed to be a high-mass protostellar object (˜9 M⊙, ˜1 × 105 yrs); it might have terminated accretion due to the feedback from stellar activities (radiation pressure, outflow) and the expanding H ii region of M 17. The object UC1 might also have terminated accretion because of the expanding hypercompact H ii region, which it ionizes. The disk clearing process of the low-mass young stellar objects in this region might be accelerated by the expanding H ii region. The outflows driven by UC1 are running south-north with its northeastern side suppressed by the expanding ionization front of M 17; the blue-shifted outflow lobe of IRS5A is seen in two types of tracers along the same line of sight in the form of H2 emission filament and mid-emission. The H2 line ratios probe the properties of M 17 SW PDR, which is confirmed to have a clumpy structure with two temperature distributions: warm, dense molecular clumps with nH> 105 cm-3 and T ≈ 575 K and cooler atomic gas with nH ˜ 3.7 × 103-1.5 × 104 cm-3 and T ˜ 50 - 200 K. Based on observations by the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope on Cerro Paranal, Chile (ESO program IDs: 281.C-5027(A), 281.C-5051(A, B)).
Preparation of UC0.07-0.10N0.90-0.93 spheres for TRISO coated fuel particles
Collins, Jack Lee; Hunt, Rodney Dale; Johnson, Jared A; Silva, Chinthaka M; Lindemer, Terrence
The U.S. Department of Energy is considering a new nuclear fuel, which should be much more impervious during a loss of coolant accident. The fuel would consist of tristructural isotropic coated particles with dense uranium nitride (UN) kernels. The objectives of this effort are to make uranium oxide microspheres with adequately dispersed carbon nanoparticles and to convert these microspheres into UN kernels. Recent improvements to internal gelation process were successfully applied to the production of uranium gel spheres with different concentrations of carbon black. After the spheres were washed, a simple, two-step heat profile was used to produce kernels with a chemical composition of UC0.07 0.10N0.90 0.93. The first step involved heating the microspheres to 2023 K in a vacuum, and in the second step, the microspheres were held at 1873 K for 6 hrs in nitrogen.
Integration of PacBio RS into Massive Parallel Sequencing and Data Analysis Pipelining at the UC Davis Genome Center
Vanessa, Rashbrook; O'Geen, Henriette; Nguyen, Oanh; Ashtari, Siranoosh; Fan, Xiaohong; Kim, Ryan
Whole genome sequencing and genomic biology has been widely adopted in many fields of biology as next-generation sequencing technology (NGS) has rapidly improved quality, read length, and throughput to make whole genome sequencing and association studies possible in a very cost effective manner. Continued improvement and development of sample preparation protocols and data analysis tools have been significant in helping to extend genome sequencing technology to genomes that were previously difficult to sequence. Recent arrival of Pacific Biosciences RS (PacBio) contributed in furthering such opportunity by providing options for single molecule long read sequencing in real time and kinetic analysis (methylation). PacBio has been employed successfully for sequencing low complexity genomic region such as extremely high GC, long repeats, rearrangement, gene fusion, etc. In this poster we present the optimization of PacBio sample preparation that was fine-tuned to meet unique challenges of sequencing through “difficult-to-sequence” template. We discuss the integration of PacBio into the wet lab equipped with other NGS platforms and data pipelining workflow including cloud computing and robotic sample preparation at the Genome Center. UC Davis Genome Center currently operates NGS technology platforms including HiSeq, MiSeq, PacBio, and has genotyping capacity using Illumina Infinium and GoldenGate technology. UC Davis Genome Center and Bioinformatics Program provides most up-to-date genome technology and informatics support tailored for specific biological goals meeting needs for more than 80 faculty members within Genome Center and more than 200 campus and off-campus researchers.
The use of the percentile method for searching empirical relationships between compression strength (UCS), Point Load (Is50) and Schmidt Hammer (RL) Indices
Bruno, Giovanni; Bobbo, Luigi; Vessia, Giovanna
Is50 and RL indices are commonly used to indirectly estimate the compression strength of a rocky deposit by in situ and in laboratory devices. The widespread use of Point load and Schmidt hammer tests is due to the simplicity and the speediness of the execution of these tests. Their indices can be related to the UCS by means of the ordinary least square regression analyses. Several researchers suggest to take into account the lithology to build high correlated empirical expressions (R2 >0.8) to draw UCS from Is50 or RL values. Nevertheless, the lower and upper bounds of the UCS ranges of values that can be estimated by means of the two indirect indices are not clearly defined yet. Aydin (2009) stated that the Schmidt hammer test shall be used to assess the compression resistance of rocks characterized by UCS>12-20 MPa. On the other hand, the Point load measures can be performed on weak rocks but upper bound values for UCS are not suggested. In this paper, the empirical relationships between UCS, RL and Is50 are searched by means of the percentile method (Bruno et al. 2013). This method is based on looking for the best regression function, between measured data of UCS and one of the indirect indices, drawn from a subset sample of the couples of measures that are the percentile values. These values are taken from the original dataset of both measures by calculating the cumulative function. No hypothesis on the probability distribution of the sample is needed and the procedure shows to be robust with respect to odd values or outliers. In this study, the carbonate sedimentary rocks are investigated. According to the rock mass classification of Dobereiner and De Freitas (1986), the UCS values for the studied rocks range between 'extremely weak' to 'strong'. For the analyzed data, UCS varies between 1,18-270,70 MPa. Thus, through the percentile method the best empirical relationships UCS-Is50 and UCS-RL are plotted. Relationships between Is50 and RL are drawn, too. Finally, the goodness of the plotted empirical expressions have been checked through couples of measures selected from the original dataset and not used to search for the empirical relationships. References Aydin A. (2009) ISRM Suggested method for determination of the Schmidt hammer rebound hardness: Revised version. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci, 46:627-634. Bruno G., Vessia G., Bobbo L. (2013) Statistical Method for Assessing the Uniaxial Compressive Strength of Carbonate Rock by Schmidt Hammer Tests Performed on Core Samples. Rock Mech Rock Eng., 46:199-206, DOI: 10.1007/s00603-012-0230-5. Dobereiner L. and De Freitas M.H. (1986) Investigation of Weak Sandstones. Engineering Geology Special Publications, 2:199-205, DOI:10.1144/GSL.ENG.1986.002.01.38.
A Report Card on Latina/o Leadership in California's Public Universities: A Trend Analysis of Faculty, Students, and Executives in the CSU and UC Systems
Santos, Jose L.; Acevedo-Gil, Nancy
The article examines the status of leadership in two California public higher education systems: California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC) from 2001 to 2009. Findings reveal that the representation of Latina/o faculty and administrators does not reflect the density in the Latina/o undergraduate student and general…
First Phase 1 Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Rectal Microbicide Trial Using UC781 Gel with a Novel Index of Ex Vivo Efficacy
Anton, Peter A.; Saunders, Terry; Elliott, Julie; Khanukhova, Elena; Dennis, Robert; Adler, Amy; Cortina, Galen; Tanner, Karen; Boscardin, John; Cumberland, William G.; Zhou, Ying; Ventuneac, Ana; Carballo-Diéguez, Alex; Rabe, Lorna; McCormick, Timothy; Gabelnick, Henry; Mauck, Christine; McGowan, Ian
Objectives Successful control of the HIV/AIDS pandemic requires reduction of HIV-1 transmission at sexually-exposed mucosae. No prevention studies of the higher-risk rectal compartment exist. We report the first-in-field Phase 1 trial of a rectally-applied, vaginally-formulated microbicide gel with the RT-inhibitor UC781 measuring clinical and mucosal safety, acceptability and plasma drug levels. A first-in-Phase 1 assessment of preliminary pharmacodynamics was included by measuring changes in ex vivo HIV-1 suppression in rectal biopsy tissue after exposure to product in vivo. Methods HIV-1 seronegative, sexually-abstinent men and women (N = 36) were randomized in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing UC781 gel at two concentrations (0.1%, 0.25%) with placebo gel (1∶1∶1). Baseline, single-dose exposure and a separate, 7-day at-home dosing were assessed. Safety and acceptability were primary endpoints. Changes in colorectal mucosal markers and UC781 plasma drug levels were secondary endpoints; ex vivo biopsy infectibility was an ancillary endpoint. Results All 36 subjects enrolled completed the 7–14 week trial (100% retention) including 3 flexible sigmoidoscopies, each with 28 biopsies (14 at 10 cm; 14 at 30 cm). There were 81 Grade 1 adverse events (AEs) and 8 Grade 2; no Grade 3, 4 or procedure-related AEs were reported. Acceptability was high, including likelihood of future use. No changes in mucosal immunoinflammatory markers were identified. Plasma levels of UC781 were not detected. Ex vivo infection of biopsies using two titers of HIV-1BaL showed marked suppression of p24 in tissues exposed in vivo to 0.25% UC781; strong trends of suppression were seen with the lower 0.1% UC781 concentration. Conclusions Single and 7-day topical rectal exposure to both concentrations of UC781 were safe with no significant AEs, high acceptability, no detected plasma drug levels and no significant mucosal changes. Ex vivo biopsy infections demonstrated marked suppression of HIV infectibility, identifying a potential early biomarker of efficacy. (Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov; #NCT00408538) PMID:21969851
Undenatured type II collagen (UC-II®) for joint support: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in healthy volunteers
Background UC-II contains a patented form of undenatured type II collagen derived from chicken sternum. Previous preclinical and clinical studies support the safety and efficacy of UC-II in modulating joint discomfort in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of UC-II in moderating joint function and joint pain due to strenuous exercise in healthy subjects. Methods This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted in healthy subjects who had no prior history of arthritic disease or joint pain at rest but experienced joint discomfort with physical activity. Fifty-five subjects who reported knee pain after participating in a standardized stepmill performance test were randomized to receive placebo (n = 28) or the UC-II (40 mg daily, n = 27) product for 120 days. Joint function was assessed by changes in degree of knee flexion and knee extension as well as measuring the time to experiencing and recovering from joint pain following strenuous stepmill exertion. Results After 120 days of supplementation, subjects in the UC-II group exhibited a statistically significant improvement in average knee extension compared to placebo (81.0 ± 1.3º vs 74.0 ± 2.2º; p = 0.011) and to baseline (81.0 ± 1.3º vs 73.2 ± 1.9º; p = 0.002). The UC-II cohort also demonstrated a statistically significant change in average knee extension at day 90 (78.8 ± 1.9º vs 73.2 ± 1.9º; p = 0.045) versus baseline. No significant change in knee extension was observed in the placebo group at any time. It was also noted that the UC-II group exercised longer before experiencing any initial joint discomfort at day 120 (2.8 ± 0.5 min, p = 0.019), compared to baseline (1.4 ± 0.2 min). By contrast, no significant changes were seen in the placebo group. No product related adverse events were observed during the study. At study conclusion, five individuals in the UC-II cohort reported no pain during or after the stepmill protocol (p = 0.031, within visit) as compared to one subject in the placebo group. Conclusions Daily supplementation with 40 mg of UC-II was well tolerated and led to improved knee joint extension in healthy subjects. UC-II also demonstrated the potential to lengthen the period of pain free strenuous exertion and alleviate the joint pain that occasionally arises from such activities. PMID:24153020
Use of Cryopreserved, Particulate Human Amniotic Membrane and Umbilical Cord (AM/UC) Tissue: A Case Series Study for Application in the Healing of Chronic Wounds.
Swan, Jennifer
Human amniotic membrane and umbilical cord tissues (AM/UC) are fetal tissues that contain proteins, cytokines, and growth factors that, when transplanted, can modulate inflammation and promote healing. Lyophilized, particulate AM/UC tissues can be used as wound coverings for chronic dermal ulcers or defects to promote granulation tissue formation and rapid re-epithelialization. This study reviews a case series of 5 patients presenting with chronic nonhealing wounds that received particulate AM/UC tissues (NEOX® FLO, Amniox Medical, Atlanta, GA). For all cases, wounds were debrided in the office setting and a single application of lyophilized particulate was used with minimal additional dressings. The lyophilized AM/UC tissue was placed within the wound bed and a dressing consisting of Adaptic®, 2x2 or 4x4 (Systagenix, Quincy, MA), Kling® (Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, NJ), and ACE™ (3M, St. Paul, MN) wrap were applied. Dressings were kept in place until weekly follow-up appointments in which a new Adaptic, 2x2 and Kling were applied. Overall, healing of wounds was noted to have a mean of 5 weeks to complete epithelialization. Upon complete healing patients were able to return to planned postoperative care and rehabilitation. Wound complications occur despite the best standard of care. Chronic wounds that remain weeks after surgery inhibit patients from progressing to physical rehabilitation and significantly affect patients both physically and mentally. These case presentations demonstrate how use of human AM/UC tissue may help wounds heal quickly and help patients return to normal function. PMID:25396322
Somatosensory Psychophysical Losses in Inhabitants of Riverside Communities of the Tapajós River Basin, Amazon, Brazil: Exposure to Methylmercury Is Possibly Involved
Khoury, Eliana Dirce Torres; Souza, Givago da Silva; da Costa, Carlos Araújo; de Araújo, Amélia Ayako Kamogari; de Oliveira, Cláudia Simone Baltazar; Silveira, Luiz Carlos de Lima; Pinheiro, Maria da Conceição Nascimento
The purpose of this work was to evaluate the somatosensory system of methylmercury-exposed inhabitants living in the communities of the Tapajós river basin by using psychophysical tests and to compare with measurements performed in inhabitants of the Tocantins river basin. We studied 108 subjects from Barreiras and São Luiz do Tapajós, two communities of the Tapajós river basin, State of Pará, Amazon, Brazil, aged 13–53 years old. Mercury analysis was performed in head hair samples weighting 0.1–0.2 g by using atomic absorption spectrometry. Three somatosensory psychophysical tests were performed: tactile sensation threshold, vibration sensation duration, and two-point discrimination. Semmes-Weinstein 20 monofilaments with different diameters were used to test the tactile sensation in the lower lip, right and left breasts, right and left index fingers, and right and left hallux. The threshold was the thinner monofilament perceived by the subject. Vibration sensation was investigated using a 128 Hz diapason applied to the sternum, right and left radial sides of the wrist, and right and left outer malleoli. Two trials were performed at each place. A stopwatch recorded the vibration sensation duration. The two-point discrimination test was performed using a two-point discriminator. Head hair mercury concentration was significantly higher in mercury-exposed inhabitants of Tapajós than in non-exposed inhabitants of Tocantins (p < 0.01). When all subjects were divided in two groups independently of age—mercury-exposed and non-exposed—the following results were found: tactile sensation thresholds in mercury-exposed subjects were higher than in non-exposed subjects at all body parts, except at the left chest; vibration sensation durations were shorter in mercury-exposed than in non-exposed subjects, at all locations except in the upper sternum; two-point discrimination thresholds were higher in mercury-exposed than in non-exposed subjects at all body parts. There was a weak linear correlation between tactile sensation threshold and mercury concentration in the head hair samples. No correlation was found for the other two measurements. Mercury-exposed subjects had impaired somatosensory function compared with non-exposed control subjects. Long-term mercury exposure of riverside communities in the Tapajós river basin is a possible but not a definitely proven cause for psychophysical somatosensory losses observed in their population. Additionally, the relatively simple psychophysical measures used in this work should be followed by more rigorous measures of the same population. PMID:26658153
A change in temperature modulates defence to yellow (stripe) rust in wheat line UC1041 independently of resistance gene Yr36
Background Rust diseases are of major importance in wheat production worldwide. With the constant evolution of new rust strains and their adaptation to higher temperatures, consistent and durable disease resistance is a key challenge. Environmental conditions affect resistance gene performance, but the basis for this is poorly understood. Results Here we show that a change in day temperature affects wheat resistance to Puccinia striiformis f. sp tritici (Pst), the causal agent of yellow (or stripe) rust. Using adult plants of near-isogenic lines UC1041 +/- Yr36, there was no significant difference between Pst percentage uredia coverage in plants grown at day temperatures of 18°C or 25°C in adult UC1041 + Yr36 plants. However, when plants were transferred to the lower day temperature at the time of Pst inoculation, infection increased up to two fold. Interestingly, this response was independent of Yr36, which has previously been reported as a temperature-responsive resistance gene as Pst development in adult UC1041 -Yr36 plants was similarly affected by the plants experiencing a temperature reduction. In addition, UC1041 -Yr36 plants grown at the lower temperature then transferred to the higher temperature were effectively resistant and a temperature change in either direction was shown to affect Pst development up to 8 days prior to inoculation. Results for seedlings were similar, but more variable compared to adult plants. Enhanced resistance to Pst was observed in seedlings of UC1041 and the cultivar Shamrock when transferred to the higher temperature. Resistance was not affected in seedlings of cultivar Solstice by a temperature change in either direction. Conclusions Yr36 is effective at 18°C, refining the lower range of temperature at which resistance against Pst is conferred compared to previous studies. Results reveal previously uncharacterised defence temperature sensitivity in the UC1041 background which is caused by a change in temperature and independently of Yr36. This novel phenotype is present in some cultivars but absent in others, suggesting that Pst defence may be more stable in some cultivars than others when plants are exposed to varying temperatures. PMID:24397376
Numerical study of the hydroclimate of the Southwestern United States using the UC-LLNL regional climate system model
Miller, N.L.; Kim, J.
The UC-LLNL Regional Climate System Model (RCSM) has been under development since 1991. This modeling system includes interactions among atmospheric, land surface, and subsurface processes. Important physical processes included in this RCSM are effects of vegetation, surface energy and water budgets, lateral hydrologic transport, and agro-ecosystem response. Our RCSM is composed of a preprocessor fro importing, interpreting, and analyzing multi-scale data, a Mesoscale Atmospheric Simulation (MAS) model, a multi-layer soil-plant-snow (SPS) model that is interactively coupled with the atmospheric model, a physically based, fully distributed watershed hydrology-riverflow model (TOPMODEL) and a post-processor for output data analysis. We are currently implementing and validating the Decision Support System for Agro-Economic Transfer (DSSAT). An important feature of our RCSM us the ability to simulate the atmospheric, land surface, and hydrologic variables from the global scale down to the watershed catchment scale. the full coupled MAS and SPS models have been used for experimental operational NWP over the southwestern United States since October 1993. Our watershed hydrology-riverflow model has been set up for the Russian River watershed and the Headwaters to the North Fork of the American River in Northern California.
Commission Review of a Proposal by Riverside Community College District To Convert the Moreno Valley Educational Center to a Full-Service Community College Campus. A Report to the Governor and Legislature in Response to a Request from the California Community College Board of Governors. Commission Report 04-01
In this report, the Commission considers the request by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges (BOG) and the Riverside Community College District (RCCD) to establish the Moreno Valley Educational Center as a full-service community college campus. The Commission?s overall conclusion is that the Moreno Valley Educational Center…
Unique plasmids generated via pUC replicon mutagenesis in an error-prone thermophile derived from Geobacillus kaustophilus HTA426.
Kobayashi, Jyumpei; Tanabiki, Misaki; Doi, Shohei; Kondo, Akihiko; Ohshiro, Takashi; Suzuki, Hirokazu
The plasmid pGKE75-catA138T, which comprises pUC18 and the catA138T gene encoding thermostable chloramphenicol acetyltransferase with an A138T amino acid replacement (CATA138T), serves as an Escherichia coli-Geobacillus kaustophilus shuttle plasmid that confers moderate chloramphenicol resistance on G. kaustophilus HTA426. The present study examined the thermoadaptation-directed mutagenesis of pGKE75-catA138T in an error-prone thermophile, generating the mutant plasmid pGKE75(αβ)-catA138T responsible for substantial chloramphenicol resistance at 65°C. pGKE75(αβ)-catA138T contained no mutation in the catA138T gene but had two mutations in the pUC replicon, even though the replicon has no apparent role in G. kaustophilus. Biochemical characterization suggested that the efficient chloramphenicol resistance conferred by pGKE75(αβ)-catA138T is attributable to increases in intracellular CATA138T and acetyl-coenzyme A following a decrease in incomplete forms of pGKE75(αβ)-catA138T. The decrease in incomplete plasmids may be due to optimization of plasmid replication by RNA species transcribed from the mutant pUC replicon, which were actually produced in G. kaustophilus. It is noteworthy that G. kaustophilus was transformed with pGKE75(αβ)-catA138T using chloramphenicol selection at 60°C. In addition, a pUC18 derivative with the two mutations propagated in E. coli at a high copy number independently of the culture temperature and high plasmid stability. Since these properties have not been observed in known plasmids, the outcomes extend the genetic toolboxes for G. kaustophilus and E. coli. PMID:26319877
Unique Plasmids Generated via pUC Replicon Mutagenesis in an Error-Prone Thermophile Derived from Geobacillus kaustophilus HTA426
Kobayashi, Jyumpei; Tanabiki, Misaki; Doi, Shohei; Kondo, Akihiko; Ohshiro, Takashi
The plasmid pGKE75-catA138T, which comprises pUC18 and the catA138T gene encoding thermostable chloramphenicol acetyltransferase with an A138T amino acid replacement (CATA138T), serves as an Escherichia coli-Geobacillus kaustophilus shuttle plasmid that confers moderate chloramphenicol resistance on G. kaustophilus HTA426. The present study examined the thermoadaptation-directed mutagenesis of pGKE75-catA138T in an error-prone thermophile, generating the mutant plasmid pGKE75αβ-catA138T responsible for substantial chloramphenicol resistance at 65°C. pGKE75αβ-catA138T contained no mutation in the catA138T gene but had two mutations in the pUC replicon, even though the replicon has no apparent role in G. kaustophilus. Biochemical characterization suggested that the efficient chloramphenicol resistance conferred by pGKE75αβ-catA138T is attributable to increases in intracellular CATA138T and acetyl-coenzyme A following a decrease in incomplete forms of pGKE75αβ-catA138T. The decrease in incomplete plasmids may be due to optimization of plasmid replication by RNA species transcribed from the mutant pUC replicon, which were actually produced in G. kaustophilus. It is noteworthy that G. kaustophilus was transformed with pGKE75αβ-catA138T using chloramphenicol selection at 60°C. In addition, a pUC18 derivative with the two mutations propagated in E. coli at a high copy number independently of the culture temperature and high plasmid stability. Since these properties have not been observed in known plasmids, the outcomes extend the genetic toolboxes for G. kaustophilus and E. coli. PMID:26319877
Biotransformation of primary nicotine metabolites. I. In vivo metabolism of R-(+)-( UC-NCH3)N-methylnicotinium ion in the guinea pig
Pool, W.F.; Crooks, P.A.
The in vivo biotransformation and tissue distribution of the methylated nicotine metabolite R-(+)-( UC-NCH3)N-methylnicotinium acetate was studied in the guinea pig. The detection and quantification of 24-hr urinary metabolites after ip injection was determined by cation-exchange HPLC interfaced to a radiochemical flowthrough detector. The urinary metabolite profile consisted of five peaks. One eluted close to the void, and three coeluted with authentic standards of N-methylcotininium ion, N-methylnornicotinium ion, and N-methylnicotinium ion. A fifth, and as yet unidentified, metabolite was also detected. Tissue distribution of UC label after 24 hr was highest in the adrenal gland and epididymis followed by the gallbladder, bladder, kidney, spleen, and heart. No significant amounts of UC were found in the brain. The results indicate that N-methylcotininium ion and N-methylnornicotinium ion are both formed subsequent to the formation of N-methylnicotinium ion in the metabolism of R-(+)-nicotine in the guinea pig.
Rainfall-runoff characteristics and effects of increased urban density on streamflow and infiltration in the eastern part of the San Jacinto River basin, Riverside County, California
Guay, Joel R.
To better understand the rainfall-runoff characteristics of the eastern part of the San Jacinto River Basin and to estimate the effects of increased urbanization on streamflow, channel infiltration, and land-surface infiltration, a long-term (1950?98) time series of monthly flows in and out of the channels and land surfaces were simulated using the Hydrologic Simulation Program- FORTRAN (HSPF) rainfall-runoff model. Channel and land-surface infiltration includes rainfall or runoff that infiltrates past the zone of evapotranspiration and may become ground-water recharge. The study area encompasses about 256 square miles of the San Jacinto River drainage basin in Riverside County, California. Daily streamflow (for periods with available data between 1950 and 1998), and daily rainfall and evaporation (1950?98) data; monthly reservoir storage data (1961?98); and estimated mean annual reservoir inflow data (for 1974 conditions) were used to calibrate the rainfall-runoff model. Measured and simulated mean annual streamflows for the San Jacinto River near San Jacinto streamflow-gaging station (North-South Fork subbasin) for 1950?91 and 1997?98 were 14,000 and 14,200 acre-feet, respectively, a difference of 1.4 percent. The standard error of the mean for measured and simulated annual streamflow in the North-South Fork subbasin was 3,520 and 3,160 acre-feet, respectively. Measured and simulated mean annual streamflows for the Bautista Creek streamflow-gaging station (Bautista Creek subbasin) for 1950?98 were 980 acre-feet and 991 acre-feet, respectively, a difference of 1.1 percent. The standard error of the mean for measured and simulated annual streamflow in the Bautista Creek subbasin was 299 and 217 acre-feet, respectively. Measured and simulated annual streamflows for the San Jacinto River above State Street near San Jacinto streamflow-gaging station (Poppet subbasin) for 1998 were 23,400 and 23,500 acre-feet, respectively, a difference of 0.4 percent. The simulated mean annual streamflow for the State Street gaging station at the outlet of the study basin and the simulated mean annual basin infiltration (combined infiltration from all the channels and land surfaces) were 8,720 and 41,600 acre-feet, respectively, for water years 1950-98. Simulated annual streamflow at the State Street gaging station ranged from 16.8 acre-feet in water year 1961 to 70,400 acre-feet in water year 1993, and simulated basin infiltration ranged from 2,770 acre-feet in water year 1961 to 149,000 acre-feet in water year 1983.The effects of increased urbanization on the hydrology of the study basin were evaluated by increasing the size of the effective impervious and non-effective impervious urban areas simulated in the calibrated rainfall-runoff model by 50 and 100 percent, respectively. The rainfall-runoff model simulated a long-term time series of monthly flows in and out of the channels and land surfaces using daily rainfall and potential evaporation data for water years 1950?98. Increasing the effective impervious and non-effective impervious urban areas by 100 percent resulted in a 5-percent increase in simulated mean annual streamflow at the State Street gaging station, and a 2.2-percent increase in simulated basin infiltration. Results of a frequency analysis of the simulated annual streamflow at the State Street gaging station showed that when effective impervious and non-effective impervious areas were increased 100 percent, simulated annual streamflow increased about 100 percent for low-flow conditions and was unchanged for high-flow conditions. The simulated increase in streamflow at the State Street gaging station potentially could infiltrate along the stream channel further downstream, outside of the model area.
UC Merced's Inaugural Class
Ochsner, Nancy
The Office of Institutional Planning and Analysis (IPA) of the University of California, Merced collaborated with the Division of Student Affairs to launch three undergraduate surveys in the first year of operations at the new campus: the New Undergraduate Survey (NUS), administered to all new freshmen and transfers in fall 2005; the National…
Geology, ground-water hydrology, geochemistry, and ground-water simulation of the Beaumont and Banning Storage Units, San Gorgonio Pass area, Riverside County, California
Rewis, Diane L.; Christensen, Allen H.; Matti, Jonathan; Hevesi, Joseph A.; Nishikawa, Tracy; Martin, Peter
Ground water has been the only source of potable water supply for residential, industrial, and agricultural users in the Beaumont and Banning storage units of the San Gorgonio Pass area, Riverside County, California. Ground-water levels in the Beaumont area have declined as much as 100 feet between the early 1920s and early 2000s, and numerous natural springs have stopped flowing. In 1961, the San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency (SGPWA) entered into a contract with the California State Department of Water Resources to receive 17,300 acre-feet per year of water to be delivered by the California State Water Project (SWP) to supplement natural recharge. Currently (2005), a pipeline is delivering SWP water into the area, and the SGPWA is artificially recharging the ground-water system using recharge ponds located along Little San Gorgonio Creek in Cherry Valley with the SWP water. In addition to artificial recharge, SGPWA is considering the direct delivery of SWP water for the irrigation of local golf courses and for agricultural supply in lieu of ground-water pumpage. To better understand the potential hydrologic effects of different water-management alternatives on ground-water levels and movement in the Beaumont and Banning storage units, existing geohydrologic and geochemical data were compiled, new data from a basin-wide ground-water level and water-quality monitoring network were collected, monitoring wells were installed near the Little San Gorgonio Creek recharge ponds, geohydrologic and geochemical analyses were completed, and a ground-water flow simulation model was developed. The San Gorgonio Pass area was divided into several storage units on the basis of mapped or inferred faults. This study addresses primarily the Beaumont and Banning storage units. The geologic units in the study area were generalized into crystalline basement rocks and sedimentary deposits. The younger sedimentary deposits and the surficial deposits are the main water-bearing deposits in the San Gorgonio Pass area. The water-bearing deposits were divided into three aquifers: (1) the perched aquifer, (2) the upper aquifer, and (3) the lower aquifer based on lithologic and downhole geophysical logs. Natural recharge in the San Gorgonio Pass area was estimated using INFILv3, a deterministic distributed- parameter precipitation-runoff model. The INFILv3 model simulated that the potential recharge of precipitation and runoff in the Beaumont and Banning storage units was about 3,710 acre-feet per year and that the potential recharge in 28 sub-drainage basins upstream of the storage units was about 6,180 acre-feet per year. The water supply for the Beaumont and Banning storage units is supplied by pumping ground water from wells in the Canyon (Edgar and Banning Canyons), Banning Bench, Beaumont, and Banning storage units. Total annual pumpage from the Beaumont and Banning storage units ranged from about 1,630 acre-feet in 1936 to about 20,000 acre-feet in 2003. Ground-water levels declined by as much as 100 feet in the Beaumont storage unit from 1926-2003 in response to ground-water pumping of about 450,160 acre-feet during this period. Since ground-water development began in the San Gorgonio Pass area, there have been several sources of artificial recharge to the basin including return flow from applied water on crops, golf courses, and landscape; septic-tank seepage; and infiltration of storm runoff diversions and imported water into recharge ponds. Return flow from applied water and septic-tank seepage was estimated to reach a maximum of about 8,100 acre-feet per year in 2003. Owing to the great depth of water in much of study area (in excess of 150 feet), the return flow and septic-tank seepage takes years to decades to reach the water table. Stable-isotope data indicate that the source of ground-water recharge was precipitation from storms passing through the San Gorgonio Pass as opposed to runoff from the higher altitudes of the San Bernar
Implementation of a multidisciplinary approach to solve complex nano EHS problems by the UC Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology.
Xia, Tian; Malasarn, Davin; Lin, Sijie; Ji, Zhaoxia; Zhang, Haiyuan; Miller, Robert J; Keller, Arturo A; Nisbet, Roger M; Harthorn, Barbara H; Godwin, Hilary A; Lenihan, Hunter S; Liu, Rong; Gardea-Torresdey, Jorge; Cohen, Yoram; Mädler, Lutz; Holden, Patricia A; Zink, Jeffrey I; Nel, Andre E
UC CEIN was established with funding from the US National Science Foundation and the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2008 with the mission to study the impact of nanotechnology on the environment, including the identification of hazard and exposure scenarios that take into consideration the unique physicochemical properties of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). Since its inception, the Center has made great progress in assembling a multidisciplinary team to develop the scientific underpinnings, research, knowledge acquisition, education and outreach that is required for assessing the safe implementation of nanotechnology in the environment. In this essay, the development of the infrastructure, protocols, and decision-making tools that are required to effectively integrate complementary scientific disciplines allowing knowledge gathering in a complex study area that goes beyond the traditional safety and risk assessment protocols of the 20th century is outlined. UC CEIN's streamlined approach, premised on predictive hazard and exposure assessment methods, high-throughput discovery platforms and environmental decision-making tools that consider a wide range of nano/bio interfaces in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, demonstrates the implementation of a 21st-century approach to the safe implementation of nanotechnology in the environment. PMID:23027589
Coupling XRD, EXAFS, and 13C NMR to study the effect of the carbon stoichiometry on the local structure of UC(1±x).
Carvajal Nuñez, U; Martel, L; Prieur, D; Lopez Honorato, E; Eloirdi, R; Farnan, I; Vitova, T; Somers, J
A series of uranium carbide samples, prepared by arc melting with a C/U ratio ranging from 0.96 to 1.04, has been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). XRD determines phase uniqueness and the increase of the lattice parameter versus the carbon content. In contrast, (13)C NMR detects the different carbon environments in the lattice and in this study, clearly identifies the presence of discrete peaks for carbon in the octahedral lattice site in UC and an additional peak associated with excess carbon in hyperstoichiometric samples. Two peaks associated with different levels of carbon deficiency are detected for all hypostoichiometric compositions. More than one carbon environment is always detected by (13)C NMR. This exemplifies the difficulty in obtaining a perfect stoichiometric uranium monocarbide UC(1.00). The (13)C MAS spectra of uranium carbides exhibit the effects resulting from the carbon content on both the broadening of the peaks and on the Knight shift. An abrupt spectral change occurs between hypo- and hyperstoichiometric samples. The results obtained by EXAFS highlight subtle differences between the different stoichiometries, and in the hyperstoichiometric samples, the EXAFS results are consistent with the excess carbon atoms being in the tetrahedral interstitial position. PMID:24063301
ScrFI restriction-modification system of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris UC503: cloning and characterization of two ScrFI methylase genes.
Davis, R; van der Lelie, D; Mercenier, A; Daly, C; Fitzgerald, G F
Two genes from the total genomic DNA of dairy starter culture Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris UC503, encoding ScrFI modification enzymes, have been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. No homology between the two methylase genes was detected, and inverse polymerase chain reaction of flanking chromosomal DNA indicated that both were linked on the Lactococcus genome. Neither clone encoded the cognate endonuclease. The DNA sequence of one of the methylase genes (encoded by pCI931M) was determined and consisted of an open reading frame 1,170 bp long, which could encode a protein of 389 amino acids (M(r), 44.5). The amino acid sequence contained the highly characteristic motifs of an m5C methylase. Extensive regions of homology were observed with the methylases of NlaX, EcoRII, and Dcm. Images PMID:8481004
Field Botanist for a Day: A Group Exercise for the Introductory Botany Lab
Barbatt, Natalie M.
A group exercise, suggested to be most effective when used near the semester-end, enables entry-level students to appreciate the application of plant biology and makes botany labs experimental. It is believed that this series of labs helps students to appreciate their own learning when they teach and explain things to others.
The "Turning Point" for Minority Pre-Meds: The Effect of Early Undergraduate Experience in the Sciences on Aspirations to Enter Medical School of Minority Students at UC Berkeley and Stanford University. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.20.08
Barr, Donald A.; Matsui, John
The University of California faces the challenge of increasing the diversity of students graduating from its medical schools while also adhering to mandated restrictions on the use of race or ethnicity in the admissions process. Students from diverse backgrounds who gain admission as undergraduates to UC Berkeley and express an early interest in a…
Analytical results and sample locality map for rock, stream-sediment, and soil samples, Northern and Eastern Coloado Desert BLM Resource Area, Imperial, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties, California
King, Harley D.; Chaffee, Maurice A.
INTRODUCTION In 1996-1998 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a geochemical study of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) 5.5 million-acre Northern and Eastern Colorado Desert Resource Area (usually referred to as the NECD in this report), Imperial, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties, southeastern California (figure 1). This study was done in support of the BLM's Coordinated Management Plan for the area. This report presents analytical data from this study. To provide comprehensive coverage of the NECD, we compiled and examined all available geochemical data, in digital form, from previous studies in the area, and made sample-site plots to aid in determining where sample-site coverage and analyses were sufficient, which samples should be re-analyzed, and where additional sampling was needed. Previous investigations conducted in parts of the current study area included the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) program studies of the Needles and Salton Sea 1? x 2? quadrangles; USGS studies of 12 BLM Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) (Big Maria Mountains, Chemehuevi Mountains, Chuckwalla Mountains, Coxcomb Mountains, Mecca Hills, Orocopia Mountains, Palen-McCoy, Picacho Peak, Riverside Mountains, Sheephole Valley (also known as Sheep Hole/Cadiz), Turtle Mountains, and Whipple Mountains); and USGS studies in the Needles and El Centro 1? x 2? quadrangles done during the early 1990s as part of a project to identify the regional geochemistry of southern California. Areas where we did new sampling of rocks and stream sediments are mainly in the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range and in Joshua Tree National Park, which extends into the west-central part of the NECD, as shown in figure 1 and figure 2. This report contains analytical data for 132 rock samples and 1,245 stream-sediment samples collected by the USGS, and 362 stream-sediment samples and 189 soil samples collected during the NURE program. All samples are from the Northern and Eastern Colorado Desert BLM Resource Area and vicinity. Included in the 1,245 stream-sediment samples collected by the USGS are 284 samples collected as part of the current study, 817 samples collected as part of investigations of the12 BLM WSAs and re-analyzed for the present study, 45 samples from the Needles 1? X 2? quadrangle, and 99 samples from the El Centro 1? X 2? quadrangle. The NURE stream-sediment and soil samples were re-analyzed as part of the USGS study in the Needles quadrangle. Analytical data for samples from the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, which is located within the area of the NECD, were previously reported (King and Chaffee, 1999a). For completeness, these results are also included in this report. Analytical data for samples from the area of Joshua Tree National Park that is within the NECD have also been reported (King and Chaffee, 1999b). These results are not included in this report. The analytical data presented here can be used for baseline geochemical, mineral resource, and environmental geochemical studies.
THE NASA-UC ETA-EARTH PROGRAM. II. A PLANET ORBITING HD 156668 WITH A MINIMUM MASS OF FOUR EARTH MASSES
Howard, Andrew W.; Marcy, Geoffrey W.; Isaacson, Howard; Johnson, John Asher; Fischer, Debra A.; Wright, Jason T.; Henry, Gregory W.; Valenti, Jeff A.; Anderson, Jay; Piskunov, Nikolai E.
We report the discovery of HD 156668 b, an extrasolar planet with a minimum mass of M{sub P} sin i = 4.15 M{sub +}. This planet was discovered through Keplerian modeling of precise radial velocities from Keck-HIRES and is the second super-Earth to emerge from the NASA-UC Eta-Earth Survey. The best-fit orbit is consistent with circular and has a period of P = 4.6455 days. The Doppler semi-amplitude of this planet, K = 1.89 m s{sup -1}, is among the lowest ever detected, on par with the detection of GJ 581 e using HARPS. A longer period (P {approx} 2.3 years), low-amplitude signal of unknown origin was also detected in the radial velocities and was filtered out of the data while fitting the short-period planet. Additional data are required to determine if the long-period signal is due to a second planet, stellar activity, or another source. Photometric observations using the Automated Photometric Telescopes at Fairborn Observatory show that HD 156668 (an old, quiet K3 dwarf) is photometrically constant over the radial velocity period to 0.1 mmag, supporting the existence of the planet. No transits were detected down to a photometric limit of {approx}3 mmag, ruling out transiting planets dominated by extremely bloated atmospheres, but not precluding a transiting solid/liquid planet with a modest atmosphere.
AbiG, a genotypically novel abortive infection mechanism encoded by plasmid pCI750 of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris UC653.
O'Connor, L; Coffey, A; Daly, C; Fitzgerald, G F
AbiG is an abortive infection (Abi) mechanism encoded by the conjugative plasmid pCI750 originally isolated from Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris UC653. Insensitivity conferred by this Abi manifested itself as complete resistance to phi 712 (936 phage species) with only partial resistance to phi c2 (c2 species). The mechanism did not inhibit phage DNA replication. The smallest subclone of pCI750 which expressed the Abi phenotype contained a 3.5-kb insert which encoded two potential open reading frames. abiGi (750 bp) and abiGii (1,194 bp) were separated by 2 bp and appeared to share a single promoter upstream of abiGi. These open reading frames showed no significant homology to sequences of either the DNA or protein databases; however, they did exhibit the typical low G+C content (29 and 27%, respectively) characteristic of lactococcal abi genes. In fact, the G+C content of a 7.0-kb fragment incorporating the abiG locus was 30%, which may suggest horizontal gene transfer from a species of low G+C content. In this context, it is notable that remnants of IS elements were observed throughout this 7.0-kb region. PMID:8795193
Report on the Program “Fluid-mediated particle transport in geophysical flows” at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, UC Santa Barbara, September 23 to December 12, 2013
Jenkins, James T.; Meiburg, Eckart; Valance, Alexandre
The Kavli Institute of Theoretical Physics (KITP) program held at UC Santa Barbara in the fall of 2013 addressed the dynamics of dispersed particulate flows in the environment. By focusing on the prototypes of aeolian transport and turbidity currents, it aimed to establish the current state of our understanding of such two-phase flows, to identify key open questions, and to develop collaborative research strategies for addressing these questions. Here, we provide a brief summary of the program outcome.
The American Indian Summer Institute in Earth System Science (AISESS) at UC Irvine: A Two-Week Residential Summer Program for High School Students
Johnson, K. R.; Polequaptewa, N.; Leon, Y.
Native Americans remain severely underrepresented in the geosciences, despite a clear need for qualified geoscience professionals within Tribal communities to address critical issues such as natural resource and land management, water and air pollution, and climate change. In addition to the need for geoscience professionals within Tribal communities, increased participation of Native Americans in the geosciences would enhance the overall diversity of perspectives represented within the Earth science community and lead to improved Earth science literacy within Native communities. To address this need, the Department of Earth System Science and the American Indian Resource Program at the University California have organized a two-week residential American Indian Summer Institute in Earth System Science (AISESS) for high-school students (grades 9-12) from throughout the nation. The format of the AISESS program is based on the highly-successful framework of a previous NSF Funded American Indian Summer Institute in Computer Science (AISICS) at UC Irvine and involves key senior personnel from the AISICS program. The AISESS program, however, incorporates a week of camping on the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians reservation in Northern San Diego County, California. Following the week of camping and field projects, the students spend a week on the campus of UC Irvine participating in Earth System Science lectures, laboratory activities, and tours. The science curriculum is closely woven together with cultural activities, native studies, and communication skills programs The program culminates with a closing ceremony during which students present poster projects on environmental issues relevant to their tribal communities. The inaugural AISESS program took place from July 15th-28th, 2012. We received over 100 applications from Native American high school students from across the nation. We accepted 40 students for the first year, of which 34 attended the program. The objective of the program is to introduce students to Earth System Science and, hopefully, inspire them to pursue Earth or Environmental Science degrees. Towards this end, we developed a fairly broad curriculum which will be presented here. Evaluation planning was conducted during the first quarter of 2012 during recruitment. A longitudinal database was established for the project to track college preparatory course-taking, GPA, school attendance, participation in earth science activities, and attitudes and interest in attending college and completing a degree after high school. Based on attendance during AISESS, schools and students will be selected as descriptive case studies. A pre-post design for evaluating the Summer Institute includes a survey about student background, attitudes, and knowledge about preparing to complete high school and attend college after graduation and focus groups of participants immediately after the Institute to capture qualitative data about their experiences in the field and at the University. Initial evaluation results will be presented here.
Development and characterization of a novel rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus: the UC Davis type 2 diabetes mellitus UCD-T2DM rat
Cummings, Bethany P.; Digitale, Erin K.; Stanhope, Kimber L.; Graham, James L.; Baskin, Denis G.; Reed, Benjamin J.; Sweet, Ian R.; Griffen, Steven C.; Havel, Peter J.
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is increasing, creating a need for T2DM animal models for the study of disease pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment. The purpose of this project was to develop a rat model of T2DM that more closely models the pathophysiology of T2DM in humans. The model was created by crossing obese Sprague-Dawley rats with insulin resistance resulting from polygenic adult-onset obesity with Zucker diabetic fatty-lean rats that have a defect in pancreatic β-cell function but normal leptin signaling. We have characterized the model with respect to diabetes incidence; age of onset; longitudinal measurements of glucose, insulin, and lipids; and glucose tolerance. Longitudinal fasting glucose and insulin data demonstrated progressive hyperglycemia (with fasting and fed glucose concentrations >250 and >450 mg/dl, respectively) after onset along with hyperinsulinemia resulting from insulin resistance at onset followed by a progressive decline in circulating insulin concentrations, indicative of β-cell decompensation. The incidence of diabetes in male and female rats was 92 and 43%, respectively, with an average age of onset of 6 mo in males and 9.5 mo in females. Results from intravenous glucose tolerance tests, pancreas immunohistochemistry, and islet insulin content further support a role for β-cell dysfunction in the pathophysiology of T2DM in this model. Diabetic animals also exhibit glycosuria, polyuria, and hyperphagia. Thus diabetes in the UC Davis-T2DM rat is more similar to clinical T2DM in humans than in other existing rat models and provides a useful model for future studies of the pathophysiology, treatment, and prevention of T2DM. PMID:18832086
Program Planning and Review to Promote Responsiveness to Public Needs. Report 09-31
Wilson, Stacy
This annual report provides a summary of program planning and review activities conducted by California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) during the 2008-09 academic year. During this period, CPEC staff conducted an extensive review of a proposal to establish a medical school at UC Riverside and a nursing school at UC Davis, and conducted…
Sir James Edward Smith (1759-1828) MD FRS, botanist, co-founder of the Linnean Society of London.
Hawgood, Barbara J
James Edward Smith's interest in botany led him to enter medicine at Edinburgh in 1781. Smith was continuing his medical studies in London when Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820) suggested to him that he should purchase the collection of the famous Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus that had just been offered to Banks. Smith bought the Linnean Collection and Library in 1784. In 1786 he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Medicine from Leiden. In 1788 Smith, with two associates, founded the Linnean Society of London and became President for life. Smith turned from medicine to natural history as a lecturer and writer. During his lifetime he produced numerous botanical works of high value, including The English Flora (1824-28), and he did much to popularize botany. PMID:19401517
The onset of ferromagnetism and superconductivity in [La0.7Sr0.3MnO3(n u.c.)/YBa2Cu3O7(2 u.c.)]20 superlattices.
Dybko, K; Aleshkevych, P; Sawicki, M; Paszkowicz, W; Przyslupski, P
With the aim of studying the interface magnetism, the onset of ferromagnetism and the onset of the transition to the superconducting state a series of [La0.7Sr0.3MnO3(n u.c.)/YBa2Cu3O7(2 u.c.)]20 (LSMO/YBCO) superlattices with nominally varying layer thickness of the LSMO from one to four unit cells (u.c.) was prepared and characterized by x-ray diffraction, electronic transport, magnetization and ferromagnetic resonance measurements. Spontaneous magnetization was observed for a superlattice with four u.c. LSMO layer thickness in a multilayer structure. Superlattices with 3 u.c. of LSMO and lower layer thicknesses did not show a signature of ferromagnetism. The onset of superconductivity was observed for superlattices with one and two LSMO layer u.c. thickness. PMID:23962975
Variation resources at UC Santa Cruz
Thomas, Daryl J.; Trumbower, Heather; Kern, Andrew D.; Rhead, Brooke L.; Kuhn, Robert M.; Haussler, David; Kent, W. James
The variation resources within the University of California Santa Cruz Genome Browser include polymorphism data drawn from public collections and analyses of these data, along with their display in the context of other genomic annotations. Primary data from dbSNP is included for many organisms, with added information including genomic alleles and orthologous alleles for closely related organisms. Display filtering and coloring is available by variant type, functional class or other annotations. Annotation of potential errors is highlighted and a genomic alignment of the variant's flanking sequence is displayed. HapMap allele frequencies and linkage disequilibrium (LD) are available for each HapMap population, along with non-human primate alleles. The browsing and analysis tools, downloadable data files and links to documentation and other information can be found at . PMID:17151077
Genetic algorithms at UC Davis/LLNL
Vemuri, V.R.
A tutorial introduction to genetic algorithms is given. This brief tutorial should serve the purpose of introducing the subject to the novice. The tutorial is followed by a brief commentary on the term project reports that follow.
Rifkin takes another shot at UC experiment.
Norman, C
Activist Jeremy Rifkin has again filed suit to block an experiment by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley involving genetically engineered bacteria. A field test was originally scheduled for 1983 after approval by the National Institutes of Health's Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee, but was delayed after legal action by Rifkin. With that suit still pending, Rifkin filed another when plans were made to go ahead with the test in spring 1984. A ruling on the recent action is expected at the end of April, and the first suit may go to trial in summer 1984. PMID:6584976
Legal threat, cold delay UC experiment.
Norman, Colin
A controversial University of California, Berkeley, experiment that would have released genetically engineered organisms into the environment has been postponed. Although Steven Lindow and his colleagues received approval for field tests from the National Institutes of Health's Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee, environmental activist Jeremy Rifkin filed suit against NIH, claiming its action violated the National Environmental Policy Act. With one suit pending and another threatened, the decision was made to postpone the tests until spring 1984. The outcome of the Rifkin suit will have an impact on other genetic research with ecological implications. PMID:11644056
ChE at UC Santa Barbara.
Seborg, Dale E.
Describes the chemical engineering program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, including history of the department, faculty research interests and professional activities, graduate and undergraduate programs, and research in nuclear engineering. (SK)
Descriptions of new varieties recently distributed from the Citrus Clonal Protection Program
The Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP) is operated through the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at University of California (UC) Riverside and is funded in large part by The California Citrus Research Board (CRB). The CCPP processes citrus propagative material in two phases. First...
Long Range Development Plan, University of California, Riverside.
Russell (George Vernon) and Associates, Architects and Planners.
A long range development plan, conceived as a general guide to final objectives, uses many diagrams and maps to illustrate the text. The plan is predicated on the assumption that orderly and efficient development of site possibilities is subject to ever-changing influences. The following areas are examined--(1) campus environment, (2) academic�
76 FR 8788 - Riverside Casualty, Inc.; Notice of Application
.../search/search.htm or by calling (202) 551-8090. Applicant's Representations 1. The Haskell Company (``THC..., construction, real estate and facility management services. All of the outstanding shares of THC's common stock are owned by The Haskell Company Employee Stock Ownership Trust (``THC ESOP''); Preston H. Haskell...
Science Education at Riverside Middle School A Case Study
Smiley, Bettie Ann Pickens
For more than thirty years the gender gap in science and related careers has been a key concern of researchers, teachers, professional organizations, and policy makers. Despite indicators of progress for women and girls on some measures of achievement, course enrollment patterns, and employment, fewer women than men pursue college degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. According to the results of national assessments, the gender gap in science achievement begins to be evident in the middle school years. Gender and school science achievement involve a complex set of factors associated with schools and child/family systems that may include school leadership, institutional practices, curriculum content, teacher training programs, teacher expectations, student interests, parental involvement, and cultural values. This ethnographic case study was designed to explore the context for science education reform and the participation of middle school girls. The study analyzed and compared teaching strategies and female student engagement in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade science classrooms. The setting was a middle school situated in a district that was well-known for its achievement in reading, math, and technology. Findings from the study indicated that while classroom instruction was predominantly organized around traditional school science, the girls were more disciplined and outperformed the boys. The size of the classrooms, time to prepare for hands-on activities, and obtaining resources were identified as barriers to teaching science in ways that aligned with recent national science reform initiatives. Parents who participated in the study were very supportive of their daughters' academic progress and career goals. A few of the parents suggested that the school's science program include more hands-on activities; instruction designed for the advanced learner; and information related to future careers. Overall the teachers and students perceived their science program to be gender fair. Eighth grade participants who had career goals related to science and engineering, indicated that their science instruction did not provide the rigor they needed to improve their critical skills for advanced placement in high school. Recommendations include the need for professional development on inquiry-based science, equitable student achievement, and diverse perspectives in science education.
Fire Prevention in California's Riverside County Headstart Project: An Evaluation.
Folkman, William S.; Taylor, Jean
Results of evaluation are reported for a safety program devised by Head Start teachers and California Division of Forestry personnel to teach fire prevention education to Head Start children. Chapters describe the place of fire prevention in Head Start and causes of fire starting behavior in children. The Head Start Fire Prevention Kit is also�
Results of evaluation are reported for a safety program devised by Head Start teachers and California Division of Forestry personnel to teach fire prevention education to Head Start children. Chapters describe the place of fire prevention in Head Start and causes of fire starting behavior in children. The Head Start Fire Prevention Kit is also…
A long range development plan, conceived as a general guide to final objectives, uses many diagrams and maps to illustrate the text. The plan is predicated on the assumption that orderly and efficient development of site possibilities is subject to ever-changing influences. The following areas are examined--(1) campus environment, (2) academic…
Kernan, A.; Shen, B.C.; Ma, E.
This proposal is for the continuation of the High Energy Physics program at the University of California at Riverside. In hadron collider physics the authors will complete their transition from experiment UA1 at CERN to the DZERO experiment at Fermilab. On experiment UA1 their effort will concentrate on data analysis at Riverside. At Fermilab they will coordinate the high voltage system for all detector elements. They will also carry out hardware/software development for the D0 muon detector. The TPC/Two-Gamma experiment has completed its present phase of data-taking after accumulating 160 pb{sup {minus}}1 of luminosity. The UC Riverside group will continue data and physics analysis and make minor hardware improvement for the high luminosity run. The UC Riverside group is participating in design and implementation of the data acquisition system for the OPAL experiment at LEP. Mechanical and electronics construction of the OPAL hadron calorimeter strip readout system is proceeding on schedule. Data analysis and Monte Carlo detector simulation efforts are proceeding in preparation for the first physics run when IEP operation comenses in fall 1989.
UC DAVIS CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
The goals of the CCEH in the next five years are to: (1) better understand the mechanisms by which environmental, immunologic, and molecular factors interact to influence the risk and severity of autism; (2) identify early immunologic, environmental, and genomic markers of sus...
Status of the UC-Berkeley SETI efforts
Korpela, E. J.; Anderson, D. P.; Bankay, R.; Cobb, J.; Howard, A.; Lebofsky, M.; Siemion, A. P. V.; von Korff, J.; Werthimer, D.
We summarize radio and optical SETI programs based at the University of California, Berkeley. The SEVENDIP optical pulse search looks for ns time scale pulses at visible wavelengths. It utilizes an automated 30 inch telescope, three ultra fast photo multiplier tubes and a coincidence detector. The target list includes F, G, K and M stars, globular cluster and galaxies. The ongoing SERENDIP V.v sky survey searches for radio signals at the 300 meter Arecibo Observatory. The currently installed configuration supports 128 million channels over a 200 MHz bandwidth with ~1.6 Hz spectral resolution. Frequency stepping allows the spectrometer to cover the full 300MHz band of the Arecibo L-band receivers. The final configuration will allow data from all 14 receivers in the Arecibo L-band Focal Array to be monitored simultaneously with over 1.8 billion channels. SETI@home uses the desktop computers of volunteers to analyze over 160 TB of data at taken at Arecibo. Over 6 million volunteers have run SETI@home during its 10 year history. The SETI@home sky survey is 10 times more sensitive than SERENDIP V.v but it covers only a 2.5 MHz band, centered on 1420 MHz. SETI@home searches a much wider parameter space, including 14 octaves of signal bandwidth and 15 octaves of pulse period with Doppler drift corrections from -100 Hz/s to +100 Hz/s. SETI@home is being expanded to analyze data collected during observations of Kepler objects of interest in May 2011. The Astropulse project is the first SETI search for μs time scale pulses in the radio spectrum. Because short pulses are dispersed by the interstellar medium, and the amount of dispersion is unknown, Astropulse must search through 30,000 possible dispersions. Substantial computing power is required to conduct this search, so the project uses volunteers and their personal computers to carry out the computation (using distributed computing similar to SETI@home). Keywords: radio instrumentation, FPGA spectrometers, SETI, optical SETI, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, volunteer computing, radio transients, optical transients.
UC Assurance Plan For Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory July2007
Chernowski, John
This Division ES&H Self-Assessment Manual describes how the Laboratory administers a division self-assessment program that conforms to the institutional requirements promulgated in the 'LBNL Environment, Safety and Health Self-Assessment Program' (LBNL/PUB-5344, latest revision). The institutional program comprises all appraisal and reporting activities that identify environmental, safety, and health deficiencies and associated corrective actions. It is designed to meet U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) requirements for self-assessment. Self-assessment is a continuous process of information gathering and evaluation. A division selfassessment program should describe methods for gathering and documenting information, and methods to analyze these performance data to identify trends and root causes and their corrections.
Materials Data on UC (SG:225) by Materials Project
DOE Data Explorer
Kristin Persson
Computed materials data using density functional theory calculations. These calculations determine the electronic structure of bulk materials by solving approximations to the Schrodinger equation. For more information, see https://materialsproject.org/docs/calculations
UC DAVIS CENTER FOR CHILDREN�S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
46 CFR 54.25-10 - Low temperature operation-ferritic steels (replaces UCS-65 through UCS-67).
... VIII of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (incorporated by reference; see 46 CFR 54.01-1) and... atmospheric pressure. Only temperatures due to refrigerated service usually need to be considered in... (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING PRESSURE VESSELS Construction With Carbon, Alloy, and Heat Treated Steels §...
... carbon and alloy steels which are stressed at operating or hydrostatic test temperatures below 0 °F. (2... VIII of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (incorporated by reference; see 46 CFR 54.01-1) and... —22 percent in 5.65 √A, where “A” is the test specimen cross sectional area. Table...
Mineral resources of the Santa Rose Mountains Wilderness Study Area, Riverside County, California
Calzia, J.P.; Madden-McGuire, D.J.; Oliver, H.W.; Schreiner, R.A.
The Santa Rosa Mountains Wilderness Study Area covers 68,051 acres in the Santa Rose Mountains, California. An appraisal of the mineral resources (known) and an assessment of mineral resource potential (undiscovered) of this wilderness study area were made at the request of the US Bureau of Land Management. Geologic, geochemical, geophysical, and mineral surveys indicate that the study area has high potential for tungsten and marble resources, moderate potential for gold, and no potential for oil, natural gas, and geothermal resources.
RECONSTRUCTION OF LONG-LIVED RADIONUCLIDE INTAKES FOR TECHA RIVERSIDE RESIDENTS: STRONTIUM-90
Tolstykh, E. I.; Degteva, M. O.; Peremyslova, L. M.; Shagina, N. B.; Shishkina, Elena A.; Krivoshchapov, Victor A.; Anspaugh, L. R.; Napier, Bruce A.
Releases of radioactive materials from the Mayak Production Association in 1949-1956 resulted in contamination of the Techa River; a nuclide of major interest was 90Sr, which downstream residents consumed with water from the river and with milk contaminated by cow's consumption of river water and contaminated pasture. Over the years, several reconstructions of dose have been performed for the approximately 30,000 persons who make up the Extended Techa River Cohort. The purpose of the study described here was to derive a revised reference-90Sr-intake function for the members of this cohort. The revision was necessary because recently discovered data have provided a more accurate description of the time course of the releases, and more is now known about the importance of the pasture grass-cow-milk pathway for the members of this cohort. The fundamental basis for the derivation of the reference-90Sr-intake function remains the same: thousands of measurements of 90Sr content in bone with a special whole-body counter, thousands of measurement of beta-activity of front teeth with a special tooth-beta counter, and a variety of other measurements, including post mortem measurements of 90Sr in bone, measurements of 90Sr in cow's milk, and measurements of beta activity in human excreta. Results of the new analyses are that the major intake started in September 1950 and peaked somewhat later than originally postulated. However, the total intake for adult residents has not changed significantly. For children of some birth years, the intake and incorporation of 90Sr in bone tissue have changed substantially.
Writing at Riverside Health Services: An Ethnographic Study in Entrepreneurial Communication
Brender, Linda
In this article, the author presents an ethnographic study that investigated the relationships that evolve when professional nurses who own a home health care agency write for multiple, conflicting corporate discourse communities, including their lawyers, management consultants, and marketing professionals. This study revealed that conflicting…
... published in the Federal Register on January 6, 2010 (75 FR 878). The initial investigation, initiated on... the Federal Register on January 25, 2010 (75 FR 3935). To support the request for reconsideration, the... is shifting production of articles like or directly competitive with cGMP intermediates and...
Reconstruction of long-lived radionuclide intakes for Techa riverside residents: strontium-90.
Tolstykh, E I; Degteva, M O; Peremyslova, L M; Shagina, N B; Shishkina, E A; Krivoshchapov, V A; Anspaugh, L R; Napier, B A
Releases of radioactive materials from the Mayak Production Association in 1949-1956 resulted in contamination of the Techa River; a nuclide of major interest was 90Sr, which downstream residents consumed with water from the river and with milk contaminated by cows' consumption of river water and contaminated pasture. Over the years, several reconstructions of dose have been performed for the approximately 30,000 persons who make up the Extended Techa River Cohort. The purpose of the study described here was to derive a revised reference-90Sr-intake function for the members of this cohort. The revision was necessary because recently discovered data have provided a more accurate description of the time course of the releases, and more is now known about the importance of the pasture grass-cow-milk pathway for the members of this cohort. The fundamental basis for the derivation of the reference-90Sr-intake function remains the same: thousands of measurements of 90Sr content in bone with a special whole-body counter, thousands of measurements of beta-activity of front teeth with a special tooth-beta counter, and a variety of other measurements, including post mortem measurements of 90Sr in bone, measurements of 90Sr in cow's milk, and measurements of beta activity in human excreta. Results of the new analyses are that the major intake started in September 1950 and peaked somewhat later than originally postulated. However, the total intake for adult residents has not changed significantly. For children of some birth years, the intake and incorporation of Sr in bone tissue have changed substantially. PMID:21617390
75 FR 56019 - Domestic Dates Produced or Packed in Riverside County, CA; Increased Assessment Rate
... is deposited in a surplus account for subsequent use by the Committee to cover the surplus pool share... surplus dates. All such expenses are required to be deducted from proceeds obtained by the Committee from the disposal of surplus dates. For the 2010-11 crop year, the Committee estimated that $1,500 from...
... species on August 3, 1993 (58 FR 41384). We published our first rule designating critical habitat on May 30, 2001 (66 FR 29384). In response to a settlement agreement, we revised critical habitat in a final rule published April 12, 2005 (70 FR 19154). That rule was also challenged in court, and based on...
75 FR 42377 - Foreign-Trade Zone 244-Riverside County, CA; Application for Reorganization Under Alternative...
... reorganize the zone under the alternative site framework (ASF) adopted by the Board (74 FR 1170, 1/12/09; correction 74 FR 3987, 1/22/09). The ASF is an option for grantees for the establishment or reorganization of... on August 21, 2000 (Board Order 1104, 65 FR 54196, 09/07/2000). The current zone project includes...
Down by the Riverside: A CRT Perspective on Education Reform in Two River Cities
Anderson, Celia Rousseau; Dixson, Adrienne D.
In this article, the authors utilize core ideas from Critical Race Theory (CRT) to examine the nature of education reform in two river cities. Similar to other cases of education reform in urban districts, the reforms in the two focal cities reflect at least four characteristics in common: (1) a form of portfolio management; (2) the growth of…
Does the Gender Wage Gap Exist at Riverside Community College District?
Brown, Jami; Casolari, Amber
The gender wage gap in the United States is a well-documented social and economic phenomenon. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 has done little to bring parity between men's and women's wages. Existing data show a relationship between race, age, geography, immigration, education, and women's pay status. This study analyzes wage disparity within higher…
Support Services for Exceptional Students: Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties.
Hampel, Angelica; And Others
Intended for use by vocational adminstrators responsible for mainstreaming handicapped students into vocational education classes, the resource guide lists and describes governmental and private agencies that provide vocational programs and support services for the handicapped on a local and statewide basis in the California counties of Orange,…
Geologic map of the Corona South 7.5' quadrangle, Riverside and Orange counties, California
Gray, C.H., Jr.; Morton, Douglas M.; Weber, F. Harold, Jr.; Digital preparation by Bovard, Kelly R.; O'Brien, Timothy
a. A Readme file; includes in Appendix I, data contained in crs_met.txt b. The same graphic as plotted in 2 above. Test plots have not produced 1:24,000-scale map sheets. Adobe Acrobat page size setting influences map scale. The Correlation of Map Units and Description of Map Units is in the editorial format of USGS Geologic Investigations Series (I-series) maps but has not been edited to comply with I-map standards. Within the geologic map data package, map units are identified by standard geologic map criteria such as formation-name, age, and lithology. Where known, grain size is indicated on the map by a subscripted letter or letters following the unit symbols as follows: lg, large boulders; b, boulder; g, gravel; a, arenaceous; s, silt; c, clay; e.g. Qyfa is a predominantly young alluvial fan deposit that is arenaceous. Multiple letters are used for more specific identification or for mixed units, e.g., Qfysa is a silty sand. In some cases, mixed units are indicated by a compound symbol; e.g., Qyf2sc. Marine deposits are in part overlain by local, mostly alluvial fan, deposits and are labeled Qomf. Grain size follows f. Even though this is an Open-File Report and includes the standard USGS Open-File disclaimer, the report closely adheres to the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. Descriptions of units can be obtained by viewing or plotting the .pdf file (3b above) or plotting the postscript file (2 above).
Water-resources data, 1970-75, for Perris Valley and vicinity, Riverside County, California
Lang, David J.
Surface-water records were collected for a 6-year period at 21 sites, and continuous precipitation records were obtained at four sites. Ground-water levels were tabulated from historical data at selected wells for 1941, 1968, and 1970. Water quality was monitored at several wells in the valley, and sediment data were collected at three surface-water gages. There was little increase in urbanization during the investigation. Riverside: A Case Study of Social Capital and Cultural Reproduction and Their Relationship to Leadership Development
Zacharakis, Jeff; Flora, Jan
This case study research is based on a 3-year project (1996-1999) in which Iowa State University Extension developed and implemented a long-term community development project based on strengthening social capital using participatory research. The results of this mapping were initially interpreted as indicating a high level of social capital, but…
Test Reviews: Newborg, J. (2005). "Battelle Developmental Inventory--Second Edition." Itasca, IL: Riverside
Bliss, Stacy L.
In this article, the author reviews the Battelle Developmental Inventory, 2nd edition (BDI-2), a criterion-referenced, individually administered, standardized assessment used to measure the developmental skills in children aged birth through 7 years, 11 months. The BDI-2 is composed of 450 items grouped into five domains (Adaptive,…
Geologic map of the Steele Peak 7.5' quadrangle, Riverside County, California
Morton, Douglas M.; digital preparation by Alvarez, Rachel M.; Diep, Van M.
a. This Readme; includes in Appendix I, data contained in stp_met.txt b. The same graphic as plotted in 2 above. Test plots have not produced 1:24,000-scale map sheets. Adobe Acrobat page size setting influences map scale. The Correlation of Map Units and Description of Map Units is in the editorial format of USGS Geologic Investigations Series (I-series) maps but has not been edited to comply with I-map standards. Within the geologic map data package, map units are identified by standard geologic map criteria such as formation-name, age, and lithology. Where known, grain size is indicated on the map by a subscripted letter or letters following the unit symbols as follows: lg, large boulders; b, boulder; g, gravel; a, arenaceous; s, silt; c, clay; e.g. Qyfa is a predominantly young alluvial fan deposit that is arenaceous. Multiple letters are used for more specific identification or for mixed units, e.g., Qfysa is a silty sand. In some cases, mixed units are indicated by a compound symbol; e.g., Qyf2sc. Marine deposits are in part overlain by local, mostly alluvial fan, deposits and are labeled Qomf. Grain size follows f. Even though this is an Open-File Report and includes the standard USGS Open-File disclaimer, the report closely adheres to the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. Descriptions of units can be obtained by viewing or plotting the .pdf file (3b above) or plotting the postscript file (2 above).
Professional Learning Communities and the Degree of Teamness in Riverside County High Schools
Roberts, Benjamin A.
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine if a significant difference in the degree of teamness in high school teams whose schools have strong evidence of the five dimensions of a Professional Learning Community, compared to high school teams in schools that do not have strong evidence of the five dimensions of a Professional Learning�
Geologic controls on the chemical behaviour of nitrate in riverside alluvial aquifers, Korea
Min, Joong-Hyuk; Yun, Seong-Taek; Kim, Kangjoo; Kim, Hyoung-Soo; Kim, Dong-Ju
To investigate the origin and behaviour of nitrate in alluvial aquifers adjacent to Nakdong River, Korea, we chose two representative sites (Wolha and Yongdang) having similar land-use characteristics but different geology. A total of 96 shallow groundwater samples were collected from irrigation and domestic wells tapping alluvial aquifers.About 63% of the samples analysed had nitrate concentrations that exceeded the Korean drinking water limit (44�3 mg l-1 NO3-), and about 35% of the samples had nitrate concentrations that exceeded the Korean groundwater quality standard for agricultural use (88�6 mg l-1 NO3-). Based on nitrogen isotope analysis, two major nitrate sources were identified: synthetic fertilizer (about 4 15N) applied to farmland, and animal manure and sewage (15-20 15N) originating from upstream residential areas. Shallow groundwater in the farmland generally had higher nitrate concentrations than those in residential areas, due to the influence of synthetic fertilizer. Nitrate concentrations at both study sites were highest near the water table and then progressively decreased with depth. Nitrate concentrations are also closely related to the geologic characteristics of the aquifer. In Yongdang, denitrification is important in regulating nitrate chemistry because of the availability of organic carbon from a silt layer (about 20 m thick) below a thin, sandy surface aquifer. In Wolha, however, conservative mixing between farmland-recharged water and water coming from a village is suggested as the dominant process. Mixing ratios estimated based on the nitrate concentrations and the 15N values indicate that water originating from the village affects the nitrate chemistry of the shallow groundwater underneath the farmland to a large extent. Preliminary Geologic Map of the Hemet 7.5' Quadrangle, Riverside County, California
Morton, Douglas M.; Matti, Jon C.
The Hemet 7.5' quadrangle is located near the eastern edge of the Perris block of the Peninsular Ranges batholith. The northeastern corner of the quadrangle extends across the San Jacinto Fault Zone onto the edge of the San Jacinto Mountains block. The Perris block is a relatively stable area located between the Elsinore Fault Zone on the west and the San Jacinto Fault Zone on the east. Both of the fault zones are active; the San Jacinto being the seismically most active in southern California. The fault zone is obscured by very young alluvial deposits. The concealed location of the San Jacinto Fault Zone shown on this quadrangle is after Sharp, 1967. The geology of the quadrangle is dominated by Cretaceous tonalite formerly included in the Coahuila Valley pluton of Sharp (1967). The northern part of Sharp's Coahuila Valley pluton is separated out as the Hemet pluton. Tonalite of the Hemet pluton is more heterogeneous than the tonalite of the Coahuila Valley pluton and has a different sturctural pattern. The Coahuila Valley pluton consists of relatively homogeneous hornblende-biotite tonalite, commonly with readily visible large euhedral honey-colored sphene crystals. Only the tip of the adjacent Tucalota Valley pluton, another large tonalite pluton, extends into the quadrangle. Tonalite of the Tucalota Valley pluton is very similar to the tonalite of the Coahuila Valley pluton except it generally lacks readily visible sphene. In the western part of the quadrangle a variety of amphibolite grade metasedimentary rocks are informally referred to as the rocks of Menifee Valley; named for exposures around Menifee Valley west of the Hemet quadrangle. In the southwestern corner of the quadrangle a mixture of schist and gneiss marks a suture that separated low metamorphic grade metasedimentary rocks to the west from high metamorphic grade rocks to the east. The age of these rocks is interpreted to be Triassic and the age of the suturing is about 100 Ma, essentially the same age as the adjacent Coahuila Valley pluton. Rocks within the suture zone consist of a mixture of lithologies from both sides of the suture. Gneiss, schist, and anatectic gneiss are the predominate lithologies within the rocks on the east side of the suture. Lesser amounts of metalithic greywacke and lenticular masses of black amphibolite are subordinate rock types. Biotite, biotite-sillimanite and lesser amounts of garnet-biotite-sillimanite schist and metaquartzite-metalithic greywacke lithologies occur west of the suture. Pleistocene continental beds, termed the Bautista beds occur east of the San Jacinto Fault Zone in the northeast corner of the quadrangle. Most of the Bautista beds were derived from the San Jacinto pluton that is located just to the east of the sedimentary rocks. Along the northern part of the quadrangle is the southern part of a large Holocene-late Pleistocene fan emanating from Baustista Canyon. Sediments in the Bautista fan are characterized by their content of detritus derived from amphibolite grade metasedimentary rocks located in the Bautista Canyon drainage. Between the Holocene-late Pleistocene Bautista fan and the Santa Rosa Hills is the remnant of a much older Bautista Canyon alluvial fan. A pronounced Holocene-late Pleistocene channel was developed along the south fringe of the very old alluvial fan and the Santa Rosa Hill. A now dissected late to middle Pleistocene alluvial complex was produced by the coalesced fans of Goodhart, St. Johns, and Avery canyons, and Cactus Valley. Pleistocene continental beds, termed the Bautista beds occur east of the San Jacinto Fault Zone in the northeast corner of the quadrangle. Most of the Bautista beds were derived from the San Jacinto pluton that is located just to the east of the sedimentary rocks. Along the northern part of the quadrangle is the southern part of a large Holocene-late Pleistocene fan emanating from Baustista Canyon. Sediments in the Bautista fan are characterized by
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine if a significant difference in the degree of teamness in high school teams whose schools have strong evidence of the five dimensions of a Professional Learning Community, compared to high school teams in schools that do not have strong evidence of the five dimensions of a Professional Learning…
The gender wage gap in the United States is a well-documented social and economic phenomenon. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 has done little to bring parity between men's and women's wages. Existing data show a relationship between race, age, geography, immigration, education, and women's pay status. This study analyzes wage disparity within higher�
Eagle Mountain Mine: geology of the former Kaiser Steel Operation in Riverside County, California
Force, Eric R.
Iron ore replaces a variety of host rocks along the two unconformities, forming massive to globular bodies, and its mineralogy correlates with deuteric alteration features, not anhydrous skarn. Its pyrite contains as much as 3% cobalt. Iron was only one of five elements that showed mobility in this region on a scale that suggests basic crustal processes. The others in probable order of flux magnitude are silica, magnesium, sodium, and potassium, to form regionally distributed “vitreous quartzite”, dolomite, and secondary feldspars, respectively.
78 FR 35314 - Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement; Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin, Riverside...
... 24, 2010 (75 FR 8395) and published a Notice of Availability for the draft SEIR/EIS on January 20, 2011 (76 FR 3655). The Environmental Protection Agency Notice of Availability was published on January 28, 2011 (76 FR 5156). The Western Municipal Water District filed a Notice of Determination...
Geologic map of the Lake Mathews 7.5' quadrangle, Riverside County, California
Morton, Douglas M.; Weber, F. Harold
a. This Readme; includes in Appendix I, data contained in lkm_met.txt b. The same graphic as plotted in 2 above. Test plots have not produced 1:24,000-scale map sheets. Adobe Acrobat page size setting influences map scale. The Correlation of Map Units and Description of Map Units is in the editorial format of USGS Miscellaneous Investigations Series (I-series) maps but has not been edited to comply with I-map standards. Within the geologic map data package, map units are identified by standard geologic map criteria such as formation-name, age, and lithology. Where known, grain size is indicated on the map by a subscripted letter or letters following the unit symbols as follows: lg, large boulders; b, boulder; g, gravel; a, arenaceous; s, silt; c, clay; e.g. Qyfa is a predominantly young alluvial fan deposit that is arenaceous.Multiple letters are used for more specific identification or for mixed units, e.g., Qfysa is a silty sand.In some cases, mixed units are indicated by a compound symbol; e.g., Qyf2sc. Marine deposits are in part overlain by local, mostly alluvial fan, deposits and are labeled Qomf. Grain size follows f. Even though this is an Open-File report and includes the standard USGS Open-File disclaimer, the report closely adheres to the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. Descriptions of units can be obtained by viewing or plotting the .pdf file (3b above) or plotting the postscript file (2 above).
Geologic map of the Valley Mountain 15’ quadrangle, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California
Howard, Keith A.; Bacheller, John; Fitzgibbon, Todd T.; Powell, Robert E.; Allen, Charlotte M.
The Valley Mountain 15’ quadrangle straddles the Pinto Mountain Fault, which bounds the eastern Transverse Ranges in the south against the Mojave Desert province in the north. The Pinto Mountains, part of the eastern Transverse Ranges in the south part of the quadrangle expose a series of Paleoproterozoic gneisses and granite and the Proterozoic quartzite of Pinto Mountain. Early Triassic quartz monzonite intruded the gneisses and was ductiley deformed prior to voluminous Jurassic intrusion of diorite, granodiorite, quartz monzonite, and granite plutons. The Jurassic rocks include part of the Bullion Mountains Intrusive Suite, which crops out prominently at Valley Mountain and in the Bullion Mountains, as well as in the Pinto Mountains. Jurassic plutons in the southwest part of the quadrangle are deeply denuded from midcrustal emplacement levels in contrast to supracrustal Jurassic limestone and volcanic rocks exposed in the northeast. Dikes inferred to be part of the Jurassic Independence Dike Swarm intrude the Jurassic plutons and Proterozoic rocks. Late Cretaceous intrusion of the Cadiz Valley Batholith in the northeast caused contact metamorphism of adjacent Jurassic plutonic rocks. The Tertiary period saw emplacement of basanitoid basalt at about 23 Ma and deposition of Miocene and (or) Pliocene ridge-capping gravels. An undated east-dipping low-angle normal fault zone in the Pinto Mountains drops hanging-wall rocks eastward and may account for part of the contrast in uplift history across the quadrangle. The eastern Transverse Ranges are commonly interpreted as severely rotated clockwise tectonically in the Neogene relative to the Mojave Desert, but similar orientations of Jurassic dike swarms suggest that any differential rotation between the two provinces is small in this quadrangle. The late Cenozoic Pinto Mountain Fault and other strike-slip faults cut Quaternary deposits in the quadrangle, with two northwest-striking faults cutting Holocene deposits. Geographic Information System and metadata on most geologic features are available on the Geologic map of the Sheep Hole Mountains 30’ by 60’ quadrangle, U.S. Geological Survey map MF–2234, scale 1:100,000, available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/mf/2002/2344/.
Geologic map and digital database of the Bachelor Mountain 7.5' quadrangle, Riverside County, California
Morton, Douglas M.; Kennedy, Michael P.; Digital preparation by Bovard, Kelly R.; Burns, Diane
Portable Document Format (.pdf) files of: This Readme; includes in Appendix I, data contained in bch_met.txt The same graphic as plotted in 2 above. Test plots have not produced precise 1:24,000- scale map sheets. Adobe Acrobat page size setting influences map scale. The Correlation of Map Units and Description of Map Units is in the editorial format of USGS Geologic Investigations Series (I-series) maps but has not been edited to comply with I-map standards. Within the geologic map data package, map units are identified by standard geologic map criteria such as formationname, age, and lithology. Where known, grain size is indicated on the map by a subscripted letter or letters following the unit symbols as follows: lg, large boulders; b, boulder; g, gravel; a, arenaceous; s, silt; c, clay; e.g. Qyfa is a predominantly young alluvial fan deposit that is arenaceous. Multiple letters are used for more specific identification or for mixed units, e.g., Qfysa is a silty sand. In some cases, mixed units are indicated by a compound symbol; e.g., Qyf2sc. Even though this is an Open-File Report and includes the standard USGS Open-File disclaimer, the report closely adheres to the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. Descriptions of units can be obtained by viewing or plotting the .pdf file (3b above) or plotting the postscript file (2 above). This Readme file describes the digital data, such as types and general contents of files making up the database, and includes information on how to extract and plot the map and accompanying graphic file. Metadata information can be accessed at http://geo-nsdi.er.usgs.gov/metadata/open-file/03-102 and is included in Appendix I of this Readme.
Semi-continuous mass closure of the major components of fine particulate matter in Riverside, CA
Grover, Brett D.; Eatough, Norman L.; Woolwine, Woods R.; Cannon, Justin P.; Eatough, Delbert J.; Long, Russell W.
The application of newly developed semi-continuous aerosol monitors allows for the measurement of all the major species of PM 2.5 on a 1-h time basis. Temporal resolution of both non-volatile and semi-volatile species is possible. A suite of instruments to measure the major chemical species of PM 2.5 allows for semi-continuous mass closure. A newly developed dual-oven Sunset carbon monitor is used to measure non-volatile organic carbon, semi-volatile organic carbon and elemental carbon. Inorganic species, including sulfate and nitrate, can be measured with an ion chromatograph based sampler. Comparison of the sum of the major chemical species in an urban aerosol with mass measured by an FDMS resulted in excellent agreement. Linear regression analysis resulted in a zero-intercept slope of 0.98±0.01 with an R2=0.86. One-hour temporal resolution of the major species of PM 2.5 may reduce the uncertainty in receptor based source apportionment modeling, will allow for better forecasting of PM 2.5 episodes, and may lead to increased understanding of related health effects.
77 FR 12543 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revised Critical Habitat for Riverside Fairy Shrimp
... FR 31686), our DEA of the proposed revised designation, and the amended required determinations... critical habitat rule (76 FR 31686; June 1, 2011); (b) Areas containing the physical and biological... revise critical habitat (76 FR 31686) for further discussion. (9) Any probable economic,...
78 FR 1130 - Domestic Dates Produced or Packed in Riverside County, CA; Decreased Assessment Rate
... rate combined with cull surplus contributions and funds contributed by the California Date Commission... from sales of cull dates are deposited into a surplus account for subsequent use by the Committee in covering the surplus pool share of the Committee's expenses. Handlers may also dispose of cull dates...
... September 15, 2010 (75 FR 56019). Copies of the proposed rule were also mailed or sent via facsimile to all... deposited in a surplus account for subsequent use by the Committee to cover the surplus pool share of the... temporarily use funds derived from assessments to defray expenses incurred in disposing of surplus dates....
Primary and secondary carbonaceous species in the atmosphere of Western Riverside County, California
Na, Kwangsam; Sawant, Aniket A.; Song, Chen; Cocker, David R.
Elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC) and PM 2.5 mass concentrations were measured from September 2001 through January 2002 in Mira Loma, CA. EC and OC were analyzed using the NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) 5040 thermal/optical transmittance method. OC concentrations in Mira Loma were found to be higher than those of other urban sites in the South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB), while EC concentrations were comparable to or lower than those of other SoCAB sites. Overall, OC and EC concentrations accounted for 26% and 5% of the total PM 2.5, respectively. OC/EC ratios ranged from 1.6 to 12.8 with an average of 5.2. These values were higher than those observed at other urban sites in the United States by a factor of 2. A stronger correlation between suspended OC and EC concentrations was noted in months with lower photochemical activity (December and January, r=0.82) than in months with greater photochemical activity (September and October, r=0.64). The elevated levels of OC, OC/EC ratios, and the seasonal difference in correlation between OC and EC concentrations were attributed in part to significant secondary organic aerosol formation. The fraction of total organic carbon that was secondary organic carbon (SOC) was estimated using the OC/EC minimum ratio method and Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) modeling. Based on the OC/EC minimum ratio method, the contribution of SOC to the total organic carbon tended to be higher during the months with greater photochemical activity (63%) than those with lower photochemical activity (44%). Based on CMB modeling, SOC contributed to 14% of the total PM 2.5 mass and 57% of the total organic carbon during the study period. Overall, these findings suggest that photochemical activity can appreciably affect total PM 2.5 mass concentrations in Mira Loma, and that measures to control emissions of SOC precursors incorporated as part of a region-wide air quality management plan could lead to a perceptible drop in total PM 2.5 mass concentrations in this area.
Using NASA climate data to improve effectiveness of undergraduate-level climate change education
Dahl, R. M.; Droser, M. L.
Global climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing society today, and yet the science of global climate change and the potential effects are poorly understood by the general population. Through a NASA Innovations in Climate Education grant, UC Riverside is addressing this disconnect by fully redesigning the undergraduate level Earth Sciences courses, which serve over 3,000 students every year. The majority of these students are not Earth Sciences majors and so these changes in the climate change education curriculum reach a very broad range of students. This new curriculum centers around a new website that hosts online activities that allows students to utilized and manipulate NASA climate data sets in order to directly observe changes in the global climate system. All lower division Earth Sciences courses will include online activities and a unit on global climate change. In addition to this general improvement in climate change education, we have restructured our lower division Climate Change course (GEO 11) to focus on these online activities in order to give students first-hand experience with both global and local climate data. Because these activities are hosted online, they can be seemlessly integrated with other online resources, accessed from school or home and be viewed on a variety of devices, thus vastly increasing student accessibility. In the future, these activities will be available to other institutions. UC Riverside is an ideal institution at which to launch a broad-reaching climate change education program like this. As one of the most socioeconomically and ethnically diverse universities and one of only two federally-designated Hispanic Serving Research Institutions, UC Riverside primarily educates undergraduate students from the portions of society that will be most heavily impacted by the effects of climate change. GEO 11 and the other lower division courses produce climate-literate students of different majors and backgrounds, who can continue on to serve as climate science advocates in society.
Overview of Dose Assessment Developments and the Health of Riverside Residents Close to the “Mayak” PA Facilities, Russia
Standring, William J.F.; Dowdall, Mark; Strand, Per
The Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) has been involved in studies related to the Mayak PA and the consequences of activities undertaken at the site for a number of years. This paper strives to present an overview of past and present activities at the Mayak PA and subsequent developments in the quantification of health effects on local populations caused by discharges of radioactive waste into the Techa River. Assessments of doses to affected populations have relied on the development of dose reconstruction techniques for both external and internal doses. Contamination levels are typically inhomogeneous and decrease with increasing distance from the discharge point. Citations made in this paper give a comprehensive, though not exhaustive, basis for further reading about this topic. PMID:19440276
77 FR 37762 - Domestic Dates Produced or Packed in Riverside County, CA; Order Amending Marketing Order 987
... supplemental rules of practice to 7 CFR part 900 (73 FR 49307; August 21, 2008). The additional supplemental... published in the Federal Register on June 14, 2011 (76 FR 34618). No comments were received. A proposed rule... 9, 2011 (76 FR 69678). This document directed that a referendum among date producers be...
Issues in the reconstruction of environmental doses on the basis of thermoluminescence measurements in the Techa riverside.
Bougrov, N G; Göksu, H Y; Haskell, E; Degteva, M O; Meckbach, R; Jacob, P
The potential of thermoluminescence measurements of bricks from the contaminated area of the Techa river valley, Southern Urals, Russia, for reconstructing external exposures of affected population groups has been studied. Thermoluminescence dating of background samples was used to evaluate the age of old buildings available on the river banks. The anthropogenic gamma dose accrued in exposed samples is determined by subtracting the natural radiation background dose for the corresponding age from the accumulated dose measured by thermoluminescence. For a site in the upper Techa river region, where the levels of external exposures were extremely high, the depth-dose distribution in bricks and the dependence of accidental dose on the height of the sampling position were determined. For the same site, Monte Carlo simulations of radiation transport were performed for different source configurations corresponding to the situation before and after the construction of a reservoir on the river and evacuation of the population in 1956. A comparison of the results provides an understanding of the features of the measured depth-dose distributions and height dependencies in terms of the source configurations and shows that bricks from the higher sampling positions are likely to have accrued a larger fraction of anthropogenic dose from the time before the construction of the reservoir. The applicability of the thermoluminescent dosimetry method to environmental dose reconstruction in the middle Techa region, where the external exposure was relatively low, was also investigated. PMID:9827504
Geologic map and digital database of the Pinto Mountain 7.5 minute quadrangle, Riverside County, California
Powell, Robert E.
The geologic map and digital database of the Pinto Mountain quadrangle are products of a regional geologic mapping effort undertaken in the eastern Transverse Ranges in and around Joshua Tree National Park. This investigation, part of the Southern California Areal Mapping Project (SCAMP), is conducted in cooperation with the California Geologic Survey and the National Park Service. In line with the goals of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP), mapping of the Pinto Mountain and other quadrangles has been directed toward generating a multipurpose digital geologic map database that is applicable to land-related investigations in the earth and biological sciences. This mapping is conducted to further understanding of bedrock geology and surficial processes in the region and to document evidence for seismotectonic activity in the eastern Transverse Ranges. It is also intended to serve as a base layer suitable for ecosystem and mineral resource assessment and for building a hydrogeologic framework for Pinto Basin. Initial investigations span Pinto Basin from the Hexie and Eagle Mountains northward into the Pinto Mountains. Quadrangles mapped include the Conejo Well 7.5-minute quadrangle (Powell, 2001a), the Porcupine Wash 7.5-minute quadrangle (Powell, 2001b), the Pinto Mountain 7.5-minute quadrangle, and the San Bernardino Wash 7.5-minute quadrangle (Powell, 2002). Parts of the Pinto Mountain quadrangle had been mapped previously at a variety of scales (Weir, and Bader, 1963; Hope, 1966, 1969; Jennings, 1967; Powell, 1981, 1993).
76 FR 29725 - Reorganization of Foreign-Trade Zone 244 Under Alternative Site Framework, Riverside County, CA
..., the Board adopted the alternative site framework (ASF) (74 FR 1170, 01/12/2009; correction 74 FR 3987, 01/22/2009; 75 FR 71069- 71070, 11/22/2010) as an option for the establishment or reorganization of... categorized as a magnet site; Whereas, notice inviting public comment was given in the Federal Register (75...
[Parasitism in fishes and human riverside communities of the Huillinco and Natri lakes (Great Island of Chiloé), Chile].
Torres, P; Ruíz, E; Rebolledo, C; Mira, A; Cubillos, V; Navarrete, N; Gesche, W; Montefusco, A; Valdés, L; Alberdi, A
In April and December 1989, 35 fish from Lake Huillinco (42 degrees 48'S, 74 degrees 02'W) and 36 fish from Lake Natri (42 degrees 48'S, 73 degrees 50'W), in the Great Island of Chiloé (Chile) were examined. Coprological samples from 159 persons, 17 dogs, 19 pigs and 4 cats from around both lakes were examined for Diphyllobothrium spp. infection. In the Lake Huillinco the following helminths of fishes were determined: Contracaecum sp. and Hysterothylacium sp. in Salmo trutta, Cauque mauleanum and Eleginops maclovinus; Dichelyne (Cucullanellus) dichelyneformis in S. trutta and E. maclovinus and Scolex pleuronectis in S. trutta. One specimen of Mugil cephalus did not show helminth parasites. Prevalence of infection were greater for Contracaecum sp. in S. trutta (75.0%) and C. mauleanum (76.0%); and Hysterothylacium sp. in E. maclovinus (75.0%). Mean intensity was higher for D. (C.) dichelyneformis in E. maclovinus. Contracaecum sp. in S. trutta, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Oncorhynchus kisutch and Galaxias maculatus; Acanthocephalus sp. in S. trutta and G. maculatus, S. pleuronectis in O. mykiss and Cystidicoloides sp. in G. maculatus were determined at Lake Natri. Prevalence and intensity of infection were higher for Contracaecum sp. in S. trutta and O. kisutch. Infection by Diphyllobothrium sp. was determined in one domestic cat. Prevalence of infection by intestinal protozoan and helminths in human population only showed significative differences for Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura that were higher in the Lake Huillinco. Importance of natural infection by helminth parasites for fish in cultured condition and possible mechanisms of infections in relation to the diet of fishes are discussed. PMID:2152358
78 FR 17718 - Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the McCoy Solar Energy Project, Riverside...
... Bureau of Land Management Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the McCoy Solar Energy...) for the McCoy Solar Energy Project (MSEP), a photovoltaic solar electricity generation project. The... proposed would have consisted of an up to 750-megawatt photovoltaic solar energy generation facility...
Salton Seismic Imaging Project Line 6: San Andreas Fault and Northern Coachella Valley Structure, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, California
Catchings, R. D.; Fuis, G.; Rymer, M. J.; Goldman, M.; Tarnowski, J. M.; Hole, J. A.; Stock, J. M.; Matti, J. C.
The Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP) is a large-scale, active- and passive-source seismic project designed to image the San Andreas fault (SAF) and adjacent basins (Imperial and Coachella Valleys) in southernmost California. Data and preliminary results from many of the seismic profiles are reported elsewhere (including Fuis et al., Rymer et al., Goldman et al., Langenheim et al., this meeting). Here, we focus on SSIP Line 6, one of four 2-D seismic profiles that were acquired across the Coachella Valley. The 44-km-long, SSIP-Line-6 seismic profile extended from the east flank of Mt. San Jacinto northwest of Palm Springs to the Little San Bernardino Mountains and crossed the SAF (Mission Creek (MCF), Banning (BF), and Garnet Hill (GHF) strands) roughly normal to strike. Data were generated by 10 downhole explosive sources (most spaced about 3 to 5 km apart) and were recorded by approximately 347 Texan seismographs (average spacing 126 m). We used first-arrival refractions to develop a P-wave refraction tomography velocity image of the upper crust along the seismic profile. The seismic data were also stacked and migrated to develop low-fold reflection images of the crust. From the surface to about 7 km depth, P-wave velocities range from about 2.5 km/s to about 7.2 km/s, with the lowest velocities within an ~2-km-deep, ~20-km-wide basin, and the highest velocities below the transition zone from the Coachella Valley to Mt. San Jacinto and within the Little San Bernardino Mountains. The BF and GHF strands bound a shallow sub-basin on the southwestern side of the Coachella Valley, but the underlying shallow-depth (~4 km) basement rocks are P-wave high in velocity (~7.2 km/s). The lack of a low-velocity zone beneath BF and GHF suggests that both faults dip northeastward. In a similar manner, high-velocity basement rocks beneath the Little San Bernardino Mountains suggest that the MCF dips vertically or southwestward. However, there is a pronounced low-velocity zone in basement rocks between about 2 and 7 km depth beneath and southwest of the MCF, suggesting a vertical or slightly southwest-dipping MCF. The apparent northeast dip of the BF and the apparent vertical or southwest dip of the MCF suggests that the two main strands of the SAF (MCF and BF) merge at about 10 km depth. A plot of double-difference earthquake hypocenters (Hauksson, 2000) along the seismic profile shows events that occurred between 1980-2000 (excluding those in 1992, prior to and after the Joshua Tree and Landers earthquakes) are largely confined to the vicinity of the basement low-velocity zone between the MCF and BF. However, a separate alignment of hypocenters occurs southwest of the BF and projects toward the surface beneath Mt. San Jacinto. Collectively, the velocity images and the seismicity data suggest the BF strand of the SAF dips to the northeast at about 50 degrees in the upper 10 km, and the MCF strand is either vertical or dips southwestward about 80 degrees, with both strands merging at about 10 km depth and forming a near-vertical zone of faults to at least 15 km depth. The SSIP Line 6 data are consistent with structures interpreted by Catchings et al. (2009).
Issues in the reconstruction of environmental doses on the basis of thermoluminescence measurements in the Techa riverside
Bougrov, N. G.; Goksu, H. Y.; Haskell, E.; Degteva, M. O.; Meckbach, R.; Jacob, P.; Neta, P. I. (Principal Investigator)
The potential of thermoluminescence measurements of bricks from the contaminated area of the Techa river valley, Southern Urals, Russia, for reconstructing external exposures of affected population groups has been studied. Thermoluminescence dating of background samples was used to evaluate the age of old buildings available on the river banks. The anthropogenic gamma dose accrued in exposed samples is determined by subtracting the natural radiation background dose for the corresponding age from the accumulated dose measured by thermoluminescence. For a site in the upper Techa river region, where the levels of external exposures were extremely high, the depth-dose distribution in bricks and the dependence of accidental dose on the height of the sampling position were determined. For the same site, Monte Carlo simulations of radiation transport were performed for different source configurations corresponding to the situation before and after the construction of a reservoir on the river and evacuation of the population in 1956. A comparison of the results provides an understanding of the features of the measured depth-dose distributions and height dependencies in terms of the source configurations and shows that bricks from the higher sampling positions are likely to have accrued a larger fraction of anthropogenic dose from the time before the construction of the reservoir. The applicability of the thermoluminescent dosimetry method to environmental dose reconstruction in the middle Techa region, where the external exposure was relatively low, was also investigated.
Preliminary Image Map of the 2007 Poomacha Fire Perimeter, Temecula Quadrangle, Riverside and San Diego Counties, California
Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
Preliminary Image Map of the 2007 Poomacha Fire Perimeter, Pechanga Quadrangle, Riverside and San Diego Counties, California
Preliminary Image Map of the 2007 Santiago Fire Perimeter, Black Star Canyon Quadrangle, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties, California
Preliminary Image Map of the 2007 Santiago Fire Perimeter, Santiago Peak Quadrangle, Orange and Riverside Counties, California
Preliminary Image Map of the 2007 Poomacha Fire Perimeter, Vail Lake Quadrangle, Riverside and San Diego Counties, California
Geologic map and digital database of the Yucaipa 7.5' quadrangle, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California
Matti, Jonathan C.; Morton, D.M.; Cox, B.F.; Carson, S.E.; Yetter, T.J.; Digital preparation by: Cossette, P.M.; Wright, M.C.; Kennedy, S.A.; Dawson, M.L.; Hauser, R.M.
This geologic database of the Yucaipa 7.5' quadrangle was prepared by the Southern California Areal Mapping Project (SCAMP), a regional geologic-mapping project sponsored jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey and the California Geological Survey. The database was developed as a contribution to the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program's National Geologic Map Database, and is intended to provide a general geologic setting of the Yucaipa quadrangle. The database and map provide information about earth materials and geologic structures, including faults and folds that have developed in the quadrangle due to complexities in the San Andreas Fault system. The Yucaipa 7.5' quadrangle contains materials and structures that provide unique insight into the Mesozoic and Cenozoic geologic evolution of southern California. Stratigraphic and structural elements include: (1) strands of the San Andreas Fault that bound far-traveled terranes of crystalline and sedimentary rock; (2) Mesozoic crystalline rocks that form lower and upper plates of the regionwide Vincent-Orocopia Thrust system; and (3) late Tertiary and Quaternary sedimentary materials and geologic structures that formed during the last million years or so and that record complex geologic interactions within the San Andreas Fault system. These materials and the structures that deform them provide the geologic framework for investigations of geologic hazards and ground-water recharge and subsurface flow. Geologic information contained in the Yucaipa database is general-purpose data that is applicable to land-related investigations in the earth and biological sciences. The term "generalpurpose" means that all geologic-feature classes have minimal information content adequate to characterize their general geologic characteristics and to interpret their general geologic history. However, no single feature class has enough information to definitively characterize its properties and origin. For this reason the database cannot be used for site-specific geologic evaluations, although it can be used to plan and guide investigations at the site-specific level.
Prevalence of viral hepatitis B and C in riverside communities of the Tucuruí Dam, Pará, Brazil.
de Almeida, Marcella Kelly Costa; Dos Santos, Kemper Nunes; Fecury, Amanda Alves; de Oliveira, Cláudia Suellen Ferro; Freitas, Andrei Silva; Quaresma, Juarez Antonio Simões; Fuzii, Hellen Thais; Martins, Luisa Caricio
Epidemiologically, the relevance of infection caused by hepatitis viruses is related mainly to their wide geographic distribution and the large number of infected individuals in all parts of the world. In this study, 668 residents from the islands around the Tucuruí Dam were selected. Blood samples were collected for investigation of serological markers (HBsAg, total anti-HBc, anti-HBS, and anti-HCV) by enzyme immunoassays. HCV-positive subjects were tested using RT-PCR and RFLP for the identification of viral genotypes. Among the 668 subjects studied, 1.9% were HBsAg positive, 28% were total anti-HBc positive, and 41.9% were anti-HBs positive. The anti-HBs marker alone (vaccine response) was detected in 25.7% of the volunteers. Anti-HCV antibody was detected in 2.2% of the subjects and genotype 1 was the predominant genotype (70%). The results indicate an intermediate level of HBV and HCV endemicity in the region studied, as well as low HBV vaccination coverage. PMID:23080495
Aquifer geometry, lithology, and water levels in the Anza–Terwilliger area—2013, Riverside and San Diego Counties, California
Landon, Matthew K.; Morita, Andrew Y.; Nawikas, Joseph M.; Christensen, Allen H.; Faunt, Claudia C.; Langenheim, Victoria E.
On the basis of data from 33 wells, water levels mostly declined between the fall of 2006 and the fall of 2013; the median decline was 5.1 feet during this period, for a median rate of decline of about 0.7 feet/year. Based on data from 40 wells, water-level changes between fall 2004 and fall 2013 were variable in magnitude and trend, but had a median decline of 2.4 feet and a median rate of decline of about 0.3 feet/ year. These differences in apparent rates of groundwater-level change highlight the value of ongoing water-level measurements to distinguish decadal, or longer term, trends in groundwater storage often associated with climatic variability and trends. Fifty-four long-term hydrographs indicated the sensitivity of groundwater levels to climatic conditions; they also showed a general decline in water levels across the study area since 1986 and, in some cases, dating back to the 1950s.
Geologic Map of the Sheep Hole Mountains 30' x 60' Quadrangle, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California
Howard, Keith A.
This data set describes and maps the geology of the Sheep Hole Mountains 30' x 60' quadrangle in southern California. The quadrangle covers an area of the Mojave Desert characterized by desert ranges separated by broad basins. Ranges include parts of the Old Woman, Ship, Iron, Coxcomb, Pinto, Bullion, and Calumet mountains as well as Lead Mountain and the Kilbeck Hills. Basins include part of Ward Valley, part of Cadiz Valley including Cadiz Lake playa, and broad valleys occupied by the Bristol Lake and Dale Lake playas. Bedrock geologic units in the ranges range in age from Proterozoic to Quaternary. The valleys expose Neogene and Quaternary deposits. Proterozoic granitoids in the quadrangle include the Early Proterozoic Fenner Gneiss, Kilbeck Gneiss, Dog Wash Gneiss, granite of Joshua Tree, the (highly peraluminous granite) gneiss of Dry Lakes valley, and a Middle Proterozoic granite. Proterozoic supracrustal rocks include the Pinto Gneiss of Miller (1938) and the quartzite of Pinto Mountain. Early Proterozoic orogeny left an imprint of metamorphic mineral assemblages and fabrics in the older rocks. A Cambrian to Triassic sequence deposited on the continental shelf lies above a profound nonconformity developed on the Proterozoic rocks. Small metamorphosed remnants of this sequence in the quadrangle include rocks correlated to the Tapeats, Bright Angel, Bonanza King, Redwall, Bird Spring, Hermit, Coconino, Kaibab, and Moenkopi formations. The Dale Lake Volcanics (Jurassic), and the McCoy Mountains Formation of Miller (1944)(Cretaceous and Jurassic?) are younger Mesozoic synorogenic supracrustal rocks in the quadrangle. Mesozoic intrusions form much of the bedrock in the quadrangle, and represent a succession of magmatic arcs. The oldest rock is the Early Triassic quartz monzonite of Twentynine Palms. Extensive Jurassic magmatism is represented by large expanses of granitoids that range in composition from gabbro to syenogranite. They include the Virginia May Quartz Monzonite and other members of the Bullion Intrusive Suite, the Chubbock Porphyry, and rocks that form the Goat Basin pluton, Music Valley pluton, and Ship Mountains pluton. The Jurassic plutons range in emplacement depths from mid-crustal to hypabysasal. Mafic and felsic dikes that probably are part of the Late Jurassic Independence dike swarm intrude the Jurassic batholithic rocks. A Mesozoic ductile fault (tectonic slide), the Scanlon thrust, places an inverted sequence of lower Paleozoic rocks and their Proterozoic basement over a lower plate of younger Paleozoic and Triassic rocks. The lower- plate rocks are internally sliced and folded. They in turn are superposed along an attenuation tectonic slide, the Kilbeck fault, over highly strained tectonic schist. The major tectonic slides and associated fabrics are cut by Late Cretaceous batholithic rocks. Widespread Late Cretaceous granitoids assigned to the Cadiz Valley batholith and the Old-Woman Piute Range batholith together form a contiguous super-unit of granite and granodiorite compositions. The Old- Woman Piute Range batholith includes the granite of Sweetwater Wash in the Painted Rock pluton and the Old Woman Mountains Granodiorite forming the Old Woman pluton. The large Cadiz Valley batholith is divided into the Iron Mountains Intrusive Suite and the Coxcomb Intrusive Suite. The Iron Mountains Intrusive Suite includes the Granite Pass Granite (which forms the Granite Pass pluton), the Danby Lake Granite Gneiss, and the Iron Granodiorite Gneiss. The Coxcomb Intrusive Suite consists of many units including the Clarks Pass Granodiorite, the Sheep Hole Mountains Granodiorite (forms the Sheep Hole Mountains pluton), and the Sheep Hole Pass Granite (forms the Sheep Hole Pass pluton). The Cretaceous rocks were emplaced at a range of deep to shallow depths, and their intrusion resulted in an aureole 2-3 km wide in older rocks. Mylonitic fabrics developed through a thickness of >1.3 km, together
Technology Licensing for the Benefit of the Developing World: UC Berkeley's Socially Responsible Licensing Program
Mimura, Carol
In the years since the passage of the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, university technology transfer success has been measured primarily by traditional metrics such as numbers of patents filed, revenue obtained from licensed patents and numbers of start-up companies founded to commercialize university intellectual property. Intellectual property (IP)�
Monitoring Based Commissioning: Benchmarking Analysis of 24 UC/CSU/IOU Projects
Mills, Evan; Mathew, Paul
Buildings rarely perform as intended, resulting in energy use that is higher than anticipated. Building commissioning has emerged as a strategy for remedying this problem in non-residential buildings. Complementing traditional hardware-based energy savings strategies, commissioning is a 'soft' process of verifying performance and design intent and correcting deficiencies. Through an evaluation of a series of field projects, this report explores the efficacy of an emerging refinement of this practice, known as monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx). MBCx can also be thought of as monitoring-enhanced building operation that incorporates three components: (1) Permanent energy information systems (EIS) and diagnostic tools at the whole-building and sub-system level; (2) Retro-commissioning based on the information from these tools and savings accounting emphasizing measurement as opposed to estimation or assumptions; and (3) On-going commissioning to ensure efficient building operations and measurement-based savings accounting. MBCx is thus a measurement-based paradigm which affords improved risk-management by identifying problems and opportunities that are missed with periodic commissioning. The analysis presented in this report is based on in-depth benchmarking of a portfolio of MBCx energy savings for 24 buildings located throughout the University of California and California State University systems. In the course of the analysis, we developed a quality-control/quality-assurance process for gathering and evaluating raw data from project sites and then selected a number of metrics to use for project benchmarking and evaluation, including appropriate normalizations for weather and climate, accounting for variations in central plant performance, and consideration of differences in building types. We performed a cost-benefit analysis of the resulting dataset, and provided comparisons to projects from a larger commissioning 'Meta-analysis' database. A total of 1120 deficiency-intervention combinations were identified in the course of commissioning the projects described in this report. The most common location of deficiencies was in HVAC equipment (65% of sites), followed by air-handling and distributions systems (59%), cooling plant (29%), heating plants (24%), and terminal units (24%). The most common interventions were adjusting setpoints, modifying sequences of operations, calibration, and various mechanical fixes (each done in about two-thirds of the sites). The normalized rate of occurrence of deficiencies and corresponding interventions ranged from about 0.1/100ksf to 10/100ksf, depending on the issue. From these interventions flowed significant and highly cost-effective energy savings For the MBCx cohort, source energy savings of 22 kBTU/sf-year (10%) were achieved, with a range of 2% to 25%. Median electricity savings were 1.9 kWh/sf-year (9%), with a range of 1% to 17%. Peak electrical demand savings were 0.2 W/sf-year (4%), with a range of 3% to 11%. The aggregate commissioning cost for the 24 projects was $2.9 million. We observed a range of normalized costs from $0.37 to 1.62/sf, with a median value of $1.00/sf for buildings that implemented MBCx projects. Per the program design, monitoring costs as a percentage of total costs are significantly higher in MBCx projects (median value 40%) than typical commissioning projects included in the Meta-analysis (median value of 2% in the commissioning database). Half of the projects were in buildings containing complex and energy-intensive laboratory space, with higher associated costs. Median energy cost savings were $0.25/sf-year, for a median simple payback time of 2.5 years. Significant and cost-effective energy savings were thus obtained. The greatest absolute energy savings and shortest payback times were achieved in laboratory-type facilities. While impacts varied from project to project, on a portfolio basis we find MBCx to be a highly cost-effective means of obtaining significant program-level energy savings across a variety of building types. Energy savings are expected to be more robust and persistent for MBCx projects than for conventionally commissioned ones. Impacts of future programs can be maximized by benchmarking energy use and targeting the commissioning towards particularly energy-intensive facilities such as laboratories.
UC Berkeley Nuclear Engineering Curriculum and Research Enhancement. Final report, February 14, 1993--February 14, 1995
Fowler, T.K.; Peterson, P.F.
This is a report for the 2/14/93 to 2/14/95 period of the five-year program proposed and initiated in 1992, for curriculum and research enhancement for the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. The program is designed to strengthen the departmental academic infrastructure and improve the education breadth of nuclear engineering students. The DOE funds have supported scholarships and a novel educational program which includes summer coursework at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. The summer course provides an important introduction to reactor safety and operations to students who will in the future be responsible for running many of our existing nuclear power plants. The work was funded under DOE contract DE-FG0393ER75856, with a matching gift to the Department from the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). The program described in the original grant proposal has been successful implemented with an enthusiastic response from our students and faculty. The program consisted of two parts, one for innovative additions to our curriculum funded by the DOE, and the other for distinguished lectureships and support for basic research funded by gifts from PG&E.
Thermal management for LLNL/UC/SSRL bending magnet beamline VIII at Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory
Berglin, E.J.; Younger, F.C.
All the important heat loads on the elements of Beamline VIII are cataloged. The principal elements are identified and their heat loads tabulated for various loading scenarios. The expected heat loads are those from normal operations including the anticipated performance improvements planned for the SPEAR ring and from abnormal operations due to positional perturbations of the electron beam. (LEW)
College Costs and Family Income: The Affordability Issue at UC and CSU. Report 11-02
Jones, Jessika
Rising costs are putting an education at California's public universities out of reach for many Californians. Eroding state funding for higher education has meant that more costs are passed on to students and their families in the form of increased fees. Room and board and other costs have grown much faster than inflation. Incomes have not kept…
The Society for Women in the Physical Sciences: a successful mentoring program at UC Berkeley
Lang, Kristine
The Society for Women in the Physical Sciences (SWPS, http://socrates.berkeley.edu/ swps) at the University of California at Berkeley has been up and running successfully for three years. This organization aims to increase the number of women undergrad majors in physics, astronomy, and geology and to foster a general sense of community among all the women in these departments: faculty, postdocs, and students. The program consists of three parts: mentoring, events, and resources. The mentoring portion pairs 4 to 5 undergraduate women with one graduate mentor. These mentoring groups meet approximately weekly to visit labs, work on homework, go to science museums, or just talk and gather ideas from one another. SWPS also organizes monthly events that include all members of the department and which have in the past been social events, workshops, or discussion forums. Finally, SWPS writes and distributes, on paper and on our website, a series of guides which make “informal” information, such as where are the quiet places to study, more easily available. During this talk I will present more of the details of this program. In addition, I will present anecdotal and quantitative results of the program at Berkeley and discuss how this program has been implemented at other universities. Finally, I will discuss the general strategies behind the program and how they can be applied to other programs aimed at women in science.
A Community of Scientists and Educators: The Compass Project at UC Berkeley
Roth, Nathaniel; Schwab, Josiah
The Berkeley Compass Project is a self-formed group of graduate and undergraduate students in the physical sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. Its goals are to improve undergraduate physics education, provide opportunities for professional development, and increase retention of students from populations underrepresented in the physical sciences. For undergraduate students, the core Compass experience consists of a summer program and several seminar courses. These programs are designed to foster a diverse, collaborative student community in which students engage in authentic research practices and regular self-reflection. Graduate students, together with upper-level undergraduates, design and run all Compass programs. Compass strives to incorporate best practices from the science education literature. Experiences in Compass leave participants poised to be successful students researchers, teachers, and mentors.
Correlates of Success in Chemistry 1A at UC [University of California] Irvine.
Bailiff, Norman Lynn, Jr.; Jacobs, Marion K.
This paper discusses correlates (not causes) of success in a college chemistry class. It focuses on the immediate and practical concern of identifying those antecedent variables which, because of their close association with success in chemistry, could be used to predict success. Multiple regression analysis determined that the most satisfactory…
UC/MALDI-MS analysis of HDL; evidence for density-dependent post-translational modifications
Johnson, Jeffery D.; Henriquez, Ronald R.; Tichy, Shane E.; Russell, David H.; McNeal, Catherine J.; Macfarlane, Ronald D.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether the nature of the post-translational modifications of the major apolipoproteins of HDL is different for density-distinct subclasses. These subclasses were separated by ultracentrifugation using a novel density-forming solute to yield a high-resolution separation. The serum of two subjects, a control with a normolipidemic profile and a subject with diagnosed cardiovascular disease, was studied. Aliquots of three HDL subclasses were analyzed by MALDI and considerable differences were seen when comparing density-distinct subclasses and also when comparing the two subjects. A detailed analysis of the post-translational modification pattern of apoA-1 shows evidence of considerable protease activity, particularly in the more dense fractions. We conclude that part of the heterogeneity of the population of HDL particles is due to density-dependent protease activity. PMID:19050741
In the years since the passage of the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, university technology transfer success has been measured primarily by traditional metrics such as numbers of patents filed, revenue obtained from licensed patents and numbers of start-up companies founded to commercialize university intellectual property. Intellectual property (IP)…
New UCSF proton ocular beam facility at the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory Cyclotron (UC Davis)
Daftari, I. K.; Renner, T. R.; Verhey, L. J.; Singh, R. P.; Nyman, M.; Petti, P. L.; Castro, J. R.
A new facility has been constructed at the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory at University of California Davis for the purpose of treating ocular tumors using the 67.5 MeV protons from the 76-in. isochronous cyclotron. Beam line design, commissioning, control system, beam characteristics, dosimetry, patient positioner and system performance are discussed. The unmodulated Bragg peak has a penetration of 29 mm in tissue at the isocenter with a peak to plateau ratio of 3.8:1 and a width of 5 mm (FWHM measured in water). The delivered dose is monitored by two transmission ionization chambers which are calibrated against a thimble ionization chamber with an NIST-traceable 60Co calibration factor. The Bragg peak is spread across the target volume by the use of range modulators. The residual range is varied by means of a variable water column. Daily variation in patient dosimetry is within ±3%. The beam penumbra (defined here as the distance between the 90% and 10% isodose levels) is 1.5 mm for a range-modulated beam at a collimator-to-isocenter distance of 50 mm. The beam flatness in a 25 mm diameter beam is within ±2% and the beam symmetry is ±1%. In the first 18 months, 50 patients have been treated with an average field size of 16.8 × 16.6 mm 2. The residual range varied between 13.0 mm to 29.2 mm with an average value of 22.4 mm, and the range modulation varied between 16 mm to 24 mm with an average value of 20 mm. The tumor thickness (height) ranged between 1.2 to 11.5 mm with mean of 5.2 mm. The age of the patients ranged from 25 to 88 yr.
UC Berkeley's Undocumented Student Program: Holistic Strategies for Undocumented Student Equitable Success across Higher Education
Sanchez, Ruben Elias Canedo; So, Meng L.
In this essay, Ruben Elias Canedo Sanchez and Meng L. So share the history and development of the Undocumented Student Program at the University of California, Berkeley. In describing the creation of the program, the authors offer reflections on the strategies employed to holistically support undocumented students' success on campus. By drawing on…
... and low alloy steel Class I, I-L, and II-L vessels regardless of thickness. (Refer to Table 54.01-5(b) for applicable requirements.) (b) Cargo tanks which are fabricated of carbon or low alloy steel...
A Total Systems Approach: Reducing Workers' Compensation Costs at UC Davis.
Kukulinsky, Janet C.
The University of California (Davis) has revamped its workers' compensation program by improving accountability and safety, implementing safety training, informing workers of the costs of the workers' compensation program, designating a physician and physical therapist, giving light duty to injured employees, using sports medicine techniques, and…
Evaluating a Science Diversity Program at UC Berkeley: More Questions than Answers
Matsui, John; Liu, Roger; Kane, Caroline M.
For the past three decades, much attention has been focused on developing diversity programs designed to improve the academic success of underrepresented minorities, primarily in mathematics, science, and engineering. However, ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in science majors and careers. Over the last 10 years, the Biology Scholars…
U.C. Davis high energy particle physics research: Technical progress report -- 1990
Summaries of progress made for this period is given for each of the following areas: (1) Task A--Experiment, H1 detector at DESY; (2) Task C--Experiment, AMY detector at KEK; (3) Task D--Experiment, fixed target detectors at Fermilab; (4) Task F--Experiment, PEP detector at SLAC and pixel detector; (5) Task B--Theory, particle physics; and (6) Task E--Theory, particle physics.
EXFILE: A program for compiling irradiation data on UN and UC fuel pins
Mayer, J. T.; Smith, R. L.; Weinstein, M. B.; Davison, H. W.
A FORTRAN-4 computer program for handling fuel pin data is described. Its main features include standardized output, easy access for data manipulation, and tabulation of important material property data. An additional feature allows simplified preparation of input decks for a fuel swelling computer code (CYGRO-2). Data from over 300 high temperature nitride and carbide based fuel pin irradiations are listed.
Operating Efficiencies at Some UC and CSU Comparator Universities. Report 11-03
Sidarous, Natalie
In December 2010, the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) staff surveyed public universities in other states to learn how they have dealt with cuts in state funding. All of the institutions CPEC surveyed have increased tuition and or fees at least once in the last two fiscal years, and many project additional increases. All have�
Development of a coded-aperture backscatter imager using the UC San Diego HEXIS detector
Faust, Anthony A.; Rothschild, Richard E.; Heindl, William A.
Defence R&D Canada-Suffield and the University of California, San Diego, have recently begun a collaborative effort to develop a coded aperture based X-ray backscatter imaging detector that will provide sufficient speed, contrast and spatial resolution to detect antipersonnel landmines and improvised explosive devices. While our final objective is to field a hand-held detector, we have currently constrained ourselves to a design that can be fielded on a small robotic platform. Coded aperture imaging has been used by the observational X-ray and gamma ray astronomy community for a number of years, which has driven advances in detector design that is now being realized in systems that are substantially faster, cheaper and lighter than those only a decade ago. With these advances, a coded aperture hand-held imaging system has only recently become a possibility. One group at the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California, San Diego, has had a longterm programme developing the CZT based HEXIS detector as the detection element of a coded aperture imager. Designed as a satellite payload, this low-power system is ruggedized and light-weight, all necessary qualities for incorporation into the envisioned portable imaging system. This paper will begin with an introduction to the landmine and improvised explosive device detection problem, followed by a discussion of the HEXIS detector. We will then present early results from our proof-of-principle experiments, and conclude with a discussion on future work.
The U.C. Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory and Department of Physics Submillimeter Receiver
Harris, A. I.; Jaffe, D. T.; Genzel, R.
The UCB submm heterodyne receiver is a complete system for high-resolution astronomical spectroscopy in the 350-micron and 450-micron atmospheric windows. This compact system mounts directly at the Cassegrain focus of large optical and IR telescopes. It consists of a laser local oscillator, open structure mixer, quasi-optical coupling system, a broad-band IF system, and an acoustooptical spectrometer. The local oscillator is a 1-m-long submm laser optically pumped by a CO2 laser. The mixer is a quasi-optical corner-cube antenna structure and Schottky diode. The mixer is currently operated at room temperature, and its performance at 77 K is being evaluated. The system noise temperature is less than 7000 K SSB during observations.
Characterization Test Report for the Mnemonics-UCS Wireless Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor System
Duncan, Joshua J.; Youngquist, Robert C.
The scope of this testing includes the Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor System delivered to KSC: two interrogator (transceiver) systems, four temperature sensors, with wooden mounting blocks, two antennas, two power supplies, network cables, and analysis software. Also included are a number of additional temperature sensors and newly-developed hydrogen sensors
University as Publisher: Summary of a Meeting Held at UC Berkeley on November 1, 2007
Harley, Diane, Ed.
With the advent of electronic publishing, the scholarly communication landscape at universities has become increasingly diverse. Multiple stakeholders including university presses, libraries, and central IT departments are challenged by the increasing volume and the rapidity of production of these new forms of publication in an environment of…
CAMPARE and Cal-Bridge: Two Institutional Networks Increasing Diversity in Astronomy
Rudolph, Alexander L.; Impey, Chris David; Smecker-Hane, Tammy A.
We describe two programs, CAMPARE and Cal-Bridge, with the common mission of increasing participation of groups traditionally underrepresented in astronomy, through summer research opportunities, in the case of CAMPARE, scholarships in the case of Cal-Bridge, and significant mentoring in both programs, leading to an increase in their numbers successfully pursuing a PhD in the field.In 6 years, the CAMPARE program has sent 62 students, >85% from underrepresented groups, to conduct summer research at one of twelve major research institutions in California, Arizona, and Wyoming. The graduation rate among CAMPARE scholars is 97%, and of the 37 CAMPARE scholars who have graduated with a Bachelor's degree, almost 60% (21) have completed or are pursuing graduate education in astronomy or a related field, at institutions including UCLA, USC, UC Riverside, Stanford, Univ. of Rochester, Georgia Tech, Kent State, Indiana Univ., Univ. of Oregon, Syracuse, and the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master's-to-PhD program. The Cal-Bridge program is a CSU-UC Bridge program comprised of faculty form 5 University of California (UC), 8 California State University (CSU), and 8 California Community College (CCC) campuses in Southern California. Cal-Bridge provides much deeper mentoring and professional development experiences over the last two years of undergraduate and first year of graduate school to students from this diverse network of higher education institutions. Cal-Bridge Scholars benefit from financial support, intensive, joint mentoring by CSU and UC faculty, professional development workshops, and exposure to research opportunities at the participating UC campuses.
22. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Gage Canal Company ...
22. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Gage Canal Company Office), photographer and date unknown. 'FLUME NO. 9, 'GAGE CANAL SYSTEM,' RIVERSIDE, CAL.' VIEW OF FLUME OVER TEQUESQUITE ARROYO. - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
Site Plan & Site Section of Citrus Landscape (Showing Relationship ...
Site Plan & Site Section of Citrus Landscape (Showing Relationship of Victoria Avenue to Citrus Groves) - Arlington Heights Citrus Landscape, Southwestern portion of city of Riverside, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
Site Plan & Site Section of Citrus Landscape (Showing Relationship of Groves & Irrigation System to Grove Canal) - Arlington Heights Citrus Landscape, Southwestern portion of city of Riverside, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
Does chronic nitrogen deposition during biomass growth affect atmospheric emissions from biomass burning?
Giordano, Michael R.; Chong, Joey; Weise, David R.; Asa-Awuku, Akua A.
Chronic nitrogen deposition has measureable impacts on soil and plant health. We investigate burning emissions from biomass grown in areas of high and low NO x deposition. Gas and aerosol-phase emissions were measured as a function of photochemical aging in an environmental chamber at UC-Riverside. Though aerosol chemical speciation was not available, results indicate a systemic compositional difference between biomass grown in high and low deposition areas. Aerosol emissions from biomass grown in areas of high NO x deposition exhibit a lower volatility than biomass grown in a low deposition area. Furthermore, fuel elemental analysis, NO x emission rates, and aerosol particle number distributions differed significantly between the two sites. Despite the limited scale of fuels explored, there is strong evidence that the atmospheric emissions community must pay attention to the regional air quality of biomass fuels growth areas.
The Management of Intercollegiate Athletics at UC Berkeley: Turning Points and Consequences. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.12.13
Cummins, John; Hextrum, Kirsten
This white paper was prepared at the request of the Advisory Committee to the Athletic Study Center as a result of their concern over poor graduation rates in football as released by the NCAA in 2012. The paper received extensive review by the members of that committee as well as several other knowledgeable faculty and senior administrators before…
Peacebook: A Resource Guide for Peace Studies at U.C. Berkeley, 1982-83 [and] 1983-84.
Peace Studies Student Association.
A series of essays and lists of resource materials as well as courses relevant to peace studies at the University of California Berkeley are presented in the two guides. Topics of the 1982-83 guide include the undergraduate major in Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS), a proposed curriculum, core courses, concentration area courses (social systems,…
The Birth of a Research University: UC Merced, No Small Miracle. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.14.11
Desrochers, Lindsay Ann
In 1960, the State of California adopted a Master Plan for Higher Education which was a three tiered plan intended to channel students according to their ability to either the University of California, the California State University or the California community colleges and a plan which limited the doctoral and research missions to the University…
Doing Much More with Less: Implementing Operational Excellence at UC Berkeley. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.10.13
Szeri, Andrew J.; Lyons, Richard; Huston, Peggy; Wilton, John
Universities are undergoing historic change, from the sharp downward shift in government funding to widespread demands to document performance. At the University of California Berkeley, this led to an operational change effort unlike any the university had ever attempted, dubbed Operational Excellence. The authors describe their experiences…
Translational nutrition research at UC-Davis – the key role of the clinical and translational science center
To better understand the facility and equipment needs for human clinical nutrition research the New York Academy of Sciences presented a symposium. This paper is the result of that symposium and provides information into how clinical nutrition research is conducted at the Clinical and Translational ...
EngageUC: Developing an Efficient and Ethical Approach to Biobanking Research at the University of California.
Garrett, Sarah B; Koenig, Barbara A; Brown, Arleen; Hult, Jen R; Boyd, Elizabeth A; Dry, Sarah; Dohan, Daniel
Biorepositories, or biobanks, provide researchers with access to biological samples and associated data in support of translational research. Efficient operation and ethical stewardship of biobanks involves coordinated efforts among multiple stakeholders including researchers who manage and use the repository, institutional officials charged with its oversight, and patients and volunteers who contribute samples and data. As advancements in translational research increasingly involve more data derived from larger numbers of diverse samples, the size and governance challenges facing biorepositories have grown. We describe an approach to developing efficient and ethical biobank governance that includes all major stakeholders. This model provides a pathway for addressing the technical and ethical challenges that must be resolved to ensure biorepositories continue to support translational research. PMID:25581047
Training the Translational Research Teams of the Future: UC Davis - HHMI Integrating Medicine into Basic Science Program
Knowlton, Anne A.; Rainwater, Julie A.; Chiamvimonvat, Nipavan; Bonham, Ann C.; Robbins, John A.; Henderson, Stuart; Meyers, Frederick J.
There is a need for successful models of how to recruit, train, and retain bench scientists at the earliest stages of their careers into translational research. One recent, promising model is the University of California Davis Howard Hughes Medical Institute Integrating Medicine into Basic Science (HHMI-IMBS) program, part of the HHMI Med into Grad initiative. This article outlines the HHMI-IMBS program’s logic, design, and curriculum that guide the goal of research that moves from bedside to bench. That is, a curriculum that provides graduate students with guided translational training, clinical exposure, team science competencies and mentors from diverse disciplines that will advance the students careers in clinical translational research and re-focusing of research to answer clinical dilemmas. The data indicate that this training program provides an effective, adaptable model for training future translational researchers. HHMI-IMBS students showed improved confidence in conducting translational research, greater interest in a future translational career, and higher levels of research productivity and collaborations than a comparable group of pre-doctoral students. PMID:24127920
East Asian hydroclimate and agro-ecosystem research using the UC-LLNL regional climate system model
Miller, N.L.; Kim, J.; Chung, T.; Oh, J.; Bae, D.
Investigations of East Asian hydroclimate and agro-ecosystem response to hydroclimate variability have been initiated using the University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Regional Climate System Model (RCSM). This system simulates climate from the global scale down to the watershed catchment scale, and consists of data pre- and post-processors, and four model components. The four model components are (1) a mesoscale atmospheric simulation model, (2) a soil-plant-snow model, (3) a watershed hydrology-riverflow modeling suite, and (4) a crop response modeling suite. The first three model components have been coupled, and the system includes two-way feedbacks between the soil-plant-snow model and the mesoscale atmospheric simulation model. Integration of the fourth component - the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) into the RCSM is part of our current research plan. This paper provides a brief overview of agro-ecosystem modeling, the RCSM, applications of the RCSM to East Asia, and future directions.
46 CFR 54.25-8 - Radiography (modifies UW-11(a), UCS-57, UNF-57, UHA-33, and UHT-57).
... VIII of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (incorporated by reference; see 46 CFR 54.01-1) does...) MARINE ENGINEERING PRESSURE VESSELS Construction With Carbon, Alloy, and Heat Treated Steels §...
Possible role of laccase from Fusarium incarnatum UC-14 in bioremediation of Bisphenol A using reverse micelles system.
Chhaya, Urvish; Gupte, Akshaya
Bisphenol A [2,2 bis (4 hydroxyphenyl) propane] is widely used in the variety of industrial and residential applications such as the synthesis of polymers including polycarbonates, epoxy resins, phenol resins, polyesters and polyacrylates. BPA has been recognized as an Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDC), thus it is necessary to assess its biodegradability or fate in the natural environment. In general, environmental pollutant such as BPA does not dissolve in aqueous media, owing to their high hydrophobicity, and hence non-aqueous catalysis can be employed to enhance biodegradability of phenolic environmental pollutant. Purified laccase hosted in reverse micelles using ternary system of isooctane: AOT [Bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulphosuccinate sodium salt)]:water having hydration ratio (Wo) of 30 with protein concentration of 43.5 ?g/ml was found to eliminate 91.43% of 200 ppm of Bisphenol A at 50 �C, pH-6.0 when incubated with laccase/Reverse Micelles system for 75 min. GC-MS analysis of isooctane soluble fractions detected the presence of 4,4'-(2 hydroxy propane 1,2 diyl) diphenol, bis (4-hydroxylphenyl) butenal and 2-(1-(4-hydroxyphenyl) vinyl) pent-2-enal indicated degradation of BPA by two oxidation steps and one ring opening step (C-C bond cleavage). Laccase/RM system exhibited several advantages for the oxidative degradation of hydrophobic phenols mainly because of the solubility of either enzyme or substrate was improved in organic media and the stable activity of laccase in organic media was achieved. PMID:23611799
U.C. Davis particle physics research. Final technical progress report, May 1, 1970--February 28, 1989
During the period of this contract, the participants carried out theoretical and experimental researches in high energy particle physics. The experiment group has been working with both bubble chamber and electronic detectors. The bubble chamber work made use of bubble chambers and particle beams at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Fermilab, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. The different electronic detectors were the TPC/Two Gamma facility situated at the PEP electron-positron collider at SLAC, the AMY detector at TRISTAN, the electron-positron collider at KEK in Japan, fixed target detectors at Fermilab, and a hybrid bubble chamber/electronic detector at SLAC. Negotiations were also started with the H1 collaboration for a UCD participation at the upcoming Hera electron-proton collider. The theoretical groups have been engaged in a wide variety of studies. Phenomenological studies of high energy interactions have constituted a major fraction of the effort, particularly those associated with the higgs field, various aspects of supersymmetry, and searches for new physics. Work on reactions associated with ee, ep, and hadron colliders has been extensive and includes many analyses providing tests of QCD. Lattice gauge theory has been a major area of work, and electroweak physics and mathematical physics have also been topics of study. Work has been published on heavy flavor decays and CP noninvariance, super symmetry, Yang-Mills theory and electroweak symmetry breaking as well as string theory.
Training the translational research teams of the future: UC Davis-HHMI Integrating Medicine into Basic Science program.
Knowlton, Anne A; Rainwater, Julie A; Chiamvimonvat, Nipavan; Bonham, Ann C; Robbins, John A; Henderson, Stuart; Meyers, Frederick J
There is a need for successful models of how to recruit, train, and retain bench scientists at the earliest stages of their careers into translational research. One recent, promising model is the University of California Davis Howard Hughes Medical Institute Integrating Medicine into Basic Science (HHMI-IMBS) program, part of the HHMI Med into Grad initiative. This paper outlines the HHMI-IMBS program's logic, design, and curriculum that guide the goal of research that moves from bedside to bench. That is, a curriculum that provides graduate students with guided translational training, clinical exposure, team science competencies, and mentors from diverse disciplines that will advance the students careers in clinical translational research and re-focusing of research to answer clinical dilemmas. The authors have collected data on 55 HHMI-IMBS students to date. Many of these students are still completing their graduate work. In the current study the authors compare the initial two cohorts (15 students) with a group of 29 control students to examine the program success and outcomes. The data indicate that this training program provides an effective, adaptable model for training future translational researchers. HHMI-IMBS students showed improved confidence in conducting translational research, greater interest in a future translational career, and higher levels of research productivity and collaborations than a comparable group of predoctoral students. PMID:24127920
U.C. Davis particle physics research. Final technical progress report, March 1, 1989--August 31, 1992
During the period of this contract, the participants carried out theoretical and experimental researches in high energy particle physics. The experimental group has been working at Fermilab studying the collisions of high energy hadrons on fixed targets; at the KEK laboratory in Japan participating in the AMY collaboration at the high energy electron-positron collider, Tristan; at the DESY laboratory in Germany participating in the H1 collaboration at the newly commissioned electron-proton collider, Hera; and in collaboration with LBL on pixel detector design for the SSC, while waiting for high luminosity running to start at PEP. The theoretical group has been engaged in phenomenological studies of high energy interactions, particularly those associated with the higgs field and various aspects of symmetry breaking, heavy flavor decays and CP noninvariance, super symmetry, Yang-Mills theory and electroweak symmetry breaking. Lattice gauge calculations on finite temperature phase transitions have also been under study, as well as work on string theory.
Evidence of Short Timescale Flux Density Variations of UC HII Regions in Sgr B2 Main and North
De Pree, C. G.; Peters, T.; Mac Low, M. M.; Wilner, D. J.; Goss, W. M.; Galván-Madrid, R.; Keto, E. R.; Klessen, R. S.; Monsrud, A.
We have recently published observations of significant flux density variations at 1.3 cm in H ii regions in the star-forming regions Sgr B2 Main and North. To further study these variations, we have made new 7 mm continuum and recombination line observations of Sgr B2 at the highest possible angular resolution of the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). We have observed Sgr B2 Main and North at 42.9 GHz and at 45.4 GHz in the BnA configuration (Main) and the A configuration (North). We compare these new data to archival VLA 7 mm continuum data of Sgr B2 Main observed in 2003 and Sgr B2 North observed in 2001. We find that 1 of the 41 known ultracompact and hypercompact H ii regions in Sgr B2 (K2-North) has decreased ∼27% in flux density from 142 ± 14 to 103 ± 10 mJy (2.3σ) between 2001 and 2012. A second source, F3c-Main, has increased ∼30% in flux density from 82 ± 8 to 107 ± 11 mJy (1.8σ) between 2003 and 2012. F3c-Main was previously observed to increase in flux density at 1.3 cm over a longer time period between 1989 and 2012. An observation of decreasing flux density, such as that observed in K2-North, is particularly significant since such a change is not predicted by the classical hypothesis of steady expansion of H ii regions during massive star accretion. Our new observations at 7 mm, along with others in the literature, suggest that the formation of massive stars occurs through time-variable and violent accretion.
Array-based transcriptional analysis of Clostridium sporogenes UC9000 during germination, cell outgrowth and vegetative life.
Bassi, Daniela; Cappa, Fabrizio; Cocconcelli, Pier Sandro
The members of the genus Clostridium, including the spore-forming anaerobic bacteria, have a complex and strictly regulated life cycle, but very little is known about the genetic pathways involved in the different stages of their life cycle. Clostridium sporogenes, a Gram-positive bacterium usually involved in food spoilage and frequently isolated from late blowing cheese, is genetically indistinguishable from the proteolytic Clostridium botulinum. As the non-neurotoxic counterpart, it is often used as an exemplar for the toxic subtypes. In this work, we performed a microscopic study combined with a custom array-based analysis of the C. sporogenes cycle, from dormant spores to the early stationary phase. We identified a total of 211 transcripts in spores, validating the hypothesis that mRNAs are abundant in spores and the pattern of mRNA expression is strikingly different from that present in growing cells. The spore transcripts included genes responsible for different life-sustaining functions, suggesting there was transcript entrapment or basic poly-functional gene activation for future steps. In addition, 3 h after the beginning of the germination process, 20% of the total up-regulated genes were temporally expressed in germinating spores. The vegetative condition appeared to be more active in terms of gene transcription and protein synthesis than the spore, and genes coding for germination and sporulation factors seemed to be expressed at this point. These results suggest that spores are not silent entities, and a broader knowledge of the genetic pathways involved in the Clostridium life cycle could provide a better understanding of pathogenic clostridia types. PMID:23122496
Measurement of Casimir force with magnetic materials Alexandr Banishev, Chia-Cheng Chang, Umar Mohideen Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, USA
Banishev, Alexandr; Chang, Chia-Cheng; Mohideen, Umar
The Casimir effect is important in various fields from atomic physics to nanotechnology. According to the Lifshitz theory of the Casimir force, the interaction between two objects depends both on their dielectric permittivity and magenetic permeability. Thus the role of magnetic properties on the Casimir force is interesting particularly due to the possibility of a reduction the Casimir force. In this report we will present the results of a Casimir force measurement between a magnetic material such as nickel coated on SiO2 plate and a Au-coated sphere.
Results of a shallow seismic-refraction survey in the Little Valley Area near hemet, Riverside County, California. Water resources investigation
Duell, L.F.W.
This report presents the results of seismic-refraction surveys that were conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey to obtain subsurface data in and adjacent to Little Valley near Hemet, California. All data were collected in August 1993 and June and July 1994. Presented in this report are a description of the seismic-refraction methods used, selected records of the data that were collected, and a discussion of the results of the survey.
High-resolution seismic reflection/refraction imaging from Interstate 10 to Cherry Valley Boulevard, Cherry Valley, Riverside County, California: implications for water resources and earthquake hazards
Gandhok, G.; Catchings, R.D.; Goldman, M.R.; Horta, E.; Rymer, M.J.; Martin, P.; Christensen, A.
This report is the second of two reports on seismic imaging investigations conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) during the summers of 1997 and 1998 in the Cherry Valley area in California (Figure 1a). In the first report (Catchings et al., 1999), data and interpretations were presented for four seismic imaging profiles (CV-1, CV-2, CV-3, and CV-4) acquired during the summer of 1997 . In this report, we present data and interpretations for three additional profiles (CV-5, CV-6, and CV-7) acquired during the summer of 1998 and the combined seismic images for all seven profiles. This report addresses both groundwater resources and earthquake hazards in the San Gorgonio Pass area because the shallow (upper few hundred meters) subsurface stratigraphy and structure affect both issues. The cities of Cherry Valley and Beaumont are located approximately 130 km (~80 miles) east of Los Angeles, California along the southern alluvial fan of the San Bernardino Mountains (see Figure 1b). These cities are two of several small cities that are located within San Gorgonio Pass, a lower-lying area between the San Bernardino and the San Jacinto Mountains. Cherry Valley and Beaumont are desert cities with summer daytime temperatures often well above 100 o F. High water usage in the arid climate taxes the available groundwater supply in the region, increasing the need for efficient management of the groundwater resources. The USGS and the San Gorgonio Water District (SGWD) work cooperatively to evaluate the quantity and quality of groundwater supply in the San Gorgonio Pass region. To better manage the water supplies within the District during wet and dry periods, the SGWD sought to develop a groundwater recharge program, whereby, excess water would be stored in underground aquifers during wet periods (principally winter months) and retrieved during dry periods (principally summer months). The SGWD preferred a surface recharge approach because it could be less expensive than a recharging program based on injection wells. However, at an existing surface recharge site, surface recharge of the aquifer was limited by the presence of clayrich layers that impede the downward percolation of the surface water. In boreholes, these clay-rich layers were found to extend from the near surface to about 50 m depth. If practical, the SGWD desired to relocate the recharge ponds to another location within the Cherry Valley–Beaumont area. This required that sites be found where the clay-rich layers were absent. The SGWD elected to explore for such sites by employing a combination of drilling and seismic techniques. A number of near-surface faults have been suggested in the Cherry Valley-Beaumont area (Figure 1b). However, there may be additional unmapped faults that underlie the alluvial valley of San Gorgonio Pass. Because faults are known to act as barriers to lateral groundwater flow in alluvial groundwater systems, mapped and unmapped subsurface faults in the Cherry Valley-Beaumont area would likely influence groundwater flow and the lateral distribution of recharged water. These same faults may pose a significant hazard to the local desert communities and to greater areas of southern California due to the presence of lifelines (water, electrical, gas, transportation, etc.) that extend through San Gorgonio Pass to larger urban areas. The three principal goals of the seismic investigation presented in this report were to laterally map the subsurface stratigraphic horizons, locate faults that may act as barriers to groundwater flow, and measure velocities of shallow sediments that may give rise to amplified shaking during major earthquakes.
Effects of genetic polymorphisms on antioxidant status and concentrations of the metals in the blood of riverside Amazonian communities co-exposed to Hg and Pb.
Barcelos, Gustavo Rafael Mazzaron; Souza, Marilesia Ferreira de; Oliveira, Andréia Ávila Soares de; Lengert, André van Helvoort; Oliveira, Marcelo Tempesta de; Camargo, Rossana Batista de Oliveira Godoy; Grotto, Denise; Valentini, Juliana; Garcia, Solange Cristina; Braga, Gilberto Úbida Leite; Cólus, Ilce Mara de Syllos; Adeyemi, Joseph; Barbosa, Fernando
There have been reports of genetic effects affecting the metabolism of Hg and Pb individually, and thus modulating their toxicities. However, there is still a knowledge gap with respect to how genetics may influence the toxicities of these toxic metals during a co-exposure scenario. This present study is therefore aimed at investigating the effects of polymorphisms in genes (GSTM1, GSTT1, GSTP1, GCLM, GCLC, GPx1, ALAD, VDR and MDR1) that have been implicated in Hg and Pb metabolisms affects the kinetics of these metals, as well as various blood antioxidant status parameters: MDA and GSH, and the activities of CAT, GPx and ALAD among populations that have been co-exposed to both Hg and Pb. Study subjects (207 men; 188 women) were from an Amazonian population in Brazil, exposed to Hg and Pb from diet. The blood levels of Hg and Pb were determined by ICP-MS while genotyping were performed by PCR assays. The median values of Hg and Pb in blood were 39.8µg/L and 11.0µg/dL, respectively. GSTM1, ALAD and VDR polymorphisms influenced Hg in blood (β=0.17; 0.37 and 0.17; respectively, p<0.050) while variations on GCLM, GSTT1 and MDR1 (TT) modulated the concentrations of Pb among the subjects (β=-0.14; 0.13 and -0.22; re-spectively, p<0.050). GSTT1 and GCLM polymorphisms also are associated to changes of MDA concentrations. Persons with null GSTM1 genotype had higher activity of the antioxidant enzyme CAT than carries of the allele. Individuals with deletion of both GSTM1 and GSTT1 had a decreased expression of GPx compared to those that expressed at least, one of the enzymes. ALAD 1/2 subjects had lower ALAD activity than individuals with the non-variant genotype. Our findings give further support that polymorphisms related to Hg and Pb metabolism may modulate Hg and Pb body burden and, consequently metals-induced toxicity. PMID:25728017
Geohydrology, water quality, and nitrogen geochemistry in the saturated and unsaturated zones beneath various land uses, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, California, 1991-93
Rees, Terry F.; Bright, D.J.; Fay, R.G.; Christensen, A.H.; Anders, R.B.; Baharie, B.S.; Land, M.T.
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Eastern Municipal Water District, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and the Orange County Water District, has completed a derailed study of the Hemet groundwater basin. The quantity of ground water stored in the basin in August 1992 is estimated to be 327,000 acre-feet. Dissolved-solids concentration ranged from 380 to 700 mg/L (milligrams per liter), except in small areas where the concentration exceeded 1,000 mg/L. Nitrate concentrations exc__*'ded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 mg/L nitrate (its nitrogen) in the southeastern part of the basin, in the Domenigoni Valley area, and beneath a dairy in the Diamond Valley area. Seven sites representing selected land uses-residential, tuff grass irrigated with reclaimed water, citrus grove, irrigated farm, poultry farm, and dairy (two sites)--were selected for detailed study of nitrogen geochemistry in the unsaturated zone. For all land uses, nitrate was the dominant nitrogen species in the unsaturated zone. Although nitrate was seasonally present in the shallow unsaturated zone beneath the residential site, it was absent at moderate depths, suggesting negligible migration of nitrate from the surface at this time. Microbial denitrification probably is occurring in the shallow unsaturated zone. High nitrate concentrations in the deep unsaturated zone (greater than 100 ft) suggest either significantly higher nitrate loading at some time in the past, or lateral movement of nitrate at depth. Nitrate also is seasonally present in the shallow unsaturated zone beneath the reclaimed-water site, and (in contrast with the residential site), nitrate is perennially present in the deeper unsaturated zone. Mictobial identification in the unsaturated zone and in the capillary fringe above the water table decreases, the concentrations of nitrate in pore water to below the MCL before reaching the water table. Pore water in the unsaturated the citrus grove site contains very high concentrations of nitrate. Even though there are zones of microbial denitrification, nitrate seems to be migrating downward to the water table. The presence of a shallow perched-water zone beneath the irrigated-farm site prevents the vertical movement of nitrate from the surface to the regional water table. Above the perched zone, nitrate concentrations in the unsaturated zone are variable, ranging from below the MCL to four times the MCL. Periodically, nitrate is flushed from the shallow unsaturated zone to the perched-water zone. The unsaturated zone pore-moisture quality could not be adequately addressed because of the very dry conditions in the unsaturated zone beneath the poultry-farm site. Surficial clay deposits prevent water from percolating downward. At the two dairy sites, nitrate loading in pore waleratthesurfacewasvezyhigh, as great as 7,000 mg/L. Microbial denitrification in the unsaturated zone causes such concentrations to decrease rapidly with depth. At a depth of 20 R, nitrate concentration was less than 100 mg/L. In= areas where the depth to water is less than 20 ft, nitrate loading to ground water can be very high, whereas in areas where depth to water is greater than 100 ft, most of the nitrate is microbially removed before reaching the water table.
Occurrence of Mansonella ozzardi diagnosed using a polycarbonate membrane in a riverside population of Lábrea in the Western Brazilian Amazon.
Basano, Sergio de Almeida; Medeiros, Jansen Fernandes; Fontes, Gilberto; Vieira, Gabriel de Deus; Camargo, Juliana Souza de Almeida Aranha; Vera, Luana Janaína Souza; Ferreira, Ricardo de Godoi Mattos; Camargo, Luís Marcelo Aranha
INTRODUCTION Mansonella ozzardi is a widely distributed filaria worm in the Amazon region. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of M. ozzardi infection in riverine communities of Lábrea municipality, Amazonas State, Brazil. METHODS A diagnostic blood filtration method in a polycarbonate membrane was used. RESULTS M. ozzardi was found in 50.3% of the sample, with the highest prevalence in farmers/fishermen (69.4%; χ 2 = -19.14, p<0.001). The prevalence was higher in longer-term residents (≥11 years; 60.2%). CONCLUSIONS M. ozzardi infection rates are high near the Purus River, much greater than those previously reported based on diagnosis using thick blood smears. PMID:27163575
The search for repeating earthquakes in the northern San Francisco Bay area Nader Shakibay Senobari and Gareth J. Funning University of California, Riverside
Shakibay Senobari, N.; Funning, G.
Repeating earthquakes (REs) are sequences of identical repeating events, which are recurring either irregularly (aperiodic) or nearly regularly (quasi-periodic). There are two important characteristics of the events in a RE sequence: they have the same source characteristics (i.e. magnitude and mechanism) and they have the same location and therefore their waveforms at the same stations are extremely similar. Several authors have proposed that the quasi-periodic REs result from recurrent rupture of a small locked patch on a fault surface surrounded by a larger area of creep. The implication is that any detection of characteristic REs along a fault can be interpreted as a signature of the creep at depth on that fault. In addition, REs can be used for locating faults and determining their geometries at depth. In this study, we are looking for REs on the northern Rodgers Creek and southern Maacama faults near Santa Rosa, CA. There is some observational evidence for creep along portions of these faults (e.g. from InSAR, alignment arrays and offset cultural features) but the depth of creep on both faults is still unknown. Finding the locations of REs in this area, and combining them with geodetic data, will help us to place stronger constraints on the distributions of aseismic slip on both the Rodgers Creek and Maacama faults. In order to identify such events, we use data from the Northern California Seismic Network (NCSN) for the period from 1984 to July 2013. We used earthquake waveforms from 2080 events located inside a 25 by 30 km area around Santa Rosa. We choose 7 stations located both inside and outside the selection area at distances of up to 50 km. We calculate the coherence for all pairs of events for each station during the time that the sensor has not been changed (mostly from 1987 to 2013). We align the waveforms using P arrival times from the NCSN catalog. The time windows for the seismogram analysis are set at 0.2 sec before and 10.2 sec after the P-wave arrivals. This time window always contains the S phase, which guarantees that the waves have the same S-P time (i.e. the same location) if they have high cross-correlation coefficients. We calculate the cross-correlation function by allowing a maximum time shift of 0.5 sec (50 samples) in the time domain. An earthquake pair is chosen to be a candidate for REs when the maximum cross-correlation coefficients at 1-15 Hz are larger than 0.95 at four or more stations. We then link a pair of REs with another pair if the two share the same earthquake. We find 49 such clusters of highly correlated events that are candidates for RE sequences. Using the northern California double-difference earthquake catalog (Waldhauser and Schaff, 2008), we find that they are mostly located close to the Rodgers Creek fault trace. In order to confirm whether these clusters are indeed REs, additional tests (e.g. phase and amplitude coherence, time recurrence, visually inspect) must be performed.
IGPP-LLNL 1998 annual report
Ryerson, F J; Cook, K H; Tweed, J
The Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) is a Multicampus Research Unit of the University of California (UC). IGPP was founded in 1946 at UC Los Angeles with a charter to further research in the earth and planetary sciences and related fields. The Institute now has branches at UC campuses in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside, and at Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories. The University-wide IGPP has played an important role in establishing interdisciplinary research in the earth and planetary sciences. For example, IGPP was instrumental in founding the fields of physical oceanography and space physics, which at the time fell between the cracks of established university departments. Because of its multicampus orientation, IGPP has sponsored important interinstitutional consortia in the earth and planetary sciences. Each of the five branches has a somewhat different intellectual emphasis as a result of the interplay between strengths of campus departments and Laboratory programs. The IGPP branch at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was approved by the Regents of the University of California in 1982. IGPP-LLNL emphasizes research in tectonics, geochemistry, and astrophysics. It provides a venue for studying the fundamental aspects of these fields, thereby complementing LLNL programs that pursue applications of these disciplines in national security and energy research. IGPP-LLNL is directed by Charles Alcock and was originally organized into three centers: Geosciences, stressing seismology; High-Pressure Physics, stressing experiments using the two-stage light-gas gun at LLNL; and Astrophysics, stressing theoretical and computational astrophysics. In 1994, the activities of the Center for High-Pressure Physics were merged with those of the Center for Geosciences. The Center for Geosciences, headed by Frederick Ryerson, focuses on research in geophysics and geochemistry. The Astrophysics Research Center, headed by Kem Cook, provides a home for theoretical and observational astrophysics and serves as an interface with the Physics Directorate's astrophysics efforts. The IGPP branch at LLNL (as well as the branch at Los Alamos) also facilitates scientific collaborations between researchers at the UC campuses and those at the national laboratories in areas related to earth science, planetary science, and astrophysics. It does this by sponsoring the University Collaborative Research Program (UCRP), which provides funds to UC campus scientists for joint research projects with LLNL. Additional information regarding IGPP-LLNL projects and people may be found at http://wwwigpp.llnl.gov/. The goals of the UCRP are to enrich research opportunities for UC campus scientists by making available to them some of LLNL's unique facilities and expertise, and to broaden the scientific program at LLNL through collaborative or interdisciplinary work with UC campus researchers. UCRP funds (provided jointly by the Regents of the University of California and by the Director of LLNL) are awarded annually on the basis of brief proposals, which are reviewed by a committee of scientists from UC campuses, LLNL programs, and external universities and research organizations. Typical annual funding for a collaborative research project ranges from $5,000 to $30,000. Funds are used for a variety of purposes, such as salary support for UC graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty; and costs for experimental facilities. A statistical overview of IGPP-LLNL's UCRP (colloquially known as the mini-grant program) is presented in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 shows the distribution of UCRP awards among the UC campuses, by total amount awarded and by number of proposals funded. Figure 2 shows the distribution of awards by center.
Institute of Geophyics and Planetary Physics. Annual report for FY 1994
Ryerson, F.J.
The Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) is a Multicampus Research Unit of the University of California (UC). IGPP was founded in 1946 at UC Los Angeles with a charter to further research in the earth and planetary sciences and in related fields. The Institute now has branches at UC campuses in Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, and Irvine and at Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories. The University-wide IGPP has played an important role in establishing interdisciplinary research in the earth and planetary sciences. For example, IGPP was instrumental in founding the fields of physical oceanography and space physics, which at the time fell between the cracks of established university departments. Because of its multicampus orientation, IGPP has sponsored important interinstitutional consortia in the earth and planetary sciences. Each of the six branches has a somewhat different intellectual emphasis as a result of the interplay between strengths of campus departments and Laboratory programs. The IGPP branch at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was approved by the Regents of the University of California in 1982. IGPP-LLNL emphasizes research in seismology, geochemistry, cosmochemistry, high-pressure sciences, and astrophysics. It provides a venue for studying the fundamental aspects of these fields, thereby complementing LLNL programs that pursue applications of these disciplines in national security and energy research. IGPP-LLNL is directed by Charles Alcock and is structured around three research centers. The Center for Geosciences, headed by George Zandt and Frederick Ryerson, focuses on research in geophysics and geochemistry. The Center for High-Pressure Sciences, headed by William Nellis, sponsors research on the properties of planetary materials and on the synthesis and preparation of new materials using high-pressure processing.
Initial source and site characterization studies for the U. C. San Diego campus
Day, S.; Erick, F.; Heuze, F.E.; Mellors, R.; Minster, B.; Park, S.; Wagoner, J.
The basic approach of the Campus Laboratory Collaboration (CLC) project is to combine the substantial expertise that exists within the University of California (UC) system in geology, seismology, geotechnical engineering, and structural engineering to evaluate the effects of large earthquakes on UC facilities. These estimates draw upon recent advances in hazard assessment, seismic wave propagation modeling in rocks and soils, dynamic soil testing, and structural dynamics. The UC campuses currently chosen for applications of our integrated methodology are Riverside, San Diego, and Santa Barbara. The basic procedure is first to identify possible earthquake source regions and local campus site conditions that may affect estimates of strong ground motion. Combined geological , geophysical, and geotechnical studies are conducted to characterize each campus with specific focus on the location of particular target buildings of special interest to the campus administrators. The project will then drill and log deep boreholes next to the target structure, to provide direct in-situ measurements of subsurface material properties and to install uphole and downhole 3-component seismic sensors capable of recording both weak and strong motions. The boreholes provide access to deeper materials, below the soil layers, that have relatively high seismic shear-wave velocities. Analysis of conjugate downhole and uphole records provides a basis for optimizing the representation of the low-strain response of the sites. Earthquake rupture scenarios of identified causative faults are combined with the earthquake records and nonlinear soil models to provide site-specific estimates of strong motions at the selected target locations. The predicted ground motions are then used as input to the dynamic analysis of the buildings.
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 1996 Annual Report
Ryerson, F. J., Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics
The Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) is a Multicampus Research Unit of the University of California (UC). IGPP was founded in 1946 at UC Los Angeles with a charter to further research in the earth and planetary sciences and in related fields. The Institute now has branches at UC campuses in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside, and at Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories. The University-wide IGPP has played an important role in establishing interdisciplinary research in the earth and planetary sciences. For example, IGPP was instrumental in founding the fields of physical oceanography and space physics, which at the time fell between the cracks of established university departments. Because of its multicampus orientation, IGPP has sponsored important interinstitutional consortia in the earth and planetary sciences. Each of the five branches has a somewhat different intellectual emphasis as a result of the interplay between strengths of campus departments and Laboratory programs. The IGPP branch at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was approved by the Regents of the University of California in 1982. IGPP-LLNL emphasizes research in seismology, geochemistry, cosmochemistry, and astrophysics. It provides a venue for studying the fundamental aspects of these fields, thereby complementing LLNL programs that pursue applications of these disciplines in national security and energy research. IGPP-LLNL is directed by Charles Alcock and was originally organized into three centers: Geosciences, stressing seismology; High-Pressure Physics, stressing experiments using the two-stage light-gas gun at LLNL; and Astrophysics, stressing theoretical and computational astrophysics. In 1994, the activities of the Center for High-Pressure Physics were merged with those of the Center for Geosciences. The Center for Geosciences, headed by Frederick Ryerson, focuses on research in geophysics and geochemistry. The Astrophysics Research Center, headed by Charles Alcock, provides a home for theoretical and observational astrophysics and serves as an interface with the Physics and Space Technology Department's Laboratory for Experimental Astrophysics and with other astrophysics efforts at LLNL. The IGPP branch at LLNL (as well as the branch at Los Alamos) also facilitates scientific collaborations between researchers at the UC campuses and those at the national laboratories in areas related to earth science, planetary science, and astrophysics. It does this by sponsoring the University Collaborative Research Program (UCRP), which provides funds to UC campus scientists for joint research projects with LLNL. The goals of the UCRP are to enrich research opportunities for UC campus scientists by making available to them some of LLNL's unique facilities and expertise, and to broaden the scientific program at LLNL through collaborative or interdisciplinary work with UC campus researchers. UCRP funds (provided jointly by the Regents of the University of California and by the Director of LLNL) are awarded annually on the basis of brief proposals, which are reviewed by a committee of scientists from UC campuses, LLNL programs, and external universities and research organizations. Typical annual funding for a collaborative research project ranges from $5,000 to $25,000. Funds are used for a variety of purposes, including salary support for visiting graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty; released-time salaries for LLNL scientists; and costs for experimental facilities. Although the permanent LLNL staff assigned to IGPP is relatively small (presently about five full-time equivalents), IGPP's research centers have become vital research organizations. This growth has been possible because of IGPP support for a substantial group of resident postdoctoral fellows; because of the 20 or more UCRP projects funded each year; and because IGPP hosts a variety of visitors, guests, and faculty members (from both UC and other institutions) on sabbatical leave. To focus attention on areas of topical interest in the geosciences and astrophysics, IGPP-LLNL hosts conferences and workshops, and also organizes seminars in astrophysics and geosciences. Section IV lists the seminars given in FY 1996.
Proposed Construction of Off-Campus Community College Centers in Western Riverside County. A Report to the Governor and Legislature in Response to a Request of the Riverside and Mt. San Jacinto Community College Districts for Capital Funds To Build Permanent Off-Campus Centers in Norco and Moreno Valley and South of Sun City. Commission Report 88-27.
California State Postsecondary Education Commission, Sacramento.
This report contains the California Postsecondary Education Commission's (CPEC's) analysis of a proposal to construct off-campus community college centers in the cities of Norco, Moreno Valley, and Sun City. Section 1 provides background material on the process of reviewing proposals for new college campuses and centers, population projections for…
The Role of Ethnographic Interviewing in Climate Change Evaluation Research: Investigating Intended and Unintended program effects
Lloro-Bidart, T.
Ethnographic interviewing is an under-utilized tool in climate change evaluation research, even though it has the potential to serve as a powerful method of data collection. The utility of the ethnographic interview lies in its ability to elicit responses from program participants describing what a program is in practice, shedding light on both intended and unintended program impacts. Drawing on evaluation work involving a federally-funded climate change grant at the University of California, Riverside, I will discuss how to design an ethnographic interview protocol in an effort to share "best practices" with other climate change evaluators. Particular attention will be given to applying ethnographic approaches to various program types, even those differing from the one discussed. I will share some of the concrete findings from my work on this grant, to serve as examples of the kinds of data evaluators can collect when employing an ethnographic approach to interviewing. UC Riverside's climate change grant is multi-faceted, however the component studied ethnographically was a science fair mentoring program. About twenty K-12 students from high poverty, ethnically diverse schools who expressed an interest in participating in science fair were paired up with graduate student mentors to simultaneously research climate change and design authentic science fair projects to compete at various levels. Since one of the stated goals of the grant is to "stimulate…students to consider climate science as a career track through experiential education activities" I was particularly interested in how student experiences with the project might differ from school science which has historically "pushed out" ethnically diverse students like those in many of Riverside's schools. (In the program students are able to interact one-on-one with a mentor and in school settings there is typically one teacher for more than thirty students). I also sought to understand student perceptions of the project design and implementation and how these perceptions might influence their thinking about science as a career. Further, I aimed to explore how mentor pedagogical philosophies might impact student experiences with the projects, since the scholarly literature supports the idea that teaching practices are linked to student success and interest in science. The key to ethnographic interviewing, which sets it apart from survey research and other interviewing styles is that the evaluator or researcher designs guided, yet open-ended questions, allowing informants to discuss what is important to them. This type of questioning affords the researcher the opportunity to ascertain whether or not the grant met some of its intended goals and impacts, while simultaneously granting participants the freedom to discuss unintended impacts not anticipated by the principal investigator and evaluator.
PLANTS OF RAMAYANA*
Balapure, K. M.; Maheshwari, J. K.; Tandon, R. K.
The article presents a list of plants mentioned in Ramayana one of the two great epics of this country which has been compiled and the probable equivalent botanical names have been fixed. This study will be useful to the botanists, palaeo – botanists, ethonobotanists, foresters, naturalists and environmentalists as well. PMID:22557592
Telephone equipment room, showing channel terminal bank with vacuum tubes. ...
Telephone equipment room, showing channel terminal bank with vacuum tubes. View to east - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
Looking northeast on the mezzanine toward circuit breakers, towards the ...
Looking northeast on the mezzanine toward circuit breakers, towards the coc indicator panel room - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Utility Building, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
Looking south along aisle between control panels and generators, ground ...
Looking south along aisle between control panels and generators, ground floor, building 2606 - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Utility Building, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
Looking north along the control console area towards the classified ...
Looking north along the control console area towards the classified storage room; projection stands at left - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
Detail, south end of control console with speakers; looking southeast ...
Detail, south end of control console with speakers; looking southeast towards the TV control panel room - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
D.O.P. and D.I. secured room, looking southeast towards the map ...
D.O.P. and D.I. secured room, looking southeast towards the map rack sliding panels and the east mural - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
Recon secured room (room 236), detail of sliding map panels ...
Recon secured room (room 236), detail of sliding map panels and tracks. View to northeast - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
9. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riveside Library, Local ...
9. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riveside Library, Local History Collection), photographer unknown, ca. 1916. VIEW OF MAUDE STREET AT VICTORIA AVENUE LOOKING SOUTH - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
Detail of generator number three, oblique. Control panels on the ...
Detail of generator number three, oblique. Control panels on the main floor and on the mezzanine are visible behind and above the generators. - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Utility Building, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
24. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Gage Canal Company Office), photographer unknown, ca. 1939. VIEW OF SAND PUMP HOUSE AT THE HEAD OF THE GAGE IRRIGATION CANAL - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
28. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Gage Canal Company Office), photographer unknown, ca. 1913. CONSTRUCTION OF CORE WALL AT MOCKINGBIRD DAM ON THE GAGE IRRIGATION CANAL - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
26. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Gage Canal Company Office), photographer unknown, ca. 1931. VIEW OF CONSTRUCTION OF GUNITE INVERT SIPHON REPLACING FLUME NO. 10 ON GAGE IRRIGATION CANAL - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
27. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Gage Canal Company Office), photographer unknown, ca. 1913. TIGHTENING JOINTS AND ADJUSTING PLATES ON STEEL FLUME AT MOCKINGBIRD DAM ON THE GAGE IRRIGATION CANAL - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
12. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riveside Municipal Museum, ...
12. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riveside Municipal Museum, Historical Resources Department), photographer and date unknown. TENTING OF CITRUS TREES AT NIGHT - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
23. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Gage Canal Company Office), photographer unknown, ca. 1917. VIEW OF FLUME NO. 3 OF GAGE IRRIGATION CANAL AND NEW 66' REINFORCED CONCRETE PIPELINE - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
29. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Gage Canal Company Office), photographer unknown, ca. 1926. CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS AT OLIVEWOOD PUMPING STATION ON THE GAGE IRRIGATION CANAL - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
13. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riveside Library, Local ...
13. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Riveside Library, Local History Collection), photographer and date unknown. VIEW OF JAPANESE WORKER HOUSING, ARLINGTON HEIGHTS FRUIT COMPANY, EXACT LOCATION UNKNOWN - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
77 FR 66500 - Notice of Final Federal Agency Actions on Proposed Highway in California
... the City of Riverside, in the counties of Orange and Riverside, State of California. Those actions... to Pierce Street in the City of Riverside. The existing express lanes in Orange County will be extended east from the Orange/County line to Interstate 15 (I-15) in the City of Corona. The existing...
21. Photocopy of photograph (original print at Gage Canal Company Office), H. B. Wesner, photographer, date unknown. 'VIEWS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SCENERY. ARTESIAN WELLS, SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA. SUPPLYING THE GAGE CANAL OF RIVERSIDE.' - California Citrus Heritage Recording Project, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
College as a Job Advancement Strategy: An Early Report on the New Visions Self-Sufficiency and Lifelong Learning Project. The New Visions Evaluation.
Fein, David J.; Beecroft, Eric; Long, David A.; Catalfamo, Andree Rose
Riverside Community College (RCC), in Riverside, California, launched New Visions in 1999, a program designed to help welfare recipients prepare for college and move to better jobs. The program is a partnership between RCC and the Riverside Department of Public Social Services (DPSS). New Visions provides a 24-week program of academic instruction…
Tackling diversity challenges in Geoscience with the "Advancing Space Science Undergraduate Research Experience" (ASSURE) program at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory.
Raftery, C. L.; Paglierani, R.; Shackelford, R. L., III; Peticolas, L. M.; Frappier, R.; Mendez, B.
The Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) has a long history of undergraduates working within the various research groups that range from theoretical astrophysics through to mechanical engineering. This year, we have established for the first time, a formal summer program for the undergraduate students, focusing on students traditionally underserved in Geosciences. This program, called the Advancing Space Science through Undergraduate Research Experiences program brings best-practiced methods to the development of a cohort, academic achievement, and research methodologies to the summer interns, with emphasis on the needs of underrepresented students who have not been exposed to a research environment before. In addition, specific care was given when recruiting for the program. Community College students recommend to us by faculty partners within the Colleges were recruited in order to provide them with hands on experience in a laboratory setting that they would not otherwise have had. In addition, we selected a number of pre- and in-service teachers from the STEM Teacher and Researcher Program (STAR) program. The combination of these two demographics of students has provided a unique and supportive environment for all involved.
Evaluation of Type I cement sorbent slurries in the U.C. pilot spray dryer facility. Final report, November 1, 1994--February 28, 1996
Keener, T.C.; Khang, S.J.
This research was focused on evaluating hydrated cement sorbents in the U. C. pilot spray dryer. The main goal of this work was to determine the hydration conditions resulting in reactive hydrated cement sorbents. Hydration of cement was achieved by stirring or by grinding in a ball mill at either room temperature or elevated temperatures. Also, the effects of several additives were studied. Additives investigated include calcium chloride, natural diatomite, calcined diatomaceous earth, and fumed silica. The performance of these sorbents was compared with conventional slaked lime. Further, the specific surface area and pore volume of the dried SDA sorbents were measured and compared to reactivity. Bench-scale tests were performed to obtain a more detailed picture of the development of the aforementioned physical properties as a function of hydration time.
From OCW to MOOC: Deployment of OERs in a Massive Open Online Course. The Experience of Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M)
Fernández, José Vida; Webster, Susan
The emergence of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is focusing all its attention on open education. There is growing interest in creating MOOCs, which can be done by transferring OCW courses to MOOC format. However, a series of doubts arise regarding the pros and cons implied in this transformation. In this paper we discuss the conclusions…
The NASA-UC-UH Eta-Earth program. IV. A low-mass planet orbiting an M dwarf 3.6 PC from Earth
Howard, Andrew W.; Marcy, Geoffrey W.; Isaacson, Howard; Fischer, Debra A.; Boyajian, Tabetha S.; Muirhead, Philip S.; Becker, Juliette C.; Henry, Gregory W.; Von Braun, Kaspar; Wright, Jason T.; Johnson, John Asher
We report the discovery of a low-mass planet orbiting Gl 15 A based on radial velocities from the Eta-Earth Survey using HIRES at Keck Observatory. Gl 15 Ab is a planet with minimum mass Msin i = 5.35 ± 0.75 M {sub ⊕}, orbital period P = 11.4433 ± 0.0016 days, and an orbit that is consistent with circular. We characterize the host star using a variety of techniques. Photometric observations at Fairborn Observatory show no evidence for rotational modulation of spots at the orbital period to a limit of ∼0.1 mmag, thus supporting the existence of the planet. We detect a second RV signal with a period of 44 days that we attribute to rotational modulation of stellar surface features, as confirmed by optical photometry and the Ca II H and K activity indicator. Using infrared spectroscopy from Palomar-TripleSpec, we measure an M2 V spectral type and a sub-solar metallicity ([M/H] = –0.22, [Fe/H] = –0.32). We measure a stellar radius of 0.3863 ± 0.0021 R {sub ☉} based on interferometry from CHARA.
Development and evaluation of a trehalose-contained solution formula to preserve hUC-MSCs at 4°C.
Di, Guohu; Wang, Jiexi; Liu, Minxia; Wu, Chu-Tse; Han, Ying; Duan, Haifeng
Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) hold great promise in cell therapy and regenerative medicine. Various preclinical and clinical trials have been carried out to illustrate the therapeutic potential of these cells. However, one major challenge for manufacturing clinical grade hMSCs is the requisition of current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) grade practices in cell isolation, processing, storage, and distribution. Development of non-toxic and animal serum-free preservation medium is critical for storage and distribution of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In this study, we developed a solution formula that could preserve MSCs at 4°C for up to 3 weeks. In the solution, trehalose is a key ingredient for maintaining survival of MSCs. Among the concentrations investigated, 40 mM trehalose showed the best outcome with the viability maintained more than 92.7 ± 1.5% for 7 days. Cells preserved in the solution formula for 3 weeks still remained about 70% viability, and produced results similar to those of freshly harvested hMSCs in terms of growth kinetics, expression profile of cell surface antigens, and differentiation potential. In summary, storage of MSCs in the medium makes it far easier for transporting the cells from processing units to clinical sites. PMID:22170612
UC Berkeley's Adaptations to the Crisis of Public Higher Education in the US: Privatization? Commercialization? or Hybridization? Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.17.13
Breslauer, George W.
The University of California at Berkeley now delivers more to the public of California than it ever has, and it does this on the basis of proportionally less funding by the State government than it has ever received. This claim may come as a surprise, since it is often said that Berkeley is in the process of privatizing, becoming less of a public…
Final Report: Letter to Mr. Kim Abbott, DOE-OAK Cal/EPA-UC Berkeley Bioremediation Reference Laboratory, Report, September 15, 1996 - November 1, 1998
Fuhs, G. Wolfgang
Letter-format report to Project Officer summarizing information on the establishment at the University of California Berkeley campus of a Bioremediation Reference Laboratory to provide independent reference services and testing as needed to assist the California Environmental Protection Agency in the evaluation of bioremediation technologies submitted for the certification/ verification of performance claims under California statute. The project resulted in the establishment of a technical capability not otherwise available to the Agency.
Impact in the School System of a Strategy for Identifying and Selecting Academically Talented Students: The Experience of Program PENTA-UC
Arancibia, Violeta; Lissi, Maria Rosa; Narea, Marigen
The study explores the consequences, for participating schools, of the implementation of a system for the identification and selection of academically talented students, in the context of an extracurricular enrichment program operating at Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. The participants were 73 students, 50 teachers, and seven members of…
Changes in droplet surface tension affect the observed hygroscopicity of photochemically aged biomass burning aerosol.
Giordano, Michael R; Short, Daniel Z; Hosseini, Seyedehsan; Lichtenberg, William; Asa-Awuku, Akua A
This study examines the hygroscopic and surface tension properties as a function of photochemical aging of the aerosol emissions from biomass burning. Experiments were conducted in a chamber setting at the UC-Riverside Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) Atmospheric Processes Lab using two biomass fuel sources, manzanita and chamise. Cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) measurements and off-line filter sample analysis were conducted. The water-soluble organic carbon content and surface tension of the extracted filter samples were measured. Surface tension information was then examined with Köhler theory analysis to calculate the hygroscopicity parameter, κ. Laboratory measurement of biomass burning smoke from two chaparral fuels is shown to depress the surface tension of water by 30% or more at organic matter concentrations relevant at droplet activation. Accounting for surface tension depression can lower the calculated κ by a factor of 2. This work provides evidence for surface tension depression in an important aerosol system and may provide closure for differing sub- and supersaturated κ measurements. PMID:23957441
The HSP, the QCN, and the Dragon: Developing inquiry-based QCN instructional modules in Taiwan
Chen, K. H.; Liang, W.; Chang, C.; Yen, E.; Lin, C.; Lin, G.
High Scope Program (HSP) is a long-term project funded by NSC in Taiwan since 2006. It is designed to elevate the quality of science education by means of incorporating emerging science and technology into the traditional curricula in senior high schools. Quake-Catcher Network (QCN), a distributed computing project initiated by Stanford University and UC Riverside, encourages the volunteers to install the low-cost, novel sensors at home and school to build a seismic network. To meet both needs, we have developed a model curriculum that introduces QCN, earthquake science, and cloud computing into high school classrooms. Through professional development workshops, Taiwan cloud-based earthquake science learning platform, and QCN club on Facebook, we have worked closely with Lan-Yang Girl's Senior High School teachers' team to design workable teaching plans through a practical operation of seismic monitoring at home or school. However, some obstacles to learning appear including QCN installation/maintain problems, high self-noise of the sensor, difficulty of introducing earthquake sciences for high school teachers. The challenges of QCN outreach in Taiwan bring out our future plans: (1) development of easy, frequently updated, physics-based QCN-experiments for high school teachers, and (2) design of an interactive learning platform with social networking function for students.
Advances in genome studies in plants and animals.
Appels, R; Nystrom-Persson, J; Keeble-Gagnere, G
The area of plant and animal genomics covers the entire suite of issues in biology because it aims to determine the structure and function of genetic material. Although specific issues define research advances at an organism level, it is evident that many of the fundamental features of genome structure and the translation of encoded information to function share common ground. The Plant and Animal Genome (PAG) conference held in San Diego (California), in January each year provides an overview across all organisms at the genome level, and often it is evident that investments in the human area provide leadership, applications, and discoveries for researchers studying other organisms. This mini-review utilizes the plenary lectures as a basis for summarizing the trends in the genome-level studies of organisms, and the lectures include presentations by Ewan Birney (EBI, UK), Eric Green (NIH, USA), John Butler (NIST, USA), Elaine Mardis (Washington, USA), Caroline Dean (John Innes Centre, UK), Trudy Mackay (NC State University, USA), Sue Wessler (UC Riverside, USA), and Patrick Wincker (Genoscope, France). The work reviewed is based on published papers. Where unpublished information is cited, permission to include the information in this manuscript was obtained from the presenters. PMID:24626952
Experimentally measured morphology of biomass burning aerosol and its impacts on CCN ability
Giordano, M.; Espinoza, C.; Asa-Awuku, A.
This study examines the morphological properties of freshly emitted and atmospherically aged aerosols from biomass burning. The impacts of particle morphology assumptions on hygroscopic predictions are examined. Chamber experiments were conducted at the UC-Riverside Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) Atmospheric Processes Lab using two biomass fuel sources, manzanita and chamise. Morphological data was obtained through the use of an aerosol particle mass analyzer (APM), scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) system and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Data from these instruments was used to calculate both a dynamic shape factor and a fractal-like dimension for the biomass burning emissions. This data was then used with κ-Köhler theory to adjust the calculated hygroscopicity for experimentally determined morphological characteristics of the aerosol. Laboratory measurement of biomass burning aerosol from two chaparral fuels show that particles are non-spherical with dynamic shape factors greater than 1.15 for aerosol sizes relevant to cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activation. Accounting for particle morphology can shift the hygroscopicity parameter κ by 0.15 or more. To our knowledge, this work provides the first laboratory chamber measurements of morphological characteristics for biomass burning cloud condensation nuclei and provides experimental particle shape evidence to support the variation in reported hygroscopicities of the complex aerosol.
Density and elemental ratios of secondary organic aerosol: Application of a density prediction method
Nakao, Shunsuke; Tang, Ping; Tang, Xiaochen; Clark, Christopher H.; Qi, Li; Seo, Eric; Asa-Awuku, Akua; Cocker, David
Organic material density is a fundamental parameter in aerosol science, yet direct measurement is not readily available. This study investigates density and elemental ratios of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed by the oxidation of 22 different volatile organic compounds with a wide range of molecular size (C5˜C15) in an environmental chamber. Reactants with a larger number of carbons yielded SOA with lower density (e.g., β-caryophyllene SOA: 1.22 g cm-3) compared with smaller ones (e.g., phenol SOA: 1.43 g cm-3) consistent with different extents of oxidation of the parent molecule. A recent study proposed a semi-empirical relationship between elemental ratios (O/C and H/C) and organic material density (Kuwata et al., 2012). The prediction method therein is evaluated against the large experimental data set of this study acquired in the UC Riverside/CE-CERT environmental chamber. The predicted particle densities agree with experimental measurements within 12% as stated by Kuwata et al. (2012) except for C6 compounds (benzene, phenol, and catechol). Therefore, the range of application has been further extended to include anthropogenic (aromatic) systems. The effects of nitrogen and sulfur on the density prediction remain unclear.
High energy physics at UCR
Kernan, A.; Shen, B.C.
The hadron collider group is studying proton-antiproton interactions at the world`s highest collision energy 2 TeV. Data-taking with the D0 detector is in progress at Fermilab and the authors have begun the search for the top quark. S. Wimpenny is coordinating the effort to detect t{bar t} decaying to two leptons, the most readily identifiable channel. At UC Riverside design and testing for a silicon tracker for the D0 upgrade is in progress; a parallel development for the SDC detector at SSC is also underway. The major group effort of the lepton group has been devoted to the OPAL experiment at LEP. They will continue to focus on data-taking to improve the quality and quantity of their data sample. A large number of papers have been published based on approximately 500,000 events taken so far. The authors will concentrate on physics analysis which provides stringent tests of the Standard Model. The authors are continuing participation in the RD5 experiment at the SPS to study muon triggering and tracking. The results of this experiment will provide critical input for the design of the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment being proposed for the LHC. The theory group has been working on problems concerning the possible vilation of e-{mu}-{tau} universality, effective Lagrangians, neutrino physics, as well as quark and lepton mass matrices.
SRS scientific and technical abstracts, July--September 1992
This document focuses on the scientific and technical information (STT) reports, articles, and presentations generated at the site by various authors and organizations of Westinghouse Savannah River Company and its subcontractors. Abstracts of these STI products are contained within this document. The abstracts have been compiled as they originally appeared in the source reports. No changes to the content have been made except as necessary to correct errors of spelling, to reduce abstract length, or to ensure that the information is unclassified. The abstracts are organized according to information categories ( UC'' categories) established by the Department of Energy's Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI). When reports fall into more than one category, their abstract is included as an entry in the most applicable section of this document. UC-700 General, Miscellaneous, and Progress Reports, UC-701 Chemistry, UC-702 Environmental Sciences, UC-703 Geosciences, UC-704 Materials, UC-705 Mathematics and Computer Sciences, UC-706 Engineering, Equipment, and Instruments, UC-707 Health and Safety, UC-708 Biological Sciences, UC-711 Chemical Separation Processes for Plutonium and Uranium, UC-712 Inertial Confinement Fusion, UC-713 Radioisotope and Radiation Applications, UC-714 Criticality Studies, UC-715 Technology - Feed Materials, UC-721 Defense Waste Management, UC-722 Transportation of Nuclear Materials, UC-731 Nuclear Materials Production, UC-732 Special Isotope Separation (Plutonium), UC-733 Nuclear Raw Materials, UC-741 Chemical High Explosives, UC-742 Applications of Explosions, UC-743 Nuclear Propulsion Systems, UC-744 Aerospace Nuclear Safety, and Index 91.
This document focuses on the scientific and technical information (STT) reports, articles, and presentations generated at the site by various authors and organizations of Westinghouse Savannah River Company and its subcontractors. Abstracts of these STI products are contained within this document. The abstracts have been compiled as they originally appeared in the source reports. No changes to the content have been made except as necessary to correct errors of spelling, to reduce abstract length, or to ensure that the information is unclassified. The abstracts are organized according to information categories (``UC`` categories) established by the Department of Energy`s Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI). When reports fall into more than one category, their abstract is included as an entry in the most applicable section of this document. UC-700 General, Miscellaneous, and Progress Reports, UC-701 Chemistry, UC-702 Environmental Sciences, UC-703 Geosciences, UC-704 Materials, UC-705 Mathematics and Computer Sciences, UC-706 Engineering, Equipment, and Instruments, UC-707 Health and Safety, UC-708 Biological Sciences, UC-711 Chemical Separation Processes for Plutonium and Uranium, UC-712 Inertial Confinement Fusion, UC-713 Radioisotope and Radiation Applications, UC-714 Criticality Studies, UC-715 Technology - Feed Materials, UC-721 Defense Waste Management, UC-722 Transportation of Nuclear Materials, UC-731 Nuclear Materials Production, UC-732 Special Isotope Separation (Plutonium), UC-733 Nuclear Raw Materials, UC-741 Chemical High Explosives, UC-742 Applications of Explosions, UC-743 Nuclear Propulsion Systems, UC-744 Aerospace Nuclear Safety, and Index 91.
Test Review: Woodcock, R. W., Schrank, F. A., Mather, N., & McGrew, K. S. 2007). "Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement, Form C/Brief Battery." Rolling Meadows, IL: Riverside
Grenwelge, Cheryl H.
The Woodcock Johnson III Brief Assessment is a "maximum performance test" (Reynolds, Livingston, Willson, 2006) that is designed to assess the upper levels of knowledge and skills of the test taker using both power and speed to obtain a large amount of information in a short period of time. The Brief Assessment also provides an adequate…
Red Planet? Red River!FIELD Works on the Red-Mud Flood Polluted Marcal Riverside: ph Measurements by the HUSAR-5 Nxt-Based Rover Model of the SZÉCHENYI ISTVÁN High School, Sopron, Hungary.
Lang, A.; Cserich, D.; Kiss, D.; Erdélyi, S.; Nickl, I.; Bérczi, S.
On October 4, 2010, heavy industrial catastrophe polluted the Marcal river in West-Hungary. The Red-mud sludge, the byproduct of the alumina production, poured from a containment pond because of the broken dike. The environmental pollution first appeared in the creeks and rivers in the vicinity of the alumina plant at Ajka. Earlier our group prepared pH measurement robotics on the HUSAR-5 rover therefore our idea was to carry out - a planetary analog type - field works with the rover on the polluted region. The locality was about 100 kilometrs from our town, Sopron. We visited 3 times the region.
The Woodcock Johnson III Brief Assessment is a "maximum performance test" (Reynolds, Livingston, Willson, 2006) that is designed to assess the upper levels of knowledge and skills of the test taker using both power and speed to obtain a large amount of information in a short period of time. The Brief Assessment also provides an adequate�
[Bodies in balance: riverside images and everyday life in Açaí Port and on Maracujá Island, Belém (State of Pará)].
Silveira, Flávio Leonel Abreu da; Bassalo, Terezinha de Fátima Ribeiro
Based on photographic records, this paper reflects on the ebb and flow of the Maracujá Island dwellers, between the island and Belém, making use of the ways they use their bodies or 'know how to use' them, that Mauss called corporal techniques. Bodies disclosed, since they are always exposed and therefore capable of being visually and ethnographically categorized. Inspired on Certeau, the article seeks to think of the corporal tactics devised by island residents to practice the landscapes of belonging revealing peculiar body expressions in constructing their everyday experiences. Such observations do not refer to a body-object, but to a body that is the subject of culture, as Csordas says, a body that is "the existential basis of culture". PMID:23060203
IGPP 1999-2000 Annual Report
Ryerson, F J; Cook, K; Hitchcock, B
The Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) is a Multicampus Research Unit of the University of California (UC). IGPP was founded in 1946 at UC Los Angeles with a charter to further research in the earth and planetary sciences and related fields. The Institute now has branches at UC campuses in Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Cruz and Riverside, and at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The University-wide IGPP has played an important role in establishing interdisciplinary research in the earth and planetary sciences. For example, IGPP was instrumental in founding the fields of physical oceanography and space physics, which at the time fell between the cracks of established university departments. Because of its multicampus orientation, IGPP has sponsored important inter-institutional consortia in the earth and planetary sciences. Each of the seven branches has a somewhat different intellectual emphasis as a result of the interplay between strengths of campus departments and Laboratory programs. The IGPP branch at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was approved by the Regents of the University of California in 1982. IGPP-LLNL emphasizes research in tectonics, geochemistry, and astrophysics. It provides a venue for studying the fundamental aspects of these fields, thereby complementing LLNL programs that pursue applications of these disciplines in national security and energy research. IGPP-LLNL was directed by Charles Alcock during this period and was originally organized into three centers: Geosciences, stressing seismology; High-Pressure Physics, stressing experiments using the two-stage light-gas gun at LLNL; and Astrophysics, stressing theoretical and computational astrophysics. In 1994, the activities of the Center for High-Pressure Physics were merged with those of the Center for Geosciences. The Center for Geosciences, headed by Frederick Ryerson, focuses on research in geophysics and geochemistry. The Astrophysics Research Center, headed by Kem Cook, provides a home for theoretical and observational astrophysics and serves as an interface with the Physics Directorate's astrophysics efforts. At the end of the period covered by this report, Alcock left for the University of Pennsylvania. Cook became Acting Director of IGPP, the Physics Direcorate merged with portions of the old Lasers Direcorate to become Physics and Advanced Technologies. Energy Programs and Earth and Environmental Sciences Directorate became Energy and Environment Sciences Directorate. The IGPP branch at LLNL (as well as the branch at Los Alamos) also facilitates scientific collaborations between researchers at the UC campuses and those at the national laboratories in areas related to earth science, planetary science, and astrophysics. It does this by sponsoring the University Collaborative Research Program (UCRP), which provides funds to UC campus scientists for joint research projects with LLNL. Additional information regarding IGPP-LLNL projects and people may be found at http://wwwigpp. llnl.gov/. The goals of the UCRP are to enrich research opportunities for UC campus scientists by making available to them some of LLNL's unique facilities and expertise, and to broaden the scientific program at LLNL through collaborative or interdisciplinary work with UC campus researchers. UCRP funds (provided jointly by the Regents of the University of California and by the Director of LLNL) are awarded annually on the basis of brief proposals, which are reviewed by a committee of scientists from UC campuses, LLNL programs, and external universities and research organizations. Typical annual funding for a collaborative research project ranges from $5,000 to $30,000. Funds are used for a variety of purposes, such as salary support for UC graduate students, postdoctoral fellows; and costs for experimental facilities. A statistical overview of IGPP-LLNL's UCRP (colloquially known as the mini-grant program) is presented in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 shows the distribution of UCRP awards among the UC campuses, by total amount awarded and by number of proposals funded. Figure 2 shows the distribution of awards by center. Although the permanent LLNL staff assigned to IGPP is relatively small (presently about 8 full-time equivalents), IGPP's research centers have become vital research organizations. This growth has been possible because of IGPP support for a substantial group of resident postdoctoral fellows; because of the 20 or more UCRP projects funded each year; and because IGPP hosts a variety of visitors, guests, and faculty members (from both UC and other institutions). To focus attention on areas of topical interest in the geosciences and astrophysics, IGPP--LLNL hosts conferences and workshops and also organizes seminars in astrophysics and geosciences.
Biology and physiology of vines
Vines have interested botanists since Darwin but surprisingly little progress has been made at describing the mechanisms by which vines twine and tendrils coil. Anatomical, histochemical and immunocytochemical investigations indicate that gelatinous (G) fibers, which were generally thought to occur ...
Examination of plants in lunar (germ free) soil in Plant Laboratory
Dr. Charles Walkenshaw, Manned Spacecraft Center botanist, examines sorghum and tobacco plants in lunar (germ free) soil in the Plant Laboratory of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory. The soil was brought back from the Moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts.
Is Hydrotropism All Wet?
Hershey, David R.
Discusses traditional school demonstrations and experiments in hydrotropism. Explains that these experiments seem to "prove" hydrotropism, but yet most botanists reject hydrotropism. Teachers continue to teach the concept because it is logical and the experiments are simple. (PR)
SEPEL: New Phytotrons for Environmental Research
Kramer, P. J.; And Others
Describes the controlled environment facilities provided botanists by the Southeastern Plant Environment Laboratories; the procedures followed by outside scientists using the facility, and the history of its development. (AL)
20 CFR 603.1 - What are the purpose and scope of this part?
... FEDERAL-STATE UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION (UC) PROGRAM; CONFIDENTIALITY AND DISCLOSURE OF STATE UC... implement the requirements of Federal UC law concerning confidentiality and disclosure of UC information. This part applies to States and State UC agencies, as defined in § 603.2(f) and (g)....
Basement plan. ("Alter COC Bldg 2605, Basement Plan and Architectural ...
Basement plan. ("Alter COC Bldg 2605, Basement Plan and Architectural Details.") Strategic Air Command, Riverside, California, March Air Force Base. Drawing no. B-973, sheet no. 1 of 6, 14 April 1966; project no. MAR-267-5; CE-353; file drawer 1308. Last revised 20 October 1966. Various scales. 28x40 inches. pencil on paper - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
Does the slip rate of the San Jacinto fault vary along strike? Constraints from campaign GPS data
Conrad, J. P.; Funning, G.
Does the slip rate of the San Jacinto fault vary along strike? Constraints from campaign GPS data Conrad, JP [email protected] Dept. of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA Funning, G J [email protected] Dept. of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA The historically active San Jacinto fault (SJF) is major component of the plate boundary fault system in southern California. In close proximity to large population centers in California's Inland Empire, the loss of life and property damage that from a large earthquake along the SJF is potentially great. As the SJF is a relatively young fault, morphologically, it is made up of numerous discontinuous strands and segments, leading to disparate geologic slip rates and complicating their estimation. In the most recent Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast, the modeled slip rates for the northern SJF are variable, from 6.0 mm/yr on the San Bernardino section to 14.8 mm/yr in Anza [Field et al., 2009]. Since fault slip rates control the accumulation of moment deficit on a fault, such a reduction should correspond with a proportional reduction in seismic hazard. The San Bernardino segment slip rate was lowered from the previous UCERF forecast and is a factor of 1/3 less than the segment immediately south of it, yet no new data was introduced to substantiate this change. With velocity fields modeled from GPS data collected over 25 years we will validate whether GPS velocities are consistent with the UCERF 2 slip rates. To accomplish this, we process data from over 100 continuous and survey GPS sites with epochs from 1995 to 2013 within the Western United States. Data sources include locally collected data from previous and current UC Riverside campaigns, as well as campaign data archived at the Southern California Earthquake Center, UNAVCO, and SOPAC and continuous data from the IGS and Plate Boundary Observatory. Site positions are estimated using GAMIT 10.5 in the ITRF 2008 reference frame. Upon processing of all data, time series for each site for each year are reviewed for general trends, inconsistencies, and outliers. After this is completed, a multiyear velocity solution is processed and reprocessed to iteratively refine the a priori coordinates and velocities for all sites used. Using the velocity field thus produced with GLOBK, we determine the slip rate at various locations along the SJF using fault-normal velocity profiles of sites at a range of distances from the fault trace. Preliminary results indicate that may be an overall northwestward decrease in fault parallel velocities along the Anza and San Jacinto Valley sections on the order of 0.5 to 1.5 mm/yr although this is equivalent to the uncertainties in our velocities.. We have insufficient data at present to resolve any slip rate changes between the San Bernardino Valley and Claremont strands of the fault, but incorporation of additional archived campaign GPS data will likely improve this situation in future.
7 CFR 987.21 - Establishment and membership.
... IN RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Order Regulating Handling California Date Administrative Committee § 987.21 Establishment and membership. A California Date Administrative Committee consisting of...
77 FR 53189 - Notice of Public Meetings for the Draft Legislative Environmental Impact Statement for the...
... the Proposed Renewal of the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range Land Withdrawal, California AGENCY... Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range (CMAGR) in Imperial and Riverside counties, California. With...
5. EASTSIDE RESERVOIR, LOOKING WEST. WEST DAM UNDER CONSTRUCTION, QUARRIES ...
5. EASTSIDE RESERVOIR, LOOKING WEST. WEST DAM UNDER CONSTRUCTION, QUARRIES TO LEFT MIDDLE GROUND OF PICTURE. - Eastside Reservoir, Diamond & Domenigoni Valleys, southwest of Hemet, Hemet, Riverside County, CA
Satellite Sensornet Gateway Technology Infusion Through Rapid Deployments for Environmental Sensing
Benzel, T.; Silva, F.; Deschon, A.; Ye, W.; Cho, Y.
The Satellite Sensornet Gateway (SSG) is an ongoing ESTO Advanced Information Systems Technology project, at the University of Southern California. The major goal of SSG is to develop a turnkey solution for building environmental observation systems based on sensor networks. Our system has been developed through an iterative series of deployment-driven design, build, test, and revise which maximizes technology infusion to the earth scientist. We have designed a robust and flexible sensor network called Sensor Processing and Acquisition Network (SPAN). Our SPAN architecture emphasizes a modular and extensible design, such that core building blocks can be reused to develop different scientific observation systems. To support rapid deployment at remote locations, we employ satellite communications as the backhaul to relay in-situ sensor data to a central database. To easily support various science applications, we have developed a unified sensor integration framework that allows streamlined integration of different sensors to the system. Our system supports heterogeneous sets of sensors, from industry-grade products to research- specific prototypes. To ensure robust operation in harsh environments, we have developed mechanisms to monitor system status and recover from potential failures along with additional remote configuration and QA/QC functions. Here we briefly describe the deployments, the key science missions of the deployments and the role that the SSG technology played in each mission. We first deployed our SSG technology at the James Reserve in February 2007. In a joint deployment with the NEON project, SDSC, and UC Riverside, we set up a meteorological station, using a diverse set of sensors, with the objective of validating our basic technology components in the field. This system is still operational and streaming live sensor data. At Stunt Ranch, a UC Reserve near Malibu, CA, we partnered with UCLA biologist Phillip Rundel in order to study the drought impact on deep and shallow rooted plants. Our system was deployed in December 2007 and monitors sap flow on various plant species, while using a satellite link for real-time data access. In April 2008, in a joint deployment with UCLA, UC Merced, and GLEON, our SSG technology was used to study the impact of agricultural run off in a series of salt lakes near Bahia Blanca, Argentina. Our system collected meteorological data that were combined with water quality measurements taken from boats and buoys. Our SSG technology was used at the PASI workshop in June 2008 at the La Selva Biological Research Station in Costa Rica. As part of a two-week curriculum, students from throughout the americas used our system to collect measurements in the rain forest and later analyzed the data. La Selva plans to install several SSG nodes throughout the reserve and make mobile nodes available for visiting researchers to use in their research. We are currently planning a deployment with environmental engineer Tom Harmon from UC Merced to build an autonomous water quality flow path and reactive transport observation system near Merced, CA. SSG technology will be deployed to monitor soil, groundwater, and surface water parameters. In China's Guizhou Province, we are collaborating with researcher Sarah Rothenberg, who is studying mercury cycling in rice paddies. Our SSG system will collect soil parameters such as pH and ORP, in addition to environmental measurements such as PAR, and UV. This presentation will describe the SSG project, the SPAN prototype and our experience with technology infusion from the deployments. class="ab'>
Precise Relocation of the Northern Extent of the Aftershock Sequence Following the 4 April 2010 M7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah Earthquake Kayla A. Kroll (UCR) and Elizabeth S. Cochran (UCR)
Kroll, K.; Cochran, E. S.
Following the 4 April 2010 M7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake, teams from UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and San Diego State University installed an array of 8 temporary seismometers in the Yuha Desert area north of the Mexican border. This temporary array complemented the existing network stations and continuously recorded data from the aftershock sequence from 6 April through 14 June 2010. SCSN and the temporary aftershock array data will be used to study several aspects of fault structure and behavior, including precise relocation of the aftershock sequence. While the mainshock sequence ruptured multiple fault strands west of the Cerro Prieto fault, and south of the Sierra Cucapah Range, the aftershocks are densely clustered in three areas. The largest cluster is located to the northwest of the mainshock, in an area with no previously mapped faults. By relocating aftershocks, we hope to illuminate the network of faults that extend from the Laguna Salada fault in Mexico to its northern extension towards the Elsinore and San Jacinto faults. Right-lateral displacements up to 2 cm were identified on several right- and left-lateral fault segments by the USGS/CGS geologists in the area south of Hwy 98, and into the Pinto Wash (Treiman et al., personal communication, 2010). We relocate aftershocks within a 20 km by 14 km region containing 1 network and 8 temporary stations. Within this region over 4,000 aftershocks are in the SCEDC catalog from 6 April to 14 June 2010, during the time the temporary network was installed. The P and S wave arrival times for both the network and temporary stations were manually picked for each of these events. We compute the double difference hypocenter locations using the picked phase arrivals and waveform cross-correlations in the hypocenter relocation program, hypoDD (Waldhauser & Ellsworth 2000). In the event relocation, we used the velocity profile for the Imperial Valley from the SCEC Unified Velocity Model (Version 4). Future work will include detecting and relocating events that are not in the SCEDC catalog using the continuous data from the temporary array. All of the data will then be relocated using waveform cross-correlation in hypoDD to further improve the locations. Since little is known about the fault structure in the Yuha Desert region, we hope that accurate earthquake locations will help illuminate the complex and unmapped fault structure in the area. Additionally, more precise earthquake depths will help determine the extent of the seismogenic zone.
Climate Change, NASA and New Media: Engaging Non-Science Undergraduates in Climate Science Education
Dahl, R. M.; Mrofka, D. D.; Droser, M.
UC Riverside is one of the most socioeconomically and ethnically diverse university campuses in the country. As one of only two federally-designated Hispanic Serving Research Institutions, UCR has long been committed to successfully educating and graduating Latino students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields (fields in which Latino students are severely under-represented). Because Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic minority in the country, educating Latino students in climate science is necessary for creating an educated and informed American society. Each year nearly 3000 undergraduate students take lower-division courses in the UCR Earth Sciences Department. This creates a unique opportunity to educate a broad cross-section of students from all fields and majors in societally-important Earth Science issues. As part of a NASA Global Climate Change Education grant, the Earth Sciences Department has restructured its lower-division courses to emphasize climate science by redesigning labs and activities that incorporate online NASA climate data, with the idea that first-hand analysis of data will provide students with a better understanding of the complexities of climate change. While NASA data and resources are being woven in all lower-division courses, one course in particular, "Global Climate Change," has been completely redesigned: this course now both examines the science of climate change and trains students in the articulation of climate science. Students learn to use new medial like YouTube to create and disseminate their own educational vidoes. The goal of this approach is to educate all students, not just those studying Earth Sciences, and to ultimately increase the general public's understanding of global climate change.
Characterization of PM-PEMS for in-use measurements conducted during validation testing for the PM-PEMS measurement allowance program
Khan, M. Yusuf; Johnson, Kent C.; Durbin, Thomas D.; Jung, Heejung; Cocker, David R.; Bishnu, Dipak; Giannelli, Robert
This study provides an evaluation of the latest Particulate Matter-Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PM-PEMS) under different environmental and in-use conditions. It characterizes four PM measurement systems based on different measurement principles. At least three different units were tested for each PM-PEMS to account for variability. These PM-PEMS were compared with a UC Riverside's mobile reference laboratory (MEL). PM measurements were made from a class 8 truck with a 2008 Cummins diesel engine with a diesel particulate filter (DPF). A bypass around the DPF was installed in the exhaust to achieve a brake specific PM (bsPM) emissions level of 25 mg hp-1h-1. PM was dominated by elemental carbon (EC) during non-regeneration conditions and by hydrated sulfate (H2SO4.6H2O) during regeneration. The photo-acoustic PM-PEMS performed best, with a linear regression slope of 0.90 and R2 of 0.88 during non-regenerative conditions. With the addition of a filter, the photo-acoustic PM-PEMS slightly over reported than the total PM mass (slope = 1.10, R2 = 0.87). Under these same non-regeneration conditions, a PM-PEMS equipped with a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technology performed the poorest, and had a slope of 0.22 and R2 of 0.13. Re-tests performed on upgraded QCM PM-PEMS showed a better slope (0.66), and a higher R2 of 0.25. In the case of DPF regeneration, all PM-PEMS performed poorly, with the best having a slope of 0.20 and R2 of 0.78. Particle size distributions (PSD) showed nucleation during regeneration, with a shift of particle size to smaller diameters (˜64 nm to ˜13 nm) with elevated number concentrations when compared to non-regeneration conditions.
Instantaneous nitric oxide effect on secondary organic aerosol formation from m-xylene photooxidation
Li, Lijie; Tang, Ping; Cocker, David R.
Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from aromatic hydrocarbon photooxidation is highly sensitive to NO concentration. The instantaneous effect of NO on SOA formation from m-xylene photooxidation is investigated in this work by data mining 10 years of aromatic hydrocarbon chamber experiments conducted in the UC Riverside/CE-CERT chamber. First, the effect of sub-ppb NO concentrations on SOA formation is explored. The relationship of SOA growth rate to 1) NO2/NO ratio; 2) instantaneous HC/NO; 3) absolute NO concentration; 4) peroxy radical reaction branching ratio and 5) hydroxyl radical concentration are illustrated. Second, continuous and stepwise NO, NO2 and HONO injection are applied to m-xylene photooxidation experiments to simulate continuous NO sources in an urban area. The influence of these reaction scenarios on radical concentrations and SOA formation is explored. [HO2rad ]/[RO2rad ] shows a strong correlation with SOA yields in addition to [rad OH]/[HO2rad ], [rad OH], [HO2rad ] and [RO2rad ]. Enhanced SOA formation is observed when low NO levels (<1 ppb) are artificially maintained by continuous or step-wise injection; consistent with earlier research, SOA formation is observed to be suppressed by large initial NO injections. It is proposed that NO at sub-ppb level enhances rad OH formation increasing HO2rad and RO2rad and therefore promoting SOA formation. Further, two NO pathways (one promoting and one suppressing SOA formation) and one extremely low NO phase (NO "free") are used to demonstrate the evolution of NO impact on SOA formation during photooxidation. This study implies that SOA yields from aromatic hydrocarbon and low NOx photooxidation is previously underestimated due to differences between traditional environmental chamber experiments and atmospheric reactivity.
Improved ferroelectric/piezoelectric properties and bright green/UC red emission in (Li,Ho)-doped CaBi4Ti4O15 multifunctional ceramics with excellent temperature stability and superior water-resistance performance.
Xiao, Ping; Guo, Yongquan; Tian, Mijie; Zheng, Qiaoji; Jiang, Na; Wu, Xiaochun; Xia, Zhiguo; Lin, Dunmin
Multifunctional materials based on rare earth ion doped ferro/piezoelectrics have attracted considerable attention in recent years. In this work, new lead-free multifunctional ceramics of Ca1-x(LiHo)x/2Bi4Ti4O15 were prepared by a conventional solid-state reaction method. The great multi-improvement in ferroelectricity/piezoelectricity, down/up-conversion luminescence and temperature stability of the multifunctional properties is induced by the partial substitution of (Li0.5Ho0.5)(2+) for Ca(2+) ions in CaBi4Ti4O15. All the ceramics possess a bismuth-layer structure, and the crystal structure of the ceramics is changed from a four layered bismuth-layer structure to a three-layered structure with the level of (Li0.5Ho0.5)(2+) increasing. The ceramic with x = 0.1 exhibits simultaneously, high resistivity (R = 4.51 × 10(11)Ω cm), good piezoelectricity (d33 = 10.2 pC N(-1)), high Curie temperature (TC = 814 °C), strong ferroelectricity (Pr = 9.03 μC cm(-2)) and enhanced luminescence. These behaviours are greatly associated with the contribution of (Li0.5Ho0.5)(2+) in the ceramics. Under the excitation of 451 nm light, the ceramic with x = 0.1 exhibits a strong green emission peak centered at 545 nm, corresponding to the transition of the (5)S2→(5)I8 level in Ho(3+) ions, while a strong red up-conversion emission band located at 660 nm is observed under the near-infrared excitation of 980 nm at room temperature, arising from the transition of (5)F5→(5)I8 levels in Ho(3+) ions. Surprisingly, the excellent temperature stability of ferroelectricity/piezoelectricity/luminescence and superior water-resistance behaviors of piezoelectricity/luminescence are also obtained in the ceramic with x = 0.1. Our study suggests that the present ceramics may have potential applications in advanced multifunctional devices at high temperature. PMID:26387782
Passing the Baton: A New Program from ACSA and the New Teacher Center at UC Santa Cruz Is Improving the Way a New Generation of Site Leaders is Prepared and Supported
Bloom, Gary; Danilovich, Duff L.; Fogel, Janet
Through a collaborative effort, the New Teacher Center at the University of California Santa Cruz and the Association of California School Administrators are offering intensive, coaching-based induction support to first- and second-year administrators that is integral to their professional certification. This program rests on the commitment and…
Evaluation of Ohio fly ash/hydrated lime slurries and Type 1 cement sorbent slurries in the U.C. Pilot spray dryer facility. Final report, September 1, 1993--August 31, 1994
Keener, T.C.; Khang, S.J.; Meyers, G.R.
The objectives of this year`s work included an evaluation of the performance of fly ash/hydrated lime as well as hydrated cement sorbents for spray drying adsorption (SDA) of SO{sub 2} from a simulated high-sulfur flue gas. These sorbents were evaluated for several different hydration methods, and under different SDA operating conditions. In addition, the physical properties of surface area and porosity of the sorbents was determined. The most reactive fly ash/hydrated lime sorbent studied was prepared at room temperature with milled fly ash. Milling fly ash prior to hydration with lime did have a beneficial effect on calcium utilization. No benefit in utilization was experienced either by hydrating the slurries at a temperature of 90{degrees}C as compared to hydration at room temperature, or by increasing hydration time. While the surface areas varied greatly from sorbent to sorbent, the pore size distributions indicated ``ink bottle`` pores with surface porosity on the order of 0.5 microns. No correlation could be drawn between the surface area of the sorbents and calcium utilization. These results suggest that the composition of the resulting sorbent might be more important than its surface area. The most effective sorbent studied this year was produced by hydrating cement for 3 days at room temperature. This sorbent provided a removal efficiency and a calcium utilization over 25 percent higher than baseline results at an approach to saturation temperature of 30{degrees}F and a stoichiometric ratio of 0.9. A maximum SO{sub 2} removal efficiency of about 90 percent was experienced with this sorbent at an approach to saturation temperature of 20{degrees}F.
What Does It Mean to be Central? A Botanical Geography of Paris 1830-1848.
Hoquet, Thierry
This paper focuses on the geography of the botanical community in Paris, under the July Monarchy (1830-1848). At that time, the Muséum d'Histoire naturelle (MHN) was at its institutional acme and, under the impulse of François Guizot, its budget was increasing dramatically. However, closer attention to manuscript sources (correspondence, travel diaries) reveals that the botanists of the time favoured other private institutions, located both on the Right and Left Banks of the Seine. The MHN was prestigious for its collections and professors but it was relatively remote from the centre of Paris, and its plant samples were sometimes difficult to access. Several other first-class private herbaria granted liberal access to botanists: those of Jacques Gay, Phillip Barker Webb, and Benjamin Delessert. Thanks to their wealth, these plant amateurs had ownership of historical herbaria consisting of species types alongside rich botanical libraries. Botanists visiting Paris from foreign countries or other provinces of France also spent some time studying less general plant collections, like those of Count Jaubert, or specialized collections, like Montagne's or Léveillé's on cryptogams. Other botanists also enjoyed renown at the time, although they published little, if anything (like Maire). Living in crammed apartments, literally in the middle of their plant samples, these botanists were key nodes in botanical networks, although they had no relation with the prestigious MHN. PMID:26242744
In California, a Public Research University Succeeds because Its Low-Income Students Do
Hebel, Sara
Riverside has long struggled to shake its reputation as a campus of last resort in the University of California system, taking in students who could not get accepted at more prestigious branches. But Riverside's position has also allowed it to draw large numbers of students from low-income backgrounds, who are likelier than their wealthier peers�
West wall, display area (room 101), view 1 of 4: ...
West wall, display area (room 101), view 1 of 4: southwest corner, showing stairs to commander's quarters and viewing bridge, windows to controller's room (room 102), south end of control consoles, and holes in pedestal floor for computer equipment cables (tape drive I/O?) - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
Pneumatic vacuum tube message center, basement room 23, looking southeast ...
Pneumatic vacuum tube message center, basement room 23, looking southeast toward doorway and corridor. Note soundproof walls, pedestal flooring, and cable tray suspended from the ceiling - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
14. VIEW OF GAGE IRRIGATION CANAL AT HILLTOP DRIVE AND ...
14. VIEW OF GAGE IRRIGATION CANAL AT HILLTOP DRIVE AND BARTON ROAD, SHOWING OLD ROUTE OF CANAL VIADUCT ACROSS BARTON ROAD. SIPHON NOW GOES UNDER ROAD AND EMERGES AT RIGHT REAR BELOW TWO TELEPHONE POLES (SEE CA-120-15) - Gage Irrigation Canal, Running from Santa Ana River to Arlington Heights, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
Annual Report, 1995. California Educational Research Cooperative.
Zykowski, Jane L.; And Others
The California Educational Research Cooperative (CERC) of the School of Education, University of California, Riverside, was established in 1988 as a joint venture designed to bring educational professionals and researchers together. CERC is a partnership among the Riverside and San Bernadino County Offices of Education, 19 local school districts,…
U.S. EPA TEAM STUDY OF INHALABLE PARTICLES (PM-10): STUDY DESIGN, RESPONSE RATE, AND SAMPLER PERFORMANCE
The US EPA studied the exposures of 175 residents of Riverside, CA to inha1able particles (<10 u diameter) in the early fall of 1990. Participants were probabilistically selected to represent most of the Riverside nonsmoking population over the age of 10. They wore a newly-design...
Commander's conference room (room 202), closet and hallway to bathroom ...
Commander's conference room (room 202), closet and hallway to bathroom and bedroom, leading to conference room 211. Viewing windows look down on the display area. View to north - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
10. INTERIOR OF OUTLET TOWER LOOKING DOWN TO TIER #1 ...
10. INTERIOR OF OUTLET TOWER LOOKING DOWN TO TIER #1 OF SLIDE GATES. STRUCTURE HAS LEVELS ENABLING OPERATORS TO CHOOSE LEVEL WITH BEST QUALITY WATER. OVERHANGING DEVICE THAT LOOKS LIKE A LIGHT STANDARD IS ACTUALLY A METER FOR MEASURING WATER LEVELS. - Lake Mathews, East of Route 15, Riverside, Riverside County, CA
West wall, display area (room 101), view 3 of 4: north part, showing senior battle staff viewing bridge), projection booths, control consoles, and pneumatic tube message port - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
D.O.P. and D.I. secured room (room 215), looking west towards ...
D.O.P. and D.I. secured room (room 215), looking west towards murals. Sliding map tracks are visible on the floor next to the wall at left. Also note original fluorescent lights - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
Detail of one way mirror, mail slot, and electrical box ...
Detail of one way mirror, mail slot, and electrical box at sentry post no. 3, top of east stairs near the end of second floor corridor - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
The Voices of Desegregation: Parents, Students and District Personnel Reflect, Thirty Years After.
Studer, Susan Clark
In this research study, individuals involved in the original implementation of a desegregation plan in the Riverside Unified School District (California) and those who were affected by the plan were interviewed to determine pros and cons of the desegregation issue. In Riverside 30 years earlier there were three segregated schools, one that was…
77 FR 31386 - Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed McCoy Solar...
... Proposed McCoy Solar Energy Project and Possible Land Use Plan Amendment, Riverside County, CA AGENCY..., geological resources and hazards, land use, noise, paleontological resources, public health, socioeconomics... Federal Register on August 29, 2011 (76 FR 167). The BLM and Riverside County held public scoping...
40 CFR 52.726 - Control strategy: Ozone.
... Implementation Plan. This submittal satisfies 40 CFR 58.20(f) which requires the State to provide for the... that the Federal site-specific rule for Riverside (40 CFR 52.741(e)(10)) has been superseded by the... Riverside, promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency on August 21, 1995 (40 CFR...
Looking north in the telephone equipment room along the wiring ...
Looking north in the telephone equipment room along the wiring aisles with rolling service ladders. The circuit drawings file cabinets and workbench are at the far right end - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
Interior, equipment room, weather support area (from July, 1968 drawing) ...
Interior, equipment room, weather support area (from July, 1968 drawing) at north end of display area, looking west. Window looks south towards the main console - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
West wall, display area (room 101), view 4 of 4: northwest corner, with D.M. logistics office below (room 137), and D.O./D.D.O. offices above. Lower stairs lead to entry shown in view 13 - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
Display area, looking north towards the classified storage rooms, D.M. ...
Display area, looking north towards the classified storage rooms, D.M. Logistics and D.O. Offices in northwest corner. Viewing bridge is at upper left, and alert status display at upper right - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
Looking west in the basement utility room, room 24, overview ...
Looking west in the basement utility room, room 24, overview of air handling system, large walk-in filter, large ducts, pipes, and gauges - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
Basement utility room (room 24; air handling room), near the ...
Basement utility room (room 24; air handling room), near the west end of the combat operations center, looking southwest towards fan system one, air ducts, and walk-in filter rooms. The exterior equipment well is visible at the left - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
78 FR 77359 - Eighth Coast Guard District Annual Safety Zones; New Year's Eve Celebration/City of Mobile...
... updates was confirmed in the Federal Register (77 FR 28766) on May 16, 2012. The City of Mobile New Year's... the Mobile Channel between the Arthur R. Outlaw Convention Center and Cooper Riverside Park. This... located in the Mobile Channel between the Arthur R. Outlaw Convention Center and Cooper Riverside Park...
Telco maintenance (room 228) looking south into the telephone equipment ...
Telco maintenance (room 228) looking south into the telephone equipment room (room 227). Note workbench in left corner, lighting fixtures, and air handling ducts - March Air Force Base, Strategic Air Command, Combat Operations Center, 5220 Riverside Drive, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, CA
... on November 4, 1993, into the Illinois State Implementation Plan. This submittal satisfies 40 CFR 58... County facility, to reflect that the Federal site-specific rule for Riverside (40 CFR 52.741(e)(10)) has..., applicable to Riverside, promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency on August 21, 1995 (40 CFR... |
Medical Optics a FiO Feature
WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2007 -- Using tiny implantable cameras to restore sight, lasers to treat infertility and light to detect malaria are a few of the medical research advances to be discussed during Frontiers in Optics 2007 (FiO), the 91st Annual Meeting of the Optical Society of America. FiO will be held Sept. 16-20 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, Calif., collocated with Laser Science XXIII, the annual meeting of the American Physical Society Division of Laser Science. At FiO, researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) will present the paper "Intraocular Camera for Retinal Prostheses: Design Constraints Based on Visual Psychophysics," about their work with implanting a tiny camera into the human eye and connecting it to the retina. The ultimate goal of the camera is to provide limited vision to those blinded by diseases that don't completely destroy the retina, such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, via a fully implantable retinal prosthetic device. Current retinal prostheses are designed to be used with an external camera mounted in a pair of glasses, which requires a subject to move his head in order to scan the environment. The miniaturized prototype being developed by the USC team would be directly implantable and would allow for natural eye and head movements. The researchers also discovered that the minimum system requirements for vision-related tasks was only 625 pixels, compared to the more than a million in a typical computer display. That knowledge helped them to reduce their prototype's size and weight from that of a Tylenol tablet to about one-third the size of a Tic-Tac. Initial tests have been successful, but human FDA trials are still at least two years away. Scientists from the University of California's Irvine and San Diego campuses will present their research, using laser traps as a sorting technique for sperm in infertility treatments, in the paper "Annular Laser Trap: A Tool for High-Throughput Sperm Sorting and Analysis." The laser trap, consisting of special cone-shaped lenses, a standard lens and a laser, can separate stronger, faster sperm -- sperm more likely to successfully fertilize an egg -- from slower sperm. The technique could improve conception chances via in vitro fertilization and could find wide application in animal husbandry and human fertility treatments. Since X sperm are generally heavier and swim slower than Y sperm, it is also possible to use the technique for gender selection. In their FiO presentation, "Confocal Polarimetry Measurements of Tissue Infected with Malaria," scientists from the University of Waterloo in Ontario and the University of Murcia in Spain will speak on their new, more accurate and detailed technique to analyze large tissue samples for signs of malaria. The scientists used a new instrument, a confocal laser scanning Macroscope, capable of imaging much larger tissue samples at a very high resolution. By combining their new technique with the Macroscope, the researchers measured tell-tale changes in the polarization of light reflecting off a sample of infected tissue, since the malaria parasite changes light polarization. The technique allows large areas to be imaged in a single scan as opposed to the smaller field available with a traditional microscope. The researchers found that not only could this new approach improve the assessment of the severity of malaria cases, but it could also be used to assess tissues affected by other diseases and conditions that interact with polarized light, such as Alzheimer's disease.Technical sessions presented under the broad FiO topic of "Optics in Biology and Medicine" will include discussions of biosensors, advances in single-molecule biophysics, micro- and nanotechnology for bioengineering, and molecular imaging and microspectroscopy of live cells using immunotargeted nanoparticles.Also, Stanford University researchers' work with retinal implant technologies and optical brain imaging and mapping in small animals will also be discussed during the Joint FiO/Stanford Photonics Research Center Symposium Monday, Sept. 17.For more information, visit www.osa.orgAbout The Optical Society (OSA)/Company.aspx?CompanyID=10911
GLOSSARYphotonicsThe technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...retina1. The photosensitive membrane on the inside of the human eye. 2. A scanning mechanism in optical character generation.
Raman Amplification in Plasma Leads to Ultra-High-Gain AmpliferLASERSZebra Medical, Telerad Tech Partner for Healthcare TechnologyBIOPHOTONICSBetter Materials Could Advance Design of Dielectric Nanophotonic DevicesNANOOptical Approach to Fracture Testing Measures Concrete StrengthSENSORS & DETECTORS
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BOOKSTORE"Photonics" PosterWhat is Photonics? This poster depicts how one word, Photonics, covers so many different...BUY NOW > |
Home/News/Articles/Campbell medical student to lead Family Medicine leadership program
Campbell medical student to lead Family Medicine leadership program
Third-year medical student Erin Clark is one of 30 scholarship winners nationwide selected to participate in the Family Medicine Leads Emerging Leader Institute. As a scholarship recipient, Clark will participate in a year-long leadership development program.
The Family Medicine Leads Emerging Leader Institute is a program of the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation (AAFP). It aims to ensure the future of the Family Medicine specialty by increasing the number of Family Medicine leaders through leadership training.
“I’m particularly interested in contributing to underserved populations while focusing on social determinants of health and access to quality care,” Clark said.
The AAFP selected Clark through a highly competitive application process. As a Campbell medical student, she was encouraged by faculty to seek opportunities for personal and professional development.
“Our mission is to deliver superior patient care in communities we serve, and increasing access to family medicine is a key strategy for fulfilling that purpose,” said Dr. John M. Kauffman Jr., dean. “It’s rewarding to see our medical students embody our School’s mission in such ways. Ms. Clark’s dedication to transform healthcare in underserved areas is commendable and serves as an example for us all.”
Clark will attend both the AAFP National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students (National Conference) and the AAFP Foundation Family Medicine Leads Emerging Leadership Institute. Over the course of one year, Clark will work diligently on a project associated with philanthropic and mission-driven leadership.
“Through my project scope, I hope to address one of the many aspects of health disparities in urban underserved local communities. I plan to partner with an organization that focuses on substance abuse and addiction.” Clark said. “While I’m fully expecting to be pushed out of my comfort zone, I’m eager to listen to people who have had various life experiences.”
Broadly speaking, Clark said she desires to bring her attitudes on community connections and inclusion to her career in medicine, which if all goes according to plan, will begin with a residency in family medicine.
Academics & OutcomesCampus & CommunityLeading & ServingGraduateCurrent StudentsSchool of Osteopathic Medicine
Lynsey Trembly Writer |
Book debuts brain models of risky decision-making
January 23, 2014 • [email protected]
Reprinted from Cornell Chronicle, December 10, 2013
Risky choices – about sex, drugs and drinking, as well as diet, exercise, money and health care – pervade our lives and can have dire consequences. Now, a new book aims to help us understand the neural roots of bad decisions. “The Neuroscience of Risky Decision Making” (APA Books) synthesizes the research in this relatively young field for the first time, and introduces new models of brain function to explain and predict risky behavior.
“The harm caused by risky decision-making is enormous – understanding how the brain processes risks and rewards is the key to unraveling the mystery of irrational decision-making in real life,” said Valerie Reyna, professor of human development, director of the Human Neuroscience Institute in the College of Human Ecology and co-director of the Cornell MRI Facility.
“We anticipate this work will transform the next phase of research in the field and inform policy and practice innovations that can save lives and improve health and well-being,” said Reyna, who co-edited the volume with Vivian Zayas, associate professor of psychology at Cornell.
In the book, leading neuroeconomists, neuroscientists and social scientists discuss recent findings on why people take risks and how risky choices shift in different circumstances and across the life span.
An initial chapter by Reyna and Scott A. Huettel, neuroscientist at Duke University, sums up the research on how the brain responds during risky decision-making and introduces a new theoretical framework for explaining the mechanisms that drive behavior. The chapters that follow cover such topics as how risky decision-making changes dramatically from childhood to adolescence as a function of age-related changes in brain structure; the role of emotional regulation, self-control and personality differences in risky choices; and the social, cognitive and biological factors that shape risky behavior. The final chapter presents evidence for a new “triple” process model of how rewards and losses are evaluated in the brain, potentially resolving conflicts between current single and dual system theories.
The book is intended for researchers, students and professionals in the fields of social, cognitive and affective neuroscience; psychology; economics; law and public health.
This volume is part of the American Psychological Association’s Bronfenbrenner Series on the Ecology of Human Development, affiliated with the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, with authoritative contributions from leading experts in the field.
Reyna will discuss her new book in a “Chats in the Stacks” book talk Feb. 10 at noon in 160 Mann Library.
Posted in Features and tagged adolescence, decision making, neuroscience on January 23, 2014 by [email protected].
« Sex abuse triggers early puberty and its problems Two neuroscientists join Human Development’s faculty » |
Arena Profile: Janelle Ward Janelle Ward is assistant professor in the Department of Media and Communication at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands. A native of Minnesota, she completed her graduate work in the Netherlands, earning a PhD in political communication from the University of Amsterdam in 2009. Her research focuses on the use of new media for political purposes ranging from election campaigning to political consumerism. Janelle has published her work on these topics in various academic journals. In 2012, Hampton Press will publish her monograph “Communicating Citizenship Online." The book spans seven years of research into youth political organizations, starting in the heyday of official websites and moving into the realm of social media.
Janelle teaches graduate level courses for international students, primarily on new media use in political contexts.
Janelle Ward 's Recent Discussions
Has Stephen Colbert run his course?
Stephen Colbert would make a great senator. The public would actually tune into C-SPAN if he were elected.
Back in 2008, Stephen Colbert was the one who set the standard for big numbers on Facebook. When he first declared he was running for president, the "One Million Strong for Stephen Colbert" group had almost reached its goal in less than a week.
People feel compelled by his message. It speaks volumes about the state of our political system. Citizens are desperate for change, and applaud anyone willing to announce the emperor has no clothes.
Stephen Colbert would be a more intelligent, well-spoken, and thoughtful politician than many who currently serve. No, he shouldn't stop his meddling. Even if it's all a joke, he's a necessary and hilarious voice.
What's wrong with the GOP?
The Republicans are in trouble. In five out of the past six elections they've lost the popular vote. Our country is becoming more diverse, youth seem more inclined to vote and both minorities and young people overwhelmingly chose for Obama. And let's not forget about women.
Why? It's about more than just all those white guys. There's something fundamentally jarring about politicians who insist on imposing certain moral principles on a population but then rejecting a moral call to help those in need. At some point, the party was more than its connection to anti-abortion, anti-welfare, and religious zealots. Isn't it fundamentally about personal responsibility: the idea that everyone has the opportunity to make it, and everyone who makes it should be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor? Unfortunately, rather than this being a positive, upbeat message, the Republicans have made it an angry, defensive one. And look at the tea party.
Maybe the Republicans should try a new tactic: Instead of being vehemently anti-tax, speak louder about our responsibility to help those in need - if not through government channels, then through contributions to charity. Facilitate and provide more specific examples of how those who have excelled in the private sector are mentoring others trying to make it.
The belief that everyone can work hard and succeed is a great message. It's always been a huge part of our country's spirit. The Republicans should embrace this from a positive stance - if, of course, that's what they're really all about.
Can the media handle election night?
Unlike the media, candidates are almost expected to lie, with millions spent on untrue ads and on ads refuting untruths. Then there were the debates - we saw both Obama and Romney arguing over who was being factual. The talk on social media has been a circus - both hilarious and snarky. Citizens are left to sort out the truth - but is that where the media comes in?
The media (most of it, anyway) is still expected to remain objective and gaffe-free. On election night, the biggest gaffe would be officially announcing the winner too early or incorrectly. They can easily avoid this, and I think they will - but what about the commentary throughout the evening? It's not just about exit polls and pundits. It's impossible to avoid reporting on Facebook and Twitter buzz, and the jury is out on whether such buzz is really an accurate reflection of people's loyalty or sentiment. It's a tall order for the mainstream media, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out on election night.
Open Mike, Oct. 19-21
Election Obsession Goes International
The U.S. elections generate huge interest abroad. This is definitely true in the Netherlands, the place I’ve called home for the past 11 years. The other day on the train I was preparing a presentation about social media use in the election campaign. As I juggled images of Todd Akin and Big Bird, the man next to me, in true Dutch fashion, stared shamelessly at my laptop screen. When I glanced at him, rather than look away he held my gaze. “So who do you think will win?” he wanted to know. It happens all the time: Dutch friends and perfect strangers ask my opinion of the debates and my reaction to Romney’s 47 percent video.
But the interest goes way beyond casual conversation. Now that we’ve reached October, there are almost weekly events, mostly in the form of discussions or debates. Last week, the U.S. Embassy of the Netherlands hosted a Republican (Shane Jett, former Oklahoma State Representative) and a Democrat (Gary Nordlinger of Nordlinger Associates). The entourage toured Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Leiden, spreading knowledge about U.S. politics to fascinated audiences of students and professionals. I hosted the Rotterdam event. Before the event, the organizer approached me with a worried look on his face.
He thought the Republican might get bullied by the audience, and asked me to help soften the tone if the questions became harsh. But he had nothing to fear. At events like these, criticism always seems to overlook partisan politics. Though they are concerned with the outcome of the election, and as a rule seem to prefer the Democrats, when it comes to their impression of the “American mentality” the Dutch don’t really see a difference. The tone has defini |
School of Health Sciences and Social Care >
School of Health Sciences and Social Care Theses >
Title: Low back pain, quality of life and function in people with incomplete spinal cord injury in USA, UK and Greece
Authors: Michailidou, Christina
Advisors: De Souza, LHSutherland, I
Keywords: Musculoskeletal painGR-SCIM IIISystematic literature review on chronic LBPCross-National data collectionOnline data collection
Publisher: Brunel University School of Health Sciences and Social Care PhD Theses
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Pain is a common consequence of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). While research into pain in SCI is vast, examining musculoskeletal pain (MSKP) and low back pain (LBP) are limited. This thesis aims to investigate these categories of pain in incomplete SCI (iSCI). The experience of pain is known to affect quality of life (QoL) and function. The impact of the experience of pain, particularly of LBP, on both the QoL and function are examined in this research. While research in similar fields is predominantly conducted in single nation populations this research is set out to study three different nations. METHOD: The following were part of this study: • A systematic literature review on the prevalence on chronic back pain (BP), LBP and MSKP in SCI. • A translation, and preliminary validation, into Greek of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM version III). • A cross-national survey conducted in the USA, UK and Greece. Questionnaires included the short-form McGill Pain questionnaire (SF-MPQ), EQ-5D and the SCIM III. They were collected either online or via post and 219 questionnaires were analysed. RESULTS: The papers included in the systematic literature review were considerably heterogeneous not allowing meta-analysis to be made. 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the total number of participants in the studies were used. Among people with pain the prevalence of chronic MSKP (CMSKP) was 49% (95%CI 44%, 55%), of chronic BP (CBP) was 47% (95%CI 43%, 50%) and chronic LBP (CLBP) was 49% (95%CI 44%, 55%). GR-SCIM III maintains its unidimensionality and has acceptable internal consistency (α=0.78). Concurrent/criterion validity for the two cross-examined subscales were strong for “self-care” (ρ=-0.78) and moderate for “mobility” (ρ=-0.58). Unidimensionality was also confirmed for the English version of SCIM III, which had accepted internal consistency (α=0.79) and strong concurrent/criterion validity for “self-care” (ρ=-0.75) and moderate for “mobility” (ρ=-0.45). The survey results showed that the prevalence of current LBP is 67.9% (95%CI 61%, 73%) and of MSKP is 38.8% (95%CI 32%, 45%). LBP was of moderate intensity and most commonly described as “aching”. People who report pain, LBP or MSKP reported worse QoL. The impact of LBP on QoL was greater than that of pain in general or MSKP. The increased intensity of LBP correlated with worse function. Among the three participating countries, people from the UK had the worst experience of pain and LBP, classified themselves with the worst health status and reported the worst functional independence. CONCLUSION: This study offers the first systematic review on CLBP, CBP and CMSKP in SCI. It is unique in using SCIM III by self-report and into Greek. The results show that LBP is highly present in iSCI affecting both QoL and function. Both the GR-SCIM III and the SCIM III are reliable for use, however studies are needed to examine further their psychometric properties. The findings of the study fit with features of the currently used patients’ rehabilitation models.
Description: This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.
Sponsorship: This research is funded by the EPSRC
Appears in Collections:Community Health and Public HealthSchool of Health Sciences and Social Care Theses
FulltextThesis.pdf11.46 MBAdobe PDFView/Open |
IU Libraries Secure Prestigious Data Curation Fellowship Position
Indiana University is one of only five American research institutions selected to host a 2014 CLIR/DLF Postdoctoral Fellow in Data Curation for Early Modern Studies. The other host institutions are Carnegie Mellon University, the Folger Shakespeare Library, UCLA, and the University of Pennsylvania. The five, fully-funded fellowships will provide recent Ph.D.s with professional development, education, and training opportunities in data curation for Early Modern Studies.
At Indiana University, the fellow will contribute primarily to The Chymistry of Isaac Newton project, an online, scholarly and critical edition of Sir Isaac Newton’s alchemical manuscripts comprised of nearly a million words, which have been transcribed and encoded according to the Guidelines for Electronic Text Encoding and Interchange (TEI). Since Newton used literally hundreds of alchemical works ranging in origin from the Middle Ages to the seventeenth century to prepare his transcriptions and florilegia, the text analysis tools developed for this project will have implications far beyond Newton scholarship alone, particularly as machine readable versions of Newton’s source texts become more readily available. We expect that the approaches that are developed by the fellow, in collaboration with Indiana University faculty, librarians and technologists, will be applicable to other projects in Early Modern Studies.
Through work on the Newton project as well as others, the CLIR fellow will have direct access to experts across a wide range of faculty, librarians and technologists, including experts in metadata analysis, text encoding, imaging specialists, large scale data mining, data curation and preservation systems, system and tool developers, and more. The fellow will participate fully in the vast professional development offerings at Indiana University, including activities in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Library programs such as the Digital Library Brown Bag Series, campus programs such as the College’s Catapult Center for Digital Humanities and Computational Analysis workshops and courses, and more.
This news item was adapted from a longer version available on the CLIR website.
IU Foundation
libadv @ indiana . edu
Helene O'Leary - Assistant Dean for Advancement
holeary @ indiana . edu |
The Environmental Sciences BSc(Hons) is a flexible degree that draws from geography, ecology and chemistry to address themes such as sustainability, conservation, pollution and environmental hazards.
You will develop scientific skills and knowledge through classroom, laboratory and project work, with the freedom to choose between a broad-based study programme or a more specialised route.
The course has a general focus on employability, transferable skills and practical learning. Trips to Greece and Sicily, as well as the local area including the chalks hills of the South Downs National Park, help you develop your field skills. While the option of a paid placement year gives you the chance to build experience and a network of professional contacts. This course is accredited by the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES). Students are eligible for free membership of IES, providing the opportunity to be a part of a long-established and reputable environmental science professional body.
Accredited by the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES)
A-levels must include a pure science subject. BTEC must include a relevant science subject.
International Baccalaureate28 points, with three subjects at Higher level to include a relevant science subject.
Access to HE DiplomaPass with 60 credits overall. At least 45 credits at level 3, with 24 credits at merit or above. Level 3 units must include geography or environmental studies and a relevant science.
GCSE (minimum grade C or grade 4)At least English language, maths and science.
Foundation degree/HND/HNCInternational foundation may be considered. Applicants with an HND or foundation degree may be considered for year 2 entry.
Our Environmental Sciences degree is characterised by its flexibility. Core modules, which all students take, provide a solid foundation of essential knowledge alongside optional modules which you choose according to your personal and career interests.
From year 2, modules are organised into themes: environmental management and sustainability
ecology and conservation
environmental pollution.
You will choose modules from three themes in year 2, and a minimum of two themes in your final year. Or you can choose modules from across all four themes. Whichever subjects you decide to study, you will develop subject-specific and transferable skills, including:
class-based skills (independent learning, debating, presenting, developing an argument)
laboratory skills (analytical techniques, such as for soil quality, water quality and pollution)
field skills (applying environmental techniques, devising surveys, monitoring, sampling).
Introduction to Environmental Chemistry
Data Presentation and Analysis for Geoscientists
Fundamentals of Physical Geography
Global Environmental Issues and Management
An Introduction to Environmental Hazards
Introduction to Fieldwork
Archaeological Practice 1: Survey
Physiological Ecology
Ecological Processes
Habitat Ecology
Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks
Interpreting Geological Maps
Fundamentals of Geology
The Ocean Planet: An Introduction
The Global Earth System
Water in the Environment
Cities: An Introduction to Urban Geography
Citizenship for the Environment
Discovering Geospatial Data
Geography fieldwork, Sicily (or Biology Field Course South Africa as a specialist option) Skills for Research and Careers
General: Societies of Early Europe
Geoarchaeology
Archaeological Practice 2: Excavation and Post Excavation
Applied Palaentology
Geographies of Development
Communitiy Engagement: Actioning Sustainable Development
Theme 1: Environmental management and sustainability
Alternative and Renewable Energy
Contemporary Rural Geographies
Environmental Conservation and Management
Geographies of Everyday Life
Introduction to GIS and Spatial Data Analysis
Theme 2: Environmental hazards
Coastal and Aeolian Landscapes
Ice Age Earth
Water in the Landscape
Theme 3: Ecology and conservation
Ecological Techniques
Introduction to Marine Biology
Theme 4: Environmental pollution
Environmental Pollution and Control
Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry
Soil and Water Analysis
The placement year is a great opportunity to:
put your new skills into action in a real-life work place
build knowledge of businesses and organisations
In recent years, our students have been successful in competing for nationally advertised positions with the Department for Energy and Climate Change, Transport for London, the Field Studies Council and the Office of National Statistics. Other students have secured placements with environmental firms and consultancies, a multi-national telecommunications company and a renewable energy research centre in Spain.
You will return to your final year of study with new knowledge and skills to inform your final year studies, and your final year dissertation. You may even return to the university with an offer of a job after graduation.
Independent Project (or Ecology Project)
Evolution and the Fossil Record
Active Remote Sensing: Radar and Lifar in the Geosciences
Coastal Environments
Environmental Change in Low Latitudes
Applied Ecology and Conservation
Ecology Field Skills
Geoinformatic Systems
Molecular Ecology
Case Study in Environmental Pollution
Environmentally aware graduates are increasingly in demand, with relevant roles available in nature conservation, recycling and waste management, environmental planning, consultancy, management, geoinformatic systems and academia.
Recent graduates have found roles in organisations such as GIS consultancies, Low Carbon Europe, the Environment Agency, Southern Water and local authorities. Some have secured research studentships to undertake further study, and others have gone on to work for their placement year employers.
All field trips are included in the course fee, except the South Africa expedition,which incurs an additional cost of around £800. Exact costs can be requested from the course team. Location and living here
Student views Zsófia Ugróczky "My time at the University of Brighton has given me many new skills and qualities, including a broad insight into all aspects of environmental issues. This year, I had the opportunity to volunteer for an environmental organisation, where I applied my knowledge of soil contamination and environmental policy.
"The variety of different subjects that are offered within the course enabled me to develop new skills that I never imagined. Support from the staff and my personal tutor helped me make the right decisions about my choice of modules and my final dissertation.
"I have gained self-confidence and made many new and good friends that I will keep for life, and I am now planning to continue studying towards my MSc degree at the University of Brighton." |
Poisson–Boltzmann equation
(Redirected from Poisson-Boltzmann equation)
The Poisson–Boltzmann equation is a useful equation in many settings, whether it be to understand physiological interfaces, polymer science, electron interactions in a semiconductor, or more. It aims to describe the distribution of the electric potential in solution in the direction normal to a charged surface. This distribution is important to determine how the electrostatic interactions will affect the molecules in solution. From the Poisson–Boltzmann equation many other equations have been derived with a number of different assumptions.
1.1 Background and derivation
1.2 Related Theories
2 Solving Analytically
2.1 Geometries
2.2 Low Potential vs High Potential Cases
2.2.1 Low Potential Case Conditions
3 High Potential Case
3.1 Conditions
4 General Applications
4.1 Physiological Applications
4.1.1 Electrostatic Free Energy
4.2 Materials Science
5 Limitations [2]
Background and derivation[edit]
The Poisson–Boltzmann equation describes a model proposed independently by Louis George Gouy and David Leonard Chapman in 1910 and 1913, respectively.[1] In the Gouy-Chapman model, a charged solid comes into contact with an ionic solution, creating a layer of surface charges and counter-ions or double layer.[2] Due to thermal motion of ions, the layer of counter-ions is a diffuse layer and is more extended than a single molecular layer, as previously proposed by Hermann Helmholtz in the Helmholtz model.[1] The Stern Layer model goes a step further and takes into account the finite ion size.
Important Characteristics
Helmholtz Surface charge neutralized by a molecular layer of counter-ions; surface charge potential linearly dissipated from surface to counter-ions to satisfy charge[3] Thermal motion, ion diffusion, adsorption onto the surface, solvent/surface interactions considered negligible [3]
Gouy-Chapman Thermal motion of ions accounted for; ions behave as point charges[4] Finite ion size ignored; uniformly-charged surface; non-Coulombic interactions ignored [4]
Stern Finite ion size and hydration sphere considered; some ions are specifically adsorbed by the surface in the plane, known as the stern layer[5] Stern layer is thin compared to particle size; fluid velocity = 0 in stern layer [5]
The Gouy–Chapman model explains the capacitance-like qualities of the electric double layer.[2] A simple planar case with a negatively charged surface can be seen in the figure below. As expected, the concentration of counter-ions is higher near the surface than in the bulk solution.
A simple planar case for the Gouy–Chapman model
The Poisson Boltzmann equation describes the electrochemical potential of ions in the diffuse layer. The three-dimensional potential distribution can be described by the Poisson equation[2]
∇ 2 ψ = ∂ 2 ψ ∂ x 2 + ∂ 2 ψ ∂ y 2 + ∂ 2 ψ ∂ z 2 = − ρ e ϵ r ϵ 0 , {\displaystyle \nabla ^{2}\psi ={\frac {\partial ^{2}\psi }{\partial x^{2}}}+{\frac {\partial ^{2}\psi }{\partial y^{2}}}+{\frac {\partial ^{2}\psi }{\partial z^{2}}}=-{\frac {\rho _{e}}{\epsilon _{r}\epsilon _{0}}},}
ρ e {\displaystyle \rho _{e}} is the local electric charge density in C/m3,
ϵ r {\displaystyle \epsilon _{r}} is the dielectric constant (relative permittivity) of the solvent,
ϵ 0 {\displaystyle \epsilon _{0}} is the permittivity of free space,
ψ is the electric potential.
The freedom of movement of ions in solution can be accounted for by Boltzmann statistics. The Boltzmann equation is used to calculate the local ion density such that
c i = c i 0 ⋅ e − W i k B T , {\displaystyle c_{i}=c_{i}^{0}\cdot e^{\frac {-W_{i}}{k_{B}T}},}
c i 0 {\displaystyle c_{i}^{0}} is the ion concentration at the surface,
W i {\displaystyle W_{i}} is the work required to move an ion closer to the surface from an infinitely far distance,
k B {\displaystyle k_{B}} is the Boltzmann constant,
T {\displaystyle T} is the temperature in kelvins.
The equation for local ion density can be substituted into the Poisson equation under the assumptions that the work being done is only electric work, that our solution is composed of a 1:1 salt (i.e. NaCl), and that the concentration of salt is much higher than the concentration of ions.[2] The electric work to bring a charged cation or charged anion to a surface with potential ψ can be represented by W + = e ψ {\displaystyle W^{+}=e\psi } and W − = − e ψ {\displaystyle W^{-}=-e\psi } respectively.[2] These work equations can be substituted into the Boltzmann equation, producing two expressions
c − = c 0 ⋅ e e ψ ( x , y , z ) k B T {\displaystyle c^{-}=c_{0}\cdot e^{\frac {e\psi (x,y,z)}{k_{B}T}}} and c + = c 0 ⋅ e − e ψ ( x , y , z ) k B T {\displaystyle c^{+}=c_{0}\cdot e^{\frac {-e\psi (x,y,z)}{k_{B}T}}} ,
where e is the charge of an electron, 1.602×10−19 coulombs.
Substituting these Boltzmann relations into the local electric charge density expression, the following expression can be obtained
ρ e = e ( c + − c − ) = c 0 e ⋅ [ e − e ψ ( x , y , z ) k B T − e e ψ ( x , y , z ) k B T ] . {\displaystyle \rho _{e}=e{(c^{+}-c^{-})}=c_{0}e\cdot \left[e^{\frac {-e\psi (x,y,z)}{k_{B}T}}-e^{\frac {e\psi (x,y,z)}{k_{B}T}}\right].}
Finally the charge density can be substituted into the Poisson equation to produce the Poisson–Boltzmann equation.[2]
Related Theories[edit]
The Poisson–Boltzmann equation can take many forms throughout various scientific fields. In biophysics and certain surface chemistry applications, it is known simply as the Poisson–Boltzmann equation.[6] It is also known in electrochemistry as Gouy-Chapman theory; in solution chemistry as Debye–Huckel theory; in colloid chemistry as Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) theory.[6] Only minor modifications are necessary to apply the Poisson–Boltzmann equation to various interfacial models, making it a highly useful tool in determining electrostatic potential at surfaces.[2]
Solving Analytically[edit]
Because the Poisson–Boltzmann equation is a partial differential of the second order, it is commonly solved numerically; however, with certain geometries, it can be solved analytically.
Geometries[edit]
The geometry that most easily facilitates this is a planar surface. In the case of an infinitely extended planar surface, there are two dimensions in which the potential cannot change because of symmetry. Assuming these dimensions are the y and z dimensions, only the x dimension is left. Below is the Poisson–Boltzmann equation solved analytically in terms of a second order derivative with respect to x.[2]
d 2 ψ d x 2 {\displaystyle {\frac {d^{2}\psi }{dx^{2}}}} = c 0 e ϵ ϵ 0 ⋅ [ e e ψ ( x ) k B T − e − e ψ ( x ) k B T ] {\displaystyle {\frac {c_{0}e}{\epsilon \epsilon _{0}}}\cdot [e^{\frac {e\psi (x)}{k_{B}T}}-e^{\frac {-e\psi (x)}{k_{B}T}}]}
Analytical solutions have also been found for axial and spherical cases in a particular study.[7] The equation is in the form of a logarithm of a power series and it is as follows:
d 2 ψ d r 2 + L r d ψ d r = e ψ − δ e − ψ {\displaystyle {\frac {d^{2}\psi }{dr^{2}}}+{\frac {L}{r}}{\frac {d\psi }{dr}}=e^{\psi }-\delta e^{-\psi }}
It uses a dimensionless potential ψ = e Φ k T {\displaystyle \psi ={\frac {e\Phi }{kT}}} and the lengths are measured in units of the Debye electron radius in the region of zero potential R e D = k T 4 π e 2 n e 0 {\displaystyle R_{eD}={\sqrt {\frac {kT}{4\pi e^{2}n_{e0}}}}} (where n e 0 {\displaystyle n_{e0}} denotes the number density of negative ions in the zero potential region). For the spherical case, L=2, the axial case, L=1, and the planar case, L=0.
Low Potential vs High Potential Cases[edit]
When using the Poisson–Boltzmann equation, it is important to determine if the specific case is low or high potential. The high potential case becomes more complex so if applicable, use the low potential equation. In the low potential condition, the linearized version of the Poisson–Boltzmann equation (shown below) is valid, and it is commonly used as it is more simple and spans a wide variety of cases.[8] ψ = ψ 0 e − K x {\displaystyle \psi =\psi _{0}e^{-\mathrm {K} x}}
Low Potential Case Conditions[edit]
Strictly, low potential means that e | ψ | ≪ k B T {\displaystyle e\left\vert \psi \right\vert \ll k_{B}T} ; however, the results that the equations yields are valid for a wider range of potentials, from 50–80mV.[2] Nevertheless, at room temperature, ψ ≤ 25 m V {\displaystyle \psi \leq 25mV} and that is generally the standard.[2] Some boundary conditions that apply in low potential cases are that: at the surface, the potential must be equal to the surface potential and at large distances from the surface the potential approaches a zero value. This distance decay length is yielded by the Debye length λ D {\displaystyle \lambda _{D}} equation.[2] K = 2 c 0 e 2 ϵ ϵ 0 k B T {\displaystyle \mathrm {K} ={\sqrt {\frac {2c_{0}e^{2}}{\epsilon \epsilon _{0}k_{B}T}}}}
λ D = K − 1 {\displaystyle \lambda _{D}=\mathrm {K} ^{-1}}
As salt concentration increases, the Debye length decreases due to the ions in solution screening the surface charge.[9] A special instance of this equation is for the case of 25 ∘ C {\displaystyle 25^{\circ }C} water with a monovalent salt.[2] The Debye length equation is then:
λ D = 3.04 A c 0 L m o l {\displaystyle \lambda _{D}={\frac {3.04A}{\sqrt {c_{0}{\frac {L}{mol}}}}}}
These equations all require 1:1 salt concentration cases, but if ions that have higher valence are present, the following case is used.[2] K = e 2 ϵ ϵ 0 k B T Σ c i Z i 2 {\displaystyle \mathrm {K} ={\sqrt {{\frac {e^{2}}{\epsilon \epsilon _{0}k_{B}T}}\Sigma c_{i}{Z_{i}}^{2}}}}
High Potential Case[edit]
The high potential case is referred to as the “full one-dimensional case”. In order to obtain the equation, the general solution to the Poisson–Boltzmann equation is used and the case of low potentials is dropped. The equation is solved with a dimensionless parameter y ≡ e ψ k B T {\displaystyle y\equiv {\frac {e\psi }{k_{B}T}}} , which is not to be confused with the spatial coordinate symbol, y.[2] Employing several trigonometric identities and the boundary conditions that at large distances from the surface, the dimensionless potential and its derivative are zero, the high potential equation is revealed.[2] e − K x = ( e y / 2 − 1 ) ( e y 0 / 2 + 1 ) ( e y / 2 + 1 ) ( e y 0 / 2 − 1 ) {\displaystyle e^{-\mathrm {K} x}={\frac {(e^{y/2}-1)(e^{y_{0}/2}+1)}{(e^{y/2}+1)(e^{y_{0}/2}-1)}}}
This equation solved for e y / 2 {\displaystyle e^{y/2}} is shown below.
e y / 2 = e y 0 / 2 + 1 + ( e y 0 / 2 − 1 ) ∗ e − K x e y 0 / 2 + 1 − ( e y 0 / 2 − 1 ) ∗ e − K x {\displaystyle e^{y/2}={\frac {e^{y_{0}/2}+1+(e^{y_{0}/2}-1)*e^{-\mathrm {K} x}}{e^{y_{0}/2}+1-(e^{y_{0}/2}-1)*e^{-\mathrm {K} x}}}}
In order to obtain a more useful equation that facilitates graphing high potential distributions, take the natural logarithm of both sides and solve for the dimensionless potential, y.
y = 2 ln e y 0 / 2 + 1 + ( e y 0 / 2 − 1 ) ∗ e − K x e y 0 / 2 + 1 − ( e y 0 / 2 − 1 ) ∗ e − K x {\displaystyle y=2\ln {\frac {e^{y_{0}/2}+1+(e^{y_{0}/2}-1)*e^{-\mathrm {K} x}}{e^{y_{0}/2}+1-(e^{y_{0}/2}-1)*e^{-\mathrm {K} x}}}}
Knowing that y ≡ e ψ k B T {\displaystyle y\equiv {\frac {e\psi }{k_{B}T}}} , substitute this for y in the previous equation and solve for ψ {\displaystyle \psi } . The following equation is rendered.
ψ = 2 k B T e ∗ ln e y 0 / 2 + 1 + ( e y 0 / 2 − 1 ) ∗ e − K x e y 0 / 2 + 1 − ( e y 0 / 2 − 1 ) ∗ e − K x {\displaystyle \psi ={\frac {2k_{B}T}{e}}*\ln {\frac {e^{y_{0}/2}+1+(e^{y_{0}/2}-1)*e^{-\mathrm {K} x}}{e^{y_{0}/2}+1-(e^{y_{0}/2}-1)*e^{-\mathrm {K} x}}}}
y 0 = e ψ 0 k B T {\displaystyle y_{0}={\frac {e\psi _{0}}{k_{B}T}}}
Conditions[edit]
In low potential cases, the high potential equation may be used and will still yield accurate results. As the potential rises, the low potential, linear case overestimates the potential as a function of distance from the surface. This overestimation is visible at distances less than half the Debye length, where the decay is steeper than exponential decay. The following figure employs the linearized equation and the high potential graphing equation derived above. It is a potential-versus-distance graph for varying surface potentials of 50, 100, 150, and 200 mV. The equations employed in this figure assume an 80mM NaCl solution.
Potential versus distance for varying surface potentials of 50, 100, 150, and 200 mV. The equations employed in this figure assume an 80mM NaCl solution.
General Applications[edit]
The Poisson–Boltzmann equation can be applied in a variety of fields mainly as a modeling tool to make approximations for applications such as charged biomolecular interactions, dynamics of electrons in semiconductors or plasma, etc. Most applications of this equation are used as models to gain further insight on electrostatics.
Physiological Applications[edit]
The Poisson-Boltzmann Equation can be applied to biomolecular systems. One example is the binding of electrolytes to biomolecules in a solution. This process is dependent upon the electrostatic field generated by the molecule, the electrostatic potential on the surface of the molecule, as well as the electrostatic free energy.[10]
The linearized Poisson–Boltzmann equation can be used to calculate the electrostatic potential and free energy of highly charged molecules such as tRNA in an ionic solution with different number of bound ions at varying physiological ionic strengths. It is shown that electrostatic potential depends on the charge of the molecule, while the electrostatic free energy takes into account the net charge of the system.[11]
Another example of utilizing the Poisson–Boltzmann equation is the determination of an electric potential profile at points perpendicular to the phospholipid bilayer of an erythrocyte. This takes into account both the glycocalyx and spectrin layers of the erythrocyte membrane. This information is useful for many reasons including the study of the mechanical stability of the erythrocyte membrane.[12]
Electrostatic Free Energy[edit]
The Poisson-Boltzmann Equation can also be used to calculate the electrostatic free energy for hypothetically charging a sphere using the following charging integral:
Δ G e l = ∫ τ q U ( τ ′ ) d τ ′ {\displaystyle \Delta G^{el}=\int \limits ^{\tau }qU(\tau ^{\prime })\,d\tau ^{\prime }}
where τ q {\displaystyle \tau q} is the final charge on the sphere
The electrostatic free energy can also be expressed by taking the process of the charging system. The following expression utilizes chemical potential of solute molecules and implements the Poisson-Boltzmann Equation with the Euler-Lagrange functional:
Δ G e l = ∫ V ( k T ∑ i c i ∞ [ 1 − exp ( − z i q U k T ) ] + p f U − − ϵ ( ∇ → U ) 2 8 π ) d V {\displaystyle \Delta G^{el}=\int \limits _{V}(kT\sum _{i}c_{i}^{\infty }[1-\exp({\frac {-z_{i}qU}{kT}})]+p^{f}U-{\frac {-\epsilon ({\vec {\nabla }}U)^{2}}{8\pi }})dV}
Note that the free energy is independent of the charging pathway [5c].
The above expression can be rewritten into separate free energy terms based on different contributions to the total free energy
Δ G e l = Δ G e f + Δ G e m + Δ G m o b + Δ G s o l v {\displaystyle \Delta G^{el}=\Delta G^{ef}+\Delta G^{em}+\Delta G^{mob}+\Delta G^{solv}}
Electrostatic fixed charges = Δ G e f = ∫ V p f U 2 d V {\displaystyle \Delta G^{ef}=\int \limits _{V}{\frac {p^{f}U}{2}}dV}
Electrostatic mobile charges = Δ G e m = ∫ V ∑ i c i z i q U 2 d V {\displaystyle \Delta G^{em}=\int \limits _{V}{\frac {\sum _{i}c_{i}z_{i}qU}{2}}dV}
Entropic free energy of mixing of mobile species = Δ G m o b = k T ∫ V c i ln c i c i ∞ d V {\displaystyle \Delta G^{mob}=kT\int \limits _{V}c_{i}\ln {\frac {c_{i}}{c_{i}^{\infty }}}dV}
Entropic free energy of mixing of solvent = Δ G s o l v = k T ∫ V ∑ i c i ∞ [ 1 − exp ( − z i q U k T ) ] d V {\displaystyle \Delta G^{solv}=kT\int \limits _{V}\sum _{i}c_{i}^{\infty }[1-\exp({\frac {-z_{i}qU}{kT}})]dV}
Finally, by combining the last three term the following equation representing the outer space contribution to the free energy density integral
Δ G o u t = Δ G e m + Δ G m o b + Δ G s o l v {\displaystyle \Delta G^{out}=\Delta G^{em}+\Delta G^{mob}+\Delta G^{solv}}
These equations can act as simple geometry models for biological systems such as proteins, nucleic acids, and membranes.[10] This involves the equations being solved with simple boundary conditions such as constant surface potential. These approximations are useful in fields such as colloid chemistry.[10]
Materials Science[edit]
An analytical solution to the Poisson–Boltzmann equation can be used to describe an electron-electron interaction in a metal-insulator semiconductor (MIS).[13] This can be used to describe both time and position dependence of dissipative systems such as a mesoscopic system. This is done by solving the Poisson–Boltzmann equation analytically in the three-dimensional case. Solving this results in expressions of the distribution function for the Boltzmann equation and self-consistent average potential for the Poisson equation. These expressions are useful for analyzing quantum transport in a mesoscopic system. In metal-insulator semiconductor tunneling junctions, the electrons can build up close to the interface between layers and as a result the quantum transport of the system will be affected by the electron-electron interactions.[13] Certain transport properties such as electric current and electronic density can be known by solving for self-consistent Coulombic average potential from the electron-electron interactions, which is related to electronic distribution. Therefore, it is essential to analytically solve the Poisson–Boltzmann equation in order to obtain the analytical quantities in the MIS tunneling junctions.[13] Applying the following analytical solution of the Poisson–Boltzmann equation (see section 2) to MIS tunneling junctions, the following expression can be formed to express electronic transport quantities such as electronic density and electric current
f 1 f 0 − f 0 + e E z τ 0 m ∂ f 0 ∂ v z ( 1 − e − τ τ 0 ) − ∫ 0 t e m e t − τ ′ τ 0 ∇ ρ [ r − v ( t − t ′ ) ] × ∂ f 0 ∂ v d t ′ {\displaystyle f_{1}f^{0}-f_{0}+{\frac {eE_{z}\tau _{0}}{m}}{\frac {\partial f_{0}}{\partial v_{z}}}\left(1-e^{\frac {-\tau }{\tau _{0}}}\right)-\int \limits _{0}^{t}{\frac {e}{m}}e{^{\frac {t-\tau ^{\prime }}{\tau _{0}}}}\nabla \rho [r-v(t-t^{\prime })]\times {\frac {\partial f_{0}}{\partial v}}dt^{\prime }}
Applying the equation above to the MIS tunneling junction, electronic transport can be analyzed along the z-axis, which is referenced perpendicular to the plane of the layers. An n-type junction is chosen in this case with a bias V applied along the z-axis. The self-consistent average potential of the system can be found using
ρ ρ 1 + ρ 2 {\displaystyle \rho \rho _{1}+\rho _{2}}
ρ 1 ≈ a E z 2 λ D 1 e − λ D 1 z {\displaystyle \rho _{1}\approx {\frac {aE_{z}}{2\lambda _{D1}}}e^{-\lambda _{D1}z}}
ρ 2 ≈ n e π G ( i λ D 1 ) e − t τ 0 − λ D 1 z 3 3 ϵ 0 ϵ r λ D 1 ( 1 − e 1 − 2 n e 2 t 2 m ϵ 0 ϵ r ) {\displaystyle \rho _{2}\approx {\frac {ne{\sqrt {\pi }}G(i\lambda _{D1})e^{{\frac {-t}{\tau _{0}}}-\lambda _{D1}z}}{3{\sqrt {3}}\epsilon _{0}\epsilon _{r}\lambda _{D1}}}\left(1-e^{1-{\sqrt {\frac {2ne^{2}t^{2}}{m\epsilon _{0}\epsilon _{r}}}}}\right)}
λ is called the Debye length.
The electronic density and electric current can be found by manipulation to equation 16 above as functions of position z. These electronic transport quantities can be used to help understand various transport properties in the system.
Limitations [2][edit]
As with any approximate model, the Poisson–Boltzmann equation is an approximation rather than an exact representation. Several assumptions were made to approximate the potential of the diffuse layer. The finite size of the ions was considered negligible and ions were treated as individual point charges, where ions were assumed to interact with the average electrostatic field of all their neighbors rather than each neighbor individually. In addition, non-Coulombic interactions were not considered and certain interactions were unaccounted for, such as the overlap of ion hydration spheres in an aqueous system. The permittivity of the solvent was assumed to be constant, resulting in a rough approximation as polar molecules are prevented from freely moving when they encounter the strong electric field at the solid surface.
Though the model faces certain limitations, it describes electric double layers very well. The errors resulting from the previously mentioned assumptions cancel each other for the most part. Accounting for non-Coulombic interactions increases the ion concentration at the surface and leads to a reduced surface potential. On the other hand, including the finite size of the ions causes the opposite effect. The Poisson–Boltzmann equation is most appropriate for approximating the electrostatic potential at the surface for aqueous solutions of monovalent salts at concentrations smaller than 0.2 M and potentials not exceeding 50–80 mV.
Double Layer
^ a b Fogolari, F.; Brigo, A.; Molinari, H. (2002). "The Poisson–Boltzmann Equation for Biomolecular Electrostatics: a Tool for Structural Biology". J. Mol. Recognit. 15 (6): 379–385. PMID 12501158. doi:10.1002/jmr.577.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Butt, H.; Graf, L.; Kappl, M. (2006). Physics and Chemistry of Interfaces (2nd ed.). Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH. ISBN 3-527-40629-8.
^ a b New Mexico State University. "Electric Double Layer". Retrieved June 1, 2014.
^ a b Simon Fraser University. "Chemistry 465 Lecture 10" (PDF). Retrieved June 1, 2014.
^ a b Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University. "The Application of a Dynamic Stern Layer Model to Electrophoretic Mobility Measurements of Latex Particles" (PDF). Retrieved June 1, 2014.
^ a b Lu, B. Z.; et al. (2008). "Recent Progress in Numerical Methods for the Poisson-Boltzmann Equation in Biophysical Applications" (PDF). Commun. Comput. Phys. 3 (5): 973–1009 [pp. 974–980].
^ D’Yachkov, L. G. (2005). "Analytical Solution of the Poisson–Boltzmann Equation in Cases of Spherical and Axial Symmetry". Technical Physics Letters. 31 (3): 204–207. Bibcode:2005TePhL..31..204D. doi:10.1134/1.1894433.
^ Tuinier, R. (2003). "Approximate Solutions to the Poisson–Boltzmann Equation in Spherical and Cylindrical Geometry". Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. 258 (1): 45–49. doi:10.1016/S0021-9797(02)00142-X.
^ Sperelakis, N. (2012). Cell Physiology Sourcebook: A Molecular Approach (3rd ed.). San Diego: Acad. ISBN 978-0-12-387738-3.
^ a b c Fogolari, Federico; Zuccato, Pierfrancesco; Esposito, Gennaro; Viglino, Paola (1999). "Biomolecular Electrostatics with the Linearized Poisson–Boltzmann Equation". Biophysical Journal. 76 (1): 1–16. Bibcode:1999BpJ....76....1F. doi:10.1016/S0006-3495(99)77173-0.
^ Gruziel, Magdalena; Grochowski, Pawel; Trylska, Joanna (2008). "The Poisson-Boltzmann model for tRNA". J Comput Chem. 29 (12): 1970–1981. PMC 2599918 . PMID 18432617. doi:10.1002/jcc.20953.
^ Cruz, Frederico A. O.; Vilhena, Fernando S. D. S.; Cortez, Celia M. (2000). "Solutions of non-linear Poisson–Boltzmann equation for erythrocyte membrane". Brazilian Journal of Physics. 30 (2): 403–409. Bibcode:2000BrJPh..30..403C. doi:10.1590/S0103-97332000000200023.
^ a b c Zhang Li-Zhi; Wang Zheng-Chuan (2009). "Analytical Solution to the Boltzmann-Poisson Equation and Its Application to MIS Tunneling Junctions". Chinese Physics B. 18 (2): 2975–2980. Bibcode:2009ChPhB..18.2975Z. doi:10.1088/1674-1056/18/7/059.
Wikiversity has learning resources about Poisson–Boltzmann profile for an ion channel
Adaptive Poisson–Boltzmann Solver – A free, open-source Poisson-Boltzmann electrostatics and biomolecular solvation software package.
Zap – A Poisson–Boltzmann electrostatics solver.
MIBPB Matched Interface & Boundary based Poisson–Boltzmann solver
CHARMM-GUI: PBEQ Solver
AFMPB Adaptive Fast Multipole Poisson–Boltzmann Solver, free and open-source.
Global classical solutions of the Boltzmann equation with long-range interactions, Philip T. Gressman and Robert M. Strain, 2009, University of Pennsylvania, Department of Mathematics, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poisson–Boltzmann_equation&oldid=794206340"
Colloidal chemistry |
New Evidence Indicates Auroras Occur Outside Our Solar System
Leicester UK (SPX) Jan 23, 2013
File image.
University of Leicester planetary scientists have found new evidence suggesting auroras -- similar to Earth's Aurora Borealis -- occur on bodies outside our solar system. Auroras occur on several planets within our solar system, and the brightest -- on Jupiter -- are 100 times brighter than those on Earth. However, no auroras have yet been observed beyond Neptune.
A new study led by University of Leicester lecturer Dr. Jonathan Nichols has shown that processes strikingly similar to those which power Jupiter's auroras could be responsible for radio emissions detected from a number of objects outside our solar system.
In addition, the radio emissions are powerful enough to be detectable across interstellar distances -- meaning that auroras could provide an effective way of observing new objects outside our solar system.
Auroras occur when charged particles in an object's magnetosphere collide with atoms in its upper atmosphere, causing them to glow. However, before hitting the atmosphere, these particles also emit radio waves into space.
The study, "Origin of Electron Cyclotron Maser Induced Radio Emissions at Ultracool Dwarfs: Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling Currents," which recently appeared in the Astrophysical Journal, shows that this phenomenon is not limited to our solar system.
It shows that the radio emissions from a number of ultracool dwarfs may be caused in a very similar, but significantly more powerful, way to Jupiter's auroras.
Dr. Nichols, a Lecturer and Research Fellow in the University of Leicester's Department of Physics and Astronomy, said: "We have recently shown that beefed-up versions of the auroral processes on Jupiter are able to account for the radio emissions observed from certain "ultracool dwarfs" -- bodies which comprise the very lowest mass stars -- and "brown dwarfs" -- 'failed stars' which lie in-between planets and stars in terms of mass.
"These results strongly suggest that auroras do occur on bodies outside our solar system, and the auroral radio emissions are powerful enough -- one hundred thousand times brighter than Jupiter's -- to be detectable across interstellar distances."
The paper, which also involved researchers at the Center for Space Physics, Boston University, USA, could have major implications for the detection of planets and objects outside our solar system which could not be discovered with other methods.
What's more, the radio emission could provide us with key information about the length of the planet's day, the strength of its magnetic field, how the planet interacts with its parent star and even whether it has any moons.
Dr. Nichols added: "I am part of a group who have recently been awarded time on the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) -- centered in the Netherlands but with stations across a number of countries in northern Europe including the UK -- to try to observe auroras on exoplanets, so hopefully there will be some interesting results soon."
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Confidential discussions are key to improving teen health visits
July 30, 2014 by Katherine Kahn
Teens who have the option to privately and confidentially discuss health concerns with their doctor are more likely to talk about reproductive health, mental health, issues at school, and some self-care topics than they would be in discussions where a parent is present, finds a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health. However, fewer than 50 percent of teens have been offered such private, confidential visits, researchers say.
"There is substantial evidence that adolescents get better care when a [health care] visit is confidential, especially in regard to certain topics, such as reproductive health care," says lead study author Amy Gilbert, JD, MPH, from the department of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. "We wanted to look in more detail at what topics are impacted by a visit being confidential."
Gilbert and her colleagues utilized data from online surveys of 500 adolescents ages 13 to 17 and 504 parents of adolescents between December 2012 and January 2013.
Slightly less than half of teens and parents surveyed reported that at least a portion of the last health care visit was confidential. Researchers found that there was a positive and significant association between a private confidential consultation and whether a particular health topic was discussed for 8 out of 11 topics, such as nutrition and exercise, issues at school, sexual health, risk behaviors (smoking, drugs and alcohol), and several mental health issues.
Confidentiality did not seem to affect discussion of a teen's weight, vaccines, or issues at home. Interestingly, the number of topics discussed was highest for teens during partially confidential visits when the parent was in the room for only part of the visit, compared to when the entire visit was private and confidential or when the parent was in the room for the whole visit.
"I think that's a very meaningful finding because it suggests that a split-visit arrangement—where part of the visit is confidential and where the parent is in the room for the part of the time—is most ideal," says Gilbert.
Cora Breuner, M.D., a pediatrician at Seattle Children's Hospital who serves on the Committee for Adolescence for the American Academy of Pediatrics remarked, "I was frustrated that the percentage of teens having access to a confidential visit wasn't higher. I insist on parents leaving the room [for a split visit] at every visit, not half of them. In my institution, split visits begin at ages 11 to 12, and they should definitely be happening between the ages of 14 and 18."
Breuner says that in confidential visits, she talks with her teen patients about high risk behaviors, such as motor vehicle accidents, suicide, and homicide, sexually transmitted diseases, drugs, and alcohol. However, if a teen poses a threat to him- or herself or others, health care providers are obligated by law to inform a parent or other adult, Breuner explains.
"Most importantly, as a parent you have to develop a relationship with your child," Breuner says. "You should be checking in with your kid. It shouldn't be at that once-a-year sports physical where the parent suddenly realizes there's a problem."
Explore further: Quick sports physicals not enough to ensure health of teen athletes
Amy Lewis Gilbert, Vaughn I. Rickert, Matthew C. Aalsma, "Clinical Conversations About Health: The Impact of Confidentiality in Preventive Adolescent Care," Journal of Adolescent Health, Available online 16 July 2014, ISSN 1054-139X, DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.05.016.
Journal reference: Journal of Adolescent Health
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Health care providers report that older teens often go to the doctor without a parent or guardian, a new survey in the Journal of Adolescent Health reveals—and those teens may not get necessary vaccinations because there's ...
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Improved communication between pediatric providers and the parents and guardians of adolescents could lead to better health outcomes, a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study reports. The findings are available ...
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Young adults' privacy potentially jeopardized by insurance plans
Violations of privacy are increasing as more adolescents and young adults gain coverage on their parents' health insurance plans, according to a new health policy report from UC San Francisco.
freethinking
Who is paying for the doctors visits? Will the doctor tell the parent of the child's risky behavior? If the doctor doesn't advise the parents, can the doctor be sued for not warning the parents? Just because someone has a DR. in front of their name doesn't make them a saint.... would you trust an adult stranger to talk to your kids about sex, risky behaviors? Define threat..... if a child is experimenting with drugs, experimenting with sex..... who determines what..... |
Subtle increases in interletter spacing facilitate the encoding of words during normal reading.
Manuel Perea, Pablo Gomez.
Several recent studies have revealed that words presented with a small increase in interletter spacing are identified faster than words presented with the default interletter spacing (i.e., w a t e r faster than water). Modeling work has shown that this advantage occurs at an early encoding level. Given the implications of this finding for the ease of reading in the new digital era, here we examined whether the beneficial effect of small increases in interletter spacing can be generalized to a normal reading situation.
In vitro Synthesis of Native, Fibrous Long Spacing and Segmental Long Spacing Collagen
Authors: Richard W. Loo, Jane Betty Goh, Calvin C.H. Cheng, Ning Su, M. Cynthia Goh.
Institutions: University of Toronto, University of Toronto.
Collagen fibrils are present in the extracellular matrix of animal tissue to provide structural scaffolding and mechanical strength. These native collagen fibrils have a characteristic banding periodicity of ~67 nm and are formed in vivo through the hierarchical assembly of Type I collagen monomers, which are 300 nm in length and 1.4 nm in diameter. In vitro, by varying the conditions to which the monomer building blocks are exposed, unique structures ranging in length scales up to 50 microns can be constructed, including not only native type fibrils, but also fibrous long spacing and segmental long spacing collagen. Herein, we present procedures for forming the three different collagen structures from a common commercially available collagen monomer. Using the protocols that we and others have published in the past to make these three types typically lead to mixtures of structures. In particular, unbanded fibrils were commonly found when making native collagen, and native fibrils were often present when making fibrous long spacing collagen. These new procedures have the advantage of producing the desired collagen fibril type almost exclusively. The formation of the desired structures is verified by imaging using an atomic force microscope.
Bioengineering, Issue 67, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Tissue Engineering, Collagen, Self-assembly, Native, Fibrous long spacing, Segmental long spacing, AFM, atomic force microscopy
Psychophysiological Stress Assessment Using Biofeedback
Authors: Inna Khazan.
Institutions: Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School.
In the last half century, research in biofeedback has shown the extent to which the human mind can influence the functioning of the autonomic nervous system, previously thought to be outside of conscious control. By letting people observe signals from their own bodies, biofeedback enables them to develop greater awareness of their physiological and psychological reactions, such as stress, and to learn to modify these reactions. Biofeedback practitioners can facilitate this process by assessing people s reactions to mildly stressful events and formulating a biofeedback-based treatment plan. During stress assessment the practitioner first records a baseline for physiological readings, and then presents the client with several mild stressors, such as a cognitive, physical and emotional stressor. Variety of stressors is presented in order to determine a person's stimulus-response specificity, or differences in each person's reaction to qualitatively different stimuli. This video will demonstrate the process of psychophysiological stress assessment using biofeedback and present general guidelines for treatment planning.
Neuroscience, Issue 29, Stress, biofeedback, psychophysiological, assessment
Medicine, Issue 77, Infection, Virology, Infectious Diseases, Anatomy, Physiology, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Retroviridae Infections, Body Weight Changes, Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures, Physical Examination, Muscle Strength, Behavior, Virus Diseases, Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis, Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena, HIV, HIV-1, AIDS, Frailty, Depression, Weight Loss, Weakness, Slowness, Exhaustion, Aging, clinical techniques
Super-resolution Imaging of Neuronal Dense-core Vesicles
Authors: Bethe A. Scalettar, Daniel Shaver, Stefanie Kaech, Janis E. Lochner.
Institutions: Lewis & Clark College, Lewis & Clark College, Oregon Health & Science University, Lewis & Clark College.
Detection of fluorescence provides the foundation for many widely utilized and rapidly advancing microscopy techniques employed in modern biological and medical applications. Strengths of fluorescence include its sensitivity, specificity, and compatibility with live imaging. Unfortunately, conventional forms of fluorescence microscopy suffer from one major weakness, diffraction-limited resolution in the imaging plane, which hampers studies of structures with dimensions smaller than ~250 nm. Recently, this limitation has been overcome with the introduction of super-resolution fluorescence microscopy techniques, such as photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM). Unlike its conventional counterparts, PALM can produce images with a lateral resolution of tens of nanometers. It is thus now possible to use fluorescence, with its myriad strengths, to elucidate a spectrum of previously inaccessible attributes of cellular structure and organization. Unfortunately, PALM is not trivial to implement, and successful strategies often must be tailored to the type of system under study. In this article, we show how to implement single-color PALM studies of vesicular structures in fixed, cultured neurons. PALM is ideally suited to the study of vesicles, which have dimensions that typically range from ~50-250 nm. Key steps in our approach include labeling neurons with photoconvertible (green to red) chimeras of vesicle cargo, collecting sparsely sampled raw images with a super-resolution microscopy system, and processing the raw images to produce a high-resolution PALM image. We also demonstrate the efficacy of our approach by presenting exceptionally well-resolved images of dense-core vesicles (DCVs) in cultured hippocampal neurons, which refute the hypothesis that extrasynaptic trafficking of DCVs is mediated largely by DCV clusters.
Neuroscience, Issue 89, photoactivated localization microscopy, Dendra2, dense-core vesicle, synapse, hippocampal neuron, cluster
Contextual and Cued Fear Conditioning Test Using a Video Analyzing System in Mice
Authors: Hirotaka Shoji, Keizo Takao, Satoko Hattori, Tsuyoshi Miyakawa.
Institutions: Fujita Health University, Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology (CREST), National Institutes of Natural Sciences.
The contextual and cued fear conditioning test is one of the behavioral tests that assesses the ability of mice to learn and remember an association between environmental cues and aversive experiences. In this test, mice are placed into a conditioning chamber and are given parings of a conditioned stimulus (an auditory cue) and an aversive unconditioned stimulus (an electric footshock). After a delay time, the mice are exposed to the same conditioning chamber and a differently shaped chamber with presentation of the auditory cue. Freezing behavior during the test is measured as an index of fear memory. To analyze the behavior automatically, we have developed a video analyzing system using the ImageFZ application software program, which is available as a free download at https://www.mouse-phenotype.org/. Here, to show the details of our protocol, we demonstrate our procedure for the contextual and cued fear conditioning test in C57BL/6J mice using the ImageFZ system. In addition, we validated our protocol and the video analyzing system performance by comparing freezing time measured by the ImageFZ system or a photobeam-based computer measurement system with that scored by a human observer. As shown in our representative results, the data obtained by ImageFZ were similar to those analyzed by a human observer, indicating that the behavioral analysis using the ImageFZ system is highly reliable. The present movie article provides detailed information regarding the test procedures and will promote understanding of the experimental situation.
Behavior, Issue 85, Fear, Learning, Memory, ImageFZ program, Mouse, contextual fear, cued fear
A Novel Method for Assessing Proximal and Distal Forelimb Function in the Rat: the Irvine, Beatties and Bresnahan (IBB) Forelimb Scale
Authors: Karen-Amanda Irvine, Adam R. Ferguson, Kathleen D. Mitchell, Stephanie B. Beattie, Michael S. Beattie, Jacqueline C. Bresnahan.
Institutions: University of California, San Francisco.
Several experimental models of cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) have been developed recently to assess the consequences of damage to this level of the spinal cord (Pearse et al., 2005, Gensel et al., 2006, Anderson et al., 2009), as the majority of human SCI occur here (Young, 2010; www.sci-info-pages.com). Behavioral deficits include loss of forelimb function due to damage to the white matter affecting both descending motor and ascending sensory systems, and to the gray matter containing the segmental circuitry for processing sensory input and motor output for the forelimb. Additionally, a key priority for human patients with cervical SCI is restoration of hand/arm function (Anderson, 2004). Thus, outcome measures that assess both proximal and distal forelimb function are needed. Although there are several behavioral assays that are sensitive to different aspects of forelimb recovery in experimental models of cervical SCI (Girgis et al., 2007, Gensel et al., 2006, Ballerman et al., 2001, Metz and Whishaw, 2000, Bertelli and Mira, 1993, Montoya et al., 1991, Whishaw and Pellis, 1990), few techniques provide detailed information on the recovery of fine motor control and digit movement. The current measurement technique, the Irvine, Beatties and Bresnahan forelimb scale (IBB), can detect recovery of both proximal and distal forelimb function including digit movements during a naturally occurring behavior that does not require extensive training or deprivation to enhance motivation. The IBB was generated by observing recovery after a unilateral C6 SCI, and involves video recording of animals eating two differently shaped cereals (spherical and doughnut) of a consistent size. These videos were then used to assess features of forelimb use, such as joint position, object support, digit movement and grasping technique. The IBB, like other forelimb behavioral tasks, shows a consistent pattern of recovery that is sensitive to injury severity. Furthermore, the IBB scale could be used to assess recovery following other types of injury that impact normal forelimb function.
Neuroscience, Issue 46, spinal cord injury, recovery of function, forelimb function, neurological test, cervical injuries
Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Erin Hussey, Brandon Ally.
Institutions: Vanderbilt University.
Our laboratory uses event-related EEG potentials (ERPs) to understand and support behavioral investigations of episodic memory in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Whereas behavioral data inform us about the patients' performance, ERPs allow us to record discrete changes in brain activity. Further, ERPs can give us insight into the onset, duration, and interaction of independent cognitive processes associated with memory retrieval. In patient populations, these types of studies are used to examine which aspects of memory are impaired and which remain relatively intact compared to a control population. The methodology for collecting ERP data from a vulnerable patient population while these participants perform a recognition memory task is reviewed. This protocol includes participant preparation, quality assurance, data acquisition, and data analysis. In addition to basic setup and acquisition, we will also demonstrate localization techniques to obtain greater spatial resolution and source localization using high-density (128 channel) electrode arrays.
Medicine, Issue 54, recognition memory, episodic memory, event-related potentials, dual process, Alzheimer's disease, amnestic mild cognitive impairment
Fabrication And Characterization Of Photonic Crystal Slow Light Waveguides And Cavities
Authors: Christopher Paul Reardon, Isabella H. Rey, Karl Welna, Liam O'Faolain, Thomas F. Krauss.
Institutions: University of St Andrews.
Slow light has been one of the hot topics in the photonics community in the past decade, generating great interest both from a fundamental point of view and for its considerable potential for practical applications. Slow light photonic crystal waveguides, in particular, have played a major part and have been successfully employed for delaying optical signals1-4 and the enhancement of both linear5-7 and nonlinear devices.8-11 Photonic crystal cavities achieve similar effects to that of slow light waveguides, but over a reduced band-width. These cavities offer high Q-factor/volume ratio, for the realization of optically12 and electrically13 pumped ultra-low threshold lasers and the enhancement of nonlinear effects.14-16 Furthermore, passive filters17 and modulators18-19 have been demonstrated, exhibiting ultra-narrow line-width, high free-spectral range and record values of low energy consumption. To attain these exciting results, a robust repeatable fabrication protocol must be developed. In this paper we take an in-depth look at our fabrication protocol which employs electron-beam lithography for the definition of photonic crystal patterns and uses wet and dry etching techniques. Our optimised fabrication recipe results in photonic crystals that do not suffer from vertical asymmetry and exhibit very good edge-wall roughness. We discuss the results of varying the etching parameters and the detrimental effects that they can have on a device, leading to a diagnostic route that can be taken to identify and eliminate similar issues. The key to evaluating slow light waveguides is the passive characterization of transmission and group index spectra. Various methods have been reported, most notably resolving the Fabry-Perot fringes of the transmission spectrum20-21 and interferometric techniques.22-25 Here, we describe a direct, broadband measurement technique combining spectral interferometry with Fourier transform analysis.26 Our method stands out for its simplicity and power, as we can characterise a bare photonic crystal with access waveguides, without need for on-chip interference components, and the setup only consists of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, with no need for moving parts and delay scans. When characterising photonic crystal cavities, techniques involving internal sources21 or external waveguides directly coupled to the cavity27 impact on the performance of the cavity itself, thereby distorting the measurement. Here, we describe a novel and non-intrusive technique that makes use of a cross-polarised probe beam and is known as resonant scattering (RS), where the probe is coupled out-of plane into the cavity through an objective. The technique was first demonstrated by McCutcheon et al.28 and further developed by Galli et al.29
Physics, Issue 69, Optics and Photonics, Astronomy, light scattering, light transmission, optical waveguides, photonics, photonic crystals, Slow-light, Cavities, Waveguides, Silicon, SOI, Fabrication, Characterization
High Throughput Single-cell and Multiple-cell Micro-encapsulation
Authors: Todd P. Lagus, Jon F. Edd.
Microfluidic encapsulation methods have been previously utilized to capture cells in picoliter-scale aqueous, monodisperse drops, providing confinement from a bulk fluid environment with applications in high throughput screening, cytometry, and mass spectrometry. We describe a method to not only encapsulate single cells, but to repeatedly capture a set number of cells (here we demonstrate one- and two-cell encapsulation) to study both isolation and the interactions between cells in groups of controlled sizes. By combining drop generation techniques with cell and particle ordering, we demonstrate controlled encapsulation of cell-sized particles for efficient, continuous encapsulation. Using an aqueous particle suspension and immiscible fluorocarbon oil, we generate aqueous drops in oil with a flow focusing nozzle. The aqueous flow rate is sufficiently high to create ordering of particles which reach the nozzle at integer multiple frequencies of the drop generation frequency, encapsulating a controlled number of cells in each drop. For representative results, 9.9 μm polystyrene particles are used as cell surrogates. This study shows a single-particle encapsulation efficiency Pk=1 of 83.7% and a double-particle encapsulation efficiency Pk=2 of 79.5% as compared to their respective Poisson efficiencies of 39.3% and 33.3%, respectively. The effect of consistent cell and particle concentration is demonstrated to be of major importance for efficient encapsulation, and dripping to jetting transitions are also addressed. Introduction Continuous media aqueous cell suspensions share a common fluid environment which allows cells to interact in parallel and also homogenizes the effects of specific cells in measurements from the media. High-throughput encapsulation of cells into picoliter-scale drops confines the samples to protect drops from cross-contamination, enable a measure of cellular diversity within samples, prevent dilution of reagents and expressed biomarkers, and amplify signals from bioreactor products. Drops also provide the ability to re-merge drops into larger aqueous samples or with other drops for intercellular signaling studies.1,2 The reduction in dilution implies stronger detection signals for higher accuracy measurements as well as the ability to reduce potentially costly sample and reagent volumes.3 Encapsulation of cells in drops has been utilized to improve detection of protein expression,4 antibodies,5,6 enzymes,7 and metabolic activity8 for high throughput screening, and could be used to improve high throughput cytometry.9 Additional studies present applications in bio-electrospraying of cell containing drops for mass spectrometry10 and targeted surface cell coatings.11 Some applications, however, have been limited by the lack of ability to control the number of cells encapsulated in drops. Here we present a method of ordered encapsulation12 which increases the demonstrated encapsulation efficiencies for one and two cells and may be extrapolated for encapsulation of a larger number of cells. To achieve monodisperse drop generation, microfluidic "flow focusing" enables the creation of controllable-size drops of one fluid (an aqueous cell mixture) within another (a continuous oil phase) by using a nozzle at which the streams converge.13 For a given nozzle geometry, the drop generation frequency f and drop size can be altered by adjusting oil and aqueous flow rates Qoil and Qaq. As the flow rates increase, the flows may transition from drop generation to unstable jetting of aqueous fluid from the nozzle.14 When the aqueous solution contains suspended particles, particles become encapsulated and isolated from one another at the nozzle. For drop generation using a randomly distributed aqueous cell suspension, the average fraction of drops Dk containing k cells is dictated by Poisson statistics, where Dk = λk exp(-λ)/(k!) and λ is the average number of cells per drop. The fraction of cells which end up in the "correctly" encapsulated drops is calculated using Pk = (k x Dk)/Σ(k' x Dk'). The subtle difference between the two metrics is that Dk relates to the utilization of aqueous fluid and the amount of drop sorting that must be completed following encapsulation, and Pk relates to the utilization of the cell sample. As an example, one could use a dilute cell suspension (low λ) to encapsulate drops where most drops containing cells would contain just one cell. While the efficiency metric Pk would be high, the majority of drops would be empty (low Dk), thus requiring a sorting mechanism to remove empty drops, also reducing throughput.15 Combining drop generation with inertial ordering provides the ability to encapsulate drops with more predictable numbers of cells per drop and higher throughputs than random encapsulation. Inertial focusing was first discovered by Segre and Silberberg16 and refers to the tendency of finite-sized particles to migrate to lateral equilibrium positions in channel flow. Inertial ordering refers to the tendency of the particles and cells to passively organize into equally spaced, staggered, constant velocity trains. Both focusing and ordering require sufficiently high flow rates (high Reynolds number) and particle sizes (high Particle Reynolds number).17,18 Here, the Reynolds number Re =uDh/ν and particle Reynolds number Rep =Re(a/Dh)2, where u is a characteristic flow velocity, Dh [=2wh/(w+h)] is the hydraulic diameter, ν is the kinematic viscosity, a is the particle diameter, w is the channel width, and h is the channel height. Empirically, the length required to achieve fully ordered trains decreases as Re and Rep increase. Note that the high Re and Rep requirements (for this study on the order of 5 and 0.5, respectively) may conflict with the need to keep aqueous flow rates low to avoid jetting at the drop generation nozzle. Additionally, high flow rates lead to higher shear stresses on cells, which are not addressed in this protocol. The previous ordered encapsulation study demonstrated that over 90% of singly encapsulated HL60 cells under similar flow conditions to those in this study maintained cell membrane integrity.12 However, the effect of the magnitude and time scales of shear stresses will need to be carefully considered when extrapolating to different cell types and flow parameters. The overlapping of the cell ordering, drop generation, and cell viability aqueous flow rate constraints provides an ideal operational regime for controlled encapsulation of single and multiple cells. Because very few studies address inter-particle train spacing,19,20 determining the spacing is most easily done empirically and will depend on channel geometry, flow rate, particle size, and particle concentration. Nonetheless, the equal lateral spacing between trains implies that cells arrive at predictable, consistent time intervals. When drop generation occurs at the same rate at which ordered cells arrive at the nozzle, the cells become encapsulated within the drop in a controlled manner. This technique has been utilized to encapsulate single cells with throughputs on the order of 15 kHz,12 a significant improvement over previous studies reporting encapsulation rates on the order of 60-160 Hz.4,15 In the controlled encapsulation work, over 80% of drops contained one and only one cell, a significant efficiency improvement over Poisson (random) statistics, which predicts less than 40% efficiency on average.12 In previous controlled encapsulation work,12 the average number of particles per drop λ was tuned to provide single-cell encapsulation. We hypothesize that through tuning of flow rates, we can efficiently encapsulate any number of cells per drop when λ is equal or close to the number of desired cells per drop. While single-cell encapsulation is valuable in determining individual cell responses from stimuli, multiple-cell encapsulation provides information relating to the interaction of controlled numbers and types of cells. Here we present a protocol, representative results using polystyrene microspheres, and discussion for controlled encapsulation of multiple cells using a passive inertial ordering channel and drop generation nozzle.
Bioengineering, Issue 64, Drop-based microfluidics, inertial microfluidics, ordering, focusing, cell encapsulation, single-cell biology, cell signaling
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Investigating Causal Brain-behavioral Relationships and their Time Course
Authors: Magdalena W. Sliwinska, Sylvia Vitello, Joseph T. Devlin.
Institutions: University College London.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a safe, non-invasive brain stimulation technique that uses a strong electromagnet in order to temporarily disrupt information processing in a brain region, generating a short-lived “virtual lesion.” Stimulation that interferes with task performance indicates that the affected brain region is necessary to perform the task normally. In other words, unlike neuroimaging methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that indicate correlations between brain and behavior, TMS can be used to demonstrate causal brain-behavior relations. Furthermore, by varying the duration and onset of the virtual lesion, TMS can also reveal the time course of normal processing. As a result, TMS has become an important tool in cognitive neuroscience. Advantages of the technique over lesion-deficit studies include better spatial-temporal precision of the disruption effect, the ability to use participants as their own control subjects, and the accessibility of participants. Limitations include concurrent auditory and somatosensory stimulation that may influence task performance, limited access to structures more than a few centimeters from the surface of the scalp, and the relatively large space of free parameters that need to be optimized in order for the experiment to work. Experimental designs that give careful consideration to appropriate control conditions help to address these concerns. This article illustrates these issues with TMS results that investigate the spatial and temporal contributions of the left supramarginal gyrus (SMG) to reading.
Behavior, Issue 89, Transcranial magnetic stimulation, virtual lesion, chronometric, cognition, brain, behavior
Inducing Plasticity of Astrocytic Receptors by Manipulation of Neuronal Firing Rates
Authors: Alison X. Xie, Kelli Lauderdale, Thomas Murphy, Timothy L. Myers, Todd A. Fiacco.
Institutions: University of California Riverside, University of California Riverside, University of California Riverside.
Close to two decades of research has established that astrocytes in situ and in vivo express numerous G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that can be stimulated by neuronally-released transmitter. However, the ability of astrocytic receptors to exhibit plasticity in response to changes in neuronal activity has received little attention. Here we describe a model system that can be used to globally scale up or down astrocytic group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in acute brain slices. Included are methods on how to prepare parasagittal hippocampal slices, construct chambers suitable for long-term slice incubation, bidirectionally manipulate neuronal action potential frequency, load astrocytes and astrocyte processes with fluorescent Ca2+ indicator, and measure changes in astrocytic Gq GPCR activity by recording spontaneous and evoked astrocyte Ca2+ events using confocal microscopy. In essence, a “calcium roadmap” is provided for how to measure plasticity of astrocytic Gq GPCRs. Applications of the technique for study of astrocytes are discussed. Having an understanding of how astrocytic receptor signaling is affected by changes in neuronal activity has important implications for both normal synaptic function as well as processes underlying neurological disorders and neurodegenerative disease.
Neuroscience, Issue 85, astrocyte, plasticity, mGluRs, neuronal Firing, electrophysiology, Gq GPCRs, Bolus-loading, calcium, microdomains, acute slices, Hippocampus, mouse
Improving IV Insulin Administration in a Community Hospital
Authors: Michael C. Magee.
Institutions: Wyoming Medical Center.
Diabetes mellitus is a major independent risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality in the hospitalized patient, and elevated blood glucose concentrations, even in non-diabetic patients, predicts poor outcomes.1-4 The 2008 consensus statement by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) states that "hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients, irrespective of its cause, is unequivocally associated with adverse outcomes."5 It is important to recognize that hyperglycemia occurs in patients with known or undiagnosed diabetes as well as during acute illness in those with previously normal glucose tolerance. The Normoglycemia in Intensive Care Evaluation-Survival Using Glucose Algorithm Regulation (NICE-SUGAR) study involved over six thousand adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients who were randomized to intensive glucose control or conventional glucose control.6 Surprisingly, this trial found that intensive glucose control increased the risk of mortality by 14% (odds ratio, 1.14; p=0.02). In addition, there was an increased prevalence of severe hypoglycemia in the intensive control group compared with the conventional control group (6.8% vs. 0.5%, respectively; p<0.001). From this pivotal trial and two others,7,8 Wyoming Medical Center (WMC) realized the importance of controlling hyperglycemia in the hospitalized patient while avoiding the negative impact of resultant hypoglycemia. Despite multiple revisions of an IV insulin paper protocol, analysis of data from usage of the paper protocol at WMC shows that in terms of achieving normoglycemia while minimizing hypoglycemia, results were suboptimal. Therefore, through a systematical implementation plan, monitoring of patient blood glucose levels was switched from using a paper IV insulin protocol to a computerized glucose management system. By comparing blood glucose levels using the paper protocol to that of the computerized system, it was determined, that overall, the computerized glucose management system resulted in more rapid and tighter glucose control than the traditional paper protocol. Specifically, a substantial increase in the time spent within the target blood glucose concentration range, as well as a decrease in the prevalence of severe hypoglycemia (BG < 40 mg/dL), clinical hypoglycemia (BG < 70 mg/dL), and hyperglycemia (BG > 180 mg/dL), was witnessed in the first five months after implementation of the computerized glucose management system. The computerized system achieved target concentrations in greater than 75% of all readings while minimizing the risk of hypoglycemia. The prevalence of hypoglycemia (BG < 70 mg/dL) with the use of the computer glucose management system was well under 1%.
Medicine, Issue 64, Physiology, Computerized glucose management, Endotool, hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, diabetes, IV insulin, paper protocol, glucose control
Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis
Authors: Kaspar Meyer, Jonas T. Kaplan.
Institutions: University of Southern California.
Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) is an increasingly popular method of analyzing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data1-4. Typically, the method is used to identify a subject's perceptual experience from neural activity in certain regions of the brain. For instance, it has been employed to predict the orientation of visual gratings a subject perceives from activity in early visual cortices5 or, analogously, the content of speech from activity in early auditory cortices6. Here, we present an extension of the classical MVPA paradigm, according to which perceptual stimuli are not predicted within, but across sensory systems. Specifically, the method we describe addresses the question of whether stimuli that evoke memory associations in modalities other than the one through which they are presented induce content-specific activity patterns in the sensory cortices of those other modalities. For instance, seeing a muted video clip of a glass vase shattering on the ground automatically triggers in most observers an auditory image of the associated sound; is the experience of this image in the "mind's ear" correlated with a specific neural activity pattern in early auditory cortices? Furthermore, is this activity pattern distinct from the pattern that could be observed if the subject were, instead, watching a video clip of a howling dog? In two previous studies7,8, we were able to predict sound- and touch-implying video clips based on neural activity in early auditory and somatosensory cortices, respectively. Our results are in line with a neuroarchitectural framework proposed by Damasio9,10, according to which the experience of mental images that are based on memories - such as hearing the shattering sound of a vase in the "mind's ear" upon seeing the corresponding video clip - is supported by the re-construction of content-specific neural activity patterns in early sensory cortices.
Neuroscience, Issue 57, perception, sensory, cross-modal, top-down, mental imagery, fMRI, MRI, neuroimaging, multivariate pattern analysis, MVPA
The use of Biofeedback in Clinical Virtual Reality: The INTREPID Project
Authors: Claudia Repetto, Alessandra Gorini, Cinzia Vigna, Davide Algeri, Federica Pallavicini, Giuseppe Riva.
Institutions: Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by a constant and unspecific anxiety that interferes with daily-life activities. Its high prevalence in general population and the severe limitations it causes, point out the necessity to find new efficient strategies to treat it. Together with the cognitive-behavioral treatments, relaxation represents a useful approach for the treatment of GAD, but it has the limitation that it is hard to be learned. The INTREPID project is aimed to implement a new instrument to treat anxiety-related disorders and to test its clinical efficacy in reducing anxiety-related symptoms. The innovation of this approach is the combination of virtual reality and biofeedback, so that the first one is directly modified by the output of the second one. In this way, the patient is made aware of his or her reactions through the modification of some features of the VR environment in real time. Using mental exercises the patient learns to control these physiological parameters and using the feedback provided by the virtual environment is able to gauge his or her success. The supplemental use of portable devices, such as PDA or smart-phones, allows the patient to perform at home, individually and autonomously, the same exercises experienced in therapist's office. The goal is to anchor the learned protocol in a real life context, so enhancing the patients' ability to deal with their symptoms. The expected result is a better and faster learning of relaxation techniques, and thus an increased effectiveness of the treatment if compared with traditional clinical protocols.
Neuroscience, Issue 33, virtual reality, biofeedback, generalized anxiety disorder, Intrepid, cybertherapy, cyberpsychology |
New AFOSR magnetron may help defeat enemy electronics
Researchers funded by the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research at the University of Michigan invented a new type of magnetron that may be used to defeat enemy electronics. A magnetron is a type of vacuum tube used as the frequency source in microwave ovens, radar systems and other high-power microwave circuits. Credit: Photo courtesy of the University of Michigan and the Air Force Research Laboratory
Researchers funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research at the University of Michigan invented a new type of magnetron that may be used to defeat enemy electronics. A magnetron is type of vacuum tube used as the frequency source in microwave ovens, radar systems and other high-power microwave circuits.
According to Dr. Ron Gilgenbach, an AFOSR-sponsored researcher at the University of Michigan, a new class of magnetrons was invented that holds the potential for more compact Department of Defense microwave sources with faster start-up, as well as higher peak and average power. "This invention should make it possible to develop more compact magnetrons that operate at higher power and higher frequencies," said Gilgenbach. "Higher power magnetrons could be utilized to jam and defeat enemy electronics." The magnetron has been vital to military radar systems since World War II. Over time the basic design of the magnetron has not changed much. However, the University of Michigan researchers have revolutionized the design of both conventional and inverted magnetrons by expanding the cathode (negatively charged electrode) and anode (positively charged electrode) area into a new type of magnetron, which permits higher current and larger area for heat dissipation in a more compact device. This research has a significant impact on the Air Force's radar capabilities. The newly invented magnetron's higher frequencies have the potential to improve radar resolution. Additionally, the more compact packaging of the new magnetron could encourage airborne applications. "This invention exploits some plasma physics principles that have been applied to this problem as well as an innovative, new geometry to overcome the physical limitations of conventional magnetrons," said Gilgenbach. "The vision is to explore both a high power version of the magnetron invention and a separate higher frequency (mm wave) embodiment." AFOSR has been funding the research that led to this invention under the program direction of Dr. Robert Barker, Physics and Electronics program manager. Dr. Barker speaks highly of the University of Michigan-led team, which includes co-inventors: R.M. Gilgenbach (UM), Y.Y. Lau (UM), Brad Hoff (formerly UM, currently at AFRL), David French (UM), and John Luginsland (NumerEx). "The Michigan group led by Profs. Gilgenbach and Lau has long been a mainstay of AFOSR's high power microwave (HPM) research team," said Barker. "Not only is it internationally recognized for its scientific accomplishments as exemplified by this new invention, but this Michigan group also serves as an example for the rest of the university community. It has established active collaborations with AFRL counterparts and provided a steady stream of graduates to staff the ranks of the Air Force's HPM research and development establishment." Source: Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Tegal Awarded Key Patent For New Magnetron Sputter Source
New sputter source represents break through in target efficiency - provides significant cost savings to chip manufacturers
Tegal Corporation announced that it has been granted United States Patent, No. 6,783,638 for the ...
Heat transfer between materials is focus of new research grant
Managing heat is a major challenge for engineers who work on devices from jet engines to personal electronics to nano-scale transistors.
Toshiba Announces Gallium Nitride Power FET with World's Highest Output Power in Ku-band
Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has developed a gallium nitride (GaN) power field effect transistor (FET) for the Ku-band (12GHz to 18GHz) frequency range that achieves an output power of 65.4W ...
Cloud radar -- predicting the weather more accurately
The weather. It's the one topic of conversation that unites Britain – umbrella or sun cream? Now scientists at the Science and Technology Facilities Council have developed a system that measures the individual layers ...
Fujitsu Develops World's First GaN HEMT Able to Cut Power in Standby Mode and Achieve High Output
Fujitsu today announced the development of a new type of gallium nitride (GaN)-based high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) that features a new structure ideal for use in amplifiers for microwave and millimeter-wave ...
Small, low-noise oscillator may help in surveillance
A new design for a microwave oscillator that is smaller, simpler, and produces clearer signals at a single frequency than comparable devices has been invented at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). ... |
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The genes of Emiliania huxleyi - a recipe for global growth
Posted by John Jackson on Jun 17, 2013 10:46:50 AM
Tom Richards from the Museum's Life Science department is an author on a paper in Nature that explores the genome of one of the most abundant species of planktonic plant - the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi. Coccolithophores occur in great numbers in the ocean: the chalk cliffs at Dover are made up of the remains of their calcium carbonate skeletons. The World's oceans are tremendously complex. Currents move over thousands of kilometres, some descending as they are cooled by weather systems, or mixing at the surface with fresh waters, sediments and nutrients from continental rivers. Life is immensely diverse, ranging from corals to the deep-sea vent faunas. The highest biomass of life is in the shallow seas near to land, but the open ocean contains a constantly shifting system of tiny planktonic organisms ranging from bacteria to single-celled plants to grazing zooplankton and their predators. These planktonic ecosystems change with currents, seasons, nutrient availability and predation. Their growth, population explosions, deaths and decline interact with the planet's cycling of carbon and other nutrients. These interactions are important in understanding ocean productivity and climate: there are links to carbon dioxide fluctuation, for example, as the plants absorb it during growth and release some at death. Despite the tiny size of the organisms, their huge numbers over two-thirds of the planet's surface means that their role in planetary systems is very significant. E. huxleyi experiences huge population explosions in the open ocean - planktonic blooms. Some species of phytoplankton bloom under very particular conditions of temperature and nutrient availability, but E. huxleyi thrives in a wide range of conditions, occuring from the warm waters of the equator to polar regions. Emiliania huxleyi, showing the distinctive calcium carbonate plates that cover its exterior. These may have important protective and light-reflecting qualities for the organism. The paper finds that E. huxleyi strains from different areas share a core genome - this gives them a robust abilty to resist the inhibiting and damaging effects of intense sunlight, together with genes that allow effective growth in low phosphorus conditions. There are genetic differences between the strains that lead to distinct abilities to thrive in different nitrogen, ammonia and metal conditions. It seems that this, and other characteristics, give E. huxleyi the ability to bloom in very different oceanic environments - it is described as a species complex because of its genetic diversity. This work will enable scientists to understand better the responses and influences of this very widespread species, and to investigate the complex processes and systems of the ocean that determine productivity and influence climate change. Read, B.A. et al. (2013) Pan genome of the phytoplankton Emiliania underpins its global distribution. Nature doi:10.1038/nature12221
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You are hereTopics » Homelessness and Housing + Homelessness and Housing
Poverty and Housing
SAMHSA’s Efforts
Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care
SAMHSA supports programs that prevent homelessness and increase access to permanent housing for people with mental and/or substance use disorders.
Stable housing provides the foundation upon which people build their lives. Without a safe, affordable place to live, it is almost impossible to achieve good health or to achieve one’s full potential. But, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), on a single night in 2014, more than 578,000 people, including 136,000 children, experienced homelessness. Of those people, more than 177,000 were unsheltered. While the number of people experiencing homelessness has declined since 2007, much work remains to be done to reach the goal of ending homelessness in the United States.
According to HUD’s 2013 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report, of those who experience homelessness, approximately 257,300 people have a severe mental illness or a chronic substance use disorder.
The circumstances of homelessness take different forms. People experiencing homelessness may find themselves in any one of the following groups:
Unsheltered—living on the streets, camping outdoors, or living in cars or abandoned buildings
Sheltered—staying in emergency shelters or transitional housing
Doubled up—staying with friends or family temporarily
People with mental and/or substance use disorders can be precariously housed and particularly vulnerable for homelessness. In January 2014, one in five people experiencing homelessness had a serious mental illness, and a similar percentage had a chronic substance use disorder. However, efforts to combat homelessness are having an impact, particularly among veterans and people experiencing chronic homelessness.
SAMHSA works closely with the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). Its mission is to coordinate the federal response to homelessness and to create a national partnership at every level of government and with the private sector to reduce and end homelessness in the nation while maximizing the effectiveness of the federal government in contributing to the end of homelessness. In June 2010, USICH published Opening Doors, the federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness. This plan outlines four goals:
Finish the job of ending chronic homelessness in five years
Prevent and end homelessness among veterans in five years
Prevent and end homelessness for families, youth, and children in 10 years
Set a path to ending all types of homelessness
USICH developed this strategic plan as a blueprint to aid in the coordination of the 19 federal members of USICH, and also for state and local partners to end homelessness. Opening Doors calls for Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) agencies to collaborate and review how SAMHSA, Medicaid, and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) programs can be coordinated with housing resources to prevent and end homelessness. For SAMHSA, this means improving coordination and targeting of existing SAMHSA homelessness and recovery resources.
Chronic Homelessness
A person is considered to be experiencing chronic homelessness when he or she spends more than a year in a state of homelessness or has experienced a minimum of four episodes of homelessness over a three-year period. Of the 578,000 people experiencing homelessness on a single night of 2014, approximately 99,000 were considered to be experiencing chronic homelessness. Although chronic homelessness represents a small portion of the overall homeless population and the number of people experiencing chronic homelessness is decreasing across the United States, this population consumes more than half of services.
According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, approximately 30% of people experiencing chronic homelessness have a serious mental illness, and around two-thirds have a primary substance use disorder or other chronic health condition. These health problems may create difficulties in accessing and maintaining stable, affordable, and appropriate housing.
Research from the Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic Homelessness (CICH), a joint effort of HUD and Veterans Affairs, sheds light on the prevalence of these issues. They indicate that, at program entry, 72% of participants had substance use disorders and 76% had mental illness problems.
SAMHSA’s goal is to increase access to permanent housing for individuals with mental and/or substance use disorders and their families. Learn more about SAMHSA’s involvement to help end homelessness:
SAMHSA’s Efforts to Prevent Homelessness
Grants Related to Homelessness and Housing
Publications and Resources on Homelessness and Housing
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Youth
One group that is at high risk for homelessness is lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. Among youth who are experiencing homelessness, LGBT youth are at higher risk for physical assaults, sexual exploitation, and mental and/or substance use disorders. To best serve this population, treatment and service providers need to be aware of the unique needs of these youth. For more information about the prevalence LGBT youth experiencing homelessness and interventions and services available, download the National Alliance to End Homelessness publication Incidence and Vulnerability of LGBTQ Homeless Youth – 2008 (PDF | 279 KB).
According to the report On the Streets: The Federal Response to Gay and Transgender Homeless Youth – 2010 (PDF | 524 KB), there are approximately 1.6 million to 2.8 million young people experiencing homelessness in the United States, and estimates suggest that disproportionate numbers of these youth are LGBT. Research indicates that between 240,000 and 400,000 lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth experience at least one episode of homelessness each year.
Rural Residents
Understanding homelessness among rural populations requires a more flexible definition of homelessness. There are far fewer shelters in rural areas, so people experiencing homelessness are more likely to live in a car or camper or with relatives in overcrowded or substandard housing. Defining homelessness to include only those who are literally homeless—living in a shelter or on the streets—does not fit with the rural reality.
Rural homelessness, like urban homelessness, is the result of poverty and lack of affordable housing. Studies have shown that people experiencing homelessness in rural areas are more likely to be white, female, married, and currently working. Homelessness among Native Americans and migrant workers is also more common in rural areas.
While research around behavioral health and homelessness among rural populations is limited, there is growing evidence indicating the likelihood of behavioral health problems among this population. In California, adults experiencing homelessness were screened for the probability of lifetime major mental and/or substance use disorders. Compared to the two urban counties in the test, the homeless populations in the rural county had higher rates of severe mental illness. In a similar study in Montana, 18% of the rural population experiencing homelessness admitted to having been diagnosed with mental illness and 15% admitted to alcohol or drug use disorder. About 26% of those who participated in the study reported that chronic drug or alcohol use was a cause of their homelessness.
Learn more about homelessness among rural populations and available federal resources.
In 2014, almost 50,000 veterans experienced homelessness on a single night, down from more than 75,000 in 2009. Among veterans experiencing homelessness in 2013, 50% had a serious mental illness, 70% had a substance use disorder, and 74% experienced chronic homelessness. A large number of veterans who are experiencing homelessness or who are at-risk of experiencing homelessness live with lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For many, their situation is further complicated by co-occurring substance use.
Learn more about homelessness and the other challenges faced by our veterans and military families. Find federal resources for veterans experiencing homelessness.
Meeting people where they are—geographically, philosophically, emotionally—is the essence of effective outreach to people experiencing homelessness and the beginning pathway to engaging them in treatment and services. Rather than expecting people to access services on their own, outreach workers across the country take services to where people are. These outreach workers are often the first and only point of contact for people who might otherwise be disconnected.
Find infromation about outreach to homeless populations and other behavioral health and homelessness resources.
Cultural Awareness and Competency
People experiencing homelessness come from a wide range of backgrounds. Providers should recognize that each person’s diverse experiences, values, and beliefs will impact how he or she accesses homeless services. Of equal importance is recognizing that the cultural values of treatment and service providers have an effect on how services are delivered and accessed.
The disproportionate impact of homelessness on minority populations is noted in the HUD 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report. Data show that minorities (i.e., Hispanics, African Americans, and other non-white races) are among the populations most vulnerable to fall into homelessness. One in 129 minorities and one in 69 African Americans in the United States experienced homelessness in shelters in 2012. While the number of minorities in the total U.S. population increased 13.1% between 2007 and 2012, the number in shelters actually decreased by 1%.
Furthermore, the proportion of adults who are disabled in shelters increased an estimated 37% between 2007 and 2012. Between 2007 and 2012, the number of sheltered people experiencing homelessness increased 20.4% in suburban and rural areas and declined 14.4% in cities, reflecting a similar geographic trend in the U.S. poverty population. Minorities were almost 2 times as likely to become homeless than to receive a cancer diagnosis (1 in 243).
Last Updated: 04/26/2016 Data and Statistics
Housing and Urban Development: Homeless Management Information System
Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness 2013 Update |
About Keystone Science School
Founded in 1976 by Robert W. Craig, Keystone Science School has taught scientific principles and leadership skills to young people, teachers, and community members through engaging hands-on field experiences. KSS was founded on the belief that leaders should approach decision-making with a healthy respect for scientific inquiry, collaboration, and civic engagement.
We know that today's youth are our future leaders - the ones who will develop policies and make decisions that impact our world. With that in mind, we've created interactive science education programs that help students become familiar with scientific and critical thinking skills and encourage them to be engaged citizens. Our programs prepare future leaders to address the increasingly complex issues our society faces. Check out our values - they define KSS's culture and help guide the staff when making decisions.
Located at 9,200 feet on the site of Old Keystone Village in Keystone, Colorado, our historic 23-acre campus serves as the ultimate outdoor laboratory and is the home base for our diverse suite of programs. Our facilities include modern log-style dormitories, a central dining hall, an outdoor amphitheater, and a state-of-the-art observatory.
Over the decades KSS has evolved to provide increasingly diverse and accessible programs around leadership development, STEM-based education, health and nutrition, teacher professional development, and experiential learning. Some new initiatives include CATCH Afterschool (started August 2011) and Summer CATCH Camp (starting June 2015) which provide out-of-school physical activity and nutrition education for elementary-aged students in Summit County. These programs operate on a sliding fee scale with the goal of serving as many low- and moderate-income families as possible.
Our Girls in STEM program kicked off in early 2015 giving young women the opportunity to explore the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math through games, experiments, and group activities. Research shows that in mixed gender classrooms girls often let boys take the lead in these subjects. But when given the opportunity to work in a girls-only setting, girls speak up, develop more self-confidence, and are more likely to do well in and pursue further study or a career in these subjects.
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Q&A, Dr. Drew Ramsey, Columbia psychiatry professor and co-author, ‘The Happiness Diet’
Posted by: Alexandra Stieber - Atlanta in North America
Our October trend report, “Health & Happiness: Hand in Hand,” examines the idea that happiness is increasingly coming to be seen as a core component of health and wellness. As part of our research, we spoke with Dr. Drew Ramsey, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, who is one of psychiatry’s leading proponents of modulating diet to help balance mood, sharpen brain function and improve mental health. His clinical work focuses on the treatment of depression and anxiety with a combination of psychotherapy, lifestyle modification and psychopharmacology. Ramsey is also co-author of the 2011 book The Happiness Diet with Tyler Graham. He explained his views on the connection between health and happiness and how diet comes into play.
Do you see a trend toward connecting health and happiness?
I don’t think you can have much happiness without health, and I don’t think people really are healthy if they’re not feeling happy. It’s not just having a huge smile; it’s feeling satisfied and fulfilled and connected to others. Almost always it stems from a sense of connection with my work and with other people.
I think [connecting health and happiness] is a trend. I certainly see it in the food industry, where increasingly there are ingredients being added for the reported brain benefit. But part of me always gets concerned when people are trying to market stuff as happiness. There’s a huge trend where people are thinking about their health as more than just being in good shape. People are thinking more about their emotional health and more about their brain health. And, in particular, as the Baby Boomers are easing into the dementia age, there’s a huge interest I’m seeing both clinically and in the media about brain health, brain fog, senior moments.
In the last decade, how has the role of diet changed as it relates to health as well as happiness?
It’s changed significantly. Probably one of the biggest shifts in neuroscience happened maybe 10 or 15 years ago. When I went to medical school, I was the class of doctors who learned that you did not grow new brain cells as you got older. What’s really shifted is an idea of brain growth and what’s called neuroplasticity, which is basically that that your brain cells are constantly growing and changing and making new connections and getting rid of old connections. So that’s been a huge shift in terms of fundamental brain science.
Over the last five years, really for the first time now, there is a significant collection of studies that look at what people eat, and they’ve all basically said the same thing, which is that people who eat a Western diet, or modern diet, have an increased risk for depression, anxiety and ADHD. And then there’s been a huge interest in food, stemming both from a lot of cooking shows and a huge interest again in farming, where people are actually connecting to their food, connecting to the people who produce their food. What I’m hoping to add to it is to help people understand some of the brain science and why that’s important, what you get from those foods.
How does the brain science factor in to diet and happiness?
Food choices are the foundation of good brain health. Your brain is made of food. Every molecule in your brain started out on your plate. And just like any chef will tell you, the most important thing about being a chef is getting the best ingredients. I think that’s true with the brain as well. When I think about happiness, I think about a brain that is able to regulate its mood. There are three or four areas in the brain that are connected to food and connected to symptoms. A brain that is a well-nourished brain is going to be free of certain types of anxiety.
One of the most important things people miss when they think about a bad mood is that we always look for the reasons why we’re feeling down. Is it because I got in an argument with my wife? Is it because my latte was too hot this morning? But those are all psychological reasons. What was missing in the happiness literature was the notion that some symptoms and the state of our brain depend on dietary choices. So people were saying the way to feeling happy was to give more gratitude, to think more positive thoughts. What I felt was missing in that message was that if you don’t feed yourself correctly, this changes your mood. That’s what I thought was important for people to connect—connect their forks to their feelings.
Can you reverse the potential damage that’s done from a poor diet?
I don’t think having a bad diet over 10 years leads to permanent damage. Anybody can change their diet and improve their brain health. That’s actually one of my favorite parts of this business, doing interviews where people call in and I prescribe brain food swaps. For instance, if a kid loves Twizzlers, try dried cranberries and dried goji berries. Same texture, same color, but instead of getting gluten, sugar and red dye, you’re getting lots and lots of vitamin C, lots of fiber, a whole host of vital nutrients that are very good for general health and great for the brain.
Antidepressants are the top prescribed class of medications in America, but I also try to be clear that The Happiness Diet isn’t just a book for people who are depressed to replace their medications. Whether you have already done psychiatric treatment or not, everybody’s brain needs the same food. When people start making changes, you see an almost immediate effect.
Do you think happiness is becoming more prescriptive than it was in the past?
People have always wanted to pursue happiness, but it seems there are more prescriptive ways to do that than there ever have been, ranging from the way you should eat to Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project.
Happiness has always been a universal human goal, but do you think it’s more important to people today than it was five years ago?
One of the real repercussions of the financial recession is that people have begun to re-examine what makes them happy. The happiness literature shows that once you can pay your bills, more money doesn’t make you happier. What makes people happier is connection to their community or family, marriage, giving back, receiving. So there’s certainly a shift afoot in terms of how people think about overall happiness.
Do you think there’s a difference between the type of happiness people experience from a material purchase versus an experience? Yes, I do. One is an experiential happiness that’s usually shared with another human being. Those are the most significant and grounding events for people’s emotional experience—to do something with other people. To go have a nice picnic or go to church. That’s a fundamentally different type of happiness than the happiness I get when I buy myself a new pair of very nice shoes.
What do you see as the connection between lasting happiness and how people perceive good health?
I think about it in two ways. One way I think about it is how it connects to the data, that if people have obesity and diabetes, they greatly increase their risk of having a major depressant episode. It’s the same thing with heart disease. So there’s this very intimate connection in the literature between your risk of having clinical depression and your physical health status. And then I think goals are shifting—that everybody’s in the gym wanting to look better, but whenever anybody leaves the gym, they usually feel better.
How do you see perceptions of the connection between health and happiness changing in the future, in the next five, ten years?
If I’m successful, I hope people are going to connect their food choices to their happiness much more. I think there’s going to be a lot of discussion with how technology interfaces with people and what the effects are on how we actually measure and think about happiness. I think there’s going to be an increased interest in how technology and social media affect personal happiness. I really wonder what screen addiction is doing to people’s personal relationships. And I think we’re going to see a trend of people turning to more natural experiences. When people spend time with nature, they tend to be less conflicted.
I think we’re going to see a lot of foods that are fortified for brain cells. You’ve already seen that—Horizon milk is adding DHA, which is an algae oil derivative, and I think if people knew they were drinking milk mixed with algae, that would gross them out. But when it says it supports brain health, people get excited, and they buy that milk. We’re going to see more food fortified with nutrients related to the brain and the brain health claims.
In terms of happiness, there’s going to be this really big question mark that’s happening in the field of, Can you deliver mental health services over the Internet? That’s going to be huge.
Tags: Boomers, candy, food, health and wellness, q&a 1 Response to "Q&A, Dr. Drew Ramsey, Columbia psychiatry professor and co-author, ‘The Happiness Diet’"
1 | Tom O'Connor
November 18th, 2012 at 2:02 am This is such a good overview of how younger MD’s are moving the needle from after the fact pharma intervention to true prevention. Healthy food truly is medicine. Thank you for writing this book. I’ll include a link on my site.
Each week my client newsletter uses data from http://www.greenmedinfo.com and http://www.humanfoodproject.com to help educate employees about the deep nutritive value found in fruits, vegetable and spices. Thank you JWT for making this leading trend data accessible. There’s more interest in this than I think you even you understand.
Tom O’Connor
Market Fresh Fruit/ Eat Healthy At Work
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Alternative watersAugust 19, 2014 | 1:59 pm
With the coconut water craze going strong, watch for more variations on H2O thanks to consumer interest in more natural alternatives to soda and openness to novel products. Antioxidant-rich maple water (made from maple sap) is gaining attention, while almond water from the startup Victoria’s Kitchen has secured space at Whole Foods and Target. As the AP reports, there’s also cactus, birch and artichoke water—made from either water extracted from the plant or boiled with the ingredient in question—whose makers tout their vitamin and mineral content, as well as their infection-fighting properties. —Allison Kruk
Image credit: Vertical Water
Smart mannequinsAugust 13, 2014 | 5:01 pm
One of our Things to Watch in 2014, beacons have been popping up everywhere from airports to restaurants to museums. But the biggest pickup for these devices—low-cost transmitters that use Bluetooth to precisely track consumers’ mobile phones and send targeted content—has been among retailers. Now, British retailers including House of Fraser, Hawes & Curtis and Bentalls are testing mannequins outfitted with VMbeacon technology from the startup Iconeme.
A “smart mannequin” enables nearby shoppers with a related mobile app to get details about what it’s wearing and how to find the products in the store or buy them online. The big question is whether customers will be motivated to opt in; skeptics say the technology doesn’t yet provide enough real benefit. —Allison Kruk
Image credit: Iconeme
De-teching appsAugust 7, 2014 | 10:55 am
De-teching—the idea that more people will choose to temporarily log off—was one of our 10 Trends for 2011, and in our 2014 trend Mindful Living, we discussed the idea that digitally immersed consumers will try to use technology more mindfully. Perhaps ironically, several new apps aim to help people do so.
Moment tracks phone use and alerts users when they reach their self-imposed daily limit. Pause is “designed to help us reconnect with real life”; it encourages people to use Airplane Mode and engage in real-world activities, and attempts to turn this behavior into a game among friends. Finally, Menthal is part of a research project out of Germany that helps users find out, “Are you in control of your smartphone? Or is your smartphone controlling you?” —Marian Berelowitz
Intuitive eatingJuly 29, 2014 | 5:00 pm
As spotlighted in our 10 Trends for 2014 report, people are becoming more interested in Mindful Living, including the notion of eating more mindfully. And with consumers showing declining interest in dieting, the idea of “intuitive eating”—paying closer attention to the body’s hunger signals rather than following a strict regimen—has been steadily gaining traction. Recent media mentions include articles in Fitness and New Zealand’s Stuff, and a Refinery 29 writer is blogging about adopting the practice. With a recent analysis of studies finding that intuitive eating can be a successful strategy for people who are overweight or obese, watch for more consumers to embrace this anti-diet philosophy. —Allison Kruk
Image credit: Theresa Kinsella
Chinese mega-citiesJuly 24, 2014 | 1:15 pm
China, home to the world’s second largest rural population, is expected to add close to 300 million more urbanites by 2030, when Shanghai and Beijing will likely account for two of the world’s Top 5 mega-cities, according to new UN research. “We are observing one of the most significant economic transformations the world has seen: 21st-century China is urbanizing on a scale 100 times that seen in 19th-century Britain and at 10 times the speed,” notes a new McKinsey paper on cities and luxury markets. China’s wealth will be concentrated in these urban areas: Over the next decade, McKinsey expects Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Shenzhen, in addition to Hong Kong, to join the list of “top luxury cities.” —Marian Berelowitz
Image credit: Jakob Montrasio
Brands + Google GlassJuly 15, 2014 | 6:09 pm
As Google Glass makes its way into the hands of more people (last month it became available in the U.K.), brands are experimenting with the new possibilities that the platform affords. In March, Kenneth Cole became the first to launch a marketing campaign—the “Man Up for Mankind Challenge”—through a Glass app. Users were challenged to perform and document good deeds for the chance to win a prize.
Starwood’s new Glass app, billed as the first such app from the hospitality sector, lets people voice-search its properties, view photos and amenities, get directions and book rooms. An array of other marketers have turned out apps for early adopters, from Sherman Williams’ ColorSnap Glass (easily create a paint chip that mirrors anything in view) to Fidelity (delivers daily market quotes for Glass wearers). —Tony Oblen
Image credit: SPG
Ugly produceJuly 10, 2014 | 2:45 pm
Ugly Produce, on our list of 100 Things to Watch in 2014, is proliferating in Europe, thanks in part to government efforts to reduce the 89 million tons of food wasted in Europe each year. In France, Intermarché has been getting buzz for creating a produce section dedicated to “Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables”; a whimsical ad campaign reportedly drove a 24 percent rise in store traffic.
U.K. supermarket Waitrose recently began selling packs of tomatoes that are misshapen or have fallen off the vine naturally. And in Portugal, Fruta Feia (“Ugly Fruit”) is a cooperative launched in late 2013 that sells unsightly produce that would have gone to waste. Per The New York Times, the group already has a waiting list of 1,000 customers. In line with one of our 10 Trends for 2014, Proudly Imperfect, watch for ugly produce to catch on with both retailers and shoppers. —Jessica Vaughn
Image credit: Intermarché
The $1.25 CubeJuly 3, 2014 | 12:30 pm
As we outline in Immersive Experiences, one of our 10 Trends for 2014 and Beyond, entertainment and narratives are becoming more enveloping in a bid to capture consumers’ imagination and attention. An immersive project from JWT Israel, a winner of the Cannes Chimera challenge, aims to help people experience what it’s like to live in extreme poverty. Once it’s created, the cube will create a multisensory experience that uses tools like augmented reality to simulate sights, sounds and smells and elicit certain feelings. Participants can exit only when the person in line behind them inserts $1.25, a metaphor for the collaborative efforts needed to fight poverty. The aim is for the cube to travel to international events like the Davos conference in order to influence global leaders. —Hallie Steiner
Image credit: JWT Israel
Google’s Android AutoJune 26, 2014 | 3:00 pm The connected car is rapidly becoming a reality. Fast 4G LTE connections are turning vehicles into hot spots that come with a data plan, while Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android are making their way onto dashboards. This week Google introduced Android Auto, with the first compatible cars expected by year-end. Apple’s similar CarPlay, which turns the car into a platform for an iPhone’s content, was announced in March and is included in new Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo models.
Car-based app ecosystems will provide relevant info (traffic, maps, vehicle diagnostics, restaurant suggestions) and entertainment, combined with safety precautions like voice control. As we outline in our mobile trends report, connected cars—complete with Internet hot spots, a suite of apps and sensors that communicate—will eventually link up with drivers’ homes, mobile devices and other gadgets to form a seamless system. —Marian Berelowitz
Image credit: Android
American Eagle Outfitters’ recycling boxesJune 19, 2014 | 3:45 pm
In a bid to create a more closed-loop production cycle, retailers including Puma and H&M are partnering with I:CO, a Swiss reuse and recycling firm that sets up collection points in stores for used clothing and shoes. The latest retailer to link up with I:CO is American Eagle Outfitters, which has added collection boxes in all its North American stores. Customers who participate in the “Live Your Life. Save Your Planet” initiative get a $5 credit toward AEO jeans. Any proceeds gleaned from the program will be donated to the Student Conservation Association.
“The vision is for all products to be designed with future uses in mind, so materials can be 100% reused in a truly endless cycle,” explains a post from I:CO on American Eagle’s blog. An array of brands are taking steps toward a similar vision, as detailed in our upcoming report on the circular economy. —Marian Berelowitz
Image credit: American Eagle Outfitters
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School nurses reach 98% of students in U.S. public schools to diagnose primary immunodeficiency
Published on August 28, 2014 at 8:58 PM
School nurses reach 98 percent of the 50,000,000 students in U.S. public schools, grades k-12, and are uniquely positioned to facilitate the early diagnosis of serious medical conditions such as primary immunodeficiency (PI).
Even when symptoms are recognized and an appropriate referral is made, diagnosing PI can still be challenging because there are more than 250 PIs and they do not always present in clear patterns. As a result, the underlying cause often goes undetected.
In an effort to reduce the number of undiagnosed cases of PI in school children, CSL Behring has awarded a Local Empowerment Advocacy Development (LEAD) grant to the Jeffrey Modell Foundation (JMF) to develop an education campaign in collaboration with the National Association of School Nurses (NASN). The campaign will help nurses recognize the symptoms of PI in school children and facilitate their referral to a physician.
PIs, according to Vicki Modell, Co-Founder of JMF, are underdiagnosed in children who present with chronic, recurring, and persistent infections. "Quite often, school nurses are the first 'line of defense,' in recognizing that these children suffer from repeated infections and missed days at school," Modell said. "Educating school nurses about the immune system and the 10 Warning Signs of primary immunodeficiency will lead to early and precise diagnosis, appropriate treatment and improved quality of life."
NASN is customizing content supplied by JMF to meet the needs and appeal to school nurses as part of the PI awareness campaign. This includes producing English and Spanish-version posters that will be mailed to its approximately 16,000 members. NASN will distribute another 1,500 posters in conference bags at its annual meeting.
In addition, NASN will leverage its journal, websites, social media and weekly digest banner placement to promote PI awareness.
A second communication to school nurses reinforcing messaging around PI will also be distributed. In April, NASN will plan promotional activities around World PI Week, including a radio podcast episode, social media, weekly digest blurb and banner.
Related StoriesInnovative board game helps improve nutrition, health in young childrenResearch finds differences in breast milk of women who gave birth to pre-term infantsAcupuncture may be viable option to manage pain in children with complex medical conditionsDennis Jackman, CSL Behring's senior vice president for global healthcare policy and external affairs, said educating more school nurses about PIs can have far reaching impact on students and their communities. "Arming school nurses with the knowledge to more quickly recognize symptoms of primary immunodeficiencies, and encouraging them to have candid conversations with students and their families about the disorder, will lead to improved student well-being and success," Jackman stated.
LEAD grants have also been presented to Greater Florida Hemophilia Foundation (GFHF) and Ohio Bleeding Disorders Council (OBDC). GFHF's grant will be used to conduct an educational program for social workers at Hemophilia Treatment Centers in Florida. The program consists of a workshop that offers the most updated information about the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid so that social workers can more effectively assist patients and their families with reviewing and changing plans and/or choosing new insurance plans.
OBDC's grant will be used to support ongoing advocacy initiatives in the state including:
providing guidance and input to the Ohio Department of Insurance, and also directly to insurance providers, to ensure that issues critical to the bleeding disorders community are considered in all available marketplace plans;
working with legislators and members of the administration to ensure that any transition of children with hemophilia into Medicaid managed care is continually monitored for accessibility to quality health care.
To date, CSL Behring has awarded 55 LEAD grants to patient advocacy organizations totaling more than $729,000 since the program was established in 2008. Proposals are being accepted for the next grant cycle. The deadline for submitting a proposal is October 31, 2014.
Source:CSL Behring
3aabf93b-6c7a-4390-ad86-491829173755|0|.0
Posted in: Child Health News | Healthcare News
Tags: Angioedema, Burn, Cardiac Surgery, Children, Education, Genetic, Health Care, Healthcare, Hemophilia, Hemophilia B, Immunodeficiency, Managed Care, Medicaid, Protein, Respiratory, Respiratory Disease, Von Willebrand Disease Permalink
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Two food additives with previously unrecognized estrogen-like effects in two food additives
March 2, 2009 Scientists have identified two food additives with previously unrecognized estrogen-like effects. One of the additives, 4-hexylresorcinol, is used to prevent discoloration in shrimp and other shellfish. Image: National Cancer Institute, Renee Comet
Scientists in Italy are reporting development and successful use of a fast new method to identify food additives that act as so-called "xenoestrogens" — substances with estrogen-like effects that are stirring international health concerns. They used the method in a large-scale screening of additives that discovered two additives with previously unrecognized xenoestrogen effects. Their report appears in the current edition of ACS' Chemical Research in Toxicology.
In the study, Pietro Cozzini and colleagues cite increasing concern about identifying these substances and about the possible health effects. Synthetic chemicals that mimic natural estrogens (called "xenoestrogens," literally, "foreign estrogens") have been linked to a range of human health effects. They range from reduced sperm counts in men to an increased risk of breast cancer in women.
The scientists used the new method to search a food additive database of 1,500 substances, and verified that the method could identify xenoestrogens. In the course of that work, they identified two previous unrecognized xenoestrogens. One was propyl gallate, a preservative used to prevent fats and oils from spoiling. The other was 4-hexylresorcinol, used to prevent discoloration in shrimp and other shellfish. "Some caution should be issued for the use of propyl gallate and 4-hexylresocrinol as food additives," they recommend in the study.
More information: "Identification of Xenoestrogens in Food Additives by an Integrated in Silico and In Vivo Approach", Chemical Research in Toxicology
Provided by ACS
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Encyclopedia of Psychology
Home » News » Women with Handsome Husbands May Feel More Pressure to Be Thin
Women with Handsome Husbands May Feel More Pressure to Be Thin
By Traci Pedersen
A new study appearing in the journal Body Image shows that women evaluated as less attractive than their husbands feel more pressure to diet and be thin than women deemed more attractive than their husbands.
“The results reveal that having a physically attractive husband may have negative consequences for wives, especially if those wives are not particularly attractive,” said doctoral student Tania Reynolds at Florida State University (FSU).
As for men, however, their motivation to diet was low regardless of their wives’ attractiveness or their own.
The findings offer interesting insights into a relationship dynamic in which a woman fears she will fall short of her partner’s expectations. Understanding certain social factors which may increase a woman’s risk of developing eating disorders and other health problems could lead to earlier interventions.
“The research suggests there might be social factors playing a role in women’s disordered eating,” Reynolds said. “It might be helpful to identify women at risk of developing more extreme weight-loss behaviors, which have been linked to other forms of psychological distress, such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and dissatisfaction with life.”
The new findings add to existing research from the same research lab showing that marriages tend to be more successful and satisfying when wives are more attractive than their husbands.
“In order to better understand women’s dieting motivations, the findings of this study highlight the value of adopting an approach that focuses on a couple’s relationship,” said Dr. Andrea Meltzer, an assistant professor of psychology at FSU.
For the study, the researchers examined 113 newlywed couples — married less than four months, average age late 20s, living in the Dallas area — who agreed to be rated on their attractiveness.
Each participant answered several questions focusing in part on their desire to diet or have a thin body. Some questions included, “I feel extremely guilty after eating,” “I like my stomach to be empty,” and “I’m terrified of gaining weight.”
A full-body photograph was taken of every participant and rated on a scale of one to 10. Two teams of undergraduate evaluators studied the photos: one at Southern Methodist University in Texas focused on spouses’ facial attractiveness, while another at FSU looked at body attractiveness. The evaluators varied in sex and ethnic makeup.
According to Reynolds, some research has shown that women tend to over perceive just how thin their partners want them to be and, as a result, may inappropriately pursue dieting and a thin figure.
“One way to help these women is for partners to be very reaffirming, reminding them, ‘You’re beautiful. I love you at any weight or body type,'” Reynolds said. “Or perhaps focusing on the ways they are a good romantic partner outside of attractiveness and emphasizing those strengths: ‘I really value you because you’re a kind, smart, and supportive partner.'”
Next, Reynolds would like to explore whether women are more motivated to diet when they are surrounded by attractive female friends.
“If we understand how women’s relationships affect their decision to diet and the social predictors for developing unhealthy eating behaviors,” Reynolds said, “then we will be better able to help them.”
Source: Florida State University
About Traci Pedersen
Traci Pedersen is a professional writer with over a decade of experience. Her work consists of writing for both print and online publishers in a variety of genres including science chapter books, college and career articles, and elementary school curriculum.
View all posts by Traci Pedersen →
Read more articles by this author
Pedersen, T. (2017). Women with Handsome Husbands May Feel More Pressure to Be Thin. Psych Central. Retrieved on November 23, 2017, from https://psychcentral.com/news/2017/07/15/women-with-handsome-husbands-may-feel-more-pressure-to-be-thin/123270.html
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 15 Jul 2017
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Australian Commonwealth Parliament passes data retention into law
On 27 March 2015, the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment (Data Retention) Bill 2014 (Cth) was passed into law. From 2017 onwards, the data retention law will require telecommunications service providers to keep customer metadata for two years to aid law enforcement agencies in their investigations of serious offences.
In order to access data, security agencies need only prove that the metadata is 'reasonably necessary' to an investigation. Outside the journalists’ exception (discussed below), all other citizen metadata will be available for access without a warrant. The number of authorities able to access metadata has been reduced to 20 security agencies including the Australian Tax Office (ATO), Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The journalists' exception
The House of Representatives agreed to amendments to provide for ‘journalist information warrants’, with the purpose of controlling and protecting access to a journalist’s data that would identify a confidential source. Notably, this protection only applies to data of a person ‘who is working in a professional capacity as a journalist’ and their employers.
Journalists will not be notified that an agency is seeking their metadata, and their lawyers will not be able to make representations before a decision is made on issuing the warrant. The legislation will however create the role of a public interest advocate who will be able to argue against access to metadata that may reveal a journalist’s source. A judge will then assess whether the disclosure outweighs the public interest in protecting confidentiality of sources, taking into account whether the matter being investigated is ‘serious or trivial’, as well as the importance of ‘personal privacy’.
The Government is still negotiating with the telecommunications industry as to who will pay for this new system, which is expected to cost up to $400 mil per year. The legislation can be accessed here.
For more information, please contact Anne-Marie Allgrove, Toby Patten or Jarrod Bayliss-McCulloch.
Baker McKenzie -
Anne-Marie Allgrove, Toby Patten and Jarrod Bayliss-McCulloch Back
Parliament of Australia
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"The newsfeeds deliver us the most recent legal analysis and practical information. There seems to be a broad analysis which is beneficial to us in analyzing various areas of law. It provides a snap shot update of various legal developments and assists us in staying current. The articles are well covered and include the right amount of detail. The size and depth of articles are good too, so we can get to the information one needs very quickly. The articles are typically of high calibre and from high-calibre authors who provide sufficiently succinct articles so that one can learn much about new developments in a short amount of time. I like the format because it is easy to scan for relevant articles. It's a great tool. I like the fact you can tailor the newsfeeds by jurisdiction and work area, and only receive information relevant to your practice."
"The newsfeeds deliver us the most recent legal analysis and practical information. There seems to be a broad analysis which is beneficial to us in analyzing various areas of law. It provides a snap shot update of various... "The newsfeeds deliver us the most recent legal analysis and practical information. There seems to be a broad analysis which is beneficial to us in analyzing various areas of law. It provides a snap shot update of various legal developments and assists us in staying current. The articles are well covered and include the right amount of detail. The size and depth of articles are good too, so we can get to the information one needs very quickly. The articles are typically of high calibre and from high-calibre authors who provide sufficiently succinct articles so that one can learn much about new developments in a short amount of time. I like the format because it is easy to scan for relevant articles. It's a great tool. I like the fact you can tailor the newsfeeds by jurisdiction and work area, and only receive information relevant to your practice." Barbara Clancy |
Joris van der Voet
Assistant Professor of Public Management, Institute of Public Administration, Campus The Hague, Leiden University
Prosocial Motivation in Youth Care
Leading Change in Public Organizations
Cutback management and financial crisis
About me & CV
In 2015, a national policy reform was implemented in the youth care sector in The Netherlands. The reform has multiple objectives, including a reduction of ‘bureaucracy’, bringing youth care professionals closer to clients by organizing them in neighborhood teams, making clients and their social network active partakers in care-giving rather than merely recipients, and (naturally) a substantive budget cut.
Youth care workers are characterized by a high degree of prosocial motivation: the desire to benefit others through one’s job. Anticipating the reform in 2014, Bram Steijn (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and I were therefore curious to see how youth care professionals would react to the reform, how the reform would affect their work experiences, and ultimately how the reform would impact their prosocial motivation.
With these questions in mind, we launched a longitudinal research project involving 5 major youth care organizations. Online surveys of professionals were conducted in December 2014, January 2016 and January 2017, resulting in a panel data set. Next to communicating our results to the participating organizations, three academic articles have been written based on the project.
The first article (Public Management Review) examines the role of prosocial motivation in shaping professionals’ reactions to change. The article indicates that for prosocially motivated employees, the anticipated meaningfulness of the reform determines their reactions to change: What’s in it for others?
The second article (Public Administration) examines the effect of red tape (bureaucratic rules and procedures) on the job satisfaction of youth care professionals. The analysis shows that red tape may reduce job satisfaction because it limits the contact that professionals have with their clients, as well as the impact they can have on improving the life of their clients. The study also shows that the negative impact of red tape is stronger in highly prosocially motivated employees: they are more vulnerable to factors that limit their ability to contribute to others.
The third article (currently work in progress) takes a longitudinal perspective on how changes in relational job characteristics (contact with clients and impact on clients) shape the prosocial motivation of professionals over time. Our analysis provides evidence that policy reforms may feed back to motivation by altering work characteristics. In the case of our youth care professionals, the study indicates that the reform has reduced the opportunities for contact with and impact on clients, thereby indirectly reducing the prosocial motivation of professionals.
dr. Joris van der Voet
Assistant Professor of Public Management
Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs
@: j.van.der.voet[at]fgga.leidenuniv.nl
Follow @JorisvanderVoet
Februari - March 2017: Teaching "Change Management and Leadership" in MPA Program at Leiden University
April 2017: IRSPM Conference in Budapest
June 2017: PMRA Conference in, Washington DC |
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines for Future Large Offshore Farms
Environment and Energy:
A better understanding of wind turbine wake dynamics is a key to efficiently drive the development of wind energy and the associated size increase of wind farms. The wake is the region of lower mean wind velocity and increased turbulence downwind of a wind turbine. This flow feature is inherent to the very extraction of energy from the wind and is characterised
by powerful swirling structures known as vortices. In the development of the next generation of very large offshore machines, the vertical axis (VAWT) concept has shown several structural advantages over its horizontal axis counterpart. The aerodynamics and wakes of VAWTs, however, are not as well understood as they are fundamentally different and based on unsteady phenomena. There have been indications that the VAWT aerodynamics produces a faster wake decay and could allow a denser arrangement of turbines in a farm, leading to a higher energy production. The project, led by assistant professor Philippe Chatelain of the Louvain School of Engineering, works to carefully characterize the behaviour of VAWT wakes. The vortex dynamics and decay of the wake will be investigated with a single machine (shown in the figure above). Larger simulations at the scale of a farm will assess the claims about the more favourable interactions between VAWT generators and thus VAWT’s role as gamechanging technology.
Source: Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Belgium
Assistant Professor Philippe Chatelain
Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering (iMMC), Louvain School of Engineering Université catholique de Louvain (UCL)
Place du Levant 2 box L5.04.03, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium e-mail: [email protected] |
Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON) values diversity as a crucial component in its engagement with students, faculty, and the world. We think of it as diversity with a global perspective:
Creating a learning climate where creativity, robust yet respectful debate, and a genuine respect for others can flourish.
Fostering international research collaborations, developing global health initiatives, and coordinating access to health care for under-served populations.
Educating next-generation nurses for leadership and service in the global community.
Diversity with a global perspective assures a warm welcome—not mere tolerance—for differences in national origin, race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status. Duke University School of Nursing values inclusion of the unique. It provides a safe haven where diversity can spawn intellectual engagement and collaborative partnerships.
In February 2013 Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON) officially adopted a diversity statement. The Statement of Diversity and Inclusion is meant to serve as a guidepost for our School as we continue to make DUSON open and inclusive for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors. This video is a recitation of that statement by DUSON faculty, staff, and students—just one way that we are breathing life into our community's ongoing commitment to cultivating a culture of equity, opportunity, inclusiveness, and respect at Duke.
Diversity Initiatives at Duke University School of Nursing (partial list):
DUSON's Office of Global and Community Health Initiatives (OGACHI) addresses health disparities locally and around the world. In addition, OGACHI seeks to increase diversity in nursing through special programs, often conducted in partnership with other institutions.
ABSN and MSN students can complete their clinical and/or residency requirements via a global clinical immersion experience in Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, or China.
The Duke Chapter of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing is a forum for Duke University students, faculty, and staff to meet, discuss, and influence factors which affect men as both students and professional nurses.
DUSON’s Military Program offers special sequencing of courses so that military nursing students can complete their studies, in most cases, within the time allotted by their branch of the armed forces. Each military student is mentored by a faculty member who is a former military officer and serves as the student’s academic advisor.
DUSON regularly hosts international visitors and scholars who come to Duke to enhance their research skills and expertise in a particular clinical or non-clinical nursing specialty.
The Health Equity Academy is a competitive academic and professional socialization program for high achieving/high potential minority students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. It focuses on the social determinants of health, health access, health disparities, diversity and health equity.
The Bridge to the Doctorate Program prepares minority nurse scientists to influence research by broadening research questions and methodologies, particularly around the challenges of health disparities. It is a collaborative partnership between the Winston-Salem State University Division of Nursing and Duke University School of Nursing.
Statement of Diversity and Inclusion Video
The Multicultural Center
The John Hope Franklin Center
Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture
The Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Life
Student Disability Access Office
News About Diversity
Bringing the World to DUSON: International Elective Enriches Global Perspective
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Duke at a Glance
What Makes Duke and Durham Great
Reasons to Choose Durham
RWJF Culture of Health Prize Winner |
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